The Sword of the Spirit
by Grace Bull
A friend recently commented that she was prone to stabbing herself with the sword of the Spirit, rather than making an impact on the enemy! Part of our armour, or protection, which is described in Ephesians Chapter 6, is the sword, which is like a very large knife, sharp on both sides. It cuts into any enemy argument, lie or attack. But of course we must learn how to handle it correctly, just as we are careful with viciously sharp knives in our home.
It made me smile when my friend said she stabbed herself with the sword of the Spirit. What she meant was this: she had been repeating the Word of God but in her heart she wasn't sure she really meant it. She believed she had to be positive and only speak positive words, so instead of bringing to the Lord Jesus her fears, doubts and discouragements, she tried to ignore them and she ended up quoting Scripture like wishful thinking. Unfortunately it was only her own heart which was being cut. She felt she was hurting herself by denying the reality of what her experience really was.
God doesn't want us to pretend. The belt of truth tells us that (another part of the armour in Ephesians 6). The Word of God is called the sword of the Spirit because we need the Holy Spirit to help us. And remember that he is the Spirit of truth. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth (John 16:13). From that place of reality, when we are being real with God about how we feel, the Holy Spirit will then show us which part of the Word of God to hold on to (which part is the handle of the sword for you today).
God's Word is sharper than any sword and it divides between soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). And it is given to us to stop the enemy from hurting us in any way. The Holy Spirit will teach you how to hold it and use it to defeat everything that comes against you. Everything that makes you feel afraid, low, defeated or distressed. Why not ask him today to show you?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your powerful Word. Praise Your name for the blessing I hold in my hands when I read it. Please help me to be real with You in my prayers, and please send Your Holy Spirit to help me as I read and apply Your Word. I would like to learn from You every day. Thank You so much. Amen.
Grace Bull is a member of the Ellel Ministries team, working in course development and the support of Ellel centres worldwide, having previously been a full-time GP (family doctor) for 15 years. Her passion is relationship with God and doing anything that will help other people to find that close relationship too.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
