In chapter one, he wrote of the "exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe" (v. 19)—the resurrection power which lifted Christ to the throne. Again in chapter three, he spoke of being "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (v. 16).
(Google image, Sword of the Spirit " The Bible is meant to be our compass, dictionary, encyclopedia, GPS, and guide." Diana Leagh Matthews)
Believers are to prove in their lives that all that has been said and written of God's power manifesting itself in His Church is a divine reality. The Spirit is the mighty power of God, and the Spirit-filled Christian should be strong for God's service and the wars of His kingdom.
Paul tells us,
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).
To live victoriously, we must wear the whole armor of God every day and stand strong in Christ and in the strength of His might.
The believer not only has to face various temptations but take his place as one whom Christ leads in warfare against the kingdom of darkness. In the work of the Church, the victory of the cross over the power of Satan is to be carried out in the same power through which Christ triumphed over the grave.
Defense and offense
When Paul says, "Take unto you the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:13) he begins by speaking of the various parts of defensive armor. The Christian first needs to see that he is perfectly safe in the protection of his Lord.
Only then is he fit for acting on the offensive. Paul mentions only one weapon of attack—the sword. That sword is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
To know its power and how to use it effectually, we can look to our leader, the Captain of the Lord's host. When Jesus Christ met Satan in the wilderness, He conquered him by the Word of God alone.
As a man, He had studied that Word. He loved it, He obeyed it, and He lived in it. The Holy Spirit brought to His mind the familiar words He needed to meet and conquer every Satanic suggestion.
To use the sword of the Spirit in the hour of battle means that I have lived in that Word and that it abides in me. I have given it the mastery of my whole being. The Spirit of Christ within me enables me by faith to cast out Satan by the Word.
The man who yields his whole being to the Word, who lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God, will be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
In the struggle with doubt and worldliness, with open or secret iniquity, with feeble, hopeless Christians, with dark superstitions, nominal Christianity, or a backsliding Church—the Word of God will always be the weapon of victory to those who know how to use it properly.
We learn to use our sword from the vision of John in Patmos. He saw One like the Son of Man, and "out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword" (Revelation 1:16).
John heard Him say,
"These things saith he which hath the sharp
sword with two edges . . . Repent; or else I
will come unto thee quickly, and will fight
against them with the sword of my Mouth"
(Revelation 2:12, 16).
Christ has been revealed to us, calling us to repent of sin, especially the sin of our unbelief. He has fought against the evil in us with the sword of His mouth, so that the power of the Word will be revealed in us. Now we can be strong to wield the sword of the Spirit.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
The word shows us the difference between the soulish and spiritual realms. It discovers our most secret intentions and inclinations in the light of God and His holiness.
The branch that has been cleansed by the Word will bear much fruit. The soul that has fully yielded itself to the sword of His mouth will have faith and strength to wield it against every enemy.
(Chapter 15, pp. 77-79, italics added)
by Andrew Murray
Copyright © 1984
Copyright © 1984
by Whitaker House
Used by permission
Let's pray-
"Father, I want to follow Your plan for my life. Please lead me and guide me in Your ways. Give me Your wisdom and truth and show me the purpose for which I was created. I will seek You first in my life. I will trust You with my whole heart and do whatever You ask me to do.
"I believe our faith is measured by how we handle each battle that comes our way. It may be a skirmish to carry out God’s holy vision, a war against those who seek to undermine God’s calling, or the age-old conflict of good versus evil.
The battlefield is not nearly as important as our choice to align ourselves with God’s plan and step out in faith of the battle already won – which brings us to the powerful stressbuster of praise." Mary Southerland
The battlefield is not nearly as important as our choice to align ourselves with God’s plan and step out in faith of the battle already won – which brings us to the powerful stressbuster of praise." Mary Southerland
Today's Bible verses-
Psalm 23:5, (NKJV) "You prepare a table
Psalm 23:5, (NKJV) "You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies; You
anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over."
Proverbs 3:5-6, (NIV) "Trust in the Lord with
all your heart; do not depend on your own under- standing. Seek his will in all you do, and he
will show you which path to take."
Proverbs 3:5-6, (NIV) "Trust in the Lord with
all your heart; do not depend on your own under- standing. Seek his will in all you do, and he
will show you which path to take."
Ephesians 5:15-16 "Be very careful, then, how
you live, not as unwise but as wise, making
the most of every opportunity . . . “
you live, not as unwise but as wise, making
the most of every opportunity . . . “
Words of wisdom-
~ We're assured that God will be with us in times our faith is tried as He was with Jesus. He spoke words of encouragement to him at His baptism, to let Him know He was proud of Him. This helped Jesus go through the 40 day's of temptation by Satan, and come out victorious. God's Spirit will be with us too!
~ God speaks life and meaning into people's lives to build them up, stir them up and to cheer them.
~ God speaks life and meaning into people's lives to build them up, stir them up and to cheer them.
Today's popular post-
You have often longed for more power in prayer, in your speaking, and in your touch upon the lives of those to whom you minister . . . "
List of recent sermons of CFC ministers. CFC Potsdam NY church has a live service at 10 am Sunday's for shut-ins. If for some reason you can't make it to the church you usually attend, click on the above link, and still get fed!
Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)
Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage
Upcoming posts-
#32 Mobilized for Battle
16th- Thursday's post by Andrew Murray
Awake My Soul
18th- Saturday's post by Lee Forbes
#33 Victory Through Intercession
21st- Tuesday's post by Andrew Murray
#34 The Secret of Revival
23rd- Thursday's post by Andrew Murray
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