The Sword of The Spirit

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God -Ephesians 6:17

All the previous parts of the armor are defensive in nature, the breastplate, shoes, helmet, shield is meant to defeat satan’s attack on us, Today we look at our one offensive weapon: The Sword of the Spirit.

The Literal Interpretation

Paul spoke of one of five different types of Roman swords. This one was a two-edged sword with the end turned upward. It inflicted much more damage than the other swords. Not only was it intended to kill, but also it could rip the enemy’s insides to shreds. It only needed to penetrate the enemy a depth of two to three inches to mortally wound him. Another advantage to this sword is that the soldier did not have to turn his sword around to inflict damage to the enemy. It cut in two directions. This was seen as a very deadly and powerful weapon.

The Spiritual Application

Hebrews 4:12 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, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Bible is described as being sharper than any two edged sword. As dangerous as the roman sword was to doing bodily damage to the enemy, the Word of God in the hands of His Warrior is just as dangerous to our enemy and so powerful that it enters even to the deepest and most inward and secret parts of the heart, fatally wounding the stubborn, and openly reviving the believers.

The Battle Plan

The battle plan is exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ, who left us an example that we should follow in His steps. How did Jesus react when tempted by the enemy, satan?

Matthew 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (3) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5) Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, (6) And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (7) Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (8) Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (11) Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

We see the three temptations of Jesus here. We are told that Jesus was tempted in all ways like we are yet without sin.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1. Lust of the Flesh: he was 40 days fasting and he was hungry.
2. Lust of the Eyes: He was offered the kingdoms of this world.
3. The Pride of Life: That he could jump off the temple and live.

Jesus was tempted just as the Eve was tempted in the garden and failed.

Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

1. Good for food: the lust of the flesh.
2. Lust of the eyes: it was pleasant to look at.
3. Pride of life: they would be like gods.

Where Eve failed is she added to the word God had spoken (God never did say she could not touch the fruit) and she fell for the temptation while her lilley-livered no account husband watched.

But while in Eve we see how to fail, in Jesus we see how to succeed. He battled back using the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Excerpted from Christian Warrior VIII: The Sword of The Spirit.

Getting Thing Right In America

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country.  Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to her and said, ‘Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today…’ After a few minutes, she returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly..  ‘Oh,’ she said, ‘on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, Then our country just came together.’  Sooo…….. When we get Jesus back where He Belongs— Our country will come together. Psalm 62:1   From God comes our salvation! Thanks Mrs. Carol for the e-mail!

The Shield of Faith

OK, I know I skipped this last week. It was unintentional, I got so wrapped up in studying the helmet of salvation I skipped over the shield of faith. So here it is this week with my apologies.

The Literal Interpretation

The Romans had a long, rectangular, knees-to-chin shield which protected them from arrows and spears and could be knelt behind during an arrow barrage. It
was quite a bit heavier and clumsier that the smaller Greek circular shield; but
there was a series of exercises, a manual of arms, designed to give the
soldier flexibility and strength in the use of the shield. Groups of soldier who
were besieging a town could form close together and hold their shields over their
heads to make a huge circle to protect the group from fiery arrows.

The scutum was an impressive line of defense. Because of its sheer size (some were three and a half feet tall and almost three feet wide), soldiers were afforded a great deal of protection from enemies. Because of its slight curve, it was able to deflect attacks without transferring the full force of the assault to the man holding the shield. Because of its boss, it was able to deflect even the more vicious blows and function in a limited offensive capacity as a means of knocking an opponent backwards.

One of the more famous use of the Roman shield as illustrated in the movie “Cleopatra” was when Cesar sent out a “Tortisto” formation to attack a catapult.
In the testudo formation, the men would deploy very densely and position their shields at the sides (rather than by the grip behind the umbo).The first row of men, possibly excluding the men on the flanks, would hold their shields from about the height of their shins to their eyes, so as to cover the formation’s front. The shields would be held in such a way that they presented a shield wall to all sides. The men in the back ranks would place their shields over their heads to protect the formation from above, balancing the shields on their helmets, overlapping them. If necessary, the legionaries on the sides and rear of the formation could stand sideways or backwards with shields held as the front rows, so as to protect the formation’s sides and rear. In addition, the leather coverings could be dampened so that the fiery arrows would be doused upon impact.

The Spiritual Application

In this verse, the Roman shield stands for the faith of the believer in the promises of God. The value of faith lies not in the person exercising it, but in the person whom the faith is in (Have faith in God. -Mark 11:22). Faith is something that all people possess and use every day. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes through hearing the Word of God.  Knowing the Bible and the God of the Bible gives you greater faith. Remember it is God that fights with you and that is some awesome protection.Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. -Ephesians 6:16

Excerpted from The Christian Warrior VII, The Shield of Faith.