Ephesians 6:14-17
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate
of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...Any armour, including the
Armour of God, is useless without a sword - for the enemy can keep attacking until
the armour gives way - how important then is it to be acquainted with the Sword
of the Spirit.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
When Jesus was in the wilderness Satan
tempted Him by quoting scripture, but Jesus was able to reply by also using
God’s word as answer. Satan knows the word of God as well as we do, better, so
we must be able to beat him at his own game.
The world is changing so fast now that
every day seems to bring new evil being perpetrated
somewhere in the world. Children, women, men all being trafficked as slaves of
one kind or another. I heard last night that some places are censoring church
sermons if they do not ‘respect’ the new laws being passed by men (and women)
without a thought of what God’s word says.
Even some preachers are adapting scripture
to fit in with what certain congregations want to hear. Yet another reason to
be sure that God’s word is known in our hearts.
In addition to the rest of God’s armour we
need to be aware of the sword of truth and be able to wield it with confidence.
Prayer
Protecting Father, we are under attack on
all sides, by agents of wickedness. Help us to hold onto Your word and to be
able to wield the sword of Your truth. Help us to be able to explain the
necessity of Your protection to those who don’t
have the strength of Your armour to protect them against weapons of evil.
Please allow Your word to penetrate deeply into our hearts as we face the
enemy. Amen
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