The Whole Armor Of God - The Sword Of The Spirit

"Above All, taking the Shield Of Faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the Helmet Of Salvation, and the Sword Of The Spirit, which is the word of God:" Eph 6:16 & 17. You may notice again that "Above All" is in bold; and as before, this is a continuation of that expression. Thinking back to the Sunday School illustration of the Armor of God, I can recall to picture depicting a large sword with the WORD written on the side of it; this is not that sword. The sword that Paul is speaking about here is more like a dagger; this is used more for a surgical type of application; this sword represents the Holy Spirit. The word which Paul speaks about here is not the Word (Logos), as in Jesus; but it is Rhema, as in: to speak, a word spoken, a command, denoting the operative or all-powerful word or command of God; It stands for the subject matter of the Word. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as: "The Spirit of Truth", and as "The Comforter"; and Jesus Christ has designated Him as equal with Himself; the Holy Spirit acts as Christ's substitute here on earth. This Holy Spirit resides in us, and has the power to take on any and every force of wickedness which may present itself in or around our lives; in any given situation; Application; Application; Application! In Mark 13:11, Jesus instructed his disciples what they should do when apprehended and taken before the councils: "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what you shall speak, neither do you premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not you that speak, but the Holy Ghost." Remember, "The battle belongs to the Lord"; we are just one of His solders in the battle, and we are called to stand. Let's go back to the beginning of verse 16 and revisit "Above All"; some of the definitions I found were: Authority, Power, care over, and besides all this. As previously discussed, but needing to be reapplied: we are seated in Christ; we are walking in Christ; thus,we are able to stand in Christ; and Christ has already won the battle; so why do we fight as thou it has not yet been won? or worst yet, as though it can't be won? Maybe we should go back to verse 10; "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." Now Stand!; and let's apply the Sword of the Spirit... When we are confronted with anything, and I mean anything, we must allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. You may notice I said allow, and not ask; we do not have to ask the Spirit to anything, (except maybe,"please don't go"); because He is our comforter and our defender, and we just need to allow Him to work. Now let's apply this to our walk. There are many levels of situations that we can walk into, be confronted with, or even be tempted in; and every single one of them can be handled by taking up the Sword of the Spirit. It really comes down to whether we are willing to yield to the Spirit and the word He is putting fourth; remember I said that we do not have to ask Him for the words or the strength; we just need to be willing to surrender to His commands. One thing I have found (the hard way); the Holy Spirit will not force you to do anything; but He will try to persuade you; and maybe even sometimes plead with you; but never, ever force Himself upon you. That being said, when you are tempted in sin (for example), the Holy Spirit will speak the word of God into your heart that reminds you that what your doing is wrong. Unfortunately, many times we may shut Him up before He actually has a chance to finish His defence; kind of like a judge would overrule a lawyer in the courtroom. What we need to be doing, is to let Him finish the complete subject matter of the word, so that we can be strengthened by the word of God; and most importantly so that we do not sin. If that does not work for you, then maybe you can try putting on that Helmet of Salvation I shared with you yesterday. And if that does not work for you; go find two brothers in the Lord that you can trust to confine in, and plead with them to stand with you. You might have noticed I said two brothers and not just one; the reason for that; in case some gossip gets around about your problem, you and the other brother can go confront the gossiper. Finally, we can really count on the Sword of the Spirit when it comes to edification, loving our brothers and sisters, forgiving those that we must forgive; Actually doing what Paul instructed in Eph 4:29-5:2 : "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be you kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us; and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." ......Some Things Just Need To Be Lived Out... (next Praying Always)