In Ephesians 6:17, we read about the Sword of the Spirit. A soldier can wear the right uniform for protection, but if a soldier enters the battlefield without a weapon or if the soldier is unskilled and doesn’t know how to use his weapon, the soldier shall not be able to fight and stand against the enemy and shall eventually lose the fight. Because as soon the enemy finds out that the soldier is unarmed or doesn’t know how to use his weapon, the enemy shall attack and gain the victory. A soldier without a weapon or a soldier, who is unskilled and doesn’t know how to use his weapon, can’t be victorious. This also applies to every Christian, who is born again in Christ and belongs to the holy army of God. Every soldier of Christ should know how to use the Sword of the Spirit in battle. What does the Bible say about the Sword of the Spirit? What does the Sword of the Spirit mean?
What is the Sword of the Spirit?
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye 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 (Kwabase-Efese 6:14-17)
The Sword of the Spirit is the only weapon and offensive element of the spiritual armor of God, by which you can attack the enemy and be victorious. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Therefore you can only attack and overcome the devil and his minions through the Word of God.
Ngelishwa, during the past years, the devil has enlarged his territory and has gained a lot of spiritual ground, due to the ignorance of believers and a lack of knowledge of the Word of God; inyani.
Many have fed themselves with the opinions and the words of man coming from a carnal mind and have tried to fight the spiritual battles with their iimfundiso zobuxoki and carnal methods and because of that many have lost spiritual battles and sometimes even have left God and His word and entered the way of the world.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, kodwa ngokuchasene nezilawuli, ngokuchasene namagunya, ngokuchasene nabaphathi bobumnyama beli hlabathi, nxamnye nenkohlakalo yomoya kwiindawo eziphakamileyo (Kwabase-Efese 6:12)
But as it is written, we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, kodwa ngokuchasene nezilawuli, amandla, rulers of the darkness of this world, nxamnye nenkohlakalo yomoya kwiindawo eziphakamileyo. Ngoko ke, we can’t fight the spiritual battle and overcome the enemy from the flesh by using carnal words, natural means, and methods.
The only way to fight the spiritual battle and defeat the enemy and cause a change is from the Spirit, from your position in Christ using the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
The Word of God is the Truth and only with the Truth of God, i new man is able to discern, expose, reproof, and destroy the lies and the works of the devil and his kingdom.
Jesus defeated the devil with the Sword of the Spirit
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; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. 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. Then the devil leaveth Him, kwaye, khangela, angels came and ministered unto Him (UMateyu 4:8-11)
Jesus was en is the living Word of God and He knew the will and the nature of His Father. When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness, the devil tried to tempt Jesus. The devil didn’t use his own words, but he used the words of God. Nangona kunjalo, the devil used the words of God in the wrong context.
The devil tried to tempt Jesus, by using the words of God for Himself and the lusts and desires of His flesh.
But Jesus knew the words and the will of His Father. Jesus knew the nature of His Father and He knew the nature of the devil. Therefore Jesus discerned the lies of the devil.
Jesus didn’t listen to the words of the devil and the will and the lusts and desires of the flesh and didn’t bow to the devil and His flesh, but Jesus stayed obedient to the will of His Father and used the words of God in the right context and said: “It is written….”
And so the two-edged Sword came out of His mouth and Jesus defeated the devil with the offensive weapon of the Spirit.
Jesus showed us, that this is the only way to expose the lies of the devil and to silence and defeat the devil
O hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Guquka; okanye ndoza kuwe kamsinya, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth (ISityhilelo 2:15-16)
And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (ISityhilelo 19:15)
The two-edged Sword came out of the mouth of Jesus during His life on earth, after His life on earth, and shall always come out of His mouth.
Fighting without the Sword of the Spirit
Umtyholi uyazi, that a believer can’t fight the spiritual warfare without the Sword of the Spirit, nor fight without knowing how to use the Sword of the Spirit. Ngoko ke, the devil tries to distract born again believers and keep them far away from the Word, so that they stay ignorant and he’ll be able to mislead and tempt them with his lies.
The devil also knows, that he doesn’t have to worry about carnal people, who have a lot of knowledge about the Bible, but are not born again. Since he knows, these carnal people are unspiritual and sense-ruled and are not able to walk by faith and apply the words of God in their lives.
Therefore all this knowledge of the Bible shall not do anything, but shall only puff them up. So that they walk in pride and exalt themselves above others.
Bangabantu bendalo, who don’t have the Holy Spirit and don’t see the spiritual warfare between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.
Although they have a lot of carnal knowledge about the Sword of the Spirit, they lack spiritual understanding and don’t know how to use the Sword of the Spirit, and don’t do anything with it. Ngenxa yoko, they are no threat to the devil and his kingdom (Funda kwakhona: Destroying the works of God instead of the works of the devil)
And so there are many people, who have attended church for years and have a lot of knowledge about the Bible and visit seminars and follow all the latest ‘faith trends’ and are always learning, without coming to the knowledge of the Truth (2 uTimoti 3:7).
Take the Sword of the Spirit
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 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. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebhere 4:11-13)
Many believers beg God to take away the spiritual battles from them, but God will never do that. He will be with you, guide you and protect you, but you have to take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and fight the battle with the Word of God, njengoYesu.
Ngalo lonke ixesha uhlala kuYesu Kristu; ilizwi, you shall be clothed with the spiritual armor of God. By faith in the Word and doing the Word, you shall be protected and with the two-edged Sword, you shall be able to attack the enemy and be an overcomer.
Therefore it’s important to know the Word. Because if you don’t read and study the Word of God by the Holy Spirit, you shall stay ignorant about the truth of God and His will and you shall not be able to fight the fight of faith, let alone to stand by faith during the fight and be victorious.
Only through the Word, you shall get to know the Father and His will and by applying the words of God in your life you shall be able to resist and defeat the devil and be victorious.
The ongoing spiritual warfare
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life (2 KwabaseKorinte 2:14-16)
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 UYohane 5:4-5)
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, kunye namandla, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death (ISityhilelo 12:11)
Mna ndinguAlfa no-Omega, iSiqalo nesiphelo. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. Lowo weyisayo uya kuzidla ilifa izinto zonke; ndibe nguThixo wakhe, Yena uya kuba ngunyana wam (ISityhilelo 21:6-7)
Life is an ongoing spiritual warfare. Sometimes a certain battle may be overcome quickly and sometimes it may take a little bit longer. But one thing is certain, if you stay in Jesus Christ and fight from your position in Christ by the Spirit, standing by faith on the Word and don’t give up, and take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and use it the right way, then you shall be victorious and be an overcomer.
That’s the promise of God, the Word testifies of.
‘Be the Salt of the earth’
