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Topic:The sword of the spirit
DEVOTION OF MARCH 30
READ THE SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6: 16-17
“… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:17
In this verse, “the word of God” does not refer to the whole Bible. There are two words that are used in the Scriptures for “the word of God.” One is the familiar word logos , which is used in the first verse of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word ( Logos ), the Word ( Logos ) was with God and the Word ( Logos ) was God (John 1: one). Then we have another word, rhema , which is different in meaning. Logos refers to everything that God has declared, the total declaration of what God has said. Rhemait refers to a specific saying of God, to a passage or a verse that has a special application to an immediate situation; to use a modern term, it is the word of God applied to experience, to our existence.
Rhemais the word used here. The “sword of the Spirit” is the saying of God applied to a concrete situation. This is the great weapon placed in the hands of the believer. Maybe all of us have had some experience in this regard. We have all read passages in the Scriptures in which suddenly the words give the impression of coming to life, as if they had flesh and bones, as if they were jumping from the page to us or as if they had eyes that followed us everywhere we were. . We may have experienced this at some time of temptation or doubt, as we were assaulted by what Paul calls “the fiery darts of the evil one” (v. 16). But it has been immediately answered by a passage of the Scriptures that came to mind, something we had not thought about, much less, but that supplied the answer we needed. That is why this is called “the sword of the Spirit”, because it is not only something originated by Him as the author of the Word, but it is the Spirit that makes our mind remember it and makes May it be powerful in our lives. It is His response to the attack of the devil, which comes to discourage us, to defeat us, to attract us, to deceive us or to seduce us in some other way.
Thinking about things that have happened in my life in the past, I am aware of many times in which this sword of the Spirit has saved me from error and deception in one way or another. Being a young Christian, I often felt detained about to disobey, when some temptation seemed very logical, so widely practiced that I was attracted to it. I often stopped, thanks to a word I had memorized as a young Christian and that has been remembered to me many times since then. It is found in the book of Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own prudence” (Proverbs 3: 5).
The more we expose ourselves to the Scriptures, the more the Spirit can use this powerful sword in our lives. If you never read or study the Bible, you are greatly exposed to defeat and despair. You have no defense; He has nothing to use against these forces that are at work. Therefore, read your Bible regularly. The Christian who is negligent in regard to the reading of the Scriptures is being disobedient to the will of the Lord. And what is the Christian’s responsibility when the Spirit places one of these words in his mind on some appropriate occasion? The apostle says: “Take it! Pay attention! Obey it! Do not reject it; take it seriously. The Spirit of God has brought it to your mind with some purpose, and, therefore,
Father, what a practical meaning it is to know Your Word. Help me take it seriously and use this great armor that has been given to me in Christ.
Application to life
What is the practical and urgent meaning of knowing the Word of God? What is the metaphor that the apostle Paul uses to emphasize his power when we are involved in a spiritual struggle?
