Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Victory Through God's Presence, Prayer, and SurrenderSample

The Sword of the Word

Do you ever feel like you’re living in a constant state of spiritual defense—doing your best to just hold on through fear, anxiety, temptation, or discouragement? In times when the battle seems unending and the hits just keep coming, you might feel like giving up and retreating.

But God doesn’t intend for us to just passively endure these attacks. We aren’t victims; we are soldiers who are meant to fight back.

The primary weapon we use to do this is the same one Jesus used when Satan tempted him: the Word of God. Scripture is “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) that fends off Satan’s attacks and causes him to flee.

When we speak God’s truth, we move from defense to offense and from surviving to conquering. His Word is powerful. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (NLT).

God’s Word is such a powerful weapon because it is truth. Satan fell by deceiving himself, believing he could be equal to God. He convinced Adam and Eve to sin by lying to them. He is the enemy of truth, and his power lies largely in his ability to lie so effectively. When we believe his lies, we fall victim to his schemes.

But God’s Word cuts through the deception and confusion Satan brings. His truth sets us free.

That’s why it’s crucial that we spend time every day in the Word. It needs to be so deep in us that it becomes the standard by which we judge every thought, word, idea, and desire.

Just like there are many ways to get vitamins into our bodies, from eating healthy food to drinking nutritional shakes to taking supplements, there are many ways to get God’s Word in us. Here are a few:

• Read it in the morning before you start your day.
• Listen to it while walking, eating, driving, or working.
• Memorize a verse or two each week.
• Read or quote it out loud—there is power in speaking and hearing the Word declared.
• Sing it or listen to it being sung.

Don’t limit yourself to what others do or what you have always done. Get the Word of God into your spirit any way you can.

And, obey it. If we merely listen to the Word but don’t obey it, we deceive ourselves into thinking we are doing well when our lives haven’t changed at all (James 1:22-25). If we believe something, our actions will reflect that belief. And it’s in obeying God’s Word that we get victory over Satan’s schemes.

Reflection Questions

1. How has the truth of the Word helped me avoid Satan’s temptations and do what is right? Are there any times I fell for one of his tricks because I didn’t know the truth?
2. What is my favorite way to get God’s Word into my mind and heart? What is a method I haven’t tried recently that I am interested in trying?