Encounter FreedomSample

Day 5: Speak

The Holy Spirit inspired the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:10-18 to teach that we are certainly in a war. But the war for our freedom is not with people; our war is with the demonic spirits, wicked spirits that hate God and hate you. With that being known, God does not leave us to fight on our own. He has given us armor for combat to win the battles in our lives. The crucial weapon of the spiritual warfare that we are looking at today is the sword of the Spirit, which Paul says is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

Paul goes on to say that this sword which is lethal to the enemy and will execute the spiritual forces of wickedness is the Word of God. The Greek word used here for word is the same word we saw Jesus use in Matthew 4:4. Jesus used the sword of the Spirit against the devil, the rhema, or spoken word of God! Paul is saying here that in order to do battle against the devil and the hosts of wickedness, you must use the sword of execution and death; the spoken word of God. When you speak God’s Word, you defeat the devil, the lies he speaks, and the wrong thoughts that he shares with you. The enemy fears this sword because it exposes, rebukes, renounces, and rejects the lies that keep you captive. The sword of the Spirit—the declared words of God—is the weapon that causes the sick to be healed, the bound to be set free, the lost to come to know Jesus, and the heart to be at peace.

The problem is you may not be free because you have kept your sword in your sheath during the battle. The enemy has harassed you, lied to you, and attacked you so that you stay stuck and bound. God has given you His Word to speak, but you remain quiet because you may not have been taking the sword out to even read it. Purpose in your heart today to read, abide, meditate, and declare God’s Word. Take it out of your sheath and attack the enemy. You will experience freedom daily as you use the sword of the Spirit, declaring the truth of God’s Word that will always set you free.