LiesSample

Offense

If faith is the defensive piece of our armor that lets us withstand the enemy’s attacks, is there an offensive piece to it as well? Can we do more than simply ward off the advances of our adversary?

Thankfully, yes.

The object of our faith, the word of God, is also a sword that can deal a death blow to those seeking to take us down. It is extremely powerful, more than any earthly weapon, because it battles in the arena where life’s wars are waged: the heart and the mind. If we are to wield a weapon that cuts that deep, we must be extremely careful how we use it – and who we use it against.

The question is: who is our enemy? Is it the person at work who speaks against us? Is it that person in our home who makes life difficult? Or maybe someone who shares very different beliefs needs a good “swipe” of the sword to set them straight?

Paul does not leave us in the dark on this question. Before he ever begins talking about armor, he tells us who it is meant to protect against. And his list is both short and daunting: namely, the devil and the spiritual forces of evil that work alongside him.

Does this idea seem far-fetched? If so, we might be prone to substitute a different enemy for the real one, and usually, that stand-in opponent exists in earthly places, not heavenly ones. When we do this, a fellow warrior might end up on the wrong side of our blade.

This is not to say that the enemy cannot use people to spread his lies; in fact, he often does. But it is important to remember that they are not the source of those lies but simply the transmitters of them. When we use God’s word to counter untruths in this world, we must be careful to attack the lies themselves and not the messengers.

Because, in the end, the word is more than a sword – it’s also a tool. When Paul says his final farewell to a group of elders at the church in Ephesus, knowing he would never see them again (the same church that received his letter about the believer’s armor), he commits them to God’s word, which would be able to build them up. As much as God’s word can be destructive against Satan’s lies, it can also be constructive in building up God’s church upon a foundation of truth.

If we wield our sword correctly, we will destroy lies and build upon truth every time we brandish it. We must use it with the precision that only the Holy Spirit can provide to cut down the lies themselves and not the people who speak them, knowing that we have sometimes been unwitting (or willing) purveyors of such lies. May our weapon tool be employed in such a way to bring glory to the one who spoke it in the first place and entrusted it to our care. Victory is sure when our sword and shield are working in tandem on the battlefield of our lives. What enemy could withstand them?

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your word and how it can destroy lies and build up your people. Remind me that the enemy exists in heavenly places, even though it may feel like the fight is confined to this earth and its people. Show me how to use your word to build people up and not tear them down. In the name of Jesus, Amen.