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Ephesians 6:13-17-13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…

Believers, part of our spiritual armor includes a sword. We read in Paul’s words here that the Bible, the Word of God, is a sword. It helps me withstand evil. It helps me defeat the devil. I need every part of the armor. Imagine wearing a bunch of pieces of armor and then not having anything to fight with. Even the strongest person, after having been pelted by the enemy for so long, well, they would grow tired and wearing from just taking their stand from just taking the beating that the enemy was putting on them. It’s one thing to be dressed for battle. It’s another thing to be able to actually do battle. It’s one thing to be on the team. It’s another thing to actually be in the game. The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, will enable us to not just withstand the enemy’s attack, but it gives us what we need to fight back!

Paul says, in addition to the armor you can wear, you have a weapon to use. It is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. The word, “sword,” used here by Paul is the Greek word, “machaira.” That word refers to a short sword, like a dagger. The machaira was used by a Roman soldier. It was about 20-24 inches long. It was straight and had a double edge to it. It wasn’t like a spear that would be thrown at someone, but it was held onto and was used for up close, personal combat.

If something is threatening your personal space, your personal peace, your personal relationships, your personal stability, your personal future, if you need a personal victory, you need to learn to wield the Word of God against the enemy who is trying to rob you of the abundant life you can have in Jesus. If Satan came after Jesus, to try to disrupt His mission, to destroy His identity, to defeat Him when He was already physically weak, don’t you think he will also be looking to take down those who follow Jesus? Jesus did hand to hand combat with the devil by wielding the Word of God.

Matthew 4:1-11 details the contest. Every time Satan tempted Jesus to sin against God, to rely on Himself, to look to the things of the world to satisfy, every time Satan ran one of those trick plays, Jesus pulled out a play from the playbook. He quoted the Word of God, and after meeting at the line of scrimmage three times, Jesus scored the winning touchdown. Satan left the field with his tail hanging between his legs, and angels celebrated Jesus’ big win. 

Jesus showed us what a winning strategy looks like. He showed us the mental toughness required in spiritual warfare. He could wield the sword of the Word because He knew it, He lived it. It was His playbook, and well, He actually wrote it, so there’s that. But listen, we have been given Jesus’ authority. That means there isn’t a distinction between when Jesus speaks the word and when we speak it! If the devil has to back up and back off and back out when Jesus speaks it, he has to back up and back off and back out when we speak it. The power of God’s Word is backed by the authority of Heaven, so when you use it, you are using Heaven’s power and authority.

Go with me to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 37. I want to continue this focus on the power that is inherent in speaking the Word of God.

1The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;[a] it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath[b] to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel had a vision. In this vision he saw a valley of dry bones. He saw death and decay. He saw a hopeless and impossible situation. He was told by God what to say, and he was told to command the dry bones to “hear the Word of the Lord.” So, God gave him His Word and then told Ezekiel to deliver God’s word to the circumstance in front of him.

I don’t know what valley you are walking through, but be encouraged by the authority you have in Christ. You can command the dry bones in your current valley to hear the Word of the Lord, and not just to “hear,” but to be impacted by the Word of the Lord, to be transformed by the Word of the Lord, to have to conform to the intention of the Word of God.

Listen, God has given us His Word not just to read and to know, but to speak it prophetically over our situation. Ezekiel’s vision is there to remind us that nothing is too hard for God, and impossible situations will be impacted when His Word is spoken with authority.

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling,[c] and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

What a picture of life from death and decay! What a picture of hope in the midst of a hopeless situation. When you are faced with an impossible situation and you don’t even know what to say, say the Word. God’s Words are better than ours in any situation. God knows that His life-giving Word will be the force that brings transformation when we trust it enough and are bold enough to open our mouths and declare it! We’ve got a sword! Let’s learn how to use it, Church!

Notice what happened when Ezekiel started sharing the words God gave him: Bones started coming together. Things were beginning to take shape. Things were beginning to get organized and connected. From chaos order began to come. This is the power of the Word of God. That which seems impossible, lifeless, dead and disconnected, will start to line up when God’s Word is declared. Resources will come into view. Red tape will be cut through. Spots will open up for an earlier appointment. People will come into your life to help you. Funds will come in from unexpected places. All of the sudden, you will start to see the impossible come to life.

When you find yourself in a tight spot, when anxiety starts to rise within you, when you are presented with an unknown that feels scary, when a door closes and it is a huge disappointment, when you are wrongfully accused, when your heart is crushed by a family member or friend, when you aren’t sure of how a hard situation will be resolved, whatever the situation, speak the Word. People who know how to use the Sword of the Spirit will never be out of options or be helpless to change their circumstance.

Say the Word. Declare it over your life, your family, your health, your job, your challenge.

Not only should we say the word, but we should Pray the Word. Learn to turn Scripture into prayer. Look at Isaiah 54:17 for example. No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

In your time with God, as you read His Word, look for a scripture or two each week that you can turn into a prayer. Using Isaiah 54:17, you might pray something like this, “God, I thank You that you are my Protector. I thank You that no attack from Satan and no earthly attack will succeed in my life. You will help me defend myself when necessary. You will vindicate me when I am falsely accused because I belong to You. Thank You for this reassurance that is mine through Your Word, God.”

How about Romans 8:26-28?  26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[g] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[h] for those who are called according to his purpose.

Your prayer in response could be, “Thank You for helping me in my weakness. Holy Spirit, I know You are right here with me, praying alongside me. I know You will only steer me in the direction of the will of God, and that is my desire. I know You love me and have my best interest at heart. I know You will cause me to triumph. My trial will become my testimony because good things are on the way!”

Saying the Word and praying the Word release the power of God in your life because as Isaiah 55:11 says, God’s Word never goes out and comes back empty. It fulfills a purpose. It accomplishes what God has designed for it to do. It will land in the end zone every time.

I believe Satan’s greatest weapon is our ignorance of God’s Word. He’s banking on us not knowing it. He’s banking on us not being able to use it. I can’t let that happen. Say the Word. Pray the Word, and win the battles you are facing today.

I have just a few thoughts that I want to share with you as we begin our transition away from
Baptism reminds me that our God is a Waymaker! Exodus chapters 1-14 The Exodus is a wonderful Old Testament water
Today’s essential truth focuses on the Kingdom of God. Two of my opening texts come from Matthew chapter six which