Who will win tonight? The Chiefs or the Eagles? I googled the Eagles’ secret weapon, and I googled “the Chief’s secret weapon.” Guess what came I when I googled the Eagles’ secret weapon? Saquon Barkley’s was listed. He’s a talented player. Seems like a great guy. Did you know that he is open about his Christian faith? He has publicly thanked God for his talents and the opportunities football has given him. He has shared that his faith has been a source of great strength, especially when he has gotten injured and had to work through times of recovery.
There is a book that he endorses, one that has helped him develop as a player and as a person. It’s called, “Think Like a Warrior, The Five Inner Beliefs that Make You Unstoppable.” It’s from a series called “Sports for the Soul by Darrin Donnelly. I looked up information about the book on Amazon, and this is what I read:
If you want to take control of your life and achieve your biggest dreams, you must develop a “warrior mindset.” This book will show you how to stop thinking like a victim and start thinking like a warrior.
Discover the life-changing lessons of John Wooden, Buck O’Neil, Herb Brooks, Bear Bryant, and Vince Lombardi in this inspirational tale of what it takes to achieve your dreams—whatever those dreams may be.
This book will show you how to…
Build your self-confidence
Develop mental toughness
Attack every day with joy and enthusiasm
Use a positive mental attitude to achieve more
Harness the power of positive self-talk
Be a positive leader for your family and your team
Become the person you were born to be
It sounds like a great book, right? Honestly, as I read about the topics of the book, I thought to myself, everything this book touts can be found on the pages of the Bible. And let’s face it, we can’t be the person we were born to be apart from a relationship with God. I’m not telling you not to buy Donnelly’s book. I’m just telling you not to neglect THE BOOK with THE answers about how to think like a warrior.
Oh, and when I googled the secret weapon for the Chiefs, do you have any ideas whose name popped up? Taylor Swift! Y’all she ain’t even on the team, but apparently, whenever she was present at the games in Kansas City this past season, they didn’t lose. So, if Swift is there tonight, watch out Eagles.
The best team will no doubt, win. They will each be following a playbook. They will have memorized those plays and run those plays until they could execute them in their sleep. They will be so familiar with those plays that just a look from the quarterback will cause them to run a certain posture and run a certain route. Oh, that we would become so familiar with our playbook, with the Bible, that we have memorized the information we need and practiced enough that just a nod, just a whisper, just a look from our Savior, and we will know what play to run and when.
Did you all know that the Word of God is a weapon? Say that with me. Let’s read about it.
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!
Now, I couldn’t just pick up a sword and use it appropriately. I might be able to do a little jabbing and a little cutting, but I’m not sure I would be able to wield a sword with any accuracy, with any precision, unless I had some training. I am sure there is a way to hold it, to grip it that gives you the ability to use it with the most force. I am sure there are ways to attack an enemy, places on their body which would do the most damage, that would need to be studied and practiced. I am sure the way a person stands, the direction with which you make a motion, all of it takes practice and skill.
We don’t just wake up as warriors of the Word because we ordered a Thompson Chain King James or NIV or ESV study Bible. We won’t become warriors of the Word because we own multiple translations and display them on our coffee table. No! We become warriors of the Word as we spend time in it and as we actually practice what we find in the Word. I recently had one of our church members say to me, “Remember when you preached on tithing last Fall, and you told us to test it? You told us to give, and if we weren’t blessed because of it, you would give the money back?” I said, “Yes, I remember.” She said, “Do you know it actually works? Tithing works!”
She was so excited, and I was thrilled, not because she had increased her giving, but because she did what the Word says to do, and it grew her faith and confidence in doing the Word. If the Word works when we tithe, what would happen if we learn how to handle conflict biblically? If the Word works when we handle conflict biblically, what if we use it to parent our children? If the Word works when we parent our children, what could happen when we learn to rely on it for wisdom for the decisions, we have to make every day? If it works in one area of our life, won’t it work in every area of our lives? Say, “The Word works.” Do the Word.
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.
Listen, 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. Jesus and Satan were both on that wilderness field, and 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. Well, that’s my interpretation, on Super Bowl Sunday, of how things went down.
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. 2 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. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath[b] to enter you, and you shall live. 6 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. Is that a new thought for you today? To think you could speak Scripture over your situation and command things to change in the name of Jesus who is the actual WORD, the logos, the Word of God? You need to get a list of Scriptures together about the power of God, about the victory you have in Jesus, about responsiveness of God to His people and you need to start declaring it over the impossible situations in your life. Wouldn’t you agree that if you walked into a valley of dry bones and God was telling you to command the valley of dry bones to come to life that you would be speaking over an impossible situation? I’m telling you, 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.
7 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. 8 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. 9 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. The better you know the Word, the more boldly you can declare it. The more familiar you are with it, the better grip you will have on the sword when you need to wield it. You may not have time to call the preacher and say, “Can you give me some Scriptures to declare?” The devil isn’t going to sit down and wait to do his damage while you google some verses or phone a friend. You might have some time to do some research, but in the moment of desperation you need to have the Sword ready to pull out and use.
Listen, where you and I see problems, God sees potential. Where we see bones, God sees an army, and 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.
Notice that it took more than speaking the word one time for the whole valley of dry bones to come to life. Ezekiel had to speak to those bones more than once. You might have to use the Sword of the Spirit multiple times to see the whole picture come to life. Just keep declaring. Just keep prophesying. This vision of Ezekiel’s is more than a picture of the spiritual life in Israel at the time, but it is a master class on how and why we need to declare the Word of God over our circumstances. So, point one of this message is “Say the Word.” Declare it over your life, your family, your health, your job, your challenge.
The second point will be a lot quicker to make, and it will be easy to remember. 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[a] 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.”
Isn’t that good? 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.
Every battle you face has a spiritual component. Your enemy isn’t your co-worker, your spouse, your teacher, your children, or even your health crisis are not your enemies. Because we live in a fallen world, we are going to walk through some valleys. There will be some dry and brittle bones that need to be addressed, but our real enemy isn’t a person or a circumstance, but it is Satan and his demons.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
Because we have a spiritual enemy, we have to use a spiritual weapon against him. Our words carry no weight, but God’s words carry His authority. When we say them to our enemy he has to flee. When we pray them over our circumstances, we gain mental and physical strength to keep battling.
Both teams on tonight’s field will run the plays they have taken into their hearts. Not one player will hear a play called and wonder, “Now just what is that again?” They will know what to do because they will have received and rehearsed the plays. Church, our playbook is the Word of God. It’s our secret weapon against our spiritual enemy, and it is the weapon that will make us ready for any content.
Why am I making such a big deal out of this being the “Year of the Word” at TVCOG? Because 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.
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