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EFFECTIVENESS WITH THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:17b “…. and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God“

The word of God encourages us to use the sword of the Spirit as an offensive weapon against the enemy. The question is how do we effectively do this?

We must speak the word against the devil in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in the word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.“

Speaking the word in His name is not a full stop to our prayer. It is also not a tradition. Using the name of the Lord when declaring the word of God against the devil was instructed by the Lord Himself John 14:13 “And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the son”. He made a significant and strong statement here “Whatsoever” you shall ask or demand in my name; I will do it. On this occasion, He is not talking about prayer. It is a command demanding a change to be effected. The Lord said, in that instant, He would do it. (Note; It is a prayer if you ask the Father in Jesus’ name John 16:23)

Making a demand in the name of the Lord is just like Him calling for that change to be effected.

Every child of God must study the word of God to rightly apply it in the time of need. One area in which the devil will seek to attack the child of God is his mind. It is one of the prime areas of satanic attacks. The enemy may introduce images to create fear, something to get you worried, an evil thought, sinful thoughts or any thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. You must get the right scriptures to refute it and then command that devil to leave you in the name of Jesus. The scripture in 2nd Corinthians 10:4&5 says “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down every high thing or imagination that exalts itself above the knowledge of God”.

Whenever you speak the word of God against a wrong thought, the word displaces that evil word introduced into your mind by the enemy. You then command him to depart from you in the name of the Lord.

Whenever the enemy raises any attack against you, declare to him whatever God has said concerning that situation in the name of the Lord. When you do so, know that the Lord Himself comes to act on that word according to His promise. (John 14:14) keep resisting till he leaves you.

CONFESSION

I speak forth the word of God in the name of the Lord Jesus. As I do this miracles are wrought in His name. Situations bow because the Lord Himself comes to act on those words.

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 14:14” If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it”.

Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.”

SPEAK THE WORD 2

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:17 KJV “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of GOD”

The mouth is the main organ in the human body used mainly to apply the sword of the Spirit. The mouth is called in Greek ‘Stoma’ which is interpreted as the edge of a weapon. If the word of God is the sword of the Spirit, then our mouth, described in Greek as the edge of a weapon, must mainly say God’s word for a victorious life. Your mouth is a weapon to release the weapon of the spirit, the word of God. Failure to use it that way is your failure and defeat in life.

An example of the right application of the word of God was when David encountered Goliath. (1st Samuel 17) David began by speaking to the people around him so that he could go and kill the Giant and take off the reproach from Israel. King Saul heard it, yet David kept declaring that he would go and defeat the giant. Applying the sword means speaking consistently to express absolute confidence in God.

When he met Goliath, Goliath started cursing David by his gods, and David responded by saying I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defiled. He added, “This day God will deliver you into mine hands.” Every life conflict is warfare, and it is won in terms of how positively you can use the word of God. David kept speaking and declaring what God would do. He said, “All the assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into my hands.“

David did not plan to speak that way but spoke as an overflow of his relationship and faith in God. Take time to build your confidence in God. In every life, conflict expresses that confidence by declaring that God is in control and will make everything turn out to his glory. Never say anything that shows weakness on the part of God. This dishonours Him and hinders God’s hands from coming through for you. Remember, the battle is the Lord’s and you are a representative of God. At that instant, speak on His behalf so He would do what only He can do. You can’t do that miraculous act, so give God the opportunity by saying He will do it and then act like He is about to do it.

CONFESSION

GOD’S word in my mouth is my sword to cut the enemy to size. I speak out the word, always declaring God’s power and victory over every life conflict. All situations, no matter how difficult they seem, always bow to the authority of the word.

FURTHER STUDIES

Jeremiah 1:12 KJV “Then said the LORD unto me, thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.”

Mark 11:23 KJV ”For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith”

SPEAK THE WORD

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:17b. ”, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

Among the armour of God that we are commanded to use is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The word of God is not just a presentation of words but God Himself who is presented to us as words. (John 1:1). Hebrews 4:12 reads “The word of God is alive (a living being) and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word of God as a sword is an offensive weapon to be used to cut the enemy to size or stop him outright

It must come out from the heart through the mouth in faith. In Revelation 19:15, the Bible described a heavenly being called “ Faithful and True, and out of His mouth went a sharp sword….” This being is the Lord. Revelation 19:13 “And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and His name is called the word of God”.

He is called the word of God and out of His mouth proceeded the word of God, a sharp edge sword. Every Christian must fill his heart with the word and be ready to speak it forth against the activities of the devil. God’s word is superior to every personality, condition, situation, or event. It is a law that overrules every other law. Everything came out of the word, so everything is subjected to the word.
The Lord Jesus did not argue with the devil in the wilderness. The Lord repeatedly said it is written and then quoted the scripture. We must do the same always to stop the enemy.

In heaven, no other word, rule, or principle abides. Only the word of God remains settled (Psalm 119:89). God is forever faithful to honour the word anytime it is spoken (Psalm 119:90).

Our key scripture, implies anytime the Christian speaks out the word of God in faith, there is a release of a two-edged sword which is the most powerful and the sharper than any other weapon. There is absolutely nothing it can’t chop down or cut down to size. All that one needs to do is to say the word in faith. Satan and his demons can not resist a command spoken from the word of God in faith. It is just like God making that declaration.

CONFESSION

The word of God is my sword of the Spirit. I feed my heart fully with the word and boldly declare it against the devil and His activities. No conditions prevail over the word of God.

THOUGHT: NO EVIL SITUATION CAN STAND SUCCESSFULLY AGAINST GOD’S WORD SPOKEN IN FAITH

FURTHER STUDIES.

Matthew 4:4 ” But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”.

2 Corinthians 4:13 ” We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;“

PUT ON THE HELMET OF SALVATION

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:17a. “And take the helmet of salvation,“

Our next part of the armour to put on is the helmet of salvation. What is the helmet of salvation?

It refers to the final salvation of the Christian. It concerns the appearance of the Lord to finally take home His people. Romans 13:11 put it this way: “And that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed”. The final redemption of all believers is called SALVATION. We would be taken into the presence of the Father where all the many problems of this life shall be no more. Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away”.

These things are in the future, so we hope or expect them to come to pass in some time to come. It is called a helmet because it protects your head from the worries of the present moment. This helmet gives protection to your head so that, no matter the difficulties, persecutions, or adversities, we are assured that everything will one day come to an end.
1st Thessalonians 5:8 presents this thought very clearly to us, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.“

Every Christian must put on this helmet of salvation so that the challenges of this life will not wear them down. Every Christian who lives godly for Christ shall suffer persecution. In some cases, the persecutions are so grave that we are tempted to give up.

Dear child of God no matter what you are facing, never give up, but put on this armour: that is the helmet of the hope of salvation. Keep hope alive. The entry of our Lord into the heavens gives us a very sure hope of His coming for us as well as a glorious life after we have left this place.

CONFESSION

I have a glorious hope because my Lord Jesus did not remain in the grave. He passed into the heavens and He would also come back for us. This is my hope and assurance even as the enemy raises his persecutions to any level.

THOUGHT: THE CHRISTIAN HAS A GUARANTEED HOPE BECAUSE JESUS WENT INTO HEAVEN.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 6:19-20. ” Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Romans 5:4-5 ” And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

TAKE THE SHIELD OF FAITH

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked”.

The Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle asks us to take the shield of faith, wherewith we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Please note the first two words in our key scripture. It says “above all”. This is a powerful emphasis on the importance of this part of the armour. He says with this shield of faith, we could quench or put out every explosive weapon thrown at us. Note also the word “every”. It does not matter how terrible or destructive the onslaught may be; you would be able to put it out by the shield of faith.

My candid advice is, never consider any situation as beyond your ability to deal with. All you need is that your faith must be in place. The faith of the Christian is such an important virtue, and every child of God must endeavour to maintain an active faith at all times.

Trouble does not announce itself or give a prior warning before it arrives. Every problem comes to destroy or stop God’s testimony in your life. You need to keep working on your faith. The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).

Many children of God go through trials or satanic attacks and are waiting for God to do something about the situation. Our key scripture tells us something different. It says you must take the shield of faith. You must use it to quench the fiery dart of the wicked. You must put your faith into action.

Faith is a product of the word of God. It is not a product of our reasoning. Give attention to the word of God. Keep feeding on the word. Do not worry about how weak or small your faith is. Keep feeding on the word and keep acting on what you have been hearing. Please faith has nothing to do with your feelings. Faith has everything to do with the word of God. Faith is an individual thing. It is not a cooperate issue. If you are faced with a condition that must change or stop for you to be free, then you must use your faith. If a fiery dart is thrown at you, you must have your shield to quench it.

How do we get our faith into action? You must believe the word of God about the situation. Speak out the word in line with what you expect, and then finally act on the word. Hold your ground if need be, and don’t give up.

CONFESSION

I give attention to the word of God always. This gets my faith ready for every situation. By faith, I stop every attack that the enemy raises against me.

FURTHER STUDIES.

1 John 5:4 ” For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”.

Mark 9:23 “Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”.

GIRD YOUR FEET WITH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;”

The next part of the armour to consider is to shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

The Christian is a messenger of peace. The Lord Jesus bore the punishment for our peace. Isaiah 53:5 put it this way, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed”. One major need and the heart cry of most men is peace in their hearts. Through the gospel, our Lord Jesus has borne the punishment that has brought peace to all men. Men must hear it. They ought not to be in the dark and continue tormented in their minds and hearts.

According to the word of God the man who sets forth to go with this gospel, of peace has shod his feet with proper sandals. This implies those who do not carry the gospel for the salvation and peace of others have no shoes on their feet. How dangerous to travel this world with all the dangerous snakes without proper shoes. It is not surprising that those Christians who are not involved in evangelizing the world or societies are not swift spiritually. You find a lot of spiritual dullness with them. They have no shoes on their feet.

Please just listen to the prophet Isaiah as he revealed concerning those who send the gospel of peace; Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings that publishes peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publishes salvation that says unto Zion thy God reigns”. The prophet says such people who publish the gospel of peace have beautiful feet. They have proper shoes on their feet.

To put on this armour, you must commit your life to preaching the gospel of peace and salvation of men. The gospel is about bringing men into a peaceful relationship with God and also experiencing the peace of God. Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Dear child of God the terrain in which we are treading is infested with all sorts of evil powers. The Bible calls them snakes and scorpions (Luke 10:19). You need your shoes to tread upon them, and not be bitten or stung by them.

CONFESSION

I am a carrier of the glad tidings of peace. I have shod my feet with proper shoes that protect me against any demonic attacks on my feet. My life is also swift making me achieve a lot for God.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Luke 10:19 ” Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”.

Isaiah 52:7 ” How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!“

THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:14b ” … and having on the breastplate of righteousness; ”

Our next part of God’s armour to put on is the breastplate of righteousness. Please understand that we are not asked to pray for the Lord to put on us these things. We must put them on. You do so as you act on what the Bible says about these things.

Righteousness is a gift that we receive by faith. This comes with our new birth. A righteous consciousness keeps you from living in sin consciousness. Satan succeeds more in making one live in sin when he has a sin consciousness. It is sin consciousness that leads many into acts of sin (sin consciousness is the belief that you are a sinner). Sinning is a condition of the heart. It defiles as well as a rebellion against God.
The Lord said in Mark 7:20 “And He said that which cometh out of the man, that defiles the man, for from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder…”
Such a heart of filth will drive out the influence of the Spirit from you.

A man becomes the cheapest influence and control of the devil when sin is permitted into the heart. Keep your righteousness. It is your breastplate. It guards the heart out of demonic intruders. Remember the advice of the Spirit in Proverbs 4:23 “Keep the heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.” The heart is the centre of your being. The heart should be the sole possession and control of the Holy Spirit.

Give attention to the word of God and meditate on the word of God. This is the only way you can maintain a right heart. Make a decision never to allow the flesh and the world to take over your heart. Satan is always knocking to be allowed in. Never permit him. Put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Physically, a diseased heart is a terminal case. Secondly, if a fiery dart shot hits the heart, you are dead. This perfectly applies to our spiritual state. You must never leave your heart unprotected. Other parts of the body, when hit or attacked, may not cause fatalities, not so with the heart. It must be protected with all diligence. Righteousness is non-negotiable. If there is any act of dishonesty, please stop it now. Failure to stop would lead you to spiritual death. Spiritual death is separation from God, and it is the worst thing that may happen to you.

CONFESSION

My heart is the centre of my life. I guard it with all diligence, putting on the breastplate of righteousness. Every act of dishonesty has no place in me. I maintain my righteousness by believing whatever God says about me, as well as doing it.

THOUGHT: SATAN CAN NEVER OVERWHELM THE MAN LIVING RIGHT

FURTHER STUDIES:

2 Corinthians 4:2 ”But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Proverbs 14:34 ” Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”

GOD’S ARMOUR, OUR STRENGTH

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:13 “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”

Our key scripture instructs us that, if we were victorious over the devil, then we ought to put on the whole armour of God.

The Apostle starts with the first armour calling it truth: Ephesians. 6:14 “Stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth… “He describes truth as a belt that holds the whole armour in place. Truth is light. Truth makes the power of the enemy useless. Remember that the power of the enemy is darkness.

The enemy is eternally defeated. Hebrews 2:14 says “For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.”

The word ‘destroy’ means to be paralyzed or to be made ineffective

 Again, wearing the belt of truth is to accept that the Bible is God’s word to us. Every promise has God’s full backing and you fully rely on it. Satan has used his age-old deception to hold many captives. He tells people, “Don’t trust your whole life on God’s word”. Please refuse that, as Moses did. Get to the word of God and approach every scripture with a very open mind. God is the greatest unseen reality (truth), and your heart must be fully open to whatever he says. Give no room to any suggestion that waters down the reliability of the word.

Know the truth about yourself. Take time to study all that the Bible says about God’s investment in you through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are not just a piece of dust on the earth seeking to find out how things would work out for you. You are God’s object of love and care by giving up Jesus to die in your place. You are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You are the apple of God’s eye. Know the truth about who you are.

Accept these scriptural truths and keep speaking the truth to yourself always. You have got to be established in these present truths. Keep declaring the truth about Satan. Satan is a liar and eternally defeated. Confess the truth about our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Every knee and every name bows to Him. Finally, confess the truth about yourself. In making these confessions daily, you put on this belt of truth.

 CONFESSION

God’s word is the truth. I submit my life to the truth always without holding back. I keep soaring high and high in Jesus’ name.

FURTHER STUDIES:

John 17:17.” Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.“

John 8:31-32 ” Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

TAKING YOUR VICTORY

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.

In our previous study, we learned that there is an organized host of demonic forces that are arrayed against the Christian. We Christians are identified with the Lord Jesus. This means whatever belongs to Jesus belongs to us. We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). Our identification with Jesus also means whatever Jesus did, we did it with Him.

In spiritual warfare, the enemy’s main objective is to cause you to accept that you are defeated and that what God says is not true.

I would use an illustration to explain this point. Archbishop Benson Idahosa who has gone to be with the Lord, shared the following story. He said, that in November 1968, a car knocked him off his bicycle and threw him to the other side of the road. He was rushed to the hospital where the x-ray pictures showed he had multiple fractures in about ten different places. The doctor who attended to him said, “Man of God do you know you have broken your bones in ten different places?” The Archbishop responded by saying, “HIS BONES WERE NOT BROKEN.” He quoted Psalm 34:20 “He keepeth all His bones: not one of them is broken”. The man of God was on a battlefront at that moment. He either had to identify with Jesus in the fact that his bones were never broken or not to identify with Jesus, accept his physical condition, and suffer naturally, going through the normal process of healing.

A cast was put on the leg and was given four months to stay in the hospital. He told the doctor he would be in the hospital for a day. Just after the cast was fixed he limped off from the hospital, went to church that evening, and preached. He was healed from that day.

It was the enemy that attacked through the accident. He decided to stand on the victory in Jesus and not submit to the natural or physical conditions.

He felt the pain, yet he identified with the Lord Jesus and claimed Jesus’ bones were not broken and so his was also not broken. Spiritual warfare is won by taking your position in Christ irrespective of what the physical and natural evidence shows. Many of us have understood spiritual warfare as praying warfare prayers. Well, they are supposed to keep you standing in your victory in Christ. “….. And having done all stand.”(Ephesians 6:13b).

You don’t pray and go complaining about how Satan is defeating you. No!

 CONFESSION

I am secured in Jesus. No matter what the enemy throws at me, I maintain my victory in Jesus. He is my victory and success and I always remain victorious

FURTHER STUDIES.

Romans 8:31. ” What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? “

1 John 5:4 ”For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

OUR ENEMIES ARE NOT MEN

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.

Our key scripture shows us that our enemies are spiritual beings. They are not flesh and blood. Satan may use human beings to oppose and even attack us in many forms, yet we’ve got to know that these people are not our real enemies but certain unseen persons.

The Bible lists them as.

Principalities

Powers

Rulers of darkness of this world.

Spiritual wickedness in higher places.

This is an orderly organized regime of satanic forces that come up against the Christian. The Bible lists them in a proper order of rank.

These names of these devils should never instill fear in any child of God. We have been raised together with Jesus and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ. 

Ephesians 1:21 reads “Far above all principality and power, and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world. But also in that which is to come”. 

The Christian shares in the authority of Christ. We are seated or ranked in authority far above these evil spirits.

Our life and experience are also after the position of Christ. Jesus is forever victorious. We share in His victory as well. This is the reason we must remain standing even in the face of trying moments that seem to depict failure. Jesus is our life. We represent him on the earth. If the Christian accepts failure and defeat from the enemy, it means he has decided to step out of his or her identification with Jesus. We are called Christians because of our identification with Jesus. We are in Him, He is in us, and we are one with our Lord.

The devil knowing this, attacks by deception. His strategy is to make us lose sight or awareness of our oneness with Jesus. He also seeks to make us lose sight of our non-negotiable victory in Jesus. The Bible calls the conflict we have with the devil as a wrestle. The Greek word for wrestle is “Pale”, it comes from the root word “Pallo”. This means to oscillate or vibrate. The idea is to sway you from your victorious position in Christ. Whatever Satan and his demons seek to achieve, is to take you from the truth that is your victory in Jesus.

Your part of the contest is to maintain your grounds and not lose your place of victory

CONFESSION

I am fully established in the Lord Jesus. I am very victorious and no matter what comes against me I am more than a conqueror.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us “.

1 John 4:4. “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”