Wield the Word of God

"Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17)

Each of the steps to spiritual warfare stack and build on one another. Wielding the word of God builds off of step three: saturate yourself with truth. Because the enemy is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44), the truth will always be the strongest weapon to fight back with. And there is nothing truer (and because of that) more powerful than the word of God.

But what’s interesting here is the word used for “word.” In the original Greek, there are two words primarily used for “word,” one being a general sense and one being more specific. The word Paul uses is the specific sense of “word.” It’s like the difference between saying “the Bible” versus saying “John 3:16.” One is general, the other is very specific. Paul here uses the specific word, meaning that it’s not just enough to own a Bible or have the Bible app on your phone. You have to know it. In the same way it makes no sense for a soldier to own a sword if it never leaves the house and he never wields it in battle. A weapon doesn’t become useful until you wield it.

For Christians today, wielding the word of God means knowing it inside and out. And more than that, knowing and memorizing specific Scripture verses that will become a weapon to fight off the attacks of the enemy. Does the enemy try and constantly shove your past in your face, tempting you to believe that God could never use a screw up like you? You need to wield the specific word of God, something like Romans 8:1, “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for the law that brings freedom has set me free from the law that brings death.” Don’t just own a Bible, know the specific word and wield it.

ON THE COUCH WITH GOD

1. How often do you read and study the Bible? Do you feel like you have a solid grip on the word of God?

2. How much Bible have you memorized? Is memorization easy or hard for you? Are you willing to put aside excuses and begin to wield the word of God through Scripture memorization?

NEXT STEP

The next step in wielding the word of God is Scripture memorization. Look back, when you finished by defining your fear. Find a specific verse in Scripture that combats that fear and memorize it this week, repeating it to yourself every time you sense an attack of fear or doubt coming.