Ephesians 6:17-18
"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Most people are intrigued by the vivid picture of the armor of Christ that Paul laid out to the church at Ephesus, and I find this especially true for those living in our Army community. Soldiers and weaponry and all sorts of gear just seem to go hand in hand. And the soldiers in our church have a lot of it!
I think the Lord's last piece of armor is the most special, that being the sword which is wielded by the Holy Spirit. This is an offensive weapon, one which takes the battle to God's enemies, converting hearts and souls into believers and sustaining the church of Jesus Christ in every battle as we preach the word and pray.
Most don't think of the word as a weapon of war, but that is essentially what it becomes when it is given over to the Spirit. When we bring the word into our hearts, the Spirit uses it to cut away the sin which binds and begins to shape us into the likeness of Christ. When we bring the word to bear on those who need Christ in their own lives, the Spirit testifies to the truth of the gospel, convicts of sin, and works out the salvation of everyone who believes. The word in the hands of the Spirit is one powerful weapon available to every believer.
Similarly, prayer is a weapon used by the Spirit to bring the fight to the enemy. Our Army friends remind me that a country can't occupy enemy territory without boots on the ground. Prayer brings those boots to bear on every enemy territory of our lives as we lift up the fight to Jesus.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for the Spirit's fighting presence in my life, in the church, and in our community as we are faithful to the word and to prayer. Amen.
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