Ephesians 6:17 – Be Prepared for 2017

January 19, 2017

Be Prepared for 2017:
Sword of the Spirit

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:14-17

Up until now all of the parts of the Lord's armor have been defensive or protective. But not this one. The sword which is the word of God can cut Satan to the quick. There are two things Satan cannot stand up against: the name of Jesus and the word of God. We should use both whenever necessary. 

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭NIV‬

According to Matthew 4:1-11, when Jesus was in the desert, Satan enticed Him with three wonderful things. How did Jesus respond to him? He quoted Scripture for which Satan had no answer. Jesus avoided sin by quoting what was deep in His memory. 

By the way, how does Satan try to hurt us?

By lying to us -- after all, he is the father of lies. 

By tricking us -- which is another type of lie. 

By attacking our faith -- which is another lie. 

By luring us down a wrong path -- which is another lie. 

He is all smoke and mirrors. 

He can't stand the fact that Jesus has defeated him and that He will have the ultimate victory in the end. 

He thinks that if he can get under the skin of Jesus' brothers and sisters (that's us), he can get back at God. 

Don't let him. 

Use your spiritual armor in the name of Jesus to ward off all of Satan's deceptions. 

Use your Bible as a guide to recognize those deceptions and come back at him with confidence and force. 

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭119:105‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lord, thank you that Satan has no power over us. Thank you that we can stand firm against him because of your perfect word. We claim your courage and wisdom today to be able to stand firm and to fight, wielding your sword with confidence. And we give you the glory for each victory.