Go, Fight, Win!

The Whole Armor of God #6

We’ve all heard the phrase, “The best defense is a good offense.” In football terms, if the score is 49 to 7 in your favor, the offense has done its job. Therefore, if the defense has a bad play and the other team scores as a result, your team is still winning because of the good offense. As a Christian, we have six items in the armor of God: “the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the feet shod with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17). Out of those six items, the first five are for our defense. Only the last one – the sword – is our offensive weapon.

When I hear stories about people forsaking the faith for one reason or another – especially when it is rather suddenly – I can’t help but think of the importance of the sword. Matthew 4 records the Lord’s temptations. In each case, Jesus responded to Satan by quoting scripture. That is, He used the sword to attack what Satan was saying.

If we spend time studying God’s Word, we will be able to use it against our enemies. If we don’t spend time studying God’s Word, there will be bits we don’t understand…little holes in our armor. Then all Satan has to do is sneak in a false teacher and then – BAM! – we don’t know how to react. It’s our job as Christian Soldiers to know the Bible backwards and forwards. We’ll know how to respond to people who question our faith. Understanding the Bible may not be a quick fix and it may not be easy at times, but it is easily the best thing we can do to prevent ourselves from falling prey to Satan.

What’s the condition of your sword? Is it sharp and ready, or is it dusty and in need of repair?

“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV).