Nothing can stand in its way.

• It was God's word that commanded the universe into being. And God's word is still in action today. It's alive! It's hot!

• God's word is able to go to the root of any problem. Nothing is hidden from God.

• He knows our thoughts and actions. God also knows how easily we give in to temptation.

• He understands the pressure we're sometimes under - Jesus was tempted too. Jesus however, was able to stand as He used the Word of God to force Satan into retreat.

We lose out when we cave in and disobey. Jesus knows how weak we are and has made a way for us to be strong. If you want to become a big, strong attacker, then you'll need to workout regularly with your Bible. When Satan tried to get the better of Jesus, the Son of God went on the attack. He countered each temptation with the Word of God.

Read Matthew 4 verses 1 to 11 about the temptations of Jesus …

ATTACK  1:

Satan knew that Jesus was hungry and tried to exploit what he thought was a weakness. Jesus went on the counter attack by quoting God's Word (Deuteronomy 8:3). “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” Satan likes us to exploit our desires and gives us an appetite for wrongdoing. It's important that we feed on God's Word.

ATTACK 2:

Satan tried to get Jesus to show off with a crowd-pleasing stunt. And he misquoted the Bible to try and fool Him into it. Jesus knew He was being misled and stabbed back with the words of Deuteronomy 6:16.“Do not put the Lord your God to the test”. Satan tries to convince us that right is wrong and wrong is right. He'll try to get us to doubt the Bible but he's powerless against it.

ATTACK 3:

Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world - in return for making him number 1. Jesus thrust on the counter attack with the command in Deuteronomy 6:13 that we should only worship God.  “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only”

Satan was beaten and retreated.

The cutting edge of Christianity is Bible study and Scripture memory.  As we see above and in other times in His life, Jesus used it frequently and as believers we must also use it to attack our enemy.  The Word of God is able to enter into human hearts and life situations and change them. It is when we take the Word to the world and apply it, and even smite the world with it, that society changes. I do not mean crude bible-bashing but rather thinking biblically and commenting accurately from a Christian perspective.

The Word can be powerfully used in intercessory prayer in the Spirit. We can claim Scripture, proclaim Scripture aloud and pray through scripture to defeat the enemy of souls. Thus Paul enjoins us to be “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” 

We are to watch over life like a hawk, bringing the Scriptures to bear on it, with prayer and supplication in the Spirit. We are to guard ourselves, our families, and all the saints through prayer. And not just casual prayer but prayer from an awake and watchful spirit, alert to spiritual motions and able to discern and pray according to God’s will.

How many of us are used to doing this?

How often do we quote scripture back at the enemy when he attacks our faith, our beliefs, or lives, our families?

When battle commences, ask the Lord for a text to use in reply to the enemy. A text may come into your mind or ‘stand out’ from a page of Scripture, or be given to you by a friend. The way in which you receive it does not matter; go ahead and use it until the battle abates. Hold it in your mind. Write it on a piece of paper and look at it when the heat is turned on. Remind yourself of it until the attack is over.

Remember, it would have been no good if a Roman soldier had stood in a battle looking at and even admiring his beautiful sword – his enemy would rapidly have killed him. In the same way we must use the Word of God as a two-edged sword.

Sadly so many Christians do not do this.

If you watch romantic mediaeval films with bold knights in shining armour, lovely ladies in flowing dresses, cold freezing castles, no flushing toilets, no Chinese take-away, no paracetamol, no telephone, and so on – you are bound to have seen squires and trainee knights engaged in practicing with their swords.

There they are practicing with their colleagues or battering the daylights out of a wooden post of a dummy stuffed with straw for hour after hour and day after day. Not only are trainees taught to fight effectively, but the experienced warriors still train and exercise as well. So it should be with the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

I thought about swordsmanship and got to think about reasons why soldiers practice. This may seem obvious, but they practice to:

Ø       Keep strong and fit for action

Ø       To learn to work together as a unit

Ø       To learn to trust their weapon – that it will not break or shatter or fall apart

Ø       To get confidence in using their weapon

Ø       So that use of the weapon becomes second nature

Ø       To recognise attacks coming and draw their weapon instinctively

Can you see the equivalent in spiritual warfare?

When soldiers are practicing in medieval times they have a sword-master to teach them and guide them. But when they go into battle they are on their own.

This is the big difference between the physical analogy and our spiritual conflict. Our Sword-Master, the Holy Spirit, is with us all the time – when we practice and especially when we are in the middle of battle. In fact, we can rely on Him to drive the sword home – He knows what will cut the enemy to pieces MUCH better than we do.

As we finish there is one more aspect of wielding the Sword of the Spirit which is absolutely vital – and that is to wield it with PRAISE. Satan cannot stay around too long in a place where praise is being offered to God. The kind of praise I am talking about here does not always come from a thankful, adoring heart. It may be the last thing that the Christian feels like doing, but nevertheless he grits his teeth and praises God despite the circumstances. This can only really be accomplished as we realise that God is in complete control of our lives and that each and every event is put there for a purpose and ultimately for our own good.

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus”

1 Thessalonians 5 verse 18

Whatever aspect of the Sword of the Spirit we are called on to use, let us do so until the enemy is routed. It is so easy to grow tired and weary, but God will not let us be tested beyond our strength to endure. He has also put us in an army corps – our local Church or fellowship. Within this group the Sword of the Spirit should be in almost constant use, not only on our own behalf, but also for each other. As one grows weary and lets their Sword slip, so another should be there to wield their sword in the defence of their brother or sister.

“The armies of the living God,

Sworn warriors of Christ’s host,

Where hallowed footsteps never trod

Take your appointed post.

Though small and few and weak your bands,

Strong is your Captain’s strength,

Go to the conquest of all lands

All must be His at length.”