The Sword Slays Temptation

*The Sword Slays Temptation*

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God." Ephesians 6:17

When PRC Brendan Schweighart was helping retrieve a tank in Iraq, he felt a
thud hit him, a force so hard that he later likened it to a sledgehammer.
It was a bullet from an enemy sniper. The bullet struck the Bible in his
pocket - one he had promised his mother he would carry with him - and that
Bible acted like a shield, trapping the bullet and saving his life.

In Ephesians 6, the apostle Paul describes the spiritual armour given to
Christians. In this passage, much of the armour is defensive (girdle,
breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet) for protection. But unlike the story
above, the Word of God isn't a shield or a defensive weapon, it is an
offensive one. We're to use it aggressively in our battle against sin and
Satan.

Perhaps there are certain sins which trouble you regularly. See if you can
search out and learn verses or passages addressing those particular
temptations. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He quoted Scripture and was
one hundred percent successful. On our own, our success rate is zero. But
Jesus Himself showed us we can resist temptation using the power of His
Word. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit, so that He can teach you
the art of wielding the Sword of the Spirit in battle against the enemy.
And stock up your spiritual armoury of swords by memorizing Scripture.
Each little scripture verse is another sword that can be used, and the more
swords you have ready at hand the better. The Word of God is to our souls
what a sword is to a soldier.

*The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, and what we need specially is
to be filled with the Spirit, so we shall know how to use the Word. (D.L.
Moody)*