With everything that’s happening in our world these days, it’s clear that the spiritual warfare has intensified. I have never experienced anything like what my close friends and I battle against every day. The attacks come from every direction, and it seems like they never let up. We were warned that these days would come, and here they are. More than ever, we need to be prepared and equipped, especially spiritually. Lately, we have looked at our battles against the One World Government crowd, the hate America crowd, the Covid police, and the social justice warriors. Fortunately, we don’t have to devise strategies to combat each one. Our responsibility to put on our spiritual armor. Today, let’s look at one part of that armor: the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). It’s the only offensive weapon we are given. It is the means by which we take it to the enemy.
What is It?
Since the warfare is quite real, we must understand what this weapon is and how it is to be used. According to Ephesians 6:17, it is the word of God, but this can mean a lot of things. It’s easy to generalize and assume that it means the Bible, but unless we dig deeper, we will miss the point and be unprepared when we are drawn into battle. The key lies in the meaning of “word.” In the Greek, there are two different words that are translated “word.” We are most familiar with logos which can mean the essence of something or the name of the Son of God. Logos is used when referring to the larger word of God—the Bible.
The other Greek word is rhema. This is the word used in Ephesians 6:17. This has a much more specific meaning. It refers to the spoken word of God at a particular time for a particular situation. One of the ways God speaks is by leading us to or bringing to mind a specific verse that applies to our current situation. Sometimes it comes directly from the Holy Spirit, but other times from a Christian friend or from the pulpit. The point is that this sword of the Spirit, the rhema of God, is God’s way of telling us what we are to do and how we are to attack the enemy on a specific occasion.
Wait for His Word
The takeaway from this is that we must wait until we hear from God when we are to take it to the enemy. The battle belongs to the Lord, so we must let Him engage in it on His terms. His ways are not our ways, and His ways always work. If Joshua had attacked Jericho according to the advice of his military commanders, Israel would never have conceived of marching around the city seven times. But look what happened. He did exactly what God said to do, regardless of how ridiculous it seemed.
Spiritual warfare must be fought on spiritual terms, and in this arena, we are completely dependent of God. We must be sure to wait until we have heard from God before going on the attack. This is uncharted territory for most Christians and churches. They are so used to doing everything in their own strength and wisdom that waiting for God’s direction is seldom considered. It’s one thing to believe in the promises of God. It’s quite another to wait for God’s instructions as to how He will fulfill those promises.
Perhaps you have been waiting…and waiting to hear from God. Remember that sometimes He speaks through the silence, and these are some of the most meaningful and life-altering experiences we will ever endure. Perhaps the silence is because you have failed to obey the last thing He told you to do. If this is not the case, continue to obey His last command and prayerfully listen for His voice, however it may come.
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