In Efesiërs 6:17, ons lees van die Swaard van die Gees. ’n Soldaat kan die regte uniform dra vir beskerming, but if a soldier enters the battlefield without a weapon or if the soldier is unskilled and doesn’t know how to use his weapon, the soldier shall not be able to fight and stand against the enemy and shall eventually lose the fight. Because as soon the enemy finds out that the soldier is unarmed or doesn’t know how to use his weapon, the enemy shall attack and gain the victory. A soldier without a weapon or a soldier, who is unskilled and doesn’t know how to use his weapon, can’t be victorious. This also applies to every Christian, who is born again in Christ and belongs to the holy army of God. Every soldier of Christ should know how to use the Sword of the Spirit in battle. What does the Bible say about the Sword of the Spirit? What does the Sword of the Spirit mean?
Wat is die swaard van die Gees?
Staan dus, om jou lendene met waarheid omgord te hê, en met die borswapen van geregtigheid aan; En jou voete is geskoei met die voorbereiding van die evangelie van vrede; Bowenal, neem die skild van geloof, waarmee julle al die vurige pyle van die goddelose sal kan blus. En neem die helm van verlossing, en die swaard van die Gees, wat die woord van God is (Efesiërs 6:14-17)
The Sword of the Spirit is the only weapon and offensive element of the spiritual armor of God, by which you can attack the enemy and be victorious. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Therefore you can only attack and overcome the devil and his minions through the Word of God.
Ongelukkig, during the past years, the devil has enlarged his territory and has gained a lot of spiritual ground, due to the ignorance of believers and a lack of knowledge of the Word of God; die waarheid.
Many have fed themselves with the opinions and the words of man coming from a carnal mind and have tried to fight the spiritual battles with their valse leerstellings and carnal methods and because of that many have lost spiritual battles and sometimes even have left God and His word and entered the way of the world.
Want ons worstel nie teen vlees en bloed nie
Want ons worstel nie teen vlees en bloed nie, Maar teen owerhede, teen magte, teen die heersers van die duisternis van hierdie wêreld, teen geestelike boosheid in hoë plekke (Efesiërs 6:12)
Maar soos dit geskryf is, we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, Maar teen owerhede, magte, heersers van die duisternis van hierdie wêreld, teen geestelike boosheid in hoë plekke. Daarom, we can’t fight the spiritual battle and overcome the enemy from the flesh by using carnal words, natural means, en metodes.
The only way to fight the spiritual battle and defeat the enemy and cause a change is from the Spirit, from your position in Christ using the Sword of the Spirit, wat die Woord van God is.
The Word of God is the Truth and only with the Truth of God, die Nuwe man is able to discern, expose, teregwysing, and destroy the lies and the works of the devil and his kingdom.
Jesus het die duiwel met die Swaard van die Gees verslaan
Weereens, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, en die heerlikheid van hulle; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: want dit is geskrywe, Jy moet die Here jou God aanbid, en Hom alleen moet jy dien. Then the devil leaveth Him, en, kyk, angels came and ministered unto Him (Matteus 4:8-11)
Jesus was en is the living Word of God and He knew the will and the nature of His Father. Toe Jesus deur die Heilige Gees na die woestyn gelei is, die duiwel het Jesus probeer versoek. Die duiwel het nie sy eie woorde gebruik nie, maar hy het die woorde van God gebruik. Egter, the devil used the words of God in the wrong context.
Die duiwel het Jesus probeer versoek, by using the words of God for Himself and the lusts and desires of His flesh.
But Jesus knew the words and the will of His Father. Jesus knew the nature of His Father and He knew the nature of the devil. Therefore Jesus discerned the lies of the devil.
Jesus didn’t listen to the words of the devil and the will and the lusts and desires of the flesh and didn’t bow to the devil and His flesh, but Jesus stayed obedient to the will of His Father and used the words of God in the right context and said: “It is written….”
And so the two-edged Sword came out of His mouth and Jesus defeated the devil with the offensive weapon of the Spirit.
Jesus het ons gewys, that this is the only way to expose the lies of the devil and to silence and defeat the devil
O hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, watter ding ek haat. Bekeer jou; anders kom ek gou na jou toe, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth (Openbaring 2:15-16)
And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Openbaring 19:15)
The two-edged Sword came out of the mouth of Jesus during His life on earth, after His life on earth, and shall always come out of His mouth.
Fighting without the Sword of the Spirit
Die duiwel weet, that a believer can’t fight the spiritual warfare without the Sword of the Spirit, nor fight without knowing how to use the Sword of the Spirit. Daarom, the devil tries to distract born again believers and keep them far away from the Word, so that they stay ignorant and he’ll be able to mislead and tempt them with his lies.
The devil also knows, that he doesn’t have to worry about carnal people, who have a lot of knowledge about the Bible, maar is nie wedergebore nie. Since he knows, these carnal people are unspiritual and sense-ruled and are not able to walk by faith and apply the words of God in their lives.
Therefore all this knowledge of the Bible shall not do anything, but shall only puff them up. So that they walk in pride and exalt themselves above others.
Hulle is natuurlike mense, who don’t have the Holy Spirit and don’t see the spiritual warfare between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.
Although they have a lot of carnal knowledge about the Sword of the Spirit, they lack spiritual understanding and don’t know how to use the Sword of the Spirit, and don’t do anything with it. As gevolg daarvan, they are no threat to the devil and his kingdom (Lees ook: Die vernietiging van die werke van God in plaas van die werke van die duiwel)
And so there are many people, who have attended church for years and have a lot of knowledge about the Bible and visit seminars and follow all the latest ‘faith trends’ and are always learning, without coming to the knowledge of the Truth (2 Timoteus 3:7).
Take the Sword of the Spirit
Laat ons dan arbei om in daardie rus in te gaan, dat niemand agter dieselfde voorbeeld van ongeloof val nie. Want die Woord van God is vinnig, en kragtig, en skerper as enige tweedekse swaard, deurboor selfs tot die verdeeldheid van siel en gees, en van die gewrigte en murg, en is 'n onderskeid oor die gedagtes en bedoeling van die hart. Daar is ook geen skepsel wat nie in Sy oë geopenbaar is nie: maar alles is naak en oopgemaak voor die oë van Hom met wie ons te doen het (Hebreërs 4:11-13)
Many believers beg God to take away the spiritual battles from them, but God will never do that. He will be with you, guide you and protect you, but you have to take the Sword of the Spirit, wat die Woord van God is, and fight the battle with the Word of God, net soos Jesus.
Solank jy in Jesus Christus bly; die woord, you shall be clothed with the spiritual armor of God. By faith in the Word and doing the Word, you shall be protected and with the two-edged Sword, you shall be able to attack the enemy and be an overcomer.
Therefore it’s important to know the Word. Because if you don’t read and study the Word of God by the Holy Spirit, you shall stay ignorant about the truth of God and His will and you shall not be able to fight the fight of faith, let alone to stand by faith during the fight and be victorious.
Slegs deur die Woord, you shall get to know the Father and His will and by applying the words of God in your life you shall be able to resist and defeat the devil and be victorious.
The ongoing spiritual warfare
Nou sy dank aan God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, en maak die reuk van sy kennis deur ons op elke plek openbaar. Want ons is vir God 'n lieflike geur van Christus, in die wat gered is, En in hulle wat vergaan: Vir die een is ons die smaak van die dood tot die dood; en vir die ander die smaak van die lewe tot die lewe (2 Korintiërs 2:14-16)
Want hoegenaamd is gebore uit God oorkom die wêreld: En dit is die oorwinning wat die wêreld oorkom, Selfs ons geloof. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)
En ek het 'n harde stem in die hemel hoor sê, Nou kom verlossing, en krag, and the kingdom of our God, en die krag van sy Christus: want die aanklaer van ons broeders is neergewerp, wat hulle dag en nag voor onse God aangekla het. En hulle het hom oorwin deur die bloed van die Lam, en deur die woord van hulle getuienis; en hulle het hulle lewe tot die dood toe nie liefgehad nie (Openbaring 12:11)
Ek is Alfa en Omega, the Beginning and the End. Ek sal aan hom wat dors het verniet uit die fontein van die water van die lewe gee. Hy wat oorwin, sal alles beërwe; en Ek sal sy God wees, en hy sal My seun wees (Openbaring 21:6-7)
Life is an ongoing spiritual warfare. Sometimes a certain battle may be overcome quickly and sometimes it may take a little bit longer. Maar een ding is seker, if you stay in Jesus Christ and fight from your position in Christ by the Spirit, standing by faith on the Word and don’t give up, and take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and use it the right way, then you shall be victorious and be an overcomer.
That’s the promise of God, the Word testifies of.
‘Be the Salt of the earth’
