I Epeha 6:17, we read about the Sword of the Spirit. A soldier can wear the right uniform for protection, 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?
What is the Sword of the Spirit?
Na reira e tu, he mea whitiki o koutou hope ki te pono, kia mau hoki ki te pukupuku o te tika; Kia takatu ano o koutou waewae ki te rongopai o te rangimarie; I runga ake i nga mea katoa, ka mau ki te whakangungu rakau o te whakapono, e taea ai e koutou te tinei nga matia muramura katoa a te hunga kino. Kia mau hoki ki te potae o te whakaoranga, me te hoari a te Wairua, ko te kupu tenei a te Atua (Epeha 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.
Kia aroha mai, 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; Te Tika.
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 nga whakaakoranga teka 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.
Ehara hoki ta tatou i te whawhai ki te kikokiko, ki te toto
Ehara hoki ta tatou i te whawhai ki te kikokiko, ki te toto, engari ki nga rangatiratanga, ki nga mana, ki nga rangatira o te pouri o tenei ao, ki te kino wairua i nga wahi tiketike (Epeha 6:12)
Engari i te mea kua tuhia, we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, engari ki nga rangatiratanga, mana, nga rangatira o te pouri o tenei ao, ki te kino wairua i nga wahi tiketike. No reira, we can’t fight the spiritual battle and overcome the enemy from the flesh by using carnal words, natural means, me nga tikanga.
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, ko te kupu a te Atua.
The Word of God is the Truth and only with the Truth of God, te tangata hou is able to discern, expose, Tahuriro, and destroy the lies and the works of the devil and his kingdom.
Jesus defeated the devil with the Sword of the Spirit
ano, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, me te kororia o ratou; 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, Hatana: kua oti hoki te tuhituhi, Me koropiko koe ki a Ihowa, ki tou Atua, ko ia anake tau e mahi ai. Then the devil leaveth Him, a, nana, angels came and ministered unto Him (Matiu 4:8-11)
Jesus was en is the living Word of God and He knew the will and the nature of His Father. When Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness, the devil tried to tempt Jesus. The devil didn’t use his own words, engari i whakamahia e ia nga kupu a te Atua. Heoi ano, the devil used the words of God in the wrong context.
Ua tamata te diabolo i te faahema ia Iesu, 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.
Ua faaite o Iesu ia tatou, 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, e kino ana ahau. Rīpenetā; ki te kahore, ka hohoro toku haere atu ki a koe, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth (Whakakitenga 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 (Whakakitenga 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
E mohio ana te rewera, 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. No reira, 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, engari kaore i whanau ano. 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.
He tangata maori ratou, 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. Na tera, they are no threat to the devil and his kingdom (Panuitia hoki: Te whakangaro i nga mahi a te Atua hei utu mo nga mahi a te rewera)
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 Timoti 3:7).
Take the Sword of the Spirit
Kia mahi tatou kia uru ki taua okiokinga, kei taka tetahi ki muri i te tauira o te kore whakapono. No te mea he tere te kupu a te Atua, me te kaha, he whakamataku hoki i tetahi hoari mea kua rua, e pa ana ki te wehewehe i te wairua me te wairua, Tuhinga o mua, he tangata mohio ki nga whakaaro me nga hiahia o te ngakau. Kaore ano hoki tetahi mea o reira e kitea ana i tana tirohanga: Heoi e tu tahanga ana nga mea katoa, ka uakina ki nga kanohi o te tangata, me mahi e tatou (Hiperu 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, ko te kupu a te Atua, and fight the battle with the Word of God, rite tonu ki a Ihu.
Ka rite ki te roa ka noho koe ki a Ihu Karaiti; te Word, 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.
Ma te Kupu anake, 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
Na, kia mihi ki te Atua, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, E whakatakoto whakaaro ana hoki i tona matauranga ki a tatou i nga wahi katoa. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life (2 Koriniti 2:14-16)
Ko nga mea katoa hoki kua whanau i te Atua e kaha ana i te ao: Ko te wikitoria hoki tenei i hinga ai te ao, Tatou Whakapono. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Hone 5:4-5)
A ka rongo ahau i te reo nui i te rangi e mea ana, Inaianei kua tae mai te whakaoranga, me te kaha, and the kingdom of our God, me te kaha o tana Karaiti: no te mea kua turakina ki raro te kaiwhakapae ki o tatou teina, i whakapangia nei e ratou ki te aroaro o to tatou Atua i te ao, i te po. Na patua ana ia e te toto o te reme, ma te kupu o ta ratou whakaaturanga; Na kihai ratou i aroha ki o ratou ao ki te mate (Whakakitenga 12:11)
Ko ahau te alpha me te omega, te timatanga me te mutunga. Ka hoatu noa e ahau ki te tangata e matewai ana i te puna o te wai ora. Ko te wikitoria ka riro ia ia nga mea katoa; Ko ahau hoki hei Atua mona, a ko ia hei tama maku (Whakakitenga 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. Engari kotahi tonu te mea, 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’
