I Efeso 6:17, tatou te faitau e uiga i le Pelu a le Agaga. E mafai e se fitafita ona ofuina le toniga sa'o mo le puipuiga, 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? O le a le uiga o le Pelu a le Agaga?
O le a le Pelu a le Agaga?
O lea ia tutu, fusi o outou sulugatiti i le upumoni, ma le ofuina o le ufifatafata o le amiotonu; Ma ua seevaeina o outou vae i le sauniaina o le talalelei o le filemu; Ae sili atu i mea uma, ave le talita o le faatuatua, o le a mafai ai ona outou tapeina ufanafana mu uma a e amioleaga. Ma ave le pulou o le faaolataga, ma le pelu a le Agaga, o le afioga lea a le Atua (Efeso 6:14-17)
O le Pelu a le Agaga ua na o le pau lea o le auupega ma le elemene leaga o le ofutau faaleagaga a le Atua, e mafai ai ona e osofaia le fili ma manumalo ai. O le Pelu a le Agaga o le Upu a le Atua. O le mea lea e mafai ai ona e osofaʻia ma manumalo i le tiapolo ma ana 'au e ala i le Afioga a le Atua.
Ae paga lea, i tausaga ua mavae, ua faalauteleina e le tiapolo lana teritori ma ua maua ai le tele o eleele faaleagaga, ona o le valea o tagata talitonu ma le leai o se malamalama i le Afioga a le Atua; le mea moni.
E toatele ua fafagaina i latou lava i manatu ma upu a tagata e sau mai le mafaufau faaletino ma taumafai e tauina taua faaleagaga ma o latou loto. aoaoga faavae sese ma auala faaletino ma ona o lena mea e toatele ua faiaina ai taua faaleagaga ma o nisi taimi ua latou tuua le Atua ma Lana afioga ma ulu atu i le ala o le lalolagi..
Aua tatou te lē tau ma le tino ma le toto
Aua tatou te lē tau ma le tino ma le toto, ae faasaga i malo, e faasaga i mana, e faasaga i pule o le pogisa o lenei lalolagi, e tetee atu i le amioleaga faaleagaga i nofoaga maualuluga (Efeso 6:12)
Ae pei ona tusia, matou te le fagatua ma le aano ma le toto, ae faasaga i malo, mana, pule o le pouliuli o lenei lalolagi, e tetee atu i le amioleaga faaleagaga i nofoaga maualuluga. O lea la, e le mafai ona tatou tauina le taua faaleagaga ma faatoilaloina le fili mai le tino e ala i le faaaogaina o upu faaletino, auala masani, ma auala.
Na pau lava le auala e tau ai le taua faaleagaga ma faatoilaloina le fili ma faia se suiga e mai le Agaga, mai lou tulaga ia Keriso e faaaoga ai le Pelu a le Agaga, O le afioga a le Atua.
O le Upu a le Atua o le Upumoni ma e na o le Upu Moni a le Atua, o le tagata fou e mafai ona iloatino, fa'aalia, aoaiga, ma faaumatia pepelo ma galuega a le tiapolo ma lona malo.
Na faataaliloina e Iesu le Tiapolo ma le pelu a le Agaga
Toe foi, ua ave o Ia e le tiapolo i le mauga maualuga lava, ma faailoa atu ia te ia malo uma o le lalolagi, ma lo latou mamalu; Ma fai atu ia te Ia, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satani: aua ua tusia, Ia e ifo atu i le Alii lou Atua, ma na o ia e te auauna i ai. Then the devil leaveth Him, ma, faauta, angels came and ministered unto Him (Mataio 4:8-11)
Jesus was en is the living Word of God and He knew the will and the nature of His Father. Ina ua taitaiina Iesu e le Agaga Paia i le vao, the devil tried to tempt Jesus. E lei faaaogaina e le tiapolo ana lava upu, ae sa ia faaaogaina afioga a le Atua. Ae peitai, the devil used the words of God in the wrong context.
Sa taumafai le tiapolo e faaosooso 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.
Na faaali mai e Iesu ia i 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, o le mea ou te ita ai. Salamo; poo isi o le a ou vave sau ia te oe, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth (Faaaliga 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 (Faaaliga 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
Ua iloa e le tiapolo, 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. O lea la, 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, Ae le toe fanaufouina. 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.
O i latou o tagata natura, 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. Ona o lena, they are no threat to the devil and his kingdom (Faitau foi: Faʻaletonu le Galuega a le Atua Nai lo le Galuega a le Tiapolo)
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 Timoteo 3:7).
Take the Sword of the Spirit
Tatou galulue loa e ulufale i totonu o le malologa, Lest soʻo se tagata pa'ū i le taimi lava e tasi o le le talitonu. Mo le upu a le Atua e vave, ma mamana, ma steper nai lo ni pefu, tuia e oo lava i le vaeluaina o le agaga ma le agaga, ma le sooga ma le mapu, ma o le le fiafia o mafaufauga ma lagona o le loto. E leai foʻi se meaola e le faʻaalia i lana vaʻai: ae o mea uma e le lavalava ma tatalaina i mata o ia ma o ai tatou te faia (Eperu 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, O le afioga a le Atua, and fight the battle with the Word of God, e pei lava o Iesu.
A o e nofo pea ia Iesu Keriso; le Upu, 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.
Na'o le Upu, 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
O lenei ia faafetai i le Atua, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. Auā o i matou o le manogi lelei o Keriso i le Atua, i totonu o e ua faaolaina, ma i latou o e fano: I le tasi, o le manogi o le oti e oo i le oti; a o le manogi o le ola i le tasi i le ola (2 Korinito 2:14-16)
Aua o i latou uma ua fanau mai i le Atua e manumalo i latou i le lalolagi: ma o le manumalo foi lenei e manumalo ai i le lalolagi, e oo lava i lo tatou faatuatua. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Ioane 5:4-5)
Ma sa ou faalogoina se leo tele o fetalai mai i le lagi, O lenei ua oo mai le faaolataga, ma le malosi, and the kingdom of our God, ma le mana o lona Keriso: auā ua lafo ifo i lalo lē na molia o tatou uso, na molia i latou i luma o lo tatou Atua i le ao ma le po. ‘Ua latou manumālō fo‘i ‘iā te ia i le toto o le Tama‘i Mamoe, ma le upu o la latou mau; ‘ua latou lē alolofa fo‘i i o latou ola ‘ua o‘o i le oti (Faaaliga 12:11)
O a'u o le Alefa ma le Omeka, le Amataga ma le gataaga. Ou te avatu fua i lē ua fia inu i le puna o le vai o le ola. O lē e manumālō e fai mo ia mea uma; e fai fo‘i a‘u mōna Atua, e fai fo‘i o ia mo‘u atali‘i (Faaaliga 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. Ae tasi le mea e mautinoa, 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’
