Bible League: Living His Word And take. . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.What is the purpose of the word of God? No doubt it has many purposes. II Timothy 3:16-17 says that "it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." Other passages from the Bible could be cited in order to add items to the list. Our verse for today is one of them. It says that the word of God is a weapon. Metaphorically, it is a sword. This is because it is not for use against flesh and blood, "but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). Of all the armor of God listed in Ephesians Chapter 6 – the "shield of faith" and the "helmut of salvation" are two of them – it is the only offensive weapon. The sword is "the sword of the Spirit." This refers to the fact that the word of God was given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It also refers to the fact that the word of God is the most effective weapon against our spiritual enemies. The shield of faith protects us against "the fiery darts of the wicked one" (Ephesians 6:16), but the sword of the Spirit puts the wicked one and his henchmen to flight. We definitely need the defensive pieces of armor to protect us, but it is the sword of the Spirit that does damage to the enemy. Like a sword in battle, the word of God must be wielded. It is not just for ceremonial use; it is not just to make the one who bears it look good. It is best wielded when spoken out loud against the forces of darkness that attack us. If they attack us with serious illness, for example, we can say "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD" (Psalm 118:17). If they attack us with a thorny financial situation, we can say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). The sword of the Spirit is effective for use against any attack of the enemy. Don't just stand there anymore. Don't just take the shots of the enemy. Take up the sword of the Spirit and do some damage. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingHosea 5-8 Hosea 5 -- Judgments against the Priests, People, and Princes for Their Manifold Sins NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Hosea 6 -- Exhortations to Repent; Israel's Refusal NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Hosea 7 -- Ephraim's Iniquity NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Hosea 8 -- Israel Will Reap the Whirlwind NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Revelation 1 Revelation 1 -- John's Greeting to the Seven Churches and Vision on Patmos NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. Insight If wealth, power, and status mean nothing to God, why do we attribute so much importance to them and so much honor to those who possess them? Do your material possessions give you goals and your only reason for living? If they were gone, what would be left? Challenge What you have in your heart, not your bank account, matters to God and endures for eternity. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Acts 16:14 Whose heart the Lord opened.In Lydia's conversion there are many points of interest. It was brought about by providential circumstances. She was a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, but just at the right time for hearing Paul we find her at Philippi; providence, which is the handmaid of grace, led her to the right spot. Again, grace was preparing her soul for the blessing--grace preparing for grace. She did not know the Saviour, but as a Jewess, she knew many truths which were excellent stepping-stones to a knowledge of Jesus. Her conversion took place in the use of the means. On the Sabbath she went when prayer was wont to be made, and there prayer was heard. Never neglect the means of grace; God may bless us when we are not in his house, but we have the greater reason to hope that he will when we are in communion with his saints. Observe the words, "Whose heart the Lord opened." She did not open her own heart. Her prayers did not do it; Paul did not do it. The Lord himself must open the heart, to receive the things which make for our peace. He alone can put the key into the hole of the door and open it, and get admittance for himself. He is the heart's master as he is the heart's maker. The first outward evidence of the opened heart was obedience. As soon as Lydia had believed in Jesus, she was baptized. It is a sweet sign of a humble and broken heart, when the child of God is willing to obey a command which is not essential to his salvation, which is not forced upon him by a selfish fear of condemnation, but is a simple act of obedience and of communion with his Master. The next evidence was love, manifesting itself in acts of grateful kindness to the apostles. Love to the saints has ever been a mark of the true convert. Those who do nothing for Christ or his church, give but sorry evidence of an "opened" heart. Lord, evermore give me an opened heart. Daily Light on the Daily Path James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.John 8:32-34,36 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." • They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free '?" • Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. • "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. Galatians 5:1,13,l4 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. • For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. • For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." Romans 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Romans 7:2 For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. 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