Take Up The Sword!  Part 2   By: James Lantz

       The Spirit of God through Paul exhorts us to put on the whole armor of God so that we will not fall nor succumb under the attacks of satan, our enemy. The very first part He mentions is to surround ourselves with truth and this includes all the private parts of our life. Walking in righteousness protects our vital parts as righteousness delivers us from death. Our feet are protected with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, we are to take up the shield of faith, wherewith we are able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. The last part of God’s protective armor mentioned in the letter to the faithful in Christ Jesus is the helmet of salvation.  Ephesians 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  God doesn’t expect us to just only ward off the fiery darts of the enemy but He expects us to take up the sword of the Spirit and go on the offensive. We take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, by speaking what God said over us and our fellow believer. The command to take the sword of the Spirit is immediately connected to opening our mouths and praying the word of God with all manner of prayer and supplication for all saints.    Eph. 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Praying God’s word or speaking God’s word in faith are two ways that we take up the sword of the Spirit.

Take Up The Sword Of The Spirit By Saying!

Jesus showed us how to resist temptation and run the devil off by speaking what is written.  Mt. 4:10  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.  Jesus ran the devil off through the power of the word of God and we who have submitted ourselves to Him are to do the very same thing.  James 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  The word of God is alive and powerful and when it is received into a good and honest heart it will grow up and produce exactly what God said. The word of God will work for all who decree what God said from a believing heart.  Isaiah 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.  God sent His word to save, heal, protect, deliver, prosper, and make whole!

• We are saved by saying that Jesus is the Lord of my life and believing it in our heart!  (Rom. 10:9)
• The weak are to say they are strong!   (Joel 3:10  Isaiah 41:10)
• The sick are to agree with the word of God and say they are healed by Jesus stripes.  (1 Pet. 2:24)
• For protection we are to say that the Lord is my refuge and my fortress!  (Psalms 91:2)
• For deliverance we are to say that Jesus has set us free!     (John 8:36)
• For prosperity we are to be saying that the blessing of the Lord is making me rich!  (Pro. 10:22)
• For wholeness we are to be saying that Jesus has made me whole!    (Luke 8:48)

Just saying that you are saved does not save you but you can’t be saved without saying so! Before one can be saved from their sin they must recognize their lost and doomed condition and that they need a savior. When the Holy Spirit came, Peter stood up and preached, telling everyone they were witnessing what Joel had prophesied for the last days. Peter went on to explain that God in His mercy would save everyone who called upon the name of the Lord. As Peter continued they understood that  Jesus was the risen Lord and Christ and that it was their sins that put him on the cross. They were pricked in their hearts and so they asked Peter, what shall we do?  Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. So we see that there are other components involved in receiving salvation but you can not be saved without saying so.  Psalms 107:2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;   Death and truly is in the power of the tongue and the wise will choose to speak life!

       The Spirit of God directs us in how to fight the good fight of faith from seeing how Jesus held a good confession before Pontius Pilate. Jesus knew who He was and what His mission was and spoke the word of God effectively to accomplish the Father’s will.  1 Tim. 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Tim. 6:13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;   The elders and the chief priests brought Jesus

Jesus Made A Noble Profession Of Faith Before Pilate!

to Pilate’s judgement hall early in the morning that they might have Him sentenced to be crucified. They accused Jesus of many things before Pilate but He answered them nothing. The governor asked him, Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him, Thou sayest. Interesting that Jesus did not say, I Am, because earlier He had declared that to the band that came to capture Him and they all fell backward under the power of God.  John 18:6  As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.  Jesus understood that He was the sacrificial Lamb of God and that He was not to speak any words that would manifest God’s power causing His release. We have details of Jesus before Pilate in all four gospels yet only Luke reveals that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod and that Herod sent Him back to Pilate. When Pilate heard that Jesus acknowledged that He was the Son of God he was even more afraid.  John 19:9-11 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me?  knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.  Jesus didn’t wilt, bow, or beg to be released but graciously let Pilot know that he was not in charge and that he had a part in this wrong.

       Paul used his words and his Roman citizenship to save himself from being scourged by Roman soldiers.  Acts 22:25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? Roman law provided that no citizen of Rome was to be beaten or punished without a fair trial where they can stand before their  accuser and speak in their own defense. When the chief captain heard that Paul was a Roman citizen he was afraid and spared Paul from the scourging and set up an opportunity to meet his accusers.

       All of us have confidence that the seeds we plant in our gardens will grow and produce a harvest. We believers should have all the more confidence that when we plant God’s eternal, incorruptible, all powerful word into our good and honest heart that there will be a great harvest. Take that word that is in your heart and speak to the mountains in your life and command them to go and to be thrown into the sea. Our Lord Jesus is the Apostle and High Priest who watches over our confession and brings His word to pass as we acknowledge Him. Put the devil on the run by speaking God’s word in faith!  Rev. 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

John 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.