The Sword of the Spirit
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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle 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. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
The Sword is the Word of God
The Sword is the Word of God
Our authority is derived from another source
Our authority is derived from another source
This is good because the authority or power does not rest upon your merit
Christian authority, power, boldness, does not rest on you
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
I can do all things, through....
my sparkling personality
my up standing character
Paul face hard things, impossible things and he did not emerge victorious because he learned how to grin and bare it
He did not walk in victory by becoming stronger
He tapped into a reservoir that was deeper than personal strength
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
Who am I in Christ?
Who am I in Christ?
There are 3 primary truths that you need to come grips with regarding your identity in Christ
You are forgiven - again not on the basis of your merit, your worth, or even how bad you feel about a thing
You are forgiven - again not on the basis of your merit, your worth, or even how bad you feel about a thing
You know a person with a seared conscious can repent?
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
You were doing wrong, you were serving self, your life had a self centered, self glorifying, self defined life
Repent, change your mind about who is going to run the show
Repent, change your mind about what your life is going to be about
Repentance is not primarily about a change in behavior it is a transformed purpose
both in your reckoning and heaven’s
Why is this an important truth and an important part of your identity?
Why is this an important truth and an important part of your identity?
So you can stop moping around, pretending that all your, down on yourself stuff is piety
The blood of Jesus either washes away sins or it does not (and Jesus does not need any help)
2nd: You are loved by God
2nd: You are loved by God
We need to personalize the love of God, is big enough to love each and everyone individually
Why is this an important truth and an important part of your identity?
Why is this an important truth and an important part of your identity?
You can rest assured that your faith in God is well founded
You can respond to God without seeing the outcome, because you understand He will choose what is best
3rd - You are a container of the Holy Spirit
3rd - You are a container of the Holy Spirit
You are not the star player in this dynamic duo
you are not the strong one
you are not the smart one
success does not hinge on you
Why is this an important truth and important part of your identity?
Why is this an important truth and important part of your identity?
You need to berating yourself for failures and start learning how to tap into the strength that dwells within
You need to stop evaluating the probability of success on the person in the mirror
Many fail to try for a fear of failure, the issue with these folks is they are striving for the wrong result.
“Well done, good and faithful servant” in the highest and best reward
That brings us the most important question:
Who is Christ in you?
Who is Christ in you?
There can only be one “I am” in your heart
Our weapon and our only weapon is the Word of God
Our weapon and our only weapon is the Word of God
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
The Word of God is our ONLY Offensive Weapon
The Word of God is our ONLY Offensive Weapon
If you offend or wound it should only be for the sake of the Gospel
How Do We Weld this Sword?
Meditate
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
Study
Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
“Be diligent” or study or better yet diligently study
Speak
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.