After Paul describes several pieces that constitute the “full armor of God” such as a belt of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, and a shield of faith, in today’s verse he finally includes a weapon.
Unlike all the other defensive tools I am to use in my fight against evil, only the word of God should be used to attack.
I shouldn’t use my Gatling gun of generosity or my cannon of comments or my maul of mockery or my shotgun of self-help books.
Let me explain what I mean. My fight against evil is almost entirely a defensive one because God is taking care of the offense for me. My job is to love my neighbor. While I am loving my neighbor, I should be wearing the defensive armor God provided to thwart direct attacks on me.
On the rare occasion that I need to take an offensive stance against the devil, only the Bible, God’s word, is a suitable and effective weapon.
I cannot use my “generosity” to outspend my enemy on things I think will help my cause. Money is a dangerous weapon, prone to backfiring.
I cannot win by sending more social media comments than my enemy. Anonymous opinions made in the dark are lousy weapons.
I cannot win by raising hateful and mocking signs at protest rallies in front of my supposed enemy’s home or job. Intimidation is a weapon of my enemy, not one of God’s.
And I can’t win by searching for answers from other humans who suffer from the same sin and brokenness that I do. Self-help is a weak and treacherous weapon.
Only God’s word, the sword of the Spirit, is an effective weapon against darkness and evil in all its forms. And I need to carry it with me at all times, preferably close at hand and memorized.
Dear God,
Thank you for providing me with the only weapon I will ever need to defeat the forces of darkness that come against me. Thank you for reminding me of the Bible’s importance and value. Help me to read it, understand it, bury it in my heart, and bring it to mind when I need to wield it.
CamDevo 