The Sword Of The Spirit; The Word Of God

Ephesians 6:13-17-"Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT; which is THE WORD OF GOD."

Oh, the devil comes on strong in this world and we have to use everything we have to fight him off!!! God has given us the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness to help us stand our ground, the shoes of peace that comes from the Good News so that we will be fully prepared, the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil, and salvation as our helmet. All of these are to guard our hearts from the devil's tricky schemes. What about offense? How do we win the battle against the devil instead of only protecting ourselves? We need the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Matthew 4:1-11-"Then Jesus was lead by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.' But Jesus told him, 'No! THE SCRIPTURES SAY, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, 'If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.' Jesus responded, 'THE SCRIPTURES ALSO SAY, 'You must not test the Lord Your God.' Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and all their glory. 'I will give it all to you,' he said, 'if you will kneel down and worship me.' 'Get out of here, Satan,' Jesus told him. 'For THE SCRIPTURES SAY, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.' Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.'

How did Jesus overcome his temptation? He knew the Word of God!!! Sometimes it is hard to make time to read the Word everyday, and even when we do read it, sometimes it's hard to actually apply it to our lives or understand it. Think of the Bible as a love letter! If someone you had a crush on wrote you a 66 Book love letter over the course of about 4000 years telling about how he saved all of humanity from sure destruction by His loving and just and perfect plan, wouldn't you be eager to read it? Well, that's the Bible! If you can't find time to read it, try to find something you could give up to have more time. In 8Th grade, God lead me to read a chapter in the New Testament everyday before I left for school instead of spending extra time on my hair or clothes. This summer, God helped me to finish the New Testament! If you don't understand what the Bible says, or don't know how to apply it, pray before every time you read the Bible that God would bless the reading of His Word, and open your heart up to it so that you can understand it, apply it, and use it to defeat Satan!

2 Timothy 3:16-"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

Psalm 119:105-"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Psalm 119:9,11-"How can a young person stay pure? By obeying Your Word... I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

1 Peter 23-25-"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living Word of God. As the Scriptures say, 'People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the Word of the Lord remains forever.' And that Word is the Good News that was preached to you."

Hebrews 4:12-"For the Word of God is ALIVE and POWERFUL. It is SHARPER than the SHARPEST TWO-EDGED SWORD, cutting between SOUL and SPIRIT, between JOINT and MARROW. It exposes our INNERMOST THOUGHTS and DESIRES."

Keep Measuring UP! Make sure to carry your Sword of the Spirit so that when the devil tries to temp you, you can tell him to read it and weep! You are loved.

-Jenna Hampton

with ideas inspired by Kanakuk Kamp staff, and much help from God!!! :)