The Sword of the Spirit
Scripture Reading — Ephesians 6:10-20
Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
In our ongoing battle with the forces of evil, the Lord commands, “Take . . . the sword of the Spirit.” This is the only weapon we are given among all the combat equipment mentioned in this Bible passage. And what is this weapon? “The sword of the Spirit . . . is the word of God.”
Hebrews 4:12 describes it this way: “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Our enemy hates this weapon. He was repelled by the Word of God as he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:1-11).
On the festival of Pentecost, as Peter preached the good news of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, the sword of the Spirit “cut [people] to the heart,” and they cried out, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). The Word exposed their sin, and Peter explained the solution: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Hell lost its grip on three thousand people that day as they found freedom in Jesus.
God’s Word is the true story of how God loves us at great cost to him. Can you see why it’s so important to spend time in God’s Word and make it part of our daily lives?
Father, thank you for your Word, which is alive and active, and by which we can battle the forces of evil. We treasure your Word and thank you for the life it brings. Amen.
About the author — John Kuperus
Since he was young, John Kuperus has had a passion that everyone would know Jesus. Spreading the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) is very important to him. To be better equipped for missions, John attended Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He applied these skills with marketplace evangelism in a business he started in Sussex, New Jersey. This calling continued to follow him, so John attended seminary and became a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, serving a church in Ontario for eight years. Currently he serves as a missionary for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). He witnesses Jesus changing lives as people walk out of the darkness into the light. John is married to Helen, and they have seven children.
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