Two-Edged Sword
Hello Friends!
I just felt led to share with you something that the Lord has been speaking to me all week long. On Monday morning, in a time of prayer, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Please tell them again that the Word must be applied with great confidence and assurance. It must be looked at as a vital weapon against the enemy.”
Upon hearing this, instantly my thoughts went to Ephesians 6, the armor of God. Ephesians 6 is written to the body, and it is a representation and a reality that we are in a war. That is why Paul chooses to present this message as a comparison to the armor of a Roman soldier. It is a mind-set that we must operate in daily.
Before he ends it with the act of prayer, Paul reminds us, “...and take...”
Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
SALVATION: In the basic core of your salvation, God has placed a freedom that is found in the Spirit. The helmet of Salvation is the basic core of your weapon. None of the above weapons are yours until you are saved, but once you are, these weapons are available. Every day of your life, you put on the helmet of salvation. This is to remind you, and let the enemy know, who you are in God. Every day you must “take” the helmet of salvation. You do not need to get saved daily, but you do need to activate the salvation plan that belongs to you.
Saved: Righteous in Him; completed once saved
Salvation Package: Shalom - nothing missing, nothing broken. Peace, joy, health, prosperity, wisdom, revelation, authority, AND THE GLORY POWER must be activated daily.
But, the enemy will daily try to talk you out of this helmet and all it encompasses. He does not want you to daily remind yourself what belongs to you in your salvation package.
Sword: The weapon of the Spirit is a sword - an instrument of cutting. In reality for us, the Holy Spirit Himself is a sword. God knew we were going to need help every day of our lives. So, He sent us the Holy Spirit to help us along the way. The Spirit, in His nature, has the ability to “cut through” things of this world - dividing between our soul and the Spirit, himself. He helps us recognize the difference and gives us the strength and courage to yield to Him.
In Ephesian 6:17, the word sword comes from the Greek word machaira. Out of all three swords that a Roman soldier would use, this sword was the most brutal of them all. This sword was more like a dagger. It was used for close range combat. With razor sharp blades on both sides and the tip of the sword often turned upward; this sword would be thrust in and then turn to cause more damage than just the initial blow. This two-edged dagger was powerful when placed in the hands of a soldier.
In Hebrews 4:12 God’s word states, “For the Word of God is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The Greek word distomos is replaced in our KJV with the words two-edged sword, but there is such a greater meaning to this word when you look at it in the original Greek. Di means two and stomo meaning mouth. So, in other words, this word means a two-mouthed sword.
It makes sense why Paul uses the macharies sword. It’s a two-edged sword. For the Word of God is a two-mouthed sword! How so? On further study, you find out that God’s Word spoken by Him and written down is one side of the sword, and the other side of the sword is us speaking His Word! God backs His Word spoken out of your mouth! Glory to God!
So friends, I encourage you today to make the words of your mouth be driven by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. In doing so, the things that you speak become a vital weapon against the enemy.
-Candace
(For more information on this message: please watch Wednesday, April 7th A Glorious Church Service. You can watch it here.)