The Indispensable Weapon We All Need to Carry

Our Indispensable Weapon

On September 19, 2022, the world watched as several members of England’s royal family marched in Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral. They wore regal military uniforms and carried gold-handled swords at their sides. These swords were beautiful heirlooms, symbols of the monarchy’s authority and power, not meant for actual battle.

Unlike those ceremonial swords, God’s word—the sword of the Spirit—is intended for warfare. Every other piece of armor in Ephesians 6 has been defensive and protective, helping God’s people resist evil and stand firm against it. The sword of the Spirit, our only offensive weapon, can defeat every temptation, sin, and evil scheme that opposes God and his kingdom.

The enemy wants us to believe that this weapon is optional or reserved for an elite few—ministry leaders, mature believers, or people with seminary degrees. But the truth is, this sword is indispensable for every Christian. And the Holy Spirit helps us wield it. He enables us to “understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12). So pray, before you open God’s word, expectantly asking for discernment, understanding, and wisdom. He will supply it!

Not only is the sword for every believer, but it’s also for every battle. God’s word is the ultimate weapon, creating, sustaining, and regenerating his people. His word empowers us, whether we’re fighting our sin or Satan’s schemes. The word isn’t just for Sundays, holidays, or special occasions. We need it every day. Is God’s word merely decorative, sitting closed on your nightstand or bookshelf? Or is it regularly open and ready for action in your hands and heart?

Finally, we need every part of God’s word, not just the parts related to our current season of life or our favorite passages that we return to over and over. If I’m only familiar with passages about parenting and marriage, or I only read Paul’s letters and the Psalms, my knowledge of God will be imbalanced, and I’ll miss out on needed correction and encouragement from God’s word. Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.” Did you catch that? All Scripture proceeds from God, and all Scripture is necessary for life and godliness.

Are you tempted, as I am, to take the whole counsel of God for granted? One way we can combat this temptation is by reading entire books of the Bible, whether it’s reading or listening to a shorter book in one sitting or doing a deeper study through a longer book. Consider making a list of books of the Bible you’ve never read and start working through them.

The Bible isn’t a ceremonial sword, but it is a beautiful heirloom. If you’re in Christ, you are part of God’s royal family, and the sword of the Spirit belongs to you. Every believer needs every part of God’s word for every battle. Friends, take up your indispensable sword and find strength in the power of God’s word today.

A Multipurpose Tool

When I started attending church at age eleven, I was introduced to “sword drills.” I didn’t know the Bible yet, so I just watched. The Sunday school teacher would call out a verse, and the kids would flip open their Bibles, frantically searching for it. The first one to read it out loud won.

Besides feeding our competitive sides, the drills were meant to familiarize us with the Bible. Our “swords” were meant to be used for evangelism and defending the truth to others. What I didn’t anticipate was how much I’d need to use the sword on myself.

On this side of eternity, believers still struggle with indwelling sin. We tend to think our problems are outside of us, but they’re often within us. You see, “God’s grace changes our nature, [but] it doesn’t change the nature of the flesh.”15 In this life, sin’s power over us has certainly been weakened, but we will not be completely free from it until eternity. So we still need to put to death the deeds of the flesh which are in opposition to God (Rom. 8:13). How can we do this?

First, we need God’s word to examine us. One reason I was drawn to Christianity was because the Bible explained why the world is so broken. When I read about how sin entered the world and corrupted the hearts of all people, I knew the Bible was telling the truth because I was aware of the state of my own rebellious heart.

Even if we’ve been walking with the Lord for years, we still need to regularly look into the mirror of God’s word. As Proverbs 21:2 explains, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” God’s word brings humble and accurate self-awareness, enabling us to see our sin so that we can repent and turn away from it. We can’t repent until sin is revealed by the mirror of God’s word.

Every believer needs every part of God’s word for every battle.

Second, we need the sword of the Spirit to act as a scalpel.16 In today’s reading, we see that God’s word, like a scalpel in the hands of a skilled surgeon, is sharp and precise, able to divide between soul and spirit, joints and marrow.

As we read, meditate on, and recall God’s word, the Holy Spirit dissects the selfish motives, cancerous attitudes, and toxic fears that damage our spiritual health. He cuts them out of us. Because sin is so persistent and deceptive, it’s not a one-time procedure. We must daily “go under the knife” of God’s word. As we do, Christ supplies the strength and vitality needed to joyfully live the obedient life we’ve been called to.

John Bunyan wrote in his Bible, “Either this book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.”¹ Keeping God’s word close to our hearts exposes ungodly desires and cuts off sin’s oxygen supply. On the other hand, coddling sin will diminish our desire for God’s word. We need to use the sword of the Spirit on our own hearts because often that’s where the battle is waged.

If we’re going to be strong in the Lord, we must allow God’s word to examine and operate on us. The scalpel of God’s word may hurt as it cuts, but it only wounds to heal. The Scriptures also comfort and restore us in Christ. Page after page, we find that the grace of the gospel is a healing balm to our souls.

This article is by Beverly Berrus and is adapted from Strong in the Lord: A 30-Day Devotional on the Armor of God.

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