And you
will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word
of God. (Ephesians 6:17)
Regarding
our helmet, Matthew Henry says: The helmet secures the head. A good hope of
salvation, well founded and well built, will both purify the soul and keep it
from being defiled by Satan, and it will comfort the soul and keep it from
being troubled and tormented by Satan. He would tempt us to despair; but good
hope keeps us trusting in God, and rejoicing in him.
Amen!
The
sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, is the only offensive weapon named in
this passage. The rest of our gear is defensive – a way of defending ourselves
against the tactics of the enemy. The Word, however, is an offensive piece of
weaponry. By the Word we are able to cut down what the enemy is attempting to
resurrect in our lives. You will remember that in Luke 4 we see Satan coming to
Jesus to tempt Him. He was tempting Him for the 40 days that Jesus was in the
wilderness, and once He completed this time of fasting, the devil made one last
unsuccessful attempt at temptation because Jesus was hungry and would have been
vulnerable. But Jesus’ response to the enemy was to speak the Word of God to
him. And we see the conclusion of this time in verse 13, which reads: And when
the devil had ended every [the complete cycle of] temptation, he [temporarily]
left Him [that is, stood off from Him] until another more opportune and
favorable time.
Let me
encourage you: brandish that sword!
SUIT UP!
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