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Brandishing God’s Sword in a Persistent Assault
Brandishing God’s Sword in a Persistent Assault
David W Palmer
The Holy Spirit encourages us in our combat, saying we have armor and a shield to protect us from the enemy’s “fiery darts” (Eph. 6:14–17). Contrastingly, our adversary does not have any armor to protect him from our weapon. This is borne out by the following quote from Jesus:
(Luke 11:21–22 EMTV) “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are in peace. {22} But when a stronger than he comes upon him, he overcomes him, he takes away his full armor in which he had trusted, and distributes his spoils.”
In saying this, Jesus is talking about himself as the “stronger man.” He is stronger—more forceful—than the devil; and through his death, burial, and resurrection, he has literally stripped the armor in which the devil had trusted—the believability of his accusations about our sin. Despite this, the enemy still has attack weapons—described by the Holy Spirit as “fiery darts”—but we have God’s full armor to protect us from them (See: Eph. 6:10–18 NKJV). However, our opponent has no protection from our weapon—the “sword of the spirit.” As long as we “Put on the whole armor of God” and “take up” our sword, we will win:
(2 Corinthians 10:3–5 DKJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh; {4} for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; {5} casting down imaginations, and every bit of lofty pride that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
In this passage, the Holy Spirit describes the invincible nature and potential achievements of “the weapons of our warfare.” I like the way the Aramaic Bible puts this:
“For the weapons of our war are not of the flesh but of the power of God, and by it we subdue rebellious fortresses, and we pull down reasonings and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God. And we take prisoner all minds for the obedience of the Messiah.” (2 Cor. 10:4–5 APE)
This translation states it so conclusively: “And by it (God’s power) we subdue rebellious fortresses, etc.” There are no “ifs” or “buts” about the superiority of the supernatural weapon God has provided: if we use it properly, we will overcome!
Our spiritual weapon—the sword of the spirit—is unbeatable; if used as God designed and intended, it will drive back the enemy’s every onslaught, accusation, lie, and destructive scheme.
We have seen that our weapon is the word (rhema) of God, so how do we apply it?
(Ephesians 6:17–18 DKJV) “… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: {18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and seeing to it with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
The Holy Spirit says here that our weapon is applied in prayer. However, qualifying this, he also says that the prayer has to be focused and persevering. When Jesus successfully repelled Satan, his sword was the exact right word for each assault—quoted accurately and precisely from God’s written word. His battle lasted forty days—but only forty days. After this, Matthew’s gospel records that he had driven the Spirit of “Death” out of the entire region:
(Matthew 4:11–16 DKJV) Then the devil left him, and angels came and ministered to him …{16} the people who dwelt in darkness saw great light, and to them who sat in the region overshadowed by Death, light has risen (dawned).
Jesus was in the wilderness less than six weeks; but during that time, by successfully using God’s armor and weapon in a focused period of fighting, he cleansed the entire region from being “overshadowed by Death.” You can do this too in his name, righteousness, and with his armor and weapons.
We notice that in this passage, the word, “Death,” is capitalized. This is because in the Greek text from which this is translated, the word Death is referring to a person—the spirit of death. Yes, in Jesus’s concentrated season of warfare, he successfully repelled the enemy—not just from his own mind, but also from the entire region. This allowed him to proceed successfully with his preaching, teaching, healing, and deliverance ministry as the ensuing passage shows:
(Matthew 4:17–25 DKJV) From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is near [at hand]” … {23} And Jesus led them (His disciples) around the whole Galilee region, teaching in their local synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. {24} And his fame spread throughout the whole of Syria. And they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and tortured with pain, those who were demonized, those who were lunatic, and those who had paralysis; and he healed them. {25} And great crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan river.
Jesus completely understood the principle he taught in his paramount parable: “The sower sows the word…Satan comes immediately” (Mark 4:15–16 MKJV). That’s why, after he received the word— “You are my beloved Son”—he took the initiative in the inevitable war; Jesus prioritized following the Holy Spirit into focused, persevering warfare against the thieving, destroying “Death” spirit.
Once he had overcome this thieving power in prayer and fasting, Jesus was ready to proceed to step two—preaching and healing, etc. Because of his radical success in binding the strongman—Death—from the entire region, Jesus was then able to proclaim this truth:
(Matthew 4:17 DKJV) “… the kingdom of heaven is near at hand.”
Remember, the key to Jesus’s success at preventing the enemy from stealing God’s seed from his heart (and the entire region) was four fold:
We would be wise to follow Jesus’s example when God, the “sower,” sows for a new crop in the soil of our hearts. Each time he sows, we need immediately to focus on persistently repelling the thief. Ensure you are wearing your armor, and have God’s “sword of the spirit” ready today.
When you hear from God, do not expect a blissful, utopian tranquility to peacefully envelop you in euphoric delight; instead, prepare confidently for deadly combat from the thieving, destroying killer—the spirit of Death. His objective is death to the word God just sowed in your heart.
Remember, you need to use the exact passage from God’s written word to demolish every attack. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to help us in this.
Today, I encourage you again in God’s word—read it, learn it, study it, meditate in it, and do it, etc. As you do, and as you search diligently with all your heart; the word that you need for your situation will be quickened to you by the Holy Spirit. When you take the word that the Holy Spirit has enlivened in you, and when you speak it forth authoritatively—brandishing it confidently as an irresistible sword against the enemy (remembering that he has no defense against it)—you will overcome him. It may take time and persistence, but you can join the ranks of the overcomers who will be eternally rewarded:
(Revelation 12:11 NKJV) “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
(Revelation 21:7 NKJV) “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
Once you have overcome Satan and Death, and driven him from your circumstances and from your God-given sphere of assignment, you too can advance. Spoil the previous strongman’s palace; preach, teach, heal, set free, give, and love: “freely you have received, freely give” (Mat. 10:8 APE).
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By DAVID W. PALMERBrandishing God’s Sword in a Persistent Assault
David W Palmer
The Holy Spirit encourages us in our combat, saying we have armor and a shield to protect us from the enemy’s “fiery darts” (Eph. 6:14–17). Contrastingly, our adversary does not have any armor to protect him from our weapon. This is borne out by the following quote from Jesus:
(Luke 11:21–22 EMTV) “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are in peace. {22} But when a stronger than he comes upon him, he overcomes him, he takes away his full armor in which he had trusted, and distributes his spoils.”
In saying this, Jesus is talking about himself as the “stronger man.” He is stronger—more forceful—than the devil; and through his death, burial, and resurrection, he has literally stripped the armor in which the devil had trusted—the believability of his accusations about our sin. Despite this, the enemy still has attack weapons—described by the Holy Spirit as “fiery darts”—but we have God’s full armor to protect us from them (See: Eph. 6:10–18 NKJV). However, our opponent has no protection from our weapon—the “sword of the spirit.” As long as we “Put on the whole armor of God” and “take up” our sword, we will win:
(2 Corinthians 10:3–5 DKJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh; {4} for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; {5} casting down imaginations, and every bit of lofty pride that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
In this passage, the Holy Spirit describes the invincible nature and potential achievements of “the weapons of our warfare.” I like the way the Aramaic Bible puts this:
“For the weapons of our war are not of the flesh but of the power of God, and by it we subdue rebellious fortresses, and we pull down reasonings and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God. And we take prisoner all minds for the obedience of the Messiah.” (2 Cor. 10:4–5 APE)
This translation states it so conclusively: “And by it (God’s power) we subdue rebellious fortresses, etc.” There are no “ifs” or “buts” about the superiority of the supernatural weapon God has provided: if we use it properly, we will overcome!
Our spiritual weapon—the sword of the spirit—is unbeatable; if used as God designed and intended, it will drive back the enemy’s every onslaught, accusation, lie, and destructive scheme.
We have seen that our weapon is the word (rhema) of God, so how do we apply it?
(Ephesians 6:17–18 DKJV) “… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: {18} Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and seeing to it with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
The Holy Spirit says here that our weapon is applied in prayer. However, qualifying this, he also says that the prayer has to be focused and persevering. When Jesus successfully repelled Satan, his sword was the exact right word for each assault—quoted accurately and precisely from God’s written word. His battle lasted forty days—but only forty days. After this, Matthew’s gospel records that he had driven the Spirit of “Death” out of the entire region:
(Matthew 4:11–16 DKJV) Then the devil left him, and angels came and ministered to him …{16} the people who dwelt in darkness saw great light, and to them who sat in the region overshadowed by Death, light has risen (dawned).
Jesus was in the wilderness less than six weeks; but during that time, by successfully using God’s armor and weapon in a focused period of fighting, he cleansed the entire region from being “overshadowed by Death.” You can do this too in his name, righteousness, and with his armor and weapons.
We notice that in this passage, the word, “Death,” is capitalized. This is because in the Greek text from which this is translated, the word Death is referring to a person—the spirit of death. Yes, in Jesus’s concentrated season of warfare, he successfully repelled the enemy—not just from his own mind, but also from the entire region. This allowed him to proceed successfully with his preaching, teaching, healing, and deliverance ministry as the ensuing passage shows:
(Matthew 4:17–25 DKJV) From that time, Jesus began to preach, and to say, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is near [at hand]” … {23} And Jesus led them (His disciples) around the whole Galilee region, teaching in their local synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. {24} And his fame spread throughout the whole of Syria. And they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and tortured with pain, those who were demonized, those who were lunatic, and those who had paralysis; and he healed them. {25} And great crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan river.
Jesus completely understood the principle he taught in his paramount parable: “The sower sows the word…Satan comes immediately” (Mark 4:15–16 MKJV). That’s why, after he received the word— “You are my beloved Son”—he took the initiative in the inevitable war; Jesus prioritized following the Holy Spirit into focused, persevering warfare against the thieving, destroying “Death” spirit.
Once he had overcome this thieving power in prayer and fasting, Jesus was ready to proceed to step two—preaching and healing, etc. Because of his radical success in binding the strongman—Death—from the entire region, Jesus was then able to proclaim this truth:
(Matthew 4:17 DKJV) “… the kingdom of heaven is near at hand.”
Remember, the key to Jesus’s success at preventing the enemy from stealing God’s seed from his heart (and the entire region) was four fold:
We would be wise to follow Jesus’s example when God, the “sower,” sows for a new crop in the soil of our hearts. Each time he sows, we need immediately to focus on persistently repelling the thief. Ensure you are wearing your armor, and have God’s “sword of the spirit” ready today.
When you hear from God, do not expect a blissful, utopian tranquility to peacefully envelop you in euphoric delight; instead, prepare confidently for deadly combat from the thieving, destroying killer—the spirit of Death. His objective is death to the word God just sowed in your heart.
Remember, you need to use the exact passage from God’s written word to demolish every attack. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to help us in this.
Today, I encourage you again in God’s word—read it, learn it, study it, meditate in it, and do it, etc. As you do, and as you search diligently with all your heart; the word that you need for your situation will be quickened to you by the Holy Spirit. When you take the word that the Holy Spirit has enlivened in you, and when you speak it forth authoritatively—brandishing it confidently as an irresistible sword against the enemy (remembering that he has no defense against it)—you will overcome him. It may take time and persistence, but you can join the ranks of the overcomers who will be eternally rewarded:
(Revelation 12:11 NKJV) “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”
(Revelation 21:7 NKJV) “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
Once you have overcome Satan and Death, and driven him from your circumstances and from your God-given sphere of assignment, you too can advance. Spoil the previous strongman’s palace; preach, teach, heal, set free, give, and love: “freely you have received, freely give” (Mat. 10:8 APE).