Ephesians 6:17 continued; the armor of God

The Helmet of Salvation that Jesus gives us when we entrust Him with our hearts/minds/lives COMES WITH “the sword of the Spirit,which is the Word of God”(Eph6:17,”Take up Helmet of Salvation AND the Sword if the Spirit,which is the Word of God”.).When we don’t appreciate the significance of the Sword we have been given,or fail to pick it up/do not learn how to use it...we allow our enemy to come in ever closer with damaging blows to our shield of faith and our helmet of salvation.Once our enemy has tried his “flaming arrows” on us,and our properly cared for shield of faith has put them out,he will move in for more personal attacks.These will include those that r the most sneaky/sly/stealthy in the ways that they can become like an unseen virus attacking us from within.These need a single weapon that can serve us DEFENSIVELY AND OFFENSIVELY,so at times we can be effective with it while holding our shield with one hand-arm,and this weapon with the other hand-arm!A true soldier diligently trains how to EFFECTIVELY hang on to his/her shield with one hand-arm,& his/her sword with the other!

I found the following about the sword/our sword-“The sword is both an offensive & defensive weapon used by soldiers or warriors. In this case it is a weapon belonging to the Holy Spirit. Swords were used to protect oneself from harm or to attack the enemy to overcome or kill him. In both cases it was necessary for a soldier to get rigid training on the proper use of the sword to get maximum protection. All Christian soldiers need the same rigid training to know how to properly handle the Sword of the Spirit, “which is the word of God.””.Our sword is never to be used as a club to bludgeon anyone nor to brutally defend ourselves. It is to be sharpened on both edges with the STUDY of God’s Word and polished with the APPLICATION of God’s Word in our lives-these are two of the daily routines necessary for the proper care of our sword and training to properly use our sword. I found the following that words this well -“Since every Christian is in the spiritual battle with the satanic and evil forces of this world, we need to know how to handle/apply the sword/The Word of God properly. Only then will it be an effective defense against evil, but it will also be an offensive weapon we use to “demolish strongholds” of error and falsehood (2 Corinthians 10:4–5).God refers to His Word as a sword in Hebrews 4:12. Here the Word is described as living and active & sharper than a double-edged sword. The Roman sword was commonly made in this manner. The fact that it had two edges made it easier to penetrate, as well as to cut in every way. The idea is that of piercing, or penetrating; the Word of God reaches the “heart,” the very center of action, and lays open the motives and feelings of those it touches.The purpose of the sword of the Spirit—the Bible—is to make us strong and able to withstand the evil onslaughts of Satan, our enemy (Psalm 119:11, 33–40, 99–105). The Holy Spirit uses the power of the Word to save souls and then to give them spiritual strength to be mature soldiers for the Lord in fighting this corrupt and evil world we live in. The more we know and understand the Word of God, the more useful we will be in doing the will of God and the more effective we will be in standing against the enemy of our souls.”.A lot of us have buckled up with the belt of truth,put on our gift of righteousness,fit our daily lives with the gospel of peace,take up our shield of faith,and even put on our Helmet of salvation...,but we are negligent about our sword of the spirit! And yet we wonder why we get overwhelmed with discouragement;start wondering about how true is God’s Word;forget what Jesus has said about WHO HE IS;forget about what God says we were created to be;& live our lives more like the world inspires,rather than what God’s Word & His Holy Spirit inspire;and have tepid prayer lives,etc.ALL of the armor these verses describe are critically important-yet the only one that is both defensive & offensive is the “sword of the Spirit,which is the Word of God”.Even though the entire armor must be integrally put on,UNLESS we have the sword of the Spirit readied in our lives(sharpened and polished),we will be susceptible to the sneaky/sly/stealthy attacks of the enemy...,those that turn into a deadly virus aimed at our personal faith/our personal relationship with Jesus Christ,leading us to lives succumbed to be much like the world around us instead of effectively prepared soldiers for Christ in the world.Dear Lord,forgive me for forgetting so much about the sword You have given me!Dear Holy Spirit-prepare me and inspire&guide me to train with Your Word every morning and throughout every day.