Effective Use of the Powerful Sword of the Spirit in Your Hand
Are You Holding Tightly the Word of God?
When I was in high school, it became fashionable for students to carry their Bibles to class with them. It was a time when young people were striving to identify with the Jesus movement that began on the West Coast and spread throughout North America, Europe, and Central America (Jesus Movement, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_movement, accessed Apr. 27, 2021). We lived right smack in the middle of the country, so the extremes of both coasts didn’t impact us. We identified with the movement by carrying our Bibles to school. We even obtained permission to have short, student-led Bible studies during our fifteen-minute break each day. But were we effectively using this powerful weapon by carrying our Bibles, the powerful sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), to school and into these short Bible studies?
In this third post of a series focusing on God’s Word, we will consider what the Bible teaches us to do with it and other ways we can handle His Word. And we will determine how to assess our own handling of this important tool God places in our hands.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH US TO DO WITH GOD’S WORD?
Receive God’s Word – There is so much noise in the world around us that we have a hard time listening as opposed to just hearing. When we listen to something, we pay attention to it and take it into account. But when we receive it, we not only take it into account, but we treasure it, seek to understand it, and gain deeper knowledge about God (Proverbs 2:1-5).
Some years ago, I listened to scripture on my way to and from work each day. By doing so I could hear the Bible three and one-half times each year. If all I did was heard it, allowing it to be just background noise drowning out the highway noise, I would not have learned much about God during that time. But, instead, I paid attention to what I heard. I listened. I noted what scriptures I was listening to in order to find them again for further study at home with my Bible. I prayed about what I heard each day. I treasured my time in God’s Word.
If we want to grow in God and effectively use His Word, we need to receive His Word.
Keep and Hold Fast to God’s Word – Once we have received God’s word by treasuring and studying it, seeking to understand it, and learning more about God, we are to hold fast to it and keep it (Proverbs 4:4-5; Proverbs 7:1-3), which means to obey it, not turn away from it but stick firmly to it. We are to be doers of the word and not just hearers only (James 1:22). This is especially important because Jesus explained that if we love Him, we will keep His words (John 14:23). We can assess our love for Him by how intentional we are about retaining His Word and living it.
If we want to love God deeply and effective use His Word, we will apply it to our lives, retain it and live it.
Share God’s Word with Others – When we receive God’s Word, and hold fast to it, we are richly blessed. But we are merely holding this powerful sword of the Spirit in our hands. Instead, we need to use it effectively by sharing it with others.
The apostle Paul taught the Philippian church to “shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life[.]” (Philippians 2:15-16.) We use this powerful weapon effectively when we extend it to others, sharing the truth of the gospel with them. Although we are to hold fast to the Word, we are not to just hold it tightly in our own hands. Doing so devalues that powerful weapon.
Continue in God’s Word – When we have done all of these things, when we’ve received the Word, held fast to it, kept it, and shared it, then we are to continue doing so. Jesus explained to certain Jews that believed in Him that if they would continue in His word, they would be His disciples and they would know the truth and that truth would make them free (John 8:31-31). We can’t stop. We can’t think we have accomplished the goal, learned, retained and applied all there is to learn, retain, and apply. To effectively use the sword of the Spirit, we must continue being very intentional about seeking God and His Word and sharing it with the world.
WHAT CAN WE DO WITH GOD’S WORD?
In addition to the things the Bible clearly tells us to do with God’s Word, God has given us great examples of what people in the Bible did with it. We can learn from these people who rightly handled the Word of God and those who missed the mark. We have these examples so we can model after their lives or avoid their errors.
Let’s first look at the good examples.
Psalmist Who Wrote Psalm 119 – Psalm 119 is a great example of how the psalmist rightly handled the Word. He:
- Hid the Word in his heart so he would not sin against God (Psalm 119:11);
- Hoped in the Word (Psalm 119:114);
- Loved the Word (Psalm 119:140);
- Meditated on the Word (Psalm 119:148);
- Rejoiced in the Word (Psalm 119:162);
- And spoke the Word (Psalm 119:170).
Psalm 119 has become my favorite chapter in the Bible. When I first read it, I found it very challenging. How is it that a person could consider God’s judgments to be good (verse 39), to hope in His judgments (verse 43), be comforted by His judgments (verse 52), be thankful for His judgments (verse 62), and to delight in and love God’s law (verses 70, 77, 97, 113), and recognize the benefit of afflictions even when those afflictions come by the Lord’s hand (verses 67, 71, 75)? I couldn’t do it!
Then I started meditating on Psalm 119 and praying it daily, which takes some time but is well worth it. When I got to the parts where I would have to pray, “I love your law,” “I hope in your judgments,” and the like, I would have to ask God to help me feel that way. After many weeks of focusing on Psalm 119, I began being thankful for God’s law and His judgments, and I could see the benefits of the difficult times in my life and how God had worked everything out for my good. I began using Psalm 119 effectively as I meditated on it, prayed it, but most importantly shared it with others.
Now, I am equipped to follow the psalmist’s example. I’ve learned that the more I am in God’s Word, the more I learn how to apply and pray it. And the more I love His Word. It truly has become a necessary part of my life (Job 23:12).
Apostles Peter and John – We also find an excellent example of effectively handling the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, when the apostles Peter and John were arrested for teaching and preaching the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:1-31). After being threatened by the religious leaders and authorities and released, Peter and John prayed God would “grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30). As a result of this prayer, everyone assembled with them received the Holy Ghost and began speaking His Word with boldness. This is a great prayer to add to your library of prayers. Oh, that we would not just speak God’s Word, sharing it as God instructed us to do, but that we would speak it boldly and lay our hands on people to see God’s miracles, signs and wonders!
The Bereans – The apostle Paul commended the Bereans for being “more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11.) A good way to effectively handle the sword of the Spirit is to study it for yourself. Go to church and take in what the pastors and teachers say. But don’t take it lightly! Instead, go home and search the Word to confirm what was said and learn how it applies to you individually.
Now, what are some of the examples of wrong handling of God’s word?
Pharisees and Scribes – Jesus condemned the Pharisees and scribes for “making the Word of God of none effective” through their traditions. We must be careful not to practice tradition, as the Pharisees did, as a replacement for keeping God’s word. Traditions are fine when based on biblical principles. But don’t make God’s word ineffective by practicing traditions that are inconsistent with the Word of God and doing so in a way that speaks louder than our love for, faith, and trust in God.
People Who Corrupted the Word – The apostle Paul warned against corrupting the Word of God (2 Corinthians 2:17). The Amplified Bible explains Paul was referring to “hucksters” that made a trade of peddling God’s Word, “shortchanging and adulterating the divine message.” Instead, we are to handle God’s Word with sincerity, being careful not to corrupt it with sarcasm or jest.
Benefits of Receiving, Keeping, Sharing, and Continuing in God’s Word
Now that we know what the Bible teaches us to do with God’s word, and we have considered examples of correctly and incorrectly handling God’s word, consider the following benefits of receiving God’s Word into our lives, keeping and holding fast to it, sharing it and continuing in it.
- We will find good and God’s blessing (Proverbs 16:20; Luke 11:28)
- We will be like a wise man and shall withstand trials (Matthew 7:24-25).
- God’s love will be perfected in us (1 John 2:5).
- God’s Word will bear fruit in our lives (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20; and Luke 8:15).
Are You Holding Tightly the Word of God?
This study of what the Bible tells us to do with God’s Word and examples of people who handled it properly and those who mishandled it, enables us to assess ourselves to determine if we are effectively using the powerful sword of the Spirit that has been placed in our hands, or if we are merely holding it tightly in our hands.
- Is your Bible sitting on a shelf at your home or office?
- Do you merely carry it to church and place it back on that shelf when you return?
- Or do you intentionally seek out God’s Word, receiving and taking account of it, studying and treasuring it, and sharing it with other people?
When we effectively use this powerful sword of the Spirit God placed in our hands, we will find God’s goodness and blessings in our lives, we will be able to withstand the trials we face, God’s love will continue to be perfected (made complete) in us, and we will see the fruit of our actions.
I encourage you to ask yourself the questions above and take the answers to the Lord in prayer. Let Him illuminate for you how effectively you are handling the sword of the Spirit. If you find you need to loosen the grip of it in your hands in order to effectively use it, ask Him to guide you and help you do that. He is faithful to do it. You can have confidence in God’s Word when you are using it effectively.
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