What Good is a Dull Sword in Your Hand?

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Two Ways to Keep the Sword of the Spirit Sharp

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In 2015 I attended my first writer’s conference. Why was I there? Because in 2006 God began guiding me to write a book. I didn’t have a clue about how to write one. For nine years I fought many fears and doubts about my ability to write one. Then a dear friend sent me an advertisement about the conference. I felt it was time to start learning how to write a book. So, I attended the conference.

Have I written the book? It is a work in progress! I began the actual writing journey in late 2019, when COVID-19 shut everything down and I could no longer teach English as a Second Language or minister in person in Costa Rica, where I serve as an Associate in Missions. I recently completed the manuscript and am preparing it to send to the editor. Even sharing that with you clouds my mind with much fear I have to battle: fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, impostor syndrome. Yet God has given me the sword of the Spirit, His Word, to fight that battle and complete the task He has set before me.

With the sword of the Spirit in hand, I will overcome those thoughts and I plan to complete the project and publish it in September 2021. (Deep breath … you are now holding me accountable!) But I can’t do it if my sword is not kept properly sharp.

The apostle Paul taught the church in Corinth that we fight a spiritual war, “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6.) Our only offensive weapon for fighting the war is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17.) And that word is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, . . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12.) But a two-edged sword is only sharp if its handler sharpens it.

Sharpening the Sword

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Ezekiel 21 contains a prophecy about God using Babylon to punish Israel for their unrighteousness.  God directs the prophet Ezekiel to tell Israel that God will draw His sword “[t]hat all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath.” (Ezekiel 21:3-5.) Then God explains that a sword is sharpened and furbished (meaning polished) (Ezekiel 21:9).

In this prophesy, God is using Babylon’s strength and power against Israel in judgment.  But in doing so, He is using sharpened and polished swords, not dull ones, in order that all men may know that He is the Lord and that He is doing it.

Again, the only offensive weapon we have is the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Not only must we know how to use it effectively it (see Effective Use of the Powerful Sword of the Spirit in Your Hand – Confidence in God for information about how to effectively use the sword of the Spirit), we must also sharpen and polish it just as God sharpened and polished the sword He used against Israel in judgment. We must keep our weapon sharp.

What does it mean to sharpen? It means to either make it sharp or sharper, or to make it clearer or more distinct. We need to do both in order to always have the sword of the Spirit sharp and ready for use in the spiritual battle against the thoughts in our minds that are inconsistent with God’s purpose for our lives.

In the physical battle between Babylon and Israel, God sharpened the sword, making it sharp or sharper.  We can also sharpen the sword of the Spirit.  As I mentioned above, the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

We want the sword to be sharp in order to be able to discern the thoughts and intents of our own hearts, to ensure our thoughts are not imaginations or high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, including the knowledge of what His purpose in our lives is.  If we discern that our thoughts and intents are such imaginations and high things, then we use the sword (word of God) to take those thoughts captive.

Grind the Sword Against an Abrasive Substance and Polishing It

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How do we sharpen the sword of the Spirit? First, we must grind away material that has dulled the sword by using an abrasive substance that is harder than the sword we are sharpening.  Then, we must polish the sharp surface to increase the smoothness and to correct small mechanical deformations without regrinding.

Let’s look at Peter on the Day of Pentecost as an example.  After the Holy Ghost had fallen and the disciples were speaking in tongues, a crowd formed and the people were amazed because they heard the disciples speaking in their own languages. The people wondered how that was possible because the disciples were Galilaeans (Acts 2:6-8). Although all of the people were in doubt, some asked what it meant while others mocked, accusing the disciples of being drunk (Acts 2:12-13.)

The mockers in the crowd were abrasive. They had hard hearts and were harder men than the disciples who had lost their Lord not too many days before and had been sequestered away in Jerusalem waiting for power to come upon them.

What did Peter do in response to these abrasive men?  He wielded his sword.  He sharpened the sword by grinding it against the abrasive hearts of these men. He preached the word of God to them (Acts 2:14-16). The more he wielded it against these abrasive men, the sharper it became.

Was Peter’s handling of the sword effective? Absolutely! Because Peter spoke the word to these abrasive men, their hearts were softened, becoming tender to the prick of the Spirit and causing them to ask what they needed to do (Acts 2:37).

Peter didn’t stop there. He also polished the sword. He instructed the people how to receive salvation, saying “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38.) And he explained that this promise was not just for these men, but for their children and generations to come (Acts 2:39).

Ultimately, those who gladly received the word were baptized and three thousand souls were added to the church that day (Acts 2:41). And those men continued learning the apostles’ doctrine in fellowship, in breaking bread together, and in prayers (Acts 2:42).

What did Peter grind against the abrasive men?  The word of the Lord.  The word he had learned by spending time with Jesus and witnessing the miracles He performed as they walked with Him.

We have to know the word!  And we have to keep it sharp. We do so by sharing the word with others, not only like-minded friends and family members, but sharing it with those who are not tender to God’s word.  Those who need to hear God’s word.   Those who have hard hearts.  God will make their hearts tender, just as He made the hearts of the multitudes tender on the Day of Pentecost, which caused the men to start asking for more information.

Making the Word Clearer and Distinct

Let’s not forget the second definition of “sharpen,” which is to make clearer or more distinct.

We must remain prepared to expound upon the word when we encounter people who find it difficult to understand and question us about it.  We must be prepared as Paul admonished Timothy, to “[p]reach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” (2 Timothy 4:2.)

We must be able to clearly explain the word of God when given the opportunity.

We Do Not Have to Do this Alone

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By now you may be a bit overwhelmed asking, how am I supposed to learn the word so well that I can share it with those who are not like-minded and explain it clearly and distinctly? Remember, you do not have to sharpen your sword all by yourself. As King Solomon explains in the Book of Proverbs, “[i]ron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17.)

We can buddy up with a family member or a friend.  Work together with others to keep the word sharp and to learn to articulate the word clearly and distinctly.  The prophet Malachi teaches us that when we join others and talk about the Lord, He is pleased (Malachi 3:16). God enjoys hearing us speak to one another, particularly when we speak about His name, which includes speaking His word.  In doing so, we sharpen each other’s swords and God will bring His word to remembrance when we need it (John 14:26).

Two Ways to Keep the Sword of the Spirit Sharp

As we continue in this series focusing on the word of God, let’s intentionally sharpen our swords, just as God sharpened His sword when He used the swords of Babylon against Israel in judgment, so we can use it effectively as Peter did on the Day of Pentecost.

How am I going to battle against the fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, and impostor syndrome as I strive to complete and publish the book God has led me to write? By using these two methods to sharpen my sword.

I will first grind my sword against abrasive people who rise up and speak doubts into my mind, telling me I can’t do this or I am a fool for trying. I will share with them the scriptures that give me confidence in God. I will explain I have confidence I can complete the task God has set before me because He will strengthen me (Philippians 4:13; Isaiah 40:31). I will declare my trust that God will bless me in this endeavor because He is my hope (Jeremiah 17:7).  

Then I will make God’s word clearer and more distinct by continuing to share it with you who read this blog and by ministering to people (individuals and groups) as God opens doors for me to do so. 

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I have buddied up with a small group of people who are walking with me on this journey to becoming a published author. And I cherish your prayers for me as I continue this adventure. You will be hearing more about the progress and the book in the future. Although it is scary to publicly announce my goal of publishing a book, I trust you understand I am sharing it with you as an example of how to fight the spiritual battles in our minds by keeping our sword sharp.

You too can have confidence that you can use the sword of the Spirit effectively by sharing the word of God with others, not just with other like-minded individuals but also those with hard hearts just as Peter did, and making the word clearer and more distinct. You don’t have to do it alone. Gather a group of friends and family who will sharpen each other by talking about God’s word, encouraging each other in the word and learning together.