Friday, October 31, 2008
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The Weapon of the Word
About twenty years ago now, in the morning on this exact day — October 31 — it occurred to me later, I was kneeling alone on the steps leading up to the platform of the large church to which I had been called as a youth pastor. God had been doing some awesome things in my own life and I had felt encouraged to intercede for the church as a whole. I had been reading some of Frank Perretti's novels which were brand new then and had recently gained a brand new appreciation for intercessory prayer. Our church like so many others while not an awful place, I knew could nevertheless benefit from some improvement and the Lord's help. And so I knelt there on that morning and fervently poured out my heart to the One who could truly make a difference.
What happened next was certainly not normal and thankfully hasn't happened to me very often since. It was as if I heard Satan's voice behind me, mocking me, and saying, "You think that you are such a prayer warrior," implying that I was anything but that. Did I think that I was something that I was not? I don't really know. I thought that I could help, though not in my own strength, and I actually did believe that God could make a difference. The immediate effect of the enemy's accusation was to slay me on those steps. I remember laying there, feeling like I had just had the wind knocked out of me and that I was powerless to respond. I was about to get beat on, and I had no strength to fight back. I was laying there wounded and about to get killed. It felt awful.
I remember in that instant crying out to God for help in what I knew was a spiritual battle. I felt that I had been wounded, but I did not want to be a casualty, and I did not believe that that was God's plan either. "God, help me!" And he did. But in a way different from what I suspected. He reminded me of a scripture passage — a "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17) — a specific word for a specific battle:
"Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11).
As I lay there, the reality of this word dawned on me. It was a weapon! It was a sword that I was to wield and with which to defeat the enemy! And I now had a shield as well — a "shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16) — since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (Romans 10:17). I remember thinking, prompted I suspect by the Holy Spirit, that if Satan just "spoke" to me, he must have a mouth and a tongue, and while I was not sure about the physiology of angels and demons, whether they have knees or not, I knew that scripture talked about them "kneeling" down in worship, so, I now had a weapon. "Satan, the word of God, says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, and one day, you will be forced to bow your knee to the name of Jesus - it says 'in heaven and on earth and under the earth!' - and you will be forced to open your mouth and confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord! Take that!" And in an instant, not only was he gone, but I was on my feet, jumping and calling out at the top of my lungs: "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is Lord!"
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:7-8, 10).
God has given us everything that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). We can do all things through him who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13). And on and on the list of what he has provided for our victory goes. We have it all. And, of all the things that we have, his word is at the center. It reveals to us his will. We don't have to question it. It is a powerful weapon in the battle that we fight each and every day. It is a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). It is for our success (Joshua 1:8). It is for our benefit in all areas (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Let's pick up our sword today. Dust it off. Shine it up. Sharpen it. And use it. I love watching those movies in which a master swordsman skillfully wields his sword in the midst of a battle. But even more beautiful than that, is watching a man or woman of God who is skillfully trained in the art of using God's word. That person is truly a force to be reckoned with, and resembling the Amazing One out of whose mouth comes the sharp double-edged sword (Revelation 1:16).
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