MEN & WARFARE
By Dr. Stephen Phinney
PUTTING ON THE BELT OF TRUTH
“Stand firm then, with a belt of Truth buckled around your waist.”
Ephesians 6:14
Whenever we are under assault from Satan, we can be sure that a lie is present someplace. Perhaps we have been deceived, and we believe something that is not true. That’s often the case. Satan’s roaring convinces believers that they are vulnerable instead of victorious. So they succumb to fear and doubt about their position of invincible strength through their union with Christ. They believe Satan’s lie, and this is the way he gains more ground against them – or walks them back into perceived bondage once again.
There is no more important weapon than the Truth
of the living God. We must ask the Lord daily to show us any ways we are being deceived by the enemy’s lies. It is also vital to ask the Lord to help us always to speak and live the Truth. In warning us not to give the devil a foothold in our lives, the apostle Paul also admonishes us.
TAKING UP THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
“Take . . .the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17b
The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.
In keeping with John 1:1, the Lord Jesus is often spoken of as “the living Word” just as the bible is the written Word. We must be careful, however, not to deify the written Word to the point that we worship it. We are not called to worship the bible, but the living God who wrote the bible. It is easy to see why we are to use the actual living Words of God to combat the enemy. Satan hates hearing God speak. He knows when God speaks he has to listen and listening is not one of Satan’s strong points.
Getting to know the Word of God is essential before going into battle. Can you imagine a soldier going through “boot-camp” learning how to do everything except how to use his weapon? Can you imagine sending his fellow soldiers into battle knowing that? I wouldn’t fight next to him! He would be a liability and hindrance in battle. He would be putting the lives of fellow soldiers in harm’s way by just being on the battlefield. To put it bluntly, he needs to go back to basic training.
There are several things you can do
in getting to know your sword. The first and most important is memorizing scripture. Scripture memorization is one of the most urgently needed disciplines for men. Satan doesn’t wait for you to run and get your bible before he attacks. In fact, he waits until you don’t have it close to you, and then fires one of his infamous fiery missiles...
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