"Armed and Dangerous"!

…and the sword of the Spirit,

which is the word of God (Ephesians, 6:17, NKJV).

Have you ever noticed that of all the spiritual weapons listed in Ephesians 6, the Word of God is the only one that actually serves as both an offensive and defensive weapon? Defensive weapons are certainly necessary because we know the enemy of our souls continually prowls around “like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But as believers who belong to the victorious Savior who already defeated death, we don’t have to wait for the enemy to bring the fight to us. We can assault the very “gates of hell” (which Matthew 16:18 says will not prevail against the Church), and we will win. But how do we do that? With the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit.

I learned how important this was the first time I became involved in jail ministry and discovered that, unlike when I went behind bars with a ministry team, as an individual visiting a specific inmate, I could not bring my Bible in with me. So how was I supposed to minister to that inmate? The Lord reminded me at that very moment that I had read and studied and memorized Scripture for years, and I carried that powerful weapon with me wherever I went. And that, my friends, made me “armed and dangerous”!

I hope that you too have realized the importance of taking the fight to the very gates of hell, armed with the Word of God in your heart. It is all we ever need to prevail against the enemy of our soul—and to help deliver others from his deadly grip.