Project 1
Identifying the Sword of the Spirit
Project Instructions: There will be several questions that you will need to answer for this project, so you might want to grab paper and a pen for this one. Remember that the questions and testing are all open book. You do not have to rely on memory.
Thus far, in our discussion of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, we have talked about how to use it, and the dangers of mishandling it. This leads me to ask a question:
If you needed to pull out your Sword of the Spirit right now to use it, could you?
Could you turn it on and begin working with it right now?
Do you know how to activate it for use?
We are going to work on this project together to make sure that before you leave this part of the class, you fully understand this piece of the garment. We will be addressing this project in two parts:
- Part One, Identifying the Sword of the Spirit
- Part Two, Activating the Sword of the Spirit
Part One: Identifying the Sword of the Spirit
In order to get started, I first need to ask you a few questions:
What does the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, look like?
How would you describe it?
Would you describe it as the picture shown below?
Though we know that the Sword of the Spirit is not a literal physical sword, when we attribute what Jesus said to the disciples about selling their cloaks and buying a sword, and what Paul wrote to the Ephesians about taking up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, as our justification for bearing arms, then this shows that we subconsciously see the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, as being a literal weapon.
Due to the fact that this is so widely misunderstood, it has become necessary for me to stay here a little longer. Today, we don’t fight with swords, as was done in Jesus’ day. Today, people use guns as their weapons. Though many say that the purpose of carrying a gun is to protect oneself, at the heart of that motive is the emotion that says, “I will kill if I have to.” No one seems to see the danger in entertaining that mindset.
You see, the word of God tells us to “not avenge ourselves, but to yield place to wrath.” Those who drive understand that to yield means to let someone go before you. We were told that we were not to avenge ourselves but we were to let the wrath of God go before us.
Read Romans 12:19
Who does vengeance belong to?
To avenge ourselves is to do exactly what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden when they took to themselves something that God said belonged to him.
So, for Christians to subscribe to the line of thinking that the scriptures support the bearing of arms (I am not referring to those who have been assigned to work in these governmental positions as agents of wrath) shows that we do not understand what the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, actually is.
To constantly see pictures of literal swords in the hands of people with the statement, “Take up the Sword of the Spirit…,” only seems to reaffirm that thought.
This is just one way that the enemy has filtered incorrect information to us subtly. This is why it is important that we are dressed in the Complete Suit of Armor. We are in need of the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, and the Helmet of Salvation to help us to discern the truth in this matter.
Read John 8:32.
What did Jesus say would set us free?
Read John 17:17.
What did Jesus say would sanctify us?
Define Sanctify.
So we will consult the Word of God to see what it says about this because we not only need to know what the Sword of the Spirit is so that we can take it up as we are told, but we also need to know what it is not. Let’s begin by first looking at what Jesus said after Peter cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest.
Click the highlighted scriptures below and answer each question.
The scripture link will open up the verse in five different translations so that you can compare the verses. When the scriptures open up you can X out of any one of them so that the scripture will be easier to read for you.
Read Matthew 26:52,
What did Jesus say would happen to those who live by the sword?
Read Matthew 26: 53,
If Jesus needed help, who did He say was ready to help Him?
Read Hebrews 11:6,
We need to have faith in what two things?
Having faith in God, as a Rewarder for those who diligently seek Him, includes trusting Him to protect us and deliver us from all hurt, harm, and danger. Do you?
Read Proverbs 18:10,
The name of the Lord is a strong tower we are told.
What is said to happen to the righteous when they run to it?
Read Proverbs 14:26,
A fortress is the same as a castle or a place of residence.
Now, those who fear the Lord have what type of fortress?
So the question again is, “Do you believe this?”
Read Psalm 20:1,
Do you believe that the Lord will answer you when you are in distress?
If you believe this about the Lord, then why do you need to protect yourself, and why with a gun?
It is important that these questions are asked and answered because this is what we see happening around us. We see our brothers and sisters, not just in Christ, but in humanity, taking up arms against one another even though our warfare is not against flesh and blood.
Here is another thing to consider:
Read Genesis 2:15-17,
God gave Adam one command. He explained to Adam that all of the trees in the Garden were given to him for food with the exception of one tree. He was told to not eat from one tree.
Was the command given to Adam a difficult or unreasonable one?
What is the reason you give for your answer?
How do you feel about what Adam did?
If you were in the garden, would you have obeyed God or would you have eaten from the tree also?
Read Romans 12:19,
God said that vengeance belongs to Him. God said that He will repay God and told us to NOT take revenge. We are told to YIELD place to the wrath of God. YIELD means to pause and let someone else go before you. So, we are to pause and let God handle it. When we take it upon ourselves to administer “justice” we have at that point taken to ourselves what God said was His.
We can read what’s written and understand it without reading the scriptures shared. But to truly gain an understanding, the scriptures say that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”, so please take advantage of clicking on the hyperlinked scriptures before answering the questions below.
Read Genesis 9:5-6,
God said what to Noah about killing someone?
Read Exodus 20:13,
One of the Ten Commandments was that we do not what?
Read Matthew 5:21-22,
Jesus likened being angry with one’s brother to what?
Read James 2:11,
We are told that we are lawbreakers if we do what?
Read 1 John 3:15,
We are told that if we hate our brother we are a what?
Read Revelation 21:8 and Revelation 22:14-15,
What is the outcome of murderers?
Man tries to justify matters in this area. Man will sugar coat a matter to make it not seem so bad. But if we are going to stand up for the truth then we will need to acknowledge that God’s Word is true and every man a liar. So it all boils down to this…
Whose voice will you listen to, God’s or man’s?
Again our goal with this part is to identify the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
In Ephesians 6:17 we are told to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. So, we begin to see pictures now, like the picture shown below, that let us know that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.
But even though this picture is telling us correctly about the Sword of the Spirit being the Word of God, it is still presenting it incorrectly. To prove this, do the following:
Pick up your Bible and point it, like the woman in the picture. Does a sword-like lightsaber come out of your bible?
Try it again. Did it come out this time?
Do not get frustrated. This was just to show you that we cannot always trust the pictures that we see to speak the whole truth to us, even though these are amazing pictures that leave us feeling empowered.
What I can promise you is that by the time you finish this module, you will know what the sword looks like and how to activate it so that you can be those depicted in both pictures shown above.
As the pictures above show, the Word of God IS the Sword of the Spirit as confirmed in Ephesians 6:17. In the next picture, we also see the Word of God shining brightly as if it is on fire.
God’s Word confirms this about the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, in Genesis 3:24 where it is first seen guarding the way to the Tree of Life.
What else does the Bible say about the Sword of the Spirit which IS the Word of God?
Let’s search the scriptures now.
Read Hebrews 4:12
How sharp is a two-edged sword?
What else are we told about the Word of God in this verse?
Read Psalm 119: 105
On this journey called life, when times get dark, what would help us to see which way to go?
I have heard some speak of depression as being a darkness that one can’t seem to come out of.
What answer does this verse give as to how to come out of depression?
Read John 17:17
More and more we are discovering that this world is full of lies.
In a world full of lies, why can we count on the Word of God?
Remember, when we studied about having our feet shod, we learned that we needed to be ready, prepared with the Gospel of Peace. Therefore, we need to consider the questions asked above and be ready with an answer because we never know when we will come across someone who will ask of us a reason for our faith. That question can come to us from a stranger or from a family member, and they will want to hear more than a programmed answer. They will want to hear our heart’s response.
I will never forget when I was first asked by my oldest daughter when she was very little (under 10 years of age), “How do you know that God is real?” I gave her a programmed answer: “Look at the house. It had a creator. Look at the trees. They have a creator. Look at the sky. It has a creator. He who created all things is God.”
Even thought the programmed answer was correct, it was not reflective of what my heart believed. Instead, it reflected what my head was taught. I never forgot that question that my daughter asked because it caused me to reflect on the truth. Today, I can answer that question from my heart.
Let’s consider more questions and answer them using the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.
The Sword of the spirit is the word of God. It is true. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. It is living, and active.
Let’s see what God’s Word says about the location of the Sword of the Spirit:
Read Revelation 1:16
Where does this verse say that the sword of the spirit comes from?
God’s Word says that at the mouth of two or three witnesses, every matter is firmly established. So we are going to look for other instances that speak of the location of the sword of the spirit.
Read Deuteronomy 8:3
It says that the Word comes from the mouth of the Lord.
What did Ephesians 6:17 tell us about what the Sword of the spirit is?
Read Isaiah 49:2
What was made like a sharp sword?
Read Revelation 19:15
Where does the sharp sword come from?
Read Revelation 2:16
What will be used to war against the enemies of the Lord?
Now look at the picture below and answer the following,
Which picture portrays the truth about the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God?
Proceed to Project Two: Activating the Sword of the Spirit
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