And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:17 NKJV

The helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the belt of truth and the sandals of the preparation of the gospel all form part of our defensive weapons. However, the sword of the Spirit is our weapon of attack. The sword of the Spirit is the spoken word of God or the “rhema” which comes to us through the Holy Spirit, meaning that the Holy Spirit may give us a Scripture with which to fight the enemy or He may give us an instruction which will help us defeat the enemy.

We overcome temptation by speaking the Word of God and acting in obedience to what it says:

When we are faced with a temptation from the enemy, we can be sure to win the victory if we come into agreement with what the written word of God says. The Holy Spirit gives us Scripture with which to fight the enemy, but it is also important to believe God’s word and to live it out. Quoting Scripture alone won’t mean anything if we don’t believe it, and if we don’t act in obedience to what it says.

When I first found out that God has given us spiritual armor for the purpose of spiritual warfare, the first thing God taught me was how to use my sword. I had to learn to fight quickly because I knew that I was already in spiritual warfare, but at that time I was inexperienced. God taught me how to fight by experience and not theory only, and I believe that this is the best way to learn. The reason I say that, is because when we put into practice what we have learned, we will experience the victory Jesus has already won for us and this strengthens our faith in God’s Word, His goodness and His promises. This also gives us the faith necessary for any future battles we may face because we know by experience that God gave us victory in our previous battles.

When I first started using the sword of the Spirit, I would recognize the kind of attacks that the enemy would send my way, and I would look for Scriptures to counter these attacks. It is important for us to understand that Satan will attack us where he last succeeded. In my case, before I was born again I was a slave to fear, so this is where the enemy attacked me. Therefore, I would look up Scriptures about fear and anxiety, and I would memorize these Scriptures so that when the attacks came, I could in faith speak the Word of God.

For example: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

Jesus is our perfect pattern and He shows us the way. We can see from Scripture, that this is how Jesus overcame the temptations from Satan while He was in the wilderness. We know that He didn’t yield to the temptations, and He also showed us (by example) how we should fight the temptations from the enemy. Every time Jesus faced a temptation from Satan, He responded by saying, “It is written…”

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4 NKJV

Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

Matthew 4:7 NKJV

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

Matthew 4:10 NKJV

In order for us to attack the enemy using the sword of the Spirit, we have to know what the Word of God says. Jesus also promised us a Helper and a Comforter – His precious Holy Spirit. We are never alone in spiritual warfare. God is with us because He wants to help us and give us the victory in Jesus. The Holy Spirit will give us the exact Scripture we need to counter every attack or temptation from the devil. Should we choose to believe His Word and act in obedience to what it says, we will experience victory in our lives.

I’d like to offer an example of what this could look like:

If a continual temptation keeps coming up which causes a person to yield to an addiction or worldly distractions, the Holy Spirit may bring up the Scripture from Matthew 5:30 which says, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.”

We understand that God is not wanting us to literally cut off our hand, but instead He is instructing us to get rid of the addiction or distraction. We can see that in this instance quoting Scripture alone to the enemy will not bring the victory. Getting rid of the cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, pornography or the worldly distraction will give us the victory. Worldly distractions can be anything which is preventing us from spending time with God in the secret place or in His Word, and this may be what God is asking us to get rid of. Acting in obedience to the Scripture given to us will give us the victory.

Perhaps just a side note on addiction. I have learned that with any addiction, there is always a root. This root is usually things like feelings of rejection, hurt or stress. God is gracious, and as a good Father – He wants to heal His children of these things. He wants to uproot these things so that a person can experience freedom and healing. Jesus died for us, so that we can be made whole. May I kindly offer a word of encouragement here. If you feel like you are not getting victory over any addiction, call out to Jesus and ask Him to reveal the root. From there He will work with you to bring freedom and healing. Once the root has been dealt with, you should experience freedom and victory over the addiction.

The Holy Spirit will also bring conviction in our lives if we have fallen back into sin. Conviction means that when God gives us a Scripture or a revelation, it will in a sense “penetrate our heart.” We feel the tugging of the Holy Spirit, and we know God is talking to us. Conviction should always lead us to heartfelt repentance.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV

However, please be aware of condemnation, as this always comes from the enemy. Condemnation will always bring guilt, shame, discouragement and despair (hopelessness) which is not from God. The Holy Spirit is our Encourager and Comforter. If you feel discouraged, know that this is from the enemy. May I encourage you to call out to God for help and ask Him to reveal the truth to you. He is faithful, He will do it.

May I also further encourage you to pick up the sword of the Spirit if you haven’t already done so. If you know that there is a continual temptation which keeps coming up, or perhaps you feel like you don’t yet have victory in some area of your spiritual walk with the Lord – ask God to give you a Scripture to help you fight and resist the enemy. The Holy Spirit may give you a Scripture which will allow you to stand against the enemy in faith, or He may give you one containing an instruction. He will make sure you understand what is required, because He wants you to experience victory over the enemy.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31 NKJV

My final word of encouragement for anyone who is facing spiritual warfare and needing to fight the enemy using the sword of the Spirit, is as follows: Temptation is not sin. It only becomes sin when we yield to the temptation, or we come into agreement with the enemy. If you are facing spiritual warfare or temptation, it doesn’t mean that this is happening because you are in sin. The enemy’s purpose behind spiritual warfare and temptations is to cause a person to sin. But, through God’s indwelling Holy Spirit and His written Word, we can resist and overcome the enemy and continually walk in victory.