When Your Bible Becomes a Sword

Ephesians 6:17 says, "taking the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." This tells us that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit, but how does the Christian transform his or her Bible into a sword? The word “Word” here is “rhema”, which means the spoken Word of God. Your Bible will become a sword, as you internalize in your mind and heart, and then speak that Word out of your mouth. When it comes to defeating your enemy, the devil, understand that the Word of God internalized must answer the accusations, lies and deception of the enemy.
 
      The devil, who is the father of lies, will tempt the believer with some half-truth or whole-lie to defeat and imprison us. The only way we can be prepared for those lies is through storing God’s Word in our hearts before we need it so it will be there when we need it.
 
      I recently read of a Christian young man whose band performed on a Caribbean cruise. One night his buddies tried to entice him into the ship’s bar, but Chad, whose mother was an alcoholic, had memorized verses from Proverbs about alcohol abuse. He explained to his friends that addiction ran in his family, then he had the courage to quote Scripture to them: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (Proverbs 20:1)
 
They replied, “Come on, Chad. Just one beer won’t hurt.” He replied, “At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper” (Proverbs 23:32).
 
      They accused him of rejecting their company, to which he said, “If sinners entice you, do not consent.” (Proverbs 1:10)

       “Leave him be,” he heard one of the young men say to the others. “He’s so full of Scripture we can’t do a thing with him!”
 
      Remember the promise found in Psalm 119:11, “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against God.” John 14:26 also tells us that the Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance the Word of God in our time of need.

      For the time spent, I have never found anything more valuable to my Christian walk than endeavoring to systematically store God’s word into my heart and into my mind. Dallas Willard agrees when he writes, “If I had to choose between all the disciplines of the spiritual life, I would choose Bible memorization, because it is a fundamental way of filling our minds with what it needs.”[1]
 
     Chuck Swindoll has also written, “I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture… No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.”[2]
 
     Billy Graham once said, “Like Joseph storing grain during the years of plenty to be used during the years of famine that lay ahead, may we store up the truths of God’s Word in our hearts as much as possible, so that we are prepared for whatever suffering we are called upon to endure.”[3] Lorne Sanny once shared why Scripture memory was so important in his life: “We don't always have our Bibles with us when we need deliverance, victory, guidance, or a truth to help others. But Scripture memory puts the Word in our hearts, food in our minds, a light on our path, a weapon in one hand and a tool in the other.”

    Take time to store your mind and heart with God’s Word, and pull them out the next time the enemy attacks.
 
Primary Lies of the Devil (with the Scriptures that answer his accusations):[4]

1. The Bible has errors, and it’s not reliable! It’s not the Word of God, but the word of man. (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. You’re not saved. (John 1:12; John 10:28; 1 John 5:13)
3. God has given up on you. (Phil. 1:6)
4. Your past is too bad. You can’t overcome it. (Phil. 3:13-14)
5. There’s more pleasure in sin than in following God. (Ps. 16:11)
6. It’s my body and I can do with it what I want. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
7. Your sin will not hurt anyone. (Romans 8:6; James 1:15)
8. Not even God can forgive what you did (1 John 1:9; 1 Tim 1:15)
9. It doesn’t pay to live for God. (Ps. 73)
10. You’d be happy if only you had ________. (Phil. 4:11-13)
11. You are not needed (1 Cor. 12:22-23)
12. No one will ever find out (Numbers 32:23)
13. You’re too good for God to send to hell. (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6)
14. You’re not worthy (Luke 15:21-24; Heb. 4:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
15. God doesn’t care about you. (1 Pet. 5:7; Isaiah 41:10, 13)
16. This crisis is too difficult for you to bear. (Psalm 119:92)
17. If it feels right it must be right. (Eph. 4:22-24; heart is deceitful)
18. No one will ever know what you are about to do… Go ahead… no one is watching! (Heb. 4:13)
19. It’s okay to take revenge: he/she deserves it! (Romans 12:19)
20. You have a right to be angry. You were hurt. (Eph. 4:31-32)
21. God is keeping something good from you… (Ps. 84:10-12)
22. You could be happy if only you had a little more money. (Heb. 13:5-6; 1 Tim. 6:6-10)
23. You’ll never have victory over this sin. (Phil. 1:6)
24. Go ahead… God will forgive you anyway! (1 John 3:6, 9)
25. You won’t have to suffer the consequences! (Gal. 6:7-8) (Romans 14:12) (Hebrews 12:6) (James 1:15).
26. It’s just a little sin. It’s not a big deal. (1 Pet. 1:14-16)
27. You can’t change… That’s just the way you are. (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 12:2)
28. This temptation is impossible to resist. (1 Cor. 10:13)
29. You’re the only one who has to deal with this. (1 Cor. 10:13)
30. Don’t tell anybody about this… You can overcome it by yourself. (Jas. 5:16)
31. If you forgive them, no one else will make them pay for how they hurt you. (Romans 12:19-21)
32. It doesn’t pay to stay in the battle. (Gal. 6:9)
33. No one loves you (John 15:9)
34. God won’t hear your prayer (1 John 5:14-15)
35. God won’t mind a little compromise. (Colossians 3:5-6; Ephesians 5:3)
36. It’s okay to do this sin because the Bible doesn’t specifically talk about it. (1 Corinthians 6:12)

Lies Specifically about Lust and Sex (with the Scriptures that answer these lies):

1. People get away with adultery. (Proverbs 5:3-5; Proverbs 5:8-11).
2. Sex is OK as long as you love each other. God wants you happy. (Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 6:18-20 TLB)
3. Lust is not a big deal (Job 31:11-12 NLT)
4. Too much purity will keep me from seeing and enjoying beauty. (Matthew 5:8; Psalm 11:7, ESV; Isaiah 33:17)
5. I can’t control my sex drive. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6)
6. A little fantasizing doesn’t hurt anybody. (Matt. 5:27-30)
7. Looking at a few pornographic pictures won’t affect me. (Proverbs 6:25-27; Psalm 101:3)
8. Radical action against sin isn’t necessary (Matthew 5:29-30; 2 Timothy 2:22)
9. God made you this way. Go ahead and give in to your desires. (1 Cor. 6:9-11)

 
[1] Williard, Dallas, “Spiritual Formation in Christ for the Whole Life and Whole Person” in Vocatio, Vol. 12, no. 2, Spring, 2001, p. 7
[2] Swindoll, Charles, Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994], p. 61
[3] Graham, Billy, ‘Til Armageddon (Minneapolis: WorldWide, 1981), 9.
[4] Compiled from multiple sources, but primarily “Lies and Truth” by: Fellowship Bible Church.

This blogpost is taken from "Pathway to Power". Click here to order.