The Sword Of The Spirit

TO READ: Revelation 1:12-20

His face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

Revelation 1:16

“The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12).

When Jesus spoke, his words pierced John’s soul. The Word of God is like that. The Bible describes itself in many ways: honey, sweet to the taste; a hammer that breaks the rock; a light and a lamp to our path; a seed; and a treasure of gold. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. There’s a battle to be fought. Sometimes we fight it with our lives, and other times we fight it with our words. When we speak up for Christ in a secular situation, we will find that the sword cuts to the quick.

Jesus’ message to the church at Pergamum was to “repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (Revelation 2:16). They needed to clean up their act and live like Christ.

Jesus has to use his sharp words on Christians sometimes. Once, when I was afraid of losing my reputation if I witnessed, the Lord used the sword of his mouth on me, reminding me that he “gave up his divine privileges . . . and humbled himself in obedience to God” (Philippians 2:7-8). That cured me! It was sharp, and it hurt, but it drove me to my knees and back to him for healing.