“…and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
Ephesians 6:17
(NASB)
Air Force One is one of my all-time favorite Harrison
Ford movies. Of course, Indiana Jones and
Raiders of the Lost Ark occupies the number one spot. There is one scene
near the end of Air Force One where
Ford and the lead terrorist who hijacked the plane, are wrestling on the opened
parachute ramp. During the struggle, Ford manages to get a cord wrapped around
the terrorists’ neck, and then manually releases the parachute. Just before
this drama comes to an end, Harrison looks him in the eye and says, “Get off my
plane!” I love that scene. It reminds me of the confidence and authority we’ve
been given in Christ to stand against the enemy of our souls.
You see, the Holy
Spirit through the pen of Paul told the Ephesians (and us), to daily put on the
armor of God so that we could stand triumphantly against the schemes of the
devil;
“Stand
firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; in
addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation…” (vv. 14-17).
Each
piece of armor is designed to protect against the enemy’s attacks. The armor is
for defensive purposes, while “the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” is for offensive purposes. The
word is a powerful weapon that we have at all times. When its truth is wielded,
the enemy has no other option but to flee. Therefore, when the enemy tries to
tempt us or hinder us from faithfully serving and living for the Lord, we can
look him in the eye and say, “Leave me alone!” Each week as I preach and teach
the Word, there is an image that often comes to mind. I imagine holding my Bible
in the devil’s face and saying, “In Jesus’ name, leave His church alone!”
Green
Hill, I love you and I am committed to praying the Word over you and preaching
the Word to you – that’s what Jesus has called me to do. My desire is to lead
us to put on the armor daily and wield, “the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” boldly. Let us understand
the power of God’s Word. Let us study it and hide it in our heart, so that we
may stand upon it and speak it out when confronted by the enemy. Never shy away
from telling him, “In Jesus’ name, get off my back!”
Serving
Together,
Pastor
Brett
