Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)
When we all think long enough, I think we would all come to the same conclusion: The greatest warrior of all time, was, and still is, Jesus Christ.
Jesus defeated Satan, overcame this world, and saved us from our sins. His victory allows us all to overcome our weaknesses and become whole. Jesus’ victory ensures His chosen an eternal reward.
The Bible contains the exploits of many great warriors: Abraham, Moses, Sampson, David, Solomon — All list among some of the greatest warriors in The Bible. However, Jesus reigns supreme.
How did he do it? How did Jesus war? Jesus wasn’t known to have yielded a deadly Roman Gladius sword. There are no accounts of Him slinging a rock at a giant thug’s head. No stories of him blindly knocking down the pillars of a temple and crushing all below. He didn’t thunder into war on a glorious stallion. No, He rode in upon a donkey. So how did he do it? How did he war? What was His “Go to weapon”? How did He win?
Jesus claimed victory with the Truth—With the Word. His sword was His tongue, His stallion was His Spirit. How does one achieve victory with a Word? How can one use it to cut through joints and marrow? What hardens a Word enough that enable it to crush all those against it?—TRUTH!
Truth—God created it all; the moon and the stars, the fish and the seas, the stallions and the donkeys, and you and me. No scientist told God which molecules He would need for creation. No philosopher whispered to him how it all must work. No artist provided him the colors for his canvas. No, God did it Himself, with His Son by His side, Jesus – The Word and The Truth.
So here we are. Created under God, by God, to glorify God. How do we war? How did Abraham, Moses, Sampson, David, Solomon and all the other’s war?
Let’s take a look at Joshua. He was perhaps the greatest Biblical warrior of all times. Joshua, under Moses’s recent tutelage and God’s divine direction, led nearly 3 million people into and through the promise land. Battling step by step, mile by mile all the way, until he fulfilled God’s promise.
What weapons did Joshua battle with? A herd of stallions, a fleet of chariots, an armory of swords, helmets and shields? Probably…undoubtably all the standard tools used for war in the day were at his disposal. But what was his “go to weapon”…What arrow did he shoot, what sword did he swing, what sight did He set? How did he land victories “knock out punch?”
The Lord spoke to Joshua and told him exactly what weapon he needed for victory.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the laws my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7-9)
The Lord commanded Joshua to lead His people into the promise land, and He told him which weapon he would need to succeed – The Word!
So I ask again, how do we war… How do we battle against the evil in this world?
With the Word! — We war with the Word!
What is war? — In essence, since the moment Adam ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, we’ve been in a battle between good and evil— A War.
Jesus knew what was needed to win the war; to defeat evil — It was Him.
Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” (John 18:10)
When the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and swung. Jesus then commanded Peter to put it away, for He knew the road to victory would not be paved with a sword, but with His blood. The blood of the Word—Jesus Christ.
Your “go to weapon” in this war is the Word. You must know the Word, and you must know the character of the Word. Do not be confused here. The Word is Jesus Christ. Jesus is in the Father and The Father is in Jesus—they are the same. To know Jesus is to know God.
How do you get to know Jesus? The Bible has been handed down by God to teach us through His Spirit inspired writings. It teaches us about God’s nature and His Truth. The Bible is about Jesus from the very beginning to the very end.
In essence, God told Joshua “You are going to war, study the Word.”
Jesus wanted His followers th know “We are at war against evil. I am the Truth, and the Word. Those who know me will know God.”
The Holy Spirit bascically told Paul “Your advisory the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour, be alert, be prepared, know the Word”
To overcome this world we must know the Truth and The Word. We must know Jesus Christ!
Are you ready to go to war? Today, the most direct path to victory in your life may be the simplest thing you do all day. Pick up The Bible and read The Word.
“I tell you the Truth”