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The sword of the Spirit

On my right arm, I have a tattoo of a cross. However, if you are standing in front of me and looking at my ink, that upside-down cross looks a lot like a sword. That’s no accident. When I preach, I love to roll up my sleeves and hold the Bible in my right hand, a reminder that we are in a spiritual war zone and that God’s Word is one of our greatest weapons.

In his classic text on spiritual warfare, Paul wrote, “And [take] the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). The Word, like a double-edged sword, pierces beneath the surface and cuts to the heart of the matter. The author to the Hebrews said, “[The Word] judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (4:12). I love how the Word gets to the heart of me, exposing the reason behind my sins (often a faulty, diminished view of God) and pointing me to Jesus where I find love unlike any other I have experienced before.

Every time you grab your Bible, you are preparing for battle. The devil may be the father of lies, but your Bible is the truth, the sword that slays that dragon. If you have strong habits of reading the Word, keep swinging that sword! And if that sword has a layer of dust over its sharpened edge, pick it up today and get back to the fight. Because when you take the Bible into battle, you will stand firm and be strong in the Lord!

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