The Mighty Sword

Ephesians 6:17
Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Matthew 4: 1 – 11
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

7Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

My Jesus,
What an incredible and awesome teacher You are! Oh how I love Your principles. I meditate on Your laws all day long. Your lessons make me wiser than my enemies. When You write them on my heart, they are always with me. I have more insight than many influential, intelligent individuals because I carefully study Your Word. It has infiltrated my heart and mind. I have more understanding than highly regarded, respected, religious leaders because I listen to and obey Your holy Scriptures.

You sympathize with my weaknesses because You were tempted in every way, yet were without sin.

When I'm weak and hungry, longing to satisfy my deepest dreams and desires, you understand. Please give me patience to wait for You to feed me. Your Words are sweet to my taste. They are like rich, sweet chocolate to my mouth. They are the only thing that will satisfy my craving.

When I'm feeling insecure and inadequate, disillusioned and disheartened, you empathize. Please give me simple faith to believe that You are who You say You are, and can do everything You say You can do.

When possessions, power, and prestige are pursuing me, you commiserate with me. Please give me Holy Spirit power to resist worldly pleasures and worship You and You alone.

People will try to twist Your Words and take them out of context. Save me from lying lips and deceitful tongues. Give me more knowledge to recognize errors of interpretation and believe only the truth. By Your grace, I will try to memorize Scripture so that when I'm tempted, I can be like You in every way. Your Word will be the sharp sword I use to combat the enemy. With a complete understanding of Your principles for living, along with an obedient heart, I will walk on the pathway of righteousness. I long to be more like You, Jesus. It is through You I pray for power to triumph over temptation. Amen.

Are you prepared to be like Jesus and battle the enemy with the Word of God? If not, what will You do about it?

The sword of the Word is another tool God gives you to demolish the stronghold of sin and temptation and make your thoughts obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)