Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet 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 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
~Ephesians 6:13-17
Let’s face it. The world is evil. And we have an enemy prowling around like a lion, seeking to devour us—whose intent is only to steal, kill, and destroy. Therefore, fellow believer, we must stand firm. We must be prepared for the battle…and we must fight. In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul states clearly what it means to be a follower of Christ and how to walk in Christ as a husband, wife, child, employee. Then, in chapter 6, verses 10-20, Paul instructs us how to prepare for our war against “powers, world forces of this darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We’re given five defensive pieces of armor: the belt of Truth (Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life); the breastplate of righteousness (our identity in Christ, as He exchanged His righteousness for our unrighteousness); shoes of the Gospel of peace (the gospel enables us to have peace with a Perfect and Holy God); the shield of faith (which protects us from the flaming arrows of the evil one); and the helmet of salvation(mind protection to keep away the lies of the enemy). Every piece of armor is a must-have.
But we also have a weapon that allows us to go on the offense: the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. God’s Word is true, unchanging, a sharp two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)—and it’s a both a tool to sharpen our own walk and a weapon of discernment in a lying world. And God’s Word heals the brokenhearted, sheds light in darkness, gives comfort and guidance…and, most importantly, God’s Word reveals the eternity-altering path of salvation (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 10:9; 5:1; 8:1; 8:38-39). [Please note, sweet friend, that the Bible is never meant to be used to bludgeon and bloody others. It’s more like a scalpel than a machete!]
In thinking about the Bible as an offensive weapon, though, it struck me with a bit of irony (being the word girl that I am), that God’s Word is also very offensive to an unbelieving world. The Bible itself even talks about this in both the Old Testament and New! In Jeremiah, it’s written, “Behold, the word of the Lord has become for them a rebuke; They take no delight in it” (Jeremiah 6:10). And Paul writes, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). But it’s not just unbelievers who get offended. When the Word is used as a mirror or plumbline to assess our own holiness (finding ourselves falling short but seeing the “how-to’s” to progress our sanctification journey), even modern Christians can get triggered. “C’mon, those verses about sex being only for marriage are so outdated,” they say. Or, “That teaching is only relevant for that ignorant culture 2000 years ago—not our science-based, 2025 world.” In fact, whole Christian denominations are taking it upon themselves to redact entire sections of God’s Word that they find offensive so as to better suit the way they want to live.
So, beloved, as we put on the full armor of God to stand firm, know God’s Word so you can take up this beautiful, powerful sword. It is our offensive weapon…and it will be offensive. So, like Paul, again I say, stand firm!
Lord, help me to persevere against the evil of this world, standing firm in the armor of God and wisely brandishing the sword of the Spirit.
encouraged by grace 