Over the course of the last two weeks, we have looked at the concept that a Christian is called to be a warrior for the Kingdom of God. There is a very real enemy, his name is Satan, and he is actively looking to steal, kill, and destroy, (John 10:10), and is also actively seeking who he is going to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Our enemy is active in sowing division in our world, in our country, in our communities, in our marriages, in the lives of our children, and in many more areas. We can’t help but notice the affects of his attacks on the world today.

It’s not the world’s job to stop Satan. It’s ours. It’s our job to fight back, to stand up, and to confront what He is doing. God equips us for this very thing, and we see that in Ephesians 6:10-20. He gives us the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes ready to give the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. We could focus on all of those tools God gives us, but for the sake of this post, I’d like to focus on just one – the Sword.

I want you to imagine a battlefield. Two armies, one on either side. One side is charging the other as hard as they can, and they’re using every attack and every weapon they have. They’re swinging swords, shooting arrows, and throwing spears. The other side has full armor, including a great shield, but no sword. The side that only has the shields is standing their ground, but because they don’t have any weapons, they can’t take any ground back. They’re not getting defeated, but they keep getting pushed back farther and farther and giving up more ground.

American culture has taught us to be the kind of Christian that knows how to use our shield, but to not use our sword. We’re told we can read our Bible, but not speak up too loud about it. We are told to pray quietly, and not “shove religion down anyone’s throat.” Being quiet about the Word of God has caused us to give up ground and we are feeling the affects of that in our marriages, families, churches, schools, communities, and country. We can’t be quiet anymore. We must pick up our sword, the Word of God and use it. 

Let’s look at some verses together:

2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 

Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

God calls us to be able to “rightly handle the word of truth.” This goes a step farther than just reading our Bible. We have to know how to handle it. When a doctrine of the world comes to us, we have to know why it is wrong according to the Scriptures. Let me pose a few questions for you, based on the culture of today. Why isn’t abortion okay? Why isn’t same-sex marriage okay? Why can’t I just believe in God how I want to? Is there a God? All of these questions can be answered from Scripture, but in order to do so we must know how to rightly handle it. 

Our country is in turmoil. There’s rioting in the streets, buildings are being burned, people are dying, and no one truly knows who to believe. America, not knowing where to turn, is looking to politics to save them from this mess. One side is yelling that the Republicans are the answer, the other side is yelling that the Democrats are the answer, but we know that Jesus is the only answer. He offers love, forgiveness, mercy, and much, much more. 

It’s time we pick up our weapon, learn how to use it properly, and go out into the world with it. Yes, they are going to have tough questions, but the answer to every one of them can be found in the Bible. We just have to know where to look. Take time this week to pray and read. Go to God with the same questions that the world is asking and get the answer from Him. That will help you turn around and give the answer back to those who do not know God and do not know where to look. 

Daniel 11:32 – He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.

It’s time Christian, to stand up, stand firm, and take action.