In Ephesians chapter six, Paul offers Christians an illustration of warfare to show how serious we need to take our battle in the spiritual realm. This battle is just as important and just as real as any war that has been waged throughout history. However it is easy to neglect the reality of a war that exists on the spiritual plane. Since we do not easily see or feel the effects of the war, we can push it aside and ignore it. Paul tells us that we can no do that, and it is vital that we arm ourselves for the upcoming battles.

It is interesting here that Paul does not have a purely defensive list of what Christians should supply them for themselves when the battle comes. He does focus on shielding and protecting ourselves. However, he also tells us that we need to fight back. We can not just be content with trying to dodge and deflect the blows that Satan throws at us. Instead we must be ready to fight and take him on. In order to do that, God has supplied us with the sword of the Spirit.

In our battles against Satan, we need to be sure to use the sword. Jesus is an excellent example of this in Matthew four. Instead of just saying no, He quickly jumps out and tells Satan exactly what the word of God says about the matter and why He cannot do it. By using the word of God, He was able to push Satan back, and you can imagine that quoting the scripture strengthened His own resolve. We too need to use the word of God when Satan tempts us. This requires that we have knowledge of it to call on in times of temptations. However, if wielded properly, the word of God can be a powerful weapon in our spiritual battles.