The Sword of the Spirit Part 2: Our Ally in Battle
This is our last post in our study of the armor of God. We have been studying the armor in order to learn how to guard and strengthen our faith. Our goal has been to develop a faith that can withstand the worst trials we will go through. Trials test us in numerous ways and many have walked away from God because of them. But, many Christians have also persevered through them and grown closer to God in the process. If we want to be among those in the latter group, then we need to be intentional about strengthening our faith before trials come. It only gets more difficult to do so if we wait until we are in a battle to begin the work.
In the previous post we began looking at the last piece of armor: the sword. Paul wrote, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17, NIV). We already studied how to wield this weapon in battle. This post will focus on an important truth: God left us with an ally. Jesus left us the Spirit as a helper/ally when He ascended into Heaven (John 14:15-17; 16:7). Being filled with the Spirit wasn’t just for Christians of the past. We are still able to receive Him today. If we belong to God, all we have to do is ask and He will give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). When we do, not only do we gain an ally in our battles, God Himself is that ally!
The Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity and is therefore, Lord. In Romans 8:9, Paul refers to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of God” and the “Spirit of Christ” (CSB). God is no longer in the flesh, but He is still with us through the filling of the Holy Spirit. He has not abandoned us. The Spirit does not give us the sword and then say, “Good luck.” He stays with, equips, and empowers us during our battles (and outside them).
In John 14:26 Jesus said, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Advocate. One definition of advocate in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “one who supports or promotes the interests of a cause or group.” The Spirit works in our lives in order to help realize God’s plans for us, others, and His kingdom. He works to make God known and bring Him glory.
God knows that we are sinners living in a fallen world. It is impossible to live holy lives on our own. This is why He sent the Holy Spirit to be our ally. When we are focused on ourselves, our circumstances, or the things of this world, the Holy Spirit points us back to God. The Spirit gives us the truth, encouragement, and hope we need to fight our battles. He also reminds us of our purpose.
In John 8:12 (CSB), Jesus said He is “the light of the world”. Interestingly, He said the same about His followers. We are called to reflect Christ and be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14, CSB). We are to live in such a way that it brings God glory (Matthew 5:16). The Holy Spirit’s goal is to testify about Jesus (John 15:26). He equips us to do so (Acts 1:8, Acts 4:31) by giving us boldness and filling us with spiritual fruit and gifts. These help us both testify about the Lord and glorify Him.
The fruit of the Spirit are characteristics that reflect those of Christ. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). When we don’t act the way that is normal to our sinful nature, people take notice. It makes us stand out. This gives us a platform to tell others about the Lord.
Even in this the Spirit does not leave us to our own strength or talent. He gives us the words to say (Luke 12:12) and gifts to help us. Spiritual gifts are the ways the Spirit empowers us to share about God and are to be used for the “common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7, CSB). The spiritual gifts are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, the ability to perform miracles, prophecy, the ability to distinguish between spirits, different kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). The Spirit still imparts these gifts on believers today with the same goal: reveal the power and majesty of God to others, make Him known, and bring Him glory.
Now how does all this relate to helping us guard and strengthen our faith? The trials we face may seem impossible to get through, but when we fight alongside the Spirit He gives us the strength we need. Paul went through many trials in his ministry, but he gave his secret to endurance when he wrote to the Philippians. It wasn’t his own sense of determination, stubbornness, or devotion to God that got him through (though I’m sure they helped). When we are hit with trials, we often lose our best qualities. Suddenly we are faced with our limit and that’s when fear or anxiety can sink in. But, Paul didn’t rely on himself to make it through. He said, “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me”
(Philippians 4:13, CSB). It was Paul who wrote about the fruit and gifts provided by the Spirit. He was able to do so because he received them. He witnessed firsthand the help the Holy Spirit provides during trials. God was his source of strength when his ran out.
When we begin to question God, the Spirit reminds us of what is true. This gives us the strength we need to continue to move forward in faith. The fruit of the Spirit adds to this and allows us to have a spiritual resilience that isn’t natural to us. It makes no sense to those looking from the outside, but, it all stems from a closeness with the Lord. We can feel joy, have peace, and display faithfulness (along with the other fruit of the Spirit) because our trials don’t sever our relationship with Him. Instead, they draw us nearer.
The gifts we receive from the Spirit can also strengthen our faith. As we use our spiritual gifts, we not only testify about the Lord to others, but to ourselves. We are aware they come from the Lord because they are outside our own capabilities. Seeing them in use, thus, can remind us of God’s existence, power, Lordship, promises, and love. They reinforce the truth the Spirit reminds us of. God is real. He is still in control when everything looks like chaos. He knows how it all will end and can be trusted to keep His word. Even if it may feel as though we have been abandoned, God is still with us. He is fighting the battle alongside us and helping us.
It may feel like we are alone in the midst of our suffering, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Satan wants us to believe that because it cuts us off from our source of strength, our ally. We can make it through our toughest battles with God by our side. We may not come out unharmed or unaffected, but we can still come out victorious. We simply need to ask God for His Spirit if we want to receive the strength and empowerment we need. As we continue to lean on and draw nearer to Him, our faith will grow. Wielding the sword of the Spirit and putting on the rest of the armor can help us with this. Each piece brings us closer to God and helps us to trust Him more. This gives us the ability to look at our circumstances and still say, “Even if…”
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“Advocate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.
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