How to Fight Well In the Heat of the Battle
From the Armor Series
“But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 MEV
Hey friend!
In our last post, we introduced the sword of the spirit. If you missed it, you can find it here.
One of my favorite examples of using the sword of the spirit (God’s word) in spiritual battle is found in Matthew 4. Jesus, being 100% God and 100% man, knew very well about being tempted by the enemy. Hebrews 4:15 tells us, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.” Because Jesus was 100% God and 100% Man without sin, He can sympathize with and understand the trials, temptations, and tribulations we walkthrough on this earth.
Jesus felt everything we feel – pain, rejection, hurt, temptation – He experienced it all. He gave us the perfect example to know how to not only fight the enemy but to fight well. Matthew 4:4 says, “But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” This was Jesus’ first response to Satan when Satan tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus had fasted for forty days, and forty nights and He was hungry. Satan will always attack our weaknesses. Still, Jesus didn’t give in. He fought back with the very words of God.
Next, Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple. The enemy is very aware of God’s word and tries to challenge Jesus with it but Jesus fights back with the word of God. Satan will use this same tactic on us if we aren’t alert and aware of his schemes.
Finally, Satan throws his final blow. He offers to give Jesus the world and all its splendor if Jesus will just bow down and worship him. The enemy thought that surely that would do the trick. However, Jesus stayed the course. He consistently fought back with the word of God. My favorite part of this passage is verse 11. It says, “Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.”
When we fight back with the sword of the spirit - the Rhema – the very utterance of God, the enemy must leave. It says so in James 4:7, “Therefore, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” See, Satan is allergic to God’s word. He knows that it is powerful. He knows that there is life in the very word of God. Friend, he knows it. He just doesn’t like it and will do all he can to keep us from digging in the word. If the enemy can keep us from God’s word, then he has just ruined our offense.
Sweet friend, we can walk victoriously the more we dig into the Bible and allow God’s truths to permeate into every fiber of our being. This is how we fight well in the heat of the battle.
Dear God,
Thank you for showing us that Jesus walked through the same things that we encounter in this life. Thank you that He is our High Priest that can sympathize with us. He gave us the perfect example of how to fight the enemy using the sword of the spirit. Help me to be a woman that stays in your Word. Write your truths on the tablet of my heart so that I can stand firm when the enemy comes at me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
“Therefore, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 CSB
Reflection:
Where do you see the enemy tempting you the most?
How can you use the sword of the spirit in this area?