Skillful With The Sword
 

 When you became a Believer, you enlisted in God's army.  But just maybe, you have been loosing some of the battles.  You should know that one of the major weapons that you are to carry is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  First, you must learn what the Bible says before you can carry your weapon with you.  Second, you must learn to be skillful in using the Word.  A baby Christian is unskillful and needs the milk of the Word, but a mature Believer has learned by experience and has become skillful in using the Word.

 Jesus, our example, quoted or alluded to Scripture more than fifty times in the book of Matthew alone. He often quoted it when people came to him with questions. He repeatedly quoted Scripture to the devil when he was tempted until he won the battle.  Eleazar, one of David's mighty men fought against the Philistines until he couldn't release his fingers from the handle of his sword, but God gave him victory.  Using this example, we are to keep swinging the sword of the Spirit until we win the battle.

 To be skillful with the sword of the Spirit, we should also know when to use it as a weapon and when not to use it as a weapon.  We must be careful not to use it as a weapon against other Believers or even ourselves.  Do you have your sword?  Are you skillful in using it?