“and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17)
I find it interesting that all of the previous armor listed seems to be protective in nature. The sword is the only offensive weapon. To me this means that using the word of God should be central to our plan of attack in the fight against sin. A soldier in combat holds his sword tightly; sometimes with both hands. A solder at the ready must also have a tight grip. Likewise, we must hold fast to the word of God throughout all the ups and downs this life has to offer us.
Sword
A sword is a weapon that one uses when face-to-face with the enemy. Projectile weapons, such as arrows or darts, are used from a distance to weaken the defenses. The adversary knows that if he can continually weaken us with his “fiery darts” (1 Nephi 15:24) it can keep us from being as effective in the battle against sin. President James E. Faust taught,
“Who has not heard and felt the enticings of the devil? His voice often sounds so reasonable and his message so easy to justify. It is an enticing, intriguing voice with dulcet tones. It is neither hard nor discordant. No one would listen to Satan’s voice if it sounded harsh or mean. If the devil’s voice were unpleasant, it would not entice people to listen to it….
“However, we need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. He cannot know our thoughts unless we speak them. And Nephi states that ‘he hath no power over the hearts’ of people who are righteous” (link to talk).
To be righteous means fighting whole-heartedly on the Lord’s side. The Lord, Himself, has said over and over again that He “shall fight for [us]” (Exodus 14:14). In Deuteronomy we read, “The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you” (Deuteronomy 1:30), and again in Nehemiah, “our God shall fight for us” (Nehemiah 4:20). In modern times He has again reiterated,
“For behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion; for, as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfil—I will fight your battles” (Doctrine & Covenants 105:14).
The Lord will be our arm as we fight for Him. Elder Robert D. Hales gave further insight into the protecting arm of the Lord when he stated, “In our day, the steadying arm of the Lord reaches us through the ordinances of His holy temples” (link to talk).
When wielding a sword we can only be effective in our own sphere of influence. Our sword will not help someone in a far away land. Our sword, or our influence, can greatly impact the lives of those around us—whether we choose to use it for good or ill.
Spirit
From my limited experience with video games I have learned that haphazardly shooting in any (and all) directions, or flailing a weapon wildly about is not very effective. In fact, I am always one of the first to be killed. Similarly, if we are not familiar, or comfortable, with the word of God we may feel as completely ineffective in our battle against the adversary.
As we put ourselves in situations where we can feel the Spirit we can be tutored by the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus fine-tune our swords. As we study the word of God it will be “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3).
Looking to the example of our Savior we can see how He used His in-depth internalization of the scriptures to counteract temptation.
In the Gospel of Matthew we read that Jesus went into the wilderness to be with God. There He fasted, prayed, and communed with Him—thus arming Himself with the Spirit of God. Satan came to Him to tempt Him; and did so three times.
“If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread….
“If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone….
“All these things [all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them] will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:3, 6, 8-9).
David O. McKay explains that the three kinds of temptations the Jesus experienced are the same kind that we are faced with in our day: 1) tempted with those things our bodies hunger for; 2) tempted by pride—to prove how great we are; and 3) tempted to do wrong to gain the riches and powers of the world (see Gospel Ideas, p 154-55).
In the first two temptations I find it very telling that the adversary starts with “if thou be the Son of God”. Satan knows full well that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus knows this too. If we compare this to the story of Moses, we see that Moses “saw God face to face, and he talked with him” (Moses 1:2). During this interchange God says, “thou art my son” (Moses 1:4), and “Moses, my son” (Moses 1:6). When Satan comes afterwards his tactics seem to be the same “Moses, son of man” (Moses 1:12).
The adversary will try in any way shape or form to make us believe that we are not the literal, spirit children of God. If he can convince us of this he can place a wedge between us and God. Never doubt that you are a child of God. Stand firm in that conviction.
President Uchtdorf taught of God’s love for us when he said,
“[T]he vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters….
“[W]e are everything to God. While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation—worlds without end—within our grasp. And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it” (link to talk).
We are the reason that God created everything. His love for us surpasses anything that we can imagine. We are imperfect beings interacting with imperfect beings. God is perfect—something that is hard to comprehend, but nonetheless true.
When confronted by the adversary the Savior did not, even for a moment, think to justify Himself to the temptation. He simply responded with,
“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God….
“It is written…Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God….
“Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10, emphasis added).
Why, when the Savior had all of His miraculous power at His disposal, did He use words of scriptures against the adversary? Because He knew that,
“the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of body and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, JST-12e).
The Greek translation of the word “quick” is “living” (see footnote b). Jesus knew the power that flows from the living word of God. The truth that IS the word of God will pierce the hearts of the guilty, and those trying to deceive. I can think of several times when we have been counseled to fill our arsenal with scripture, through memorizing them. Elder Richard G. Scott counseled,
“I suggest that you memorize scriptures that touch your heart and fill your soul with understanding. When scriptures are used as the Lord has caused them to be recorded, they have intrinsic power that is not communicated when paraphrased. Sometimes when there is a significant need in my life, I review mentally scriptures that have given me strength. There is great solace, direction, and power that flow from the scriptures, especially the words of the Lord” (link to talk).
He later taught,
“The scriptures provide the strength of authority to our declarations when they are cited correctly. They can become stalwart friends that are not limited by geography or calendar. They are always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost. Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizing scriptures is like filling a filing cabinet with friends, values, and truths that can be called upon anytime, anywhere in the world.
“Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change” (link to talk).
Elder Gene R. Cook of the Seventy said:
“I have discovered that many times you don’t fully understand a scripture until you memorize it. And sometimes I have memorized a passage because it seemed important and valuable to me—then afterwards I discovered deeper meanings that I hadn’t even known were there” (Searching the Scriptures: Bringing Power to Your Personal and Family Study, p114).
I am quite positive that this counsel to memorize is to help our minds and hearts be ready to respond with truth when the temptations or challenges come.
In Lehi’s dream about the Tree of Life we are taught that the word of God can be likened to an iron rod (1 Nephi 15:23-24). And, in the Book of Helaman we read,
“that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked” (Helaman 3:29).
Whosover will. The choice is ours. If we will choose to hold steadfastly to the iron rod, the word of God, we will be able to “divide asunder all the cunning and snares and wiles of the devil”. It is our diligence that makes this happen. Alma teaches,
“[I]t is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to [the Liahona], which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
“And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
“O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.
“And now…see that ye look to God and live” (Alma 37:44-47).
The word of God is readily available to us. It is an easy course to follow, but sometimes may seem too easy. We have great access to the scriptures—more than any time before—and we need to be careful not to take them for granted. President Ezra Taft Benson counseled,
“[L]et us not treat lightly the great things we have received from the hand of the Lord! His word is one of the most valuable gifts He has given us. I urge you to recommit yourselves to a study of the scriptures. Immerse yourselves in them daily so you will have the power of the Spirit to attend you” (link to talk).
The Word of God
When I think of the word of God there are generally three things that come to mind: the scriptures, the words of the prophets, and personal revelation.
SCRIPTURES
In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we embrace the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, as canonized scripture. In the Doctrine and Covenants we are taught that “the Book of Mormon…contains the truth and the word of God” (Doctrine & Covenants 19:26). Our Articles of Faith states, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God” (Article of Faith 1:8).
PROPHET
In the first section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord is speaking—delivering His preface to “the doctrines, covenants, and commandments given in this dispensation” (heading to Section 1). He declares,
“What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same” (Doctrine & Covenants 1:38).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught,
“The Lord and His prophets are one. They are united in the same mind and in the same judgement. Light and truth and righteousness come from God and are revealed and bestowed by Him upon chosen servants, who wear the prophetic mantle” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p1).
PERSONAL REVELATION
“Revelation is communication from God to His children. Prophets…are not the only people who can receive revelation. According to our faithfulness, we can receive revelation to help us with our specific personal needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help us strengthen our testimony….[M]ost revelations to leaders and members of the Church come through the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.
“Quiet spiritual promptings may not seem as spectacular as visions or angelic visitations, but they are just as powerful and lasting and life changing. The witness of the Holy Ghost makes an impression on the soul that is more significant than anything we can see or hear. Through such revelations, we will receive lasting strength to stay true to the gospel and help others do the same” (link to topic).
We can increase in understanding the revelation we receive and can know the will of the Lord in our own life and our unique circumstances. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught,
“A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; … those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p151).
President Boyd K. Packer also taught this about receiving revelation.
“There are two parts to your nature—your temporal body born of mortal parents, and your immortal spirit within. You are a son or daughter of God.
“Physically you can see with eyes and hear with ears and touch and feel and learn. Through your intellect, you learn most of what you know about the world in which we live.
“But if you learn by reason only, you will never understand the Spirit and how it works—regardless of how much you learn about other things….
“Your spirit learns in a different way than does your intellect….
“You have your agency, and inspiration does not—perhaps cannot—flow unless you ask for it, or someone asks for you.
“No message in scripture is repeated more often than the invitation, even the command, to pray—to ask.
“Prayer is so essential a part of revelation that without it the veil may remain closed to you. Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees….
“The flow of revelation depends on your faith. You exercise faith by causing, or by making, your mind accept or believe as truth that which you cannot, by reason alone, prove for certainty” (link to talk).
One thing we can receive by revelation is a testimony, or a spiritual witness of truth. It is given to us by the Holy Ghost, and can only be received through this channel. It comes as we have the faith to put forth the effort to prepare.
As we arm ourselves with the word of God by searching the scriptures, listening to the words of the prophet, and responding to the personal revelation we receive—in times of peace and in times of trial—we can fortify ourselves against the attacks of the enemy. With this conviction in our hearts the sword of the Spirit will be strong and immoveable in our hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment