His Sword Compared to Our Swords
The Armor of the Sword of the Spirit (Part
6)
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title: His Sword Compared to
Our Swords ---------------------- Date: 05/06/1999
Keywords: "sword" "war" "word of
God"
W elcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in
the face of sexual temptation.
The following is one of 42 studies on the "armor of God" as it relates to
resisting Web porn. Some of the studies will examine Ephesians chapter six, which is
famous for the armor theme. Some of the other studies, however, will examine how the armor
pieces are discussed elsewhere in Scripture. All 42 studies are listed in the three-minute study index for the dates April 1 through May
12, 1999. Feel free to study and/or download the entire set. We welcome your feedback to this thematic approach in
the three-minute studies.
Passages:
Ephesians 6:17*
And take … the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God.
Isaiah 2:1,4*
1. The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw
concerning Judah and Jerusalem
4. And He [God] will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many
peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
and never again will they learn war.
Questions
1. Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet. How does he describe
receiving a revelation or message from God? (Verse 1)
2. Verse 4 shows what happens when God is in charge. What will
people do with their own abilities and desires to wage war?
3. The image of changing a sword into a plowshare is that of
changing an implement of warfare into what?
Practical help
The Sword of the Spirit is God’s word, as it says in the
Ephesians passage above. God gave His word to Isaiah and told him to proclaim to the world
that a few things would happen in the future. One of those things was that people would
take their swords and convert them into farming tools. Obviously God’s word is more
powerful than the weapons people use on earth to conduct war. God’s word is more
powerful than a nuclear weapon and absolutely true.
Learning what God is like through His Word, the Bible, means we don’t have to be
surprised at what will happen when He physically comes to live with us in the future. The
wise among us will prepare now by deciding to change their ways before He arrives.
In front of you is a computer. Like a sword, it is a tool. And like a sword it can be used
in a destructive way. Using it to view Internet pornography can destroy trust within
families and weaken marriage bonds. But the computer is just a tool and has no power apart
from the one who decides to turn it on and give it commands. God has given you the awesome
power of choosing to use your computer for good or evil. What you choose shows God and
others the state of your heart, whether it is cold or warm -- hard or soft -- dead or
alive.
Allow God’s words to penetrate your life and change your heart. Turn your computer
activities over to Him in the same way you would beat a sword you owned into a plowshare.
One practical demonstration of this change of heart might be to move your computer into a
public place in your home. Sure it may be noisier, but it might also help reduce
temptations.
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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright
The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by
permission."
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