We Need the Word

If you’ve watched a sword fight, you know a sword is a weapon of attack. But consider how many blows are deflected by the sword. It is also a defense!

The Word of God is called the sword of the Spirit and is included in the armor of God that scripture commands us to put on.

Ephesians 6 says

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints (Ephesians 6:13-18).

These verses are talking about taking a stand against evil and withstanding evil’s draw on us. The Bible says in James 1:14-15, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

God Who sent His Son to die that we should have life eternal is again acting to preserve our lives by sending us instruction on what we’re up against and how to stand for Christ in the face of it. Jesus prays for this for His followers in John 17.

I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth (John 17:15-17).

Psalm 119:10-11 says, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

The word of God helps us stand against evil, and not just from outer attacks but also from inner attacks: those things we wrestle with internally. The sword of the Spirit is a keen discerner of character and motives, both of others’ and our own.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

I’ve heard the Word of God described as Christ revealed to us. It tells us about Him. In 1 John 5:7, scripture identifies Jesus as the Word. It says, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

We know that Jesus is that person of the Trinity named the Word when we compare this verse with other verses that reference the Trinity. Matthew 28:19 says, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost[.]” There is also 2 Corinthians 13:14 that says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”

It makes sense, then, that the Word of God is primarily how we get to know Jesus. That’s applicable for the Father and the Holy Spirit as well.

Jesus describes Himself as, “…the way, the truth, and the life.” John 14:6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

I looked up the key words “way,” “truth,” and “life” in AMG’s Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible. It had a ton of information, but these are brief takeaways:

Jesus is the way, as a “road,” “mode,” or “means” of “access to God and eternal life (p. 2493).

Jesus is the truth, as He is “surely true” and “…truth incarnate, the teacher of the truth” (p. 2295).

Jesus is the life, with life meaning “life (literal or figurative),” and “to live.” Jesus is our (source of) eternal life (p. 2424).

The truth makes us free. John 8:31-36 says, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” A couple verses down, He continues, “…Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

I submit all this to you to demonstrate that Jesus is the Word and share some of the reasons why we need His Word in our hearts. Rivers and avenues of thought about why we need God’s Word could be endless. The ones I’ve shared have stood out to me recently as I’ve contemplated the seriousness of our need to know God’s Word.

God’s Word will keep us when we are confronted with all manner of evil that would persuade our hearts and minds away from Truth. If we know God, then we can recognize counterfeits.

It’s stirred in my heart for weeks that we need to memorize God’s word, so much so that I’ve begun working persistently to develop a scripture memorization series to air on Tea Time with Truth Podcast. The goal is to create a tool to facilitate us intentionally hiding the Word of God in our hearts to help us withstand the evil like Ephesians 6 talks about.

My intention is to begin with John chapter one and have weekly podcasts in which we will learn a small chunk of verses from the chapter and review the chapter from start through the week’s new verses. This will allow us to, step by step, build the chapter into memory. The episodes will be available as a rehearsal tool throughout the week. My aim after the initial series introductory episode is to keep these series episodes brief and to the point so they are efficient tools.

When this series is ready, I will announce its start to Tea Time with Truth email subscribers. To receive Tea Time with Truth emails, go to TeaTimewithTruth.com and join on the Contact page.

You can find and follow Tea Time with Truth Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. There are links to the podcast on my website at TeaTimewithTruth.com/podcast. If you’re following the podcast, you should see the scripture memorization series when it drops.

We need the Word, friends.

Thank you for reading Tea Time with Truth. Please share this blog with everyone you think it will bless. Always remember Jesus loves you!