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The Sword of
the Spirit
by Francis Frangipane
Christ
not only came to set captives free, He came
to train and empower the recently freed
to be warriors. We may not always walk perfectly,
but because God causes all things to work
for good, we still can walk triumphantly.
How can we, imperfect Christians, walk triumphantly?
The Bible says we overcome "because
of the blood of the Lamb and because of
the word of [our] testimony, and [we do]
not love [our lives] even when faced with
death" (Rev. 12:11).
These three things - Christ's atoning blood,
our testimony of God's eternal word and
choosing to not love our own lives - secure
us in the place of victory. We are a covenant
people, a people purchased for God from
every nation. Yes, we still sin, but God
has placed the iniquity of us all upon His
Son, Jesus Christ (Isa. 53). When the enemy
comes to accuse and condemn us for our failures,
we must remind ourselves that every sin
we have ever committed has been nailed to
Christ's cross. The entire "certificate
of debt consisting of decrees against us,
which was hostile to us," has been
paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ!
(Col. 2:14).
As much as we need the blood of Christ,
to functionalize our victory, we also need
a living knowledge of God's word. Many Christians
are awakened spiritually, but they do not
know God's promises in the Bible. To be
successful, we must know God's word, believe
it and speak it with faith when we pray.
We overcome by the "word of our testimony."
Third, in our world of excess and self-gratification,
we must learn the wisdom and power of carrying
the cross ("they did not love their
life"). By becoming true disciples
of Jesus Christ, the cross keeps us focused
on our transformation. It also keeps us
from the quicksand of self-pity, gratuitous
over-indulgence and unforgiveness.
To aid your fight of faith, we've prepared
a brief collection of Scriptures. Remember,
God's word will not return to Him without
accomplishing the purpose for which He sent
it (Isa. 55:11). Let us, therefore, "hold
fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised is faithful"
(Heb. 10:23). Don't murmur when you pray,
proclaim the word of God with authority.
Indeed, the Holy Spirit tells us to take
up "the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). If
we advance protected by the blood of the
Lamb; if we war armed with the word of God;
and if shoulder in our hearts the cross
of Christ, we will truly be "more than
conquerors through Him that loved us"
(Rom. 8:37 KJV).
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* * * *
The
following are just a few of the many mighty
promises of God. We urge you to print
these verses, memorize them and pass them
on to your friends and fellow intercessors.
Spiritual
Warfare Verses
"The Lord will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise
a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies"
(Isa. 42:13).
"Upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of Hades will not overpower
it" (Matt.16:18).
"For though we walk in the flesh, we
do not war according to the flesh, for the
weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh,
but divinely powerful for the destruction
of fortresses. We are destroying speculations
and every lofty thing raised up against
the knowledge of God, and we are taking
every thought captive to the obedience of
Christ" (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
"Behold, I have given you authority
to tread on serpents and scorpions, and
over all the power of the enemy, and nothing
will injure you" (Luke 10:19).
"You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
the young lion and the serpent you will
trample down" (Ps. 91:13).
"But thanks be to God, who always leads
us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through
us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him
in every place" (2 Cor. 2:14).
"Can the prey be taken from the mighty
man, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?
Surely, thus says the Lord, 'Even the captives
of the mighty man will be taken away, and
the prey of the tyrant will be rescued;
for I will contend with the one who contends
with you, and I will save your sons'"
(Isa. 49:24-25).
"Whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven: and whatever you loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven"
(Matt. 18:18).
"And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God" (Eph 6:17).
"The Son of God appeared for this purpose,
to destroy the works of the devil"
(1 John 3:8).
"I pursued my enemies and overtook
them, and I did not turn back until they
were consumed. I shattered them, so that
they were not able to rise; they fell under
my feet. For You have girded me with strength
for battle; You have subdued under me those
who rose up against me. You have also made
my enemies turn their backs to me, and I
destroyed those who hated me" (Ps.
18:37-40).
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards
his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed;
but when someone stronger than he attacks
him and overpowers him, he takes away from
him all his armor on which he had relied,
and distributes his plunder" (Luke
11:21-22).
"Now judgment is upon this world; now
the ruler of this world shall be cast out"
(John 12:31).
"The ruler of this world has been judged"
(John 16:11).
"He ... disarmed the rulers and authorities,
He made a public display of them, having
triumphed over them through Him" (Col.
2:15).
"'No weapon that is formed against
you will prosper; and every tongue that
accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of
the LORD, and their vindication is from
Me,' declares the LORD" (Isa. 54:17).
"You are from God, little children,
and have overcome them; because greater
is He who is in you than he who is in the
world" (1 John 4:4).
"Submit therefore to God. Resist the
devil and he will flee from you" (James
4:7).
"All authority has been given me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and the Son
and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age"
(Matt. 28:19-20).
Divine
Shelter of God
"For He rescued us from the domain
of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom
of His beloved Son" (Col. 1:13).
"The LORD is my rock and my fortress
and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom
I take refuge; my shield and the horn of
my salvation, my stronghold" (Ps. 18:2).
"He who was born of God keeps [us]
and the evil one does not touch [us]"
(1 John 5:18).
"He who dwells in the shelter of the
Most High will abide in the shadow of the
Almighty" (Ps. 91:1).
"And we know that God causes all things
to work together for good to those who love
God" (Rom. 8:28).
"For God has not given us a spirit
of fear, but of power and of love and of
a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7 NKJV).
"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My
word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode with
him" (John 14:23).
"My help comes from the LORD, who made
heaven and earth. He will not allow your
foot to slip; He who keeps you will not
slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will
neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps. 121:2-4).
"The LORD is your keeper; the LORD
is your shade on your right hand. The sun
will not smite you by day, nor the moon
by night. The LORD will protect you from
all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD
will guard your going out and your coming
in from this time forth and forever"
(Ps. 121:5-8).
"Our soul has escaped as a bird out
of the snare of the trapper; the snare is
broken and we have escaped" (Ps. 124:7).
Fear
"There is no fear in love, but perfect
love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).
"Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I fear no evil,
for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me" (Ps. 23:4).
"Do not fear, for those who are with
us are more than those who are with them"
(2 Kings 6:16).
"Therefore, since the children share
in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise
also partook of the same, that through death
He might render powerless him who had the
power of death, that is, the devil"
(Heb. 2:14).
"Since the children share in flesh
and blood, He Himself likewise also partook
of the same, that through death He might
render powerless him who had the power of
death, that is, the devil, and might free
those who through fear of death were subject
to slavery all their lives" (Heb. 2:14-15).
Deliverance,
Forgiveness and Salvation
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He anointed Me to preach the gospel
to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim
release to the captives, and recovery of
sight to the blind, to set free those who
are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable
year of the Lord'" (Luke 4:17-19).
"He will again have compassion on us;
He will tread our iniquities under foot.
Yes, You will cast all their sins into the
depths of the sea" (Mic. 7:19).
"Therefore He is able also to save
forever those who draw near to God through
Him, since He always lives to make intercession
for them" (Heb. 7:25).
"Christ Jesus is He who died, yes,
rather who was raised, who is at the right
hand of God, who also intercedes for us"
(Rom. 8:34).
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
(1 John 1:9).
"He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities"
(Isa. 53:5).
"You are my hiding place; You preserve
me from trouble; You surround me with songs
of deliverance" (Ps. 32:7).
"For it is He who delivers you from
the snare of the trapper and from the deadly
pestilence" (Ps. 91:3).
Peace
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan
under your feet" (Rom. 16:20).
"In no way alarmed by your opponents—which
is a sign of destruction for them, but of
salvation for you, and that too, from God"
(Phil. 1:28).
"Sit at My right hand until I make
Your enemies a footstool for Your feet"
(Ps. 110:1).
"Be still, and know that I am God"
(Ps. 46:10 KJV).
"Therefore humble yourselves under
the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt
you at the proper time, casting all your
anxiety on Him, because He cares for you"
(1 Peter 5:6-7).
"In peace I will both lie down and
sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to
dwell in safety" (Ps. 4:8).
"For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One
of Israel, has said, 'In repentance and
rest you will be saved, in quietness and
trust is your strength.' But you were not
willing" (Isa. 30:15).
The
Power of the New Covenant
"And they overcame him because of the
blood of the Lamb and because of the word
of their testimony, and they did not love
their life even when faced with death"
(Rev. 12:11).
"He made you alive together with Him,
having forgiven us all our transgressions,
having canceled out the certificate of debt
consisting of decrees against us, which
was hostile to us; and He has taken it out
of the way, having nailed it to the cross"
(Col. 2:13-14).
"And when He had taken a cup and given
thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink
from it, all of you; for this is My blood
of the covenant, which is poured out for
many for forgiveness of sins'" (Matt.
26:26-28).
"As for you also, because of the blood
of My covenant with you, I have set your
prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return
to the stronghold, O prisoners who have
the hope; this very day I am declaring that
I will restore double to you" (Zech
9:11-12).
Healing
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
and our sorrows He carried" (Isa. 53:4).
"But He was pierced through for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;
the chastening for our well-being fell upon
Him, and by His scourging we are healed"
(Isa. 53:5).
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
and today and forever" (Heb. 13:8).
"The news about Him spread throughout
all Syria; and they brought to Him all who
were ill, those suffering with various diseases
and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics;
and He healed them" (Matt. 4:24).
Family
"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you
will be saved, you and your household"
(Acts 16:31).
"For I will contend with the one who
contends with you, and I will save your
sons" (Isa. 49:25).
"'And it shall be in the last days,'
God says, 'that I will pour forth of my
spirit on all mankind ; and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, and your
young men shall see visions, and your old
men shall dream dreams'" (Acts 2:17).
Discernment
"The devil . . . was a murderer from
the beginning, and does not stand in the
truth because there is no truth in him.
Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from
his own nature, for he is a liar and the
father of lies" (John 8:44).
"The thief comes only to steal and
kill and destroy; I came that they may have
life, and have it abundantly" (John
10:10).
"But he who is spiritual appraises
all things" (1 Cor. 2:15).
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and
in his mighty strength. Put on the whole
armor of God so that you may be able to
stand firm against the devil's strategies.
For our struggle is not against a human
opponent, but against rulers, against authorities,
against cosmic powers in the darkness around
us, against evil spiritual forces in the
heavenly realm. For this reason, take up
the whole armor of God so that you may be
able to take a stand in that evil day. And
when you have done everything you could,
you will be able to stand firm. Stand firm,
therefore, having fastened the belt of truth
around your waist, and having put on the
breastplate of righteousness. And having
put shoes on your feet so that you are ready
to proclaim the gospel of peace. In addition
(above all), to all of these, having taken
up the shield of faith, with which you will
be able to put out all the flaming arrows
of the evil one. Also take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is t! he word of God. Pray in the Spirit
at all times with every kind of prayer and
request there is. For the same reason be
alert with every kind of effort and request
for all the saints" (Eph. 6:10-18).
We
hope these scriptures will be a blessing
and empowerment to you. To be further blessed,
you are invited to subscribe to Pastor Frangipane's
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Francis
serves as senior minister of River of Life
Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 
