Chapter
Twenty-One
SPIRITUAL
WARFARE
GIRD
YOUR
ARMOUR
ON
Ephesians 5:22-33
22: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own
husbands, as unto the Lord. 23: For the
husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24: Therefore as the church is
subject unto Christ, so let the wives
be to their own husbands in every thing. 25: Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26: That he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27: That
he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28: So ought
men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. 29: For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and
cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30: For we are members of his body,
of his flesh, and of his bones. 31: For this cause shall a man leave his father
and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32: This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33:
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself;
and the wife see that she
reverence her husband.
In the preceding passage the man is
told what his role is as an husband.
How is that possible in the flesh?
The woman is told her role as the wife.
How is that possible in the flesh?
Starting life under the curse of Adam’s sin how can we be the husband or
wife God expects us to be?
Ephesians 6:1-9:
1: Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for
this is right. 2: Honour thy father and mother; (which is
the first commandment with promise;) 3: That it may be well with thee, and thou
mayest live long on the earth. 4: And, ye fathers, provoke not your
children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord. 5: Servants, be obedient to them that are
your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of
your heart, as unto Christ; 6: Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the
servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7: With good will
doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8: Knowing that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond
or free. 9: And, ye masters, do the same things unto them,
forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is
there respect of persons with him.
In this passage the children are
instructed in how to behave toward parents, and the fathers are told to have a
hassle-free household. How, under the
curse of sin, can children obey and fathers not provoke their children to wrath? The passage goes on reaching to the
relationship between employer and employee.
Can you measure up as a sinner?
Can you be what God says you should be?
How can we do it?
Ephesians 6: 10 - 17
10: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of
his might. 11: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. 12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13: 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. 14: Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having
on the breastplate of righteousness; 15: And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace; 16: Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17: And
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God:
Imagine with me for a moment that you
work where the employees clock-in on a punch-clock. From your bed to the punch-clock it takes ten minutes time. You set your alarm for 6:50 AM. The alarm sounds; you jump out of bed; grab
your keys; fly out the door; into your car; and spead off down the road. You arrive at the company parking lot and
procede to the punch-clock. It is now
7:00 AM and time for you to clock-in.
On the left side stands “The Boss”, and on the right side is a
“full-length” mirror --will “The Boss” let you clock-in? Do you look as if you will be giving the
company your best? What about OSHA safety
regulations? Are you dressed
accordingly? Remember you jumped out of
bed and flew out the door! Do you
really think you would be allowed to clock-in?
I doubt it! Yet we (professing
Christians) will head out the door and face the day without proper dress to
wage Spiritual Warfare in this present evil world. “Before you get in distress -- put on God’s
dress.”
Definitive Armour:
girdle,
breast plate, shoes, helmet
DEFENSIVE
ARMOUR IS ARMOUR THAT YOU “PUT ON”
it
is to protect you from the advances of the enemy
The words “put on” are listed in 31
books of the Word of God. In
Colossians, Chapter Three, they are used three times against two uses of “put
off”. It is active wording, it is
something you do. So, make a positive
affirmation to “put on” the armour of God for daily warfare.
Verse 14: LOINS WITH TRUTH.
A full discussion of the truth is given in Chapter Oneof the Spiritual
Warrior’s Manuel: Truth is a Five Letter Word. The loins have to do with the Seeds of Reproduction, and before
man could get a head start a curse was given by God between the seed of the woman
and the seed of the Devil.
Genesis 3:15:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This curse leads to
idolatry and murder on the part of Cain and it can do the same in your life and
in the life of your children. Put your
armour on! Shortly, then, we arrive at
Genesis 5:1:
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the
likeness of God made he him;...
This is immediately
followed with Noah and the flood (Ch. 6-9).
In Chapter Nine Noah gets drunk and curses his son. Chapter Ten is the division of nations
(segregation), and Chapter Eleven is the tower of Babel. Twelve chapters and 2200 years after Adam
someone finally gets a blessing.
Abraham: Genesis 12:1:
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I
will shew thee: 2: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3: And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed.
Abraham’s blessing
surpasses genetics and blood-line reproduction and covers the world.
Genesis 22:17-18:
17: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies; 18: And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice.
God makes this covenant with Abraham because
Abraham is obedient. Generations to
follow will not fair as well. This
covenant between God and Abraham is a SEED covenant and is sealed with
circumcision.
Genesis 17:8-10:
8: And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after
thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession; and I will be their God. 9: And God said unto Abraham,
Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their
generations. 10: This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you
and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
It is a covenant
associated with the loins of a man, a part of the physical that is important to
reproduction of the human species. We
as Christians are to be in spiritual union with Christ that we can have spiritual
reproduction in others being born again.
That is why God carried the covenant a step further with Israel.
Deuteronomy 10:16:
Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and
be no more stiffnecked.
The Sign of the
covenant has to do with the seed organ.
Has your’s been sanctified?
1Thessalonians:4:4:
That every one of you should know how to possess his
vessel in sanctification and honour;...
The ultimate
inter-galactic seed covenant goes to Christ:
Galatians 3:16:
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He
saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
Christ.
It is in Christ’s seed
of Abraham that all nations are blessed for it is through the seed of Christ
that we all can be born again and overcome the curse of sin. The primary avenue
for spreading this seed is God’s Written Word:
I Peter 1: 23:
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
That is why the first
piece of armour is the loin cloth. It
is to protect you from the seeds of doubt and falsehood.
As a believer in the seed of Christ,
being born again by the Word, you have a family responsibility to be actively
Sowing the seed covenant:
Mark 4: 14: The
sower soweth the word.
What the sower sows is
the same Word by which he himself was born again just as we physically pass on
the seed-genetics of our physical fathers. If you pass enough seeds sooner or
later some of them will be born into children and grow-up and hopefully
reporduce themselves.
Psalm 126:6:
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious
seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with
him.
Another area in the
loins category is your Mind:
I Peter 1:13:
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,
and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;...
A part of this armour
is soberness. A discussion of soberness
was given in Chapter Three : Elements of Sound Doctrine. Another part is hope. Suicide is the end result of complete
hopelessness. If the seeds of hope are
planted then the result of hopelessness can be overcome.
The area of the loins is a very tender
area which we give much attention to for protection. In sports the various sporting jocks use a variety of Jock straps
suited to the severity of the sport they are playing.
From our
Victorian-Puritan past for women we have the chastity belt for purity. We as seed-covenant believers should insure
we have the right tenderness toward other members of the family of the Holy
Child - Jesus.
Ephesians 4:32:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 6:14:
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
Loins with the Truth
of GOD the Father Almighty, and JESUS Christ His only Son our Lord, who was
conceived by the HOLY GHOST in accord with the written WORD of God, and by
which our TESTIMONY is to be judged:
God of Truth: Deuteronomy 32:4: He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are
judgment: a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is he
Jesus: I AM the Truth John
14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Holy Ghost teach Truth-John
15:26: But when the Comforter is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father, he shall testify
of me:
Word of Truth: John
17:17: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is truth.
Testimony as it is in
Truth Col:1:28: Whom we preach, warning
every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Put on your armour,
put on the loin cloth of God’s truth.
Verse 14: BREAST
PLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
This armour plate protects the Breast
- Heart - Lungs, and the Spirit. These
are the vital organs for maintaining your life. When soldiers and police officers engage in hostile warfare they
often wear a bullet proof vest. The
breast plate you wear needs to be “fiery dart resistant”.
The central organ needing protection
is the Heart:
Proverbs 4:23 -23:
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for
out of it are the issues of life.
What are the issues of
your life? They stem from your heart
which can not be trusted wholly.
Jeremiah 17:9:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it?
You may think you know
yourself or someone else, but be sure you can and are often deceived. We need God’s breastplate to protect us not
only from the enemy but from ourselves.
The Lungs function as a pneumatic
machine. Pneuma is the Scriptural word
for spirit. It is the air (breath) that God gave us that makes us living.
Genesis 2:7:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Take the breath away
and your body will soon die. Take the
spirit away and you will commit suicide.
To insure protection of this vital area you need to seek the protection
from God.
Psalm 42:1:
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after thee, O God.
As you seek the Lord
you will find His righteousness, and in that righteousness you will find devine
protection.
Righteousness - Law - JESUS -
Romans 8:1-10 -
1: There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit. 2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death. 3: For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness
of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4: That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. 5: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things
of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6:
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace. 7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8: So then they that are in the flesh
cannot please God. 9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be
that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his. 10: And if Christ be in you, the body is dead
because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Note that this armour has no back
plate. A back plate is only needed by
cowards because only cowards quit.
I Samuel 4:9:
Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye
Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to
you: quit yourselves like men, and fight. Quit like men and fight?
How do men quit? They
don’t. We as believing sons of God need
to put on His breast plate, and stand up and be counted.
I Corinthians 16:13 -13:
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith,
quit you like men, be strong.
It is a lot easier to
enter into war and face the enemy if you know you are well protected. Did you get dressed in God’s armour this
morning before you left your bedroom?
Ephesians 6, Verse 15: FEET SHOD
WITH GOSPEL OF PEACE
Feet were made to take you on a walk
to the places God would have you go; you wear shoes to protect your toes from
being stepped on, and to protect the sole of your foot from the hard rocks and
briers of the road you travel.
As you are traveling the path of God’s
choosing His shoes that you wear are His Gospel of Peace.
Romans 10:15:
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it
is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!
Do you have beautiful feet? Are you dressed in God’s combat boots? Are you prepared for the path of His
choosing to carry His Gospel of Peace to those walking along that path?
Isaiah 6:8:
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall
I send, and who will go for us? Then
said I, Here am I; send me.
Are you willing to go the path of His
choosing? Are you prepared for the road
with the Combat Boots of the Lord?
Matthew 28:19:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:...
Shod means to “put
on”. Colossians 3:10:
And have put on
the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him: 11: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond
nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 12: Put on
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness,
humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13: Forbearing one another, and
forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye. 14: And above all these things put on
charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15: And let the peace of God rule in
your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
This is active
participation on your part to take up these things, to take up this armour of
God and to put it on! So, polish off
your Gospel combat boots and put them on and get ready to go.
Gospel marching boots come in three
pieces and must be sewn together as one pair.
The three pieces are what you think, what you talk, and how you act.
Thinking patterns are
governed by Philippians 4:8:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are
pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Out of that thinking
process will come the words that make up your Talk.
Acts 20:27 -27:
For I have not shunned to declare unto
you all the counsel of God.
As you are marching
about in the Gospel combat boots of the Lord what you think and what you talk
must by all means match what you do as an Act.
II Thessalonians 3:7:
For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we
behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;...
The end result of a
proper combat thought process, followed by correct words and behavior acts will
lead to peace or war.
Isaiah 48:22:
There is no peace, saith the LORD,
unto the wicked.
Our Gospel is one of
peace with God or damnation. We, and/or
others, are often damned because we fall into lust instead of into step.
James 4:2:
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have,
and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
If you totally submit to the power and
leadership of the Lord and keep your combat boots on then they will keep you in
a proper peace.
Proverbs 16:7:
When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him.
Verse 17: HELMET OF
SALVATION
This is defensive armour for the
headquarters building. This is the
place where major decisions are made.
You better be sure you put this helmet on before you leave the
house.
This is the seat and
beginning of every imaginable thing. It
is therefore imperative that you protect yourself from any and all thought
patterns that are in opposition to the salvation of our God.
Again, this is a
defensive piece of armour that you have to put on. It is protection from wicked and evil thought patterns.
II CORINTHIANS 10:-4:
(For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds;) 5: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ;...
Philippians 4:7: We have already put on the combat boots of the Gospel of peace,
and it is that peace that will help our minds to be stayed on Jesus. With such a mind-set (Col. 3:2) we will be
capable of taking on the “strong holds” of the Adversary not only in our own
lives but also in the lives of others.
Get dressed!
Offensive Armour: shield and sword
OFFENSIVE ARMOUR IS
THE USE OF WEAPONS IN THE ATTACK ON THE ENEMY.
WITH WEAPONS YOU BECOME SKILLFUL.
II Peter 3:18:
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Peter commands us to
“grow up” in the areas of grace and knowledge.
Knowledge is what you know; grace is how you employ what you know. With Jesus as the “Captain of our Salvation”
we need to start our training camp with HisStory: i.e., Matthew, Mark, Luke,
John. Next time you read the Gospels
pay attention to the battle tactics of the Master Sergeant.
Your growth in these
areas of warfare is to begin on the day of your birth into this kingdom. You are to start drinking in His Word. This is project “Head Start” into the
kingdom of righteousness.
I Peter 2:2:
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby:...
As you grow and develop
into a spiritual warrior the loin cloth of truth that you girded on will come
in to use in the things you speak, and will add to your growth process.
Ephesians 4:15:
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him
in all things, which is the head, even Christ:...
There are some of you that have been
around for a long time and think that you are fit to teach and be in
leadership, but the truth is that many of you have not grown-up in spiritual
maturity -- you only have longevity.
You need to back up and take the position of Mary at the feet of Jesus
and/or one of His Spiritual Warfare Specialists.
Hebrews 5:12:
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one
teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13: For every
one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is
a babe. 14: But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,
even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern
both good and evil.
Verse 16: SHIELD OF
FAITH - QUINCH FIERY DARTS
The first weapon of offense with which
you need to become skilful is the shield of faith. This faith begins with JESUS.
Psalm 91:4:
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his
wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
This is preparation
for war. We are in immortal combat and
the enemy is the devil. We are forever
under orders to withstand in the evil day.
The word of the prophet is ‘
Jeremiah 46:3:
Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to
battle. 4: Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with
your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.
Orders to battle are
explicit through out the Spiritual Warrior’s Manuel -- God’s Word. Open its pages and increase your faith.
The Shield of Faith has two sides. On the one side is the faith that is IN Christ Jesus, and on the
other is the faith of Christ.
Galatians 2:16:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works
of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 3:22:
But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that
the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe 26:
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
The one is that which
we exercise when we get born into the kingdom, the other is the faith by which
we live and which we exercise as we conduct spiritual warfare.
I Timothy 3:13:
For they that have used the office of a deacon well
purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is
in Christ Jesus.
When we enlist a man
for the office of Bishop or Deacon we perform an examination of his total
Christian character and person. Over
time these are re-evaluated to maintain the standard of spiritual leadership
necessary for church warfare. Each of
us needs to make periodic spiritual evaluation for growth and combat
readiness.
II Corinthians 13:5:
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove
your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?
Examine self? Are you in?
Are you combat ready? Are you in
combat? Are you a casualty or a victor? Are you a patient or a paramedic? Pick up your faith and join the army of the
Lord.
The shield, if properly used, will
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one and all his cohorts - demonic or
human. The believer in Jesus has the
“all power” that Jesus passed on to them in the great commission. While angels may fear to tread we may inter
into combat in the name of the Lord.
Zechariah 3:2:
And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O
Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a
brand plucked out of the fire?
We may speak with the same
assurance of faith and authority.
II Corinthians 4:13:
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is
written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and
therefore speak;...
Ephesians 6, Verse 17:
SWORD OF THE SPIRIT - THE WORD
The Sword is a weapon, some are two
edged. Swords are for killing the
enemy, they are not for play. A
military ceremonial sword has little value as far as combat is concerned.
When you face the
enemy you want weaponry that is armour piercing. You want a weapon that will inflict fatal wounds. God’s Sword is such a weapon.
Jeremiah 47:6:
O thou sword of the LORD, how long will it be ere thou
be quiet? put up thyself into thy
scabbard, rest, and be still. 7: How
can it be quiet, seeing the LORD hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and
against the sea shore? there hath he
appointed it.
When you enter into
combat the enemy will try to misdirect your weaponry or get you to mis-use it
in a less effective way. When you begin
to witness for the Captain of our Salvation you will find some that will say to
you “be quiet”. Don’t let their cries
overpower you in the trenches.
Jeremiah 48:10:
Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD
deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
Inappropriate use or
mishandling of the Sword can cause a curse, especially if used deceitfully.
Hebrews 4:12:
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.
The proper use of this
Sword will divide between the soul and the spirit of a man. Such use of the Sword creates inner conflict
and causes the enemy to self-destruct.
Hopefully such wounding will lead to the person being recruited for the
Kingdom of Christ.
Such destruction by
the Sword, in the hands of a skillful warrior, is the result of the moving of
the Holy Spirit in the prophetic utterance.
II Peter 1:21:
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of
man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
It is only in the
power of the Spirit of God that we can win the war in this present evil world that
is under the control and dominance of the god of this world - Satan. One of Jesus’ final words to the disciples
was
Acts 1:8:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost
is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in
all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of
God which is Jesus:
John 1:1:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. 2: The same was in the beginning with God. 3: All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4: In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5: And the light shineth
in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The Word of God
was manifest in the flesh and dwelt
among us. Part of His prepetory
training for His earthly ministry was a direct confrontation with the
Adversary. Take note how He inflicts
wounds on the Devil with the Sword of the Spirit.
Matthew 4:1:
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of the devil. 2: And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungered. 3: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be
the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4: But he answered and said, It is written, Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God. 5: Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth
him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6: And saith unto him, 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. 7: Jesus said unto him, It is written
again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8: Again, the devil taketh
him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them; 9: And saith unto him, All these things will I
give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10: Then saith Jesus unto
him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship
the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11: Then the devil leaveth
him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.