Gideon and 32,000 members of the army were totally out numbered from an army of over 100,000
Judges 7 Only 300 men remained to take on the army of 135,000 Midianite
It is God that gives the victory.
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Christian warfare
Sword is an offensive weapon
Sword in Biblical times - Gladius
Rhema - utterance
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Whole list of things in this verse
Word of God is living
Jas 1:18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. (EMTV) Exercising His will He begat us by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
(GW) God decided to give us life through the word of truth to make us his most important creatures.
Word of God is powerful
Sharper than any two-edged sword
Piercing even to the division of soul and spirit
Of joints and marrow
Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart
Jesus reaches for the sword -
Mat 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Mat 4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.
Mat 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
Mat 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.' "
Satan also uses the Written word of God -
Mat 4:5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple,
Mat 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU,' and, IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' "
Jesus parries-
Mat 4:7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD.' "
Satan counters -
Mat 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
Mat 4:9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
Jesus thrusts -
Mat 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.' "
Mat 4:11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Deu 8:3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
Points to Ponder -
Satan misapplies scripture
Jesus utilizes the Word of God
The Word of God goes straight to the heart of the matter.
2Ti 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,
2Ti 2:18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
We are all going to heaven when we die. Where is the scripture that talks about this ?
The laws have been done away with since Christ's death. Where is this written.
The Old Testament is not pertinent it can be thrown out.
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
1Co 10:2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
1Co 10:3 all ate the same spiritual food,
1Co 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
1Co 10:5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
1Co 10:6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
1Co 10:7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY."
1Co 10:8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;
1Co 10:9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;
1Co 10:10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
If God says there are things in the Old Testament that are our examples, I will not listen to someone who says that the Old Testament can be thrown away.
2Ti 3:14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
2Ti 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
It takes all of the written scripture all of the Word of God to make us complete.
Without all of it, we begin to wrongly divide the truth of God.
2Co 2:17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
(ASV) For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.
(ERV) Certainly not those who are out there selling God's message for a profit! But we don't do that. With Christ's help we speak God's truth honestly, knowing that we must answer to him.
2Co 4:2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
How are we doing with the sword of God?
God says we need to remain humble when we have an encounter.
1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
1Pe 3:16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
Satan is planning the next attack. We don't know where it is going to come from. It will. Will we be ready?
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
This can show us what is wrong in us.
Our own temptations
Love our neighbor as we love ourselves
Complaining
Quit, give up
IT IS WRITTEN!!! Once you put your hand to the plow, keep going forward.
Discerner of the intents of our own hearts.
2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
2Co 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
2Co 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Jas 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
Jas 1:24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
Show me my secret sins. God please examine me.
Duty to use His word to discern the truth. All powerful
We are truly engaged in a war. We will be until our bodies lie in the grave.
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