December 24, 2011
The Gift of the Sword of the Spirit
This Advent Daily Devotional is focusing on the gifts God gives us, as uncovered in the book of Ephesians.
There is an interesting story of the great evangelist and reformer, Martin Luther, who ultimately founded the Lutheran and Protestant faiths. There used to be a stain on the floor in his study at Wartburg Castle. When giving tours, the guide would remark that the stain occurred when Luther threw his ink bottle at the devil. You see in his later years, Luther was hounded by the enemy, and had seasons of depression and mood swings, which he called evil spirits.
In The Seal and Pledge of the Holy Spirit, Brian Allison reports:
The devil sought to discourage [Luther], by making him feel guilty, through rehearsing a list of his sins. When the devil had finished, Luther purportedly said, “Think harder: you must have forgotten some.” And the devil did think, and he listed more sins. When he was done enumerating the sins, Luther said, “Now, with a red pen write over that list, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.” The devil had nothing to say.[1]
Luther, threw ink at the enemy. It was his way of tangibly saying, “The word of God is stronger!”
It is perhaps easy to suggest that in Luther’s own defense against the enemy he was strongly influenced by Jesus himself. In both Matthew 4 and Luke 4 when Jesus was tempted by the enemy, Jesus was victorious because he threw words of scripture back at the devil.
Today’s gift is the only offensive weapon in the full armor, and that is significant. “… and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17
Continue reading Advent Day 24, The Gift of the Sword of the Spirit
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