The apostle Paul exhorts us, in Ephesians 6:17, to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Among the spiritual weapons shown to us by Paul, this is the only offensive weapon. Several verses in the Bible speak of this powerful weapon.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4

“He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” Psalm 107:20

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord! Teach me your decrees! With my lips, I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Psalm 119:9-16

“For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.” Psalm 33:4

“I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:9

The offensive weapon to drive away the devil is the Word of God. That is why every Christian must read and master the Word of God. It was by the Word of God that Jesus drove away the devil when he completed his days of fasting in the desert. Every time Satan tempted him by using the Word of God in a twisted way, Jesus responded with “it is written…”, using the sword of the Spirit to drive him away.

The mastery of the Word is even more necessary as we often have to face so-called “religious” demons who know the Word of God and use it to confuse those who do not master it, and sow doubt in their minds.

Knowledge of the Word is necessary because, even in attacks revealed in dreams during our sleep, the one who masters the Word of God can use the appropriate verses to fight the devil in their sleep. Knowledge of the Word should not be approximate, as in such conditions, demons are not afraid of it because it is ineffective.

Knowing the importance of the Word to overcome him, Satan uses the strategy of causing memory loss in those who want to memorize verses. In discussions with some people who come for deliverance, it is found that generally, those who have eaten sacrificed meats, “doua” cakes, foods sacrificed to idols during occult or funeral ceremonies have this problem of memorizing verses and should be delivered from it.

After his resurrection, Jesus walked with the disciples to Emmaus, showing them through all the Scriptures, starting from the books of Moses, everything that concerned him, thus demonstrating his mastery of the Word (Luke 24:27). We too should have verses in memory for every situation in life. These verses should be classified in our memory in the same way that we organize files and folders on a computer.

Master the Word of God! It is the only offensive weapon that drives away the devil.

This text is an extract from the book ” Spiritual Weapons ” written by Prophet Emmanuel SAWADOGO.