Example In Spirit:
And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. ~ Luke 2:40
There was a time in my life when I wanted to be a good daughter, but found myself clashing with my parents a lot. I had a lot on my plate at that time, and was stressed out, not trusting that God knew what He was doing. When my parents asked me to do more than I thought I was capable of, I would go limp.
Though I would do what they asked, I often did it half-heartedly. It was one of those times when my spirit was willing, but my flesh was weak. I soon became very convicted and grieved over my attitude, and asked God for help. He gave me a couple of Scripture verses that I began to quote to myself whenever my parents told me something that I didn’t want to hear. One was John 3:30, a short easy one, that reminded me to humbly accept their criticism (which was always rightfully deserved) and reminded me that He wants me to have the attitude of a servant.
My spirit was weak, but God gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might, He increases strength. (Isaiah 40:29.) One of the ways He does that is through His Word.
1. The Pen Crafted The Sword That Is Mightier
Many times I have been convicted of the way I treat life. From the outside, one would have great reason to say that I live a great life - I have a godly family, live in the best state in the U.S. (in my opinion :D) am well educated, am able to pursue many personal interests and enjoy life’s happy moments all around me, daily. Because of this, I am often tempted to treat life like a playground.
But it's a battleground. Sin and I are at enmity - it’s trying to keep me from doing my duties in the kingdom, bringing glory to God. Sin is a ferocious enemy that tracks me down, sets traps for me, and jumps out of corners to tackle me. My great need is to have a strong spirit that can resist this monster and also discern when it needs to stand strong and when it needs to flee.
Remember the “Armor Of God” chapter, Ephesians 6? A thought recently occurred to me that the person who wears the armor of God, and has tested it in battle, is also a person strong in spirit.
The elements of the armor of God are these:
1) Truth
2) Righteousness
3) The Gospel of Peace
4) Faith
5) Salvation
6) Word of God
I was amazed to realize that all of these elements are based on the Word of God and prayer, getting to know Christ and becoming like Him, after we are saved by Him and have faith in Him.
Truth:
For example, what is truth? The Bible tells us - His Word!
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. ~ John 17:17
(Also, it says He is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and He is also called “the Word.” John 14:6, John 1:1. Therefore, He is the Word and the Truth, and He is found through His Word.)
Righteousness & Faith:
Righteousness seems to be often equated with faith in the Bible. (Philippians 1:11, 3:9, Romans 10:4, 1 Corinthians 1:30).
…Not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ~ Philippians 3:9
Righteousness is a gift from God that comes from God by faith, which is also a gift. (1 Corinthians 12:9, in context.) Once we have faith, we can produce righteousness. (Matthew 13:23)
The Gospel & Salvation:
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ~ James 1:21.
This verse (and others, such as 1 Peter 1:22) points out that God's Word has a role in saving souls.
The Word:
In essence, if you have the Word of God, you are also able to have all of the above mentioned elements of the armor of God. Of course, you will have to apply yourself diligently, become a workman of the word, rightly dividing the Word of truth (1 Timothy 2:15.) It’s not likely to happen if you just glance over His Word often. But if you give yourself to understanding His Word and to prayer, then truth, the way of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the reasons to have faith, and how to be saved will become clear. In other words, you don’t need to go anywhere else to look for these things. If you want the armor of God, truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, etc., the door and the key is found in God’s Word.
If you want to be STRONG IN SPIRIT, go to God's Word, where you will find and gain the elements of the armor of God.
The Word is the Sword of the Spirit, (Ephesians 6:17) and it is the intended weapon to battle against temptation.
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. ~ Hebrews 4:12.
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13
I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies. ~ Psalm 119:59.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. ~ Psalm 1:1-3
Practical Application: God inspired the men who held the pens that wrote the words that are the Sword that is mightier than temptation. :D Therefore, I encourage you to memorize that Word and get it hid inside your heart so that you can pull it out in the time of temptation. I commend the Bible Bee to you, but there are other ways of doing it too.
image found on the internet
~ To The Utmost Glory Of God ~
P.S. Speaking of Bible Bee, I'll be competing in the National Competition in just a couple of days! That is the reason I posted this today, as opposed to next week when I'll be gone. Prayers appreciated (mostly that I would make His strength my trust, and be able to get some sleep! XD) and I will be back soon enough to finish this series and post a recap. Be on the lookout for that! :D