Daily devotional, 18 April 2024 Fruit Ninja
"Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in him." Proverbs 30:5
One of the earlier game apps that I enjoyed playing was Fruit Ninja. For those who are not familiar with the game, it basically just lets the player slash the fruits flying out from the bottom. And as the game progresses, the fruits appear out of nowhere at a much faster pace, forcing the player to slash fruits much quicker, and strategize about which fruit to slash first so that nothing will go unslashed.
As followers of Jesus, we too, have a sword that could slash sin, negativity, fear, anxieties, and sadness from our system. It is called the “Sword of the Spirit,” and according to the Apostle Paul this is the weapon that we can use to fight the schemes of the enemy:
"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,"
Ephesians 6:17-18
The Sword of the Spirit is one of the elements of the whole armor of God that Apostle Paul talks about in his letter to the Ephesians. There he mentioned that followers of Jesus face real spiritual battles and only the Armor of God can help us survive such.
"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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," Ephesians 6:13-17
And indeed, the word of God helps us battle sins and the devices of the enemy. When we regularly feed ourselves the truth of God’s Word, our hearts tend to be more resilient from negative emotions, and the urge to sin. Since we know the truth, we are reminded constantly about sticking to it, and living our faith.
For a genuine believer these words spring out of the mind and the heart daily and more especially during stressful and trying times. The words can also be read in the person’s daily bible reading time, mentioned in an app or book devotional, randomly mentioned by a friend,repeated during a Sunday Sermon or group bible study or could even be heard in praise songs.
The bottomline is, the Lord gives us His words as assurances, so that we could endure the challenges that come our way.
"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Romans 15:4
And this is the reason why we are being encouraged to memorize bible passages. By meditating and trying to remember God’s words and His promises, we get to protect our hearts and minds from spiritual attacks that could derail us from living a peaceful life that is pleasing to God.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
Having our “sword of the spirit” ready to use and on standby does not only benefit us. It also helps us to encourage others. We can remind those around us who are feeling weak and depressed that they should lean on the truth of God’s word.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
Colossians 3:16
So how do we harness this weapon the Lord has made available to us? Simple. We should delight in His word. We should set aside time to read and reflect on it. Get together with others to study it. Worship and intently listen to weekly church sermons. When we show interest and delight in the word of God, our Savior smiles down on us. Because it is when we seek Him, will He reveal ourselves to us.
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:12-13
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Ephesians 6:10-20 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Do you try to read and memorize the word of God?
Conversation with the Lord: Almighty Father, thank you for giving me your words to lean on, especially during my most trying times. Please continue blessing me with the time and the opportunity to study and meditate on it more, so that I could have a ready response to any spiritual attack that I will face. Amen.