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In terms of offensive weapons necessary for the spiritual battle, the Sword of the Spirit is by far a Christian's most valuable. Combined with fasting, prayer, praise and worship, the Sword of the Spirit has the power to thwart all the plans of the enemy, and to turn what appears to be a losing battle into a major victory for the Kingdom of God.

According to Ephesians 6:10:17, the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. This is confirmed many times in the Bible, including 2 Timothy 3:16 that says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." In fact, the New International Version of the Bible says that Scripture is 'God-breathed,' which means it is from the mouth of the creator. And there is no doubt that when God speaks, things happen.

What many Christian do not understand when it comes to spiritual warfare is that they must wield the Sword of the Spirit to win each battle. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word 'wield these ways:

• To deal successfully with: manage
• To handle (as a tool) especially effectively
• To exert one's authority by means of influence or to have at one's command or disposal

With these three defining statements, it is easy to see that that the sword of the Spirit must be managed and handled properly in order for it to be effective. In addition, a Christian must exert their authority and have the sword of the Spirit available at their command.

Like other Christian principles, Jesus is the best model for wielding the sword of the Spirit when resisting temptation and thwarting the plans of the enemy. The story in Matthew 4:1-11 describes exactly how Jesus responded to temptation when he was alone with Satan in the wilderness.

Each time Satan tempted him, Jesus responded with the written word of God.

• Verse 4: "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
• Verse 7: "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"
• Verse 10: "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

In verse 11, the devil leaves, realizing that Jesus was not about to give in to his temptation. And it says that immediately, angels came and ministered to him. In other words, Jesus fought a spiritual battle while he was fully man. It took its toll, but Jesus resisted the devil and thwarted evil plans. This is the model for all Christians.

In order to wield the sword of the Spirit, Christians must know the word, they should get revelation and rhema, and they should be able to quote Scriptures when the battle gets tough. With daily Bible reading and putting on the whole Armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-18, believers will resist temptation, thwart the plans of the enemy and win a victory. Best of all, the devil will leave a loser.