Have you ever felt powerless to control the spiral of thoughts, worries, or fears that consume your mind on a regular basis? I went through this for years, feeling hopeless that I couldn’t do anything about them. It felt like I had no control over my actions. It’s so frustrating wanting to make positive changes, but feeling powerless to do so.
It wasn’t until I learned that I wasn’t so powerless as I felt. In Christ, we have both the ability and the authority to resist the spiral that we find ourselves in. And finally walk in courageous victory.
We have the authority to change our thoughts from the negative to the positive. We have access to a very powerful weapon called the Sword of the Spirit.
Hebrews 4:12 tells us,
“For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
And 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us,
“For we walk in the flesh, we don’t wage war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is a alter againest the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Messiah.”
These 2 passages tell us the Bible was never meant to be a passive outdated book sitting on a dusty shelf. But our Bible are active weapons of warfare that we can use powerfully and courageously in the fight against Satan and his schemes against us. Both as defensive and offensive weapons.
We can use this Sword of the Spirit to guard our hearts and any attack Satan throws at us. And that includes attacks of our minds. The fact is that we are in a war whether we like it or not.
This is how I changed my life time of negativity to positivity. I learned how to use the Sword of the Spirit to fight back against the negativity that had taken over my life since I was a small girl.
Just like owning a physical sword won’t protect your home against intruders on its own, simply owning a Bible won’t protect your soul against satan’s attacks if you don’t use it. They are tools that need to be put to good use.
We can learn a great deal by listening to sermons, reading books or reading this article, nothing compares to getting into God’s Word yourself.
You need to get in the habit of reading the Bible regularly. And studying the scriptures by moving beyond a simple level reading is necessary to learn on a deeper level. The Word of God is full of great wisdom, knowledge, and insight. The more you learn, the more effectively you can wield the Sword of the Spirit in your life.
The one area that most people fall into trouble is the knowledge of who the Bible says we are, and then not believing that it is true.
For example the Bible says:
- You are loved – Colossians 3:12-25
- You are forgiven – Ephesians 1:7
- You are a new creation – 2 corinthians 5:17
- You are more than a conqueror – Romans 8:36
- You are victorious – 1 Corinthians 15:57
- You are fearfully and wonderfully made – Psalm 139:14
Whether or not you feel like these statements are true, they are true because God says they are. The same God who created the heavens, and the earth, and everything else with nothing more than the power of His spoken Word can also create miracles in you through that same spoken Word.
We can trust that God’s Word about us is true, and we can walk courageously in that truth, even when doing so feels difficult or uncertain.
When have you apply the Word of God to your life if you want to see meaningful change.
We have to ask ourselves on regular basis these questions and answer them honestly:
- Am I united with Jesus or at least working toward that direction?
- Do I receive comfort from Jesus’s love, or am I seeking love elsewhere?
- Am I tender and compassionate?
- Do I seek to be like minded with others with the same beliefs or do I cause drama and disagreement?
- As I self centered or conceited
- Do I consider myself better than others?
- Do I always insist on what I want, rather than taking other’s needs and preferences into account?
God doesn’t like haughty people. Don’t feel bad if you have some room for improvement. We all do! But this is the power of the sword. We always need to work towards being more like Christ.
When we read the Bible the Holy Spirit speaks to us directly, letting us know where we are and where we are going astray.
Once we know what the Word of God says, it’s up to us to put it into practice in our lives.
When we learn the promises God gives we can begin to stand on them.
When we start having negative thoughts we can say these promises to ourselves to replace the negative thoughts with positive ones.
- I am a child of the Most High King – Psalm 82-6
- God strengthens me when I am weary – Isaiah 40:31
- God has redeemed me – Colossians – 1:13-14
- God gives wisdom to those who ask – James 1:5
- God will fight for me – Psalm 35:1
- My old self is dead – Romans 6:6
- God will set me free – John 8:36
God doesn’t promise us that life will be easy, comfortable, or convenient. But He has given us a powerful weapon to guard our hearts and minds no matter what trials or troubles we face. The Sword of the Spirit.
It’s up to us to use it courageously
From Pity to Praise 