How often do you perform a checkup on yourself, not of your physical strength and stamina, or of your mental health, but of your Spiritual stamina, your ability to withstand the wiles of the devil? Do you check your armor to make sure it is in perfect condition, is your sword sharp, or is it in need of sharpening?
Many Christians believe that their greatest enemy is themselves, the battle to remain holy, to not fall into temptation, and to a degree that is true, we tend to wander off as sheep do, our nose to the grindstone, so to speak, concerned with the world and our place in it as much as the ego we tend to still carry around, our pride that needs to be filled, not just with personal accomplishments, but in that necessity to be noticed by others, at least in those areas that reflect well upon us.
The believer’s life is to be focused on the glory of God, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” (Eccl. 12:13) We, ourselves, are not to be the focus of our attention, we may not be last, but we are definitely not first, and this is the first place where that sword, the Word of God, that we are to have ready at all times (Eph. 6:17) begins to show signs of rust, of unuse.
Finding fault within ourselves is easy to do, for we are generally the last person we will forgive, even after we know that we have been forgiven by God through Christ, we still want to attempt to pay part of the penalty. It is a Roman Catholic trick, a major part of their cult, they call it penance, needing to perform some work that supposedly will absolve us from the sins of last week, when all we needed to do was confess them to the Lord. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
That is about the only place that many who profess Christ as Lord use their sword today, they pull it out of its sheath and point it at themselves, for to use it on another would be pretentious, judgmental and it might hurt their feelings.
The sword of the Spirit is meant to inflict damage, it is not there to spread lovely jam on milk toast Christians, its purpose is not to make people feel better, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12) It is why so many believers are in need of a Spiritual checkup on a regular basis, it is why their sword, the application of the Word of God in reproof and correction, has become dull.
Far too many today see all judging as judgmental, and so 2 Timothy 3:16 becomes a verse they would rather not hear, much less apply. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” They have decided to disobey the Lord instead of possibly offending anyone. “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” (Prov. 6:23)
The sword of many believers is more than dull, it is lost, or at best only pulled out when they feel a grievance towards themselves, when they feel the chastisement of self is more appropriate than asking the Lord to forgive them, accepting that forgiveness, and then moving forward on the path they are to be on. If you do not study to show yourself approved, (2 Tim. 2:15) you will never wield that sword of the Spirit effectually against anyone, not even yourself, but if you fear to reprove and correct a brother or sister in Christ in love with it when it is necessary, then there is no reason to ever pull it out of its sheath, for that is its purpose.
