A sword is generally seen as a weapon that is used to vanquish foes and smite enemies.  In Ephesians chapter six, Paul writes to the Ephesians about the whole armor of God, including the Sword of the Spirit.  Just as there are two sides to every blade, there are two sides to the Sword of the Spirit.  One function is offensive in nature and the other defensive.  It is often this defensive function that gets overlooked.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:16 that we have a     “shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.”  But the shield cannot protect us alone.  Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  The shield of faith will be defeated unless strengthened by the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.  James says in chapter two and verse seventeen of his letter that “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  Believing alone cannot save us.  It takes a working knowledge of the word of God to prepare us for the onslaught of the devil.  2 Timothy 3:16-17, “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” We cannot be complete unless we are able to wield the sword of the Spirit to its fullest extent.  Like everything in life that one is good at, wielding the sword comes with practice.  In Deuteronomy 11: 18-21 Moses tells the children of Israel to “lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which Jehovah sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.”  God has always wanted his people to know his word.  When the children of Israel heeded this advice and studied and knew God’s commands they followed after him and God caused them to prosper because of it.  But when God’s law was forgotten then the nation strayed from God and he delivered them into captivity.  If the word of God is not frontlets between your eyes, sin begins to look more appealing and the likelihood of being enticed by one’s desires is greater.  When Jesus was tempted in the garden it was not faith alone that fended off the devil but the word of God.  Matthew 4: 3-4, “And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”  Jesus’ knowledge of the word allowed him to deploy the proper defense and withstand the temptation that the devil threw at him.  When Paul writes the letter to the Ephesians he explains that the purpose of putting on the whole armor of God was so that they “may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  We cannot attack the devil himself but we can stand against him and oppose him.  The sword of the Spirit is a piece of our armor that enables us to stand.  Without it the devil will overtake us and we will be lost.  I hope that we all have the same desire as Paul did for the Philippians in chapter 2; that everyone “holds forth the word of life” so that in the day of Christ we did not run nor labor in vain.