God's Holy Fire: 'The Sword of the Spirit'

Friday, January 24, 2025

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
— Ephesians 6:17 NIV

Key Thought

The Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and the Spirit helps us understand the will of God (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). God's message of truth is much more than just the words of mere mortals; it is God's will given by his Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:8). Scripture has its origins in the Spirit of God, even though it was proclaimed by human messengers (2 Peter 1:19-21). In other words, I must not neglect the Scriptures as the word of God. They must be allowed to teach, rebuke, correct, train, and equip me to live the life of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I must allow the Spirit to use God's word to convict me and work on the attitudes of my heart as I am trained to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 4:12-13; Hebrews 5:11-14). Another important thing that catches my attention today is that I must "take" God's word. I must intentionally choose to pick it up, use it, and depend upon it, inviting the Spirit to lead me in the way of God!

Today's Prayer

Holy God, thank you for giving me your word in Scripture. Thank you for pouring out your truth through human messengers inspired by the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the work of the Spirit to convict and enlighten me through your word. As I seek your will in your word, I ask today that the Spirit be active and lead me in the way you want me to go. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Comments

Archived Facebook Comments

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Friday, January 24, 2025

A Year with Jesus
A devotional to help reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives.
'Joy at Finding What Is Lost'
"Dear Friend, In the verses today and the next two days, you will find three of My stories — often called parables — about lost things and..."
Praying with Paul
Features the apostle Paul's writings turned into daily, powerful prayers.
'Alive in Christ' (Ro. 6:1-5)
"Dear Father, God of grace, Shall I continue in sin that grace may abound? Never, never, never! May I never presume that being under grace is a..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'The Father's Delight in His Children'
"After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him...."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'Get Ready for Critics' (Acts 2:11-13)
"[In response to the coming of the Holy Spirit on Jesus' followers, the crowd responded:] "And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages....."

Illustration

Illustration of Ephesians 6:17 NIV — Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

About This Devotional

God's Holy Fire is a daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Thoughts and Prayer for God's Holy Fire are written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked MESSAGE are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

More God's Holy Fire

Translations