When participating in spiritual warfare, the Word of God is essential. It is essential not just for discerning what is “scriptural”, although that is extremely important, but it is a powerful weapon to use against the enemy. When confronting the enemy who is harassing, tempting, or afflicting you or someone else, the word of God is essential.

As the Olympics have been broadcast day after day in the past week or so, I have caught several fencing matches. Those who won gold were confident, aggressive, always moving forward, not hesitating to use their weapon. They were also practiced in the use of their sword so that most moves were familiar and automatic. We should wield the word of God against the enemy in the same way.

Paul tells us, when speaking about the armor of God, that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17). The writer of Hebrews also tells us that the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb.4:12). In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of Jesus and says, “In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword” (Rev.1:16). That picture of Jesus establishes him as one with great power and authority. His words leave his lips as a sword, saturated with power, as he judges his enemies.

In the wilderness temptation recorded in Matthew 4, Satan came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil always shows up when our strength (spiritual, emotional, or physical) is somehow depleted. We should anticipate that when we have endured a spiritually, emotionally, or physically exhausting season. We should stay focused on Jesus in those seasons and ask others to cover us with prayer. Satan approached Jesus after forty days of solitude and fasting. His energy levels were low and he had been without the encouragement of friends or family for over a month. Satan, believing Jesus to be extremely vulnerable, came to tempt him as he did the First Adam. Jesus fought back with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Jesus quoted scripture in response to every temptation of the enemy. The declared word of God accomplishes several things. First of all, the declaration reminds us of what and who is true. It reminds us of our standing in heaven and the power and faithfulness of God. It reminds us of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf and who we are in him. In addition, the declared word of God establishes authority. It is like waving a warrant in the face of a felon that establishes our position as the authorized representatives of God who have come to make an arrest.

The declared word of God gives us the moral high ground over the enemy. In essence, the word of God establishes God’s law over the enemy and makes it clear that we are present to enforce that law. As believers, our words carry authority and power when they are aligned with the Word of God. Quoting scripture ensures that alignment. In the spiritual realm, our words have substance and weight. But if our words have substance, how much more do the very words of God spoken from our lips. Again, we are told that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. I believe when we declare that word with faith and conviction it cuts and bruises the enemy. When we are confronting the enemy, declaring appropriate scripture has a powerful affect that afflicts and torments demons.

Declaring the authority of Christ over the enemy is a powerful use of the Word. Scripture is filled with such verses declaring that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth, that Jesus has a name above every name, that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, etc. In the wilderness temptation Jesus did not give chapter and verse, but simply said, “It is written… We can do the same when confronting unclean spirits. Satan obviously knows scripture and twists the meaning of God’s word as he tempts us. That means that we must know what God’s word truly says so that we will not succumb to Satan’s deception. Jesus resisted the devil with the Word and the devil left his presence knowing that his ploy was futile. We should resist in the same way.

Declaring scripture strengthens our own faith in the moment while it weakens the enemy and torments him. Demons do not always depart with the first command. If a stronghold exists, you may have to “assault the walls of the enemy’s fortress” more than once with numerous commands. Declaring the word of God over that person or a situation takes big chunks out of the walls of enemy strongholds.

Every believer should have a catalogue of scriptures on hand to wield against the enemy: scriptures that declare who Christ is, who we are in Christ, the defeat of Satan, the victory of the church, God’s willingness to heal and set captives free, the Lord’s immense love for us, and scriptures that defeat fear and temptation of every kind.

As believers and those to whom Jesus has delegated authority, our own words carry authority, but the very words of God from our lips, carry even more power and authority with which to defeat and torment the enemy. Make a list of scriptures, memorize them, and keep them handy. It won’t be long before you will find yourself dodging the thrusts of the enemy. That is when you will want to respond aggressively, skillfully, and confidently with the sword of the Spirit.   In the panoply of the armor God, that word is your offensive weapon. Use it often and well.