The word of God is the breathing out of God, and we as a man of God need to come to the word by means of all prayer and petition to receive the breath of God into us and also receive the word of God as the sword of the Spirit to slay God’s adversary.
Because God has an enemy, and this enemy is intimately related to the fulfilment of God’s purpose and to us, the word of God has both a positive and a negative function in our being and in this universe.
First, the word of God is our food, our drink, and our breath; we come to God’s word to eat the Lord, drink Him, and breathe Him in.
Second, the word of God is the sword of the Spirit to slay the enemy of God in the air and in particular to slay God’s adversary in our being.
We have seen that 2 Tim. 3:16 says of God’s word as being God-breathed; we need to breathe in the breathed-out word of God.
As we pray-read the Word of God, as we mix the word of God with our prayer, prayerful consideration, singing, speaking, and praising, the Word of God is internalized into our being, and we have the Lord as the living word in us.
Then, throughout the day this living word will speak to us. Many times we may feel that the Lord is not speaking to us or that we don’t know how to get His leading.
The answer is very simple: we need to come to the Lord in His word.
We may read from any book in the Bible, as long as we pray-read the word, for the word of God is living and operative.
Even more, if we internalize the word of God by reading and praying over the word, the Lord as the Word will dwell in us, abide with us, and be with us.
Then, as we do this and that, He will speak to us.
His speaking is mainly to reveal Christ to us and also to show who we are and what we are.
On one hand, we see Christ and we appreciate Him, and we see God’s economy and are captivated by the vision of the eternal economy of God.
On the other hand, in a subjective and specific way, the Lord shines on us to expose our mistakes, failures, and wrongdoings. He corrects and adjusts us from within.
If we cooperate with His inner adjusting, He will also instruct us in righteousness, that is, He will teach us subjectively how to live Christ as our righteousness.
This is our experience of Christ according to His word in our daily life.
May we be those who remain in God’s word and, no matter what happens, always take time throughout the day to pray-read the word of God.
When the Constant Word in the Bible becomes the Living Instant Word of God, that Word is the Spirit as the Sword to Kill the Adversary
![And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which [Spirit] is the word of God, By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints. Eph. 6:17-18](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/And-receive-the-helmet-of-salvation-and-the-sword-of-the-Spirit-which-Spirit-is-the-word-of-God-By-means-of-all-prayer-and-petition-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which [Spirit] is the word of God, By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit and watching unto this in all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints. Eph. 6:17-18")
One aspect of the word of God is that it is the sword of the Spirit. To receive the word of God as the breath of God in order to be constituted with God is to receive the Word of God as the sword of the Spirit in order to slay God’s adversary (see Eph. 6:17-18).
On the positive side, we enjoy the Lord as the living water, the nourishing spiritual food, and the living breath as we come to the Word of God with the exercise of our spirit.
On the negative side, the word of God as the breath of God also becomes the sword of the Spirit, even the Spirit as the sword to kill the adversary.
Satan is God’s enemy and also our enemy.
We may think that Satan attacks us from the air or from outside of us, for there is so much evil in today’s society and at work, etc.
But Satan is not only the enemy outside of us but also the adversary inside of us.
On one hand, we need to deal with the enemy in the air and stand against his attacks.
On the other hand, Satan is not just in the air but he’s in our flesh, in our very being.
For us to deal with this inward adversary, we need to experience the killing power of the word of God by praying over the constant word of the Bible so that it becomes the instant word of the Spirit (John 6:63; Eph. 5:26; Rev. 2:7).
The Word of God is the Bible; however, if we only have the printed letters in the Bible in our hand or memorized in our mind, the Word cannot be the Spirit or the sword.
The word of God needs to become living, instant, and spoken to us; the Greek for “word” in Eph. 6:17 is rhema, the instant word spoken at the moment by the Spirit in any situation.
We need to take the logos, the written constant word in the Bible, and convert it into the living word, the instant word that the Lord speaks to us.
It is the rhema word of God, the living word of God spoken to us by Him, that can become the sword of the Spirit to kill the adversary.
Merely reading the Bible may not give us the Spirit as the sword; it is by praying and opening to the Lord from deep within that the logos word of God will become the spoken word, the living instant word of God, who is the Spirit as the sword to kill the adversary within us.
We have three things here: the Word, the Spirit, and the sword; these three are one.
The word of God needs to become the Spirit as the living instant word of God, and this Spirit is the sword to slay the enemy.
![It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63 That He might sanctify her, cleansing [her] by the washing of the water in the word. Eph. 5:26](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/It-is-the-Spirit-who-gives-life-the-flesh-profits-nothing-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63 That He might sanctify her, cleansing [her] by the washing of the water in the word. Eph. 5:26")
Day by day we need to come to the Lord in His word and convert the word into the Spirit, the living word of God, the instant spoken word of the Spirit, so that we may be not only nourished but also have the enemy exposed and slain within us.
We all love to come to the word of God and be nourished by the Lord; He is so rich and so sweet to us in His word, and He not only sanctifies us and renews us but even more, He nourishes us with His word.
But at the same time as the nourishment comes into us, there’s also the sword of the Spirit.
We may think that the sword of the Spirit is to defeat the enemy in the air so that he does not attack us, and that is correct; however, the main function of the sword of the Spirit is to slay the adversary within us.
Satan is not just outside of us; he’s also the adversary within us.
There are many things that bother us, hinder us, and hold us back, and stumble us in our being.
The word of God needs to become the sword of the Spirit to slay the adversary within us.
It is good to ask the Lord to teach us how to convert the written word of God into the living word of God so that we may take the constant word in the Bible and have it become the spoken instant word of God as the sword of the Spirit to defeat and kill the adversary within us.
Lord Jesus, we want to receive the word of God as the breath of God in order to be constituted with God and defeat the enemy. Amen, Lord, we exercise our spirit to come to Your word so that the constant word in the Bible becomes the instant spoken word of the Spirit. Have mercy on us, Lord, and save us from merely knowing the letter of the Bible but not obtaining the Spirit and life in the Bible. Save us from merely knowing the doctrines and teachings in the Bible but not having the Spirit embodied in the Word of God. Teach us, dear Lord, how to convert the constant word of the Bible into the instant word of the Spirit. We want to learn how to read and pray the Word of God so that it becomes the rhema word, the living word, even the Spirit as the sword to slay the adversary within us. Oh Lord, may we see that Satan is not just the enemy outside of us but even more, he’s the adversary within us. May we realize the need for the slaying of the enemy by the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the Word of God!
Take the Word of God by Means of All Prayer in Spirit to Experience its Killing Power
As believers in Christ, we realize that the enemy attacks us, and most of his attacks are not from outside of us but from within us.
The enemy’s flaming darts come not from without but from within, for he is the adversary within us.
On one hand, we need to face the enemy outside of us; on another hand, we need to slay the adversary within us.
When the constant word in the Bible becomes the instant word – the applied word spoken at the moment by the Spirit in any situation, that word is the Spirit as the sword that kills the adversary.
Heb. 4:12 says that the word of God is living and operative, sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of the soul and spirit.
In our experience we realize that the worst enemy is the self, for Satan is embodied in the self (Matt. 16:18, 24).
It is not the objective enemy that bothers us but the subjective adversary, the self, our own inner being.
Because the self is our greatest enemy, we need to experience the killing power of the word of God.
When we pray-read the Word of God, when we take the word of God by means of all prayer in spirit, we will experience the killing power of God’s word.
We may have doubts about the Lord or about the church life, or we may have hatred toward certain persons; all these are killed by the word of God as the sword of the Spirit.
We may be jealous of certain people or we may be full of pride concerning what we are and have; all these will be slain by the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God.
We may be selfish and care only for what concerns us and our family; when we take the word of God by means of all prayer in spirit, we will experience the killing power of the word.
A brother may have a problem with his wife and may be unable to forgive her or love her; when he prays over God’s word and takes in the word by means of all prayer, the Lord will be his patience, forgiveness, and love toward his wife.
The more we take in the word of God by means of all prayer and petition in spirit, the more the word will be the Spirit with a sharp two-edged sword to divide the spirit and the soul and slay the adversary within us.
Eventually, the self will be slain by the word of God which has become the sword of the Spirit.
The more we take the word of God by means of all prayer in spirit, the more the negative elements in our being are slain.
Eventually, the self – who is the worst foe of all and the enemy of the Body – will be put to death (Rev. 1:16; 2:16).
The only way that we can be kept in the church life without being offended is by means of the word of God becoming the sword of the Spirit to slay the adversary within us.
There are so many things that happen in the church life, and the enemy has a way to use events, words, and things that happen to cause us to be offended, hurt, and backsliding.
But when we pray-read the word of God, the adversary within us is slain.
If we do not read and pray over God’s word daily, even many times during the day, so many problems will arise and will get to us; we may even consider giving up meeting with the saints or being a Christian, for there is this problem and that brother offended us, etc. Oh, Lord!
![And He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword; and His face [shone] as the sun shines in its power. Rev. 1:16 Repent therefore; but if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war with them with the sword of My mouth. Rev. 2:16](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/And-He-had-in-His-right-hand-seven-stars-and-out-of-His-mouth-proceeded-a-sharp-two-edged-sword-683x1024.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "And He had in His right hand seven stars; and out of His mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword; and His face [shone] as the sun shines in its power. Rev. 1:16 Repent therefore; but if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war with them with the sword of My mouth. Rev. 2:16")
Whenever we’re troubled by something negative within us, we need to not try to solve that problem or find the solution to that situation but take the word of God by means of all prayer in spirit.
When the negative things in us are killed through pray-reading, the Lord is victorious, and we are also victorious.
Many times we think that, based on our experience and wisdom that we accumulated throughout the years, we can solve our problems and we can deal with the offenses and hurt in the church life.
But the only solution is to come to the Word of God and take it by means of all prayer in spirit.
Someone may come to us with a certain situation or an offense, and we may be tempted to help them to see the others’ point of view or the other side of the story, all of which sound so good.
But the only help we can render others is to bring them to pray-read the word of God, for the word of God nourishes us and is a feast to us, and at the same time the living word of God becomes the sword of the Spirit to slay the adversary within us.
We cannot defeat the adversary within us who keeps bothering us; we can only be equipped and armed against him by pray-reading the Word of God.
Every day and in every kind of situation, we should pray-read the Word of God.
When anything negative troubles us, instead of trying to deal with it and “get to the bottom of it” we should simply read and pray the Word of God so that the Spirit would become a sword slaying the adversary within us.
Lord Jesus, we want to take the Word of God by means of all prayer in spirit today. May all the negative elements in our being be slain by the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God. Oh Lord, we cannot fight against the adversary within us by ourselves, for he is too strong. We don’t want to solve the problems and do things to improve ourselves. We simply come to You in Your word. We exercise our spirit to pray and read the word of God so that the word becomes the living word of God as the sword of the Spirit to slay the adversary within us. Remind us, Lord, to take the word by means of all prayer in spirit especially when we are troubled by something negative within us. May all negative things in us be killed through pray-reading the Word of God so that the Lord may be victorious and we also may be victorious! Amen, Lord, gain the victory in us! Be the victorious One in our being! Hallelujah for the Word of God!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 797-799, by Witness Lee, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Being a Vessel unto Honor, a Fully Equipped Man of God, by being Empowered in the Grace which is in Christ Jesus to Fully Accomplish our Ministry in the Unique Ministry of God’s Economy (2024 April ITERO), week 5, Being a Fully Equipped Man of God by Inhaling and Exhaling the Word of God as the Breath of God.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– Receive the Word with Faith to Get Ready, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– Slaying religion with the sword of the Spirit, a portion from, The Revelation of the Mystery, Chapter 10, by Witness Lee.
– Two Important Greek Words in the Bible: Logos and Rhema, via, Bibles for America blog.
– Setting our mind on the spirit, article by Ed Marks via, Affirmation and Critique.
– Prepare by Praying the Word in Spirit, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– Two keys – the Spirit and the Word, a portion from, Christ versus Religion, Chapter 7, by Witness Lee.
– Enjoyment from Life-Study of Genesis: Messages 21-23 via, Living to Him.
– What is to Eat God’s Word? Read more via, The Hearing of Faith.
– The Bible Is Our Spiritual Food, via, Bibles for America blog.
– Why Read the Bible? To Slay God’s Adversary! More via, Holding to Truth in Love. - Hymns on this topic:
– Do you hear them all pray-reading, / Breathing in the living Word? / Praying, praising, drinking, feeding, / How they all enjoy the Lord! / ’Tis the local church, the church God has chosen, / Where all the saints dwell as one! / ’Tis the local church, the church God has chosen, / Where all the saints dwell as one! (Hymns #1257 stanza 3 and chorus)
– The name of Jesus is our stand, / It is our victory; / Not on ourselves do we rely, / But, mighty Lord, on Thee. / Our weapons are not arms of flesh, / But ours the Spirit’s sword, / And God’s whole armor putting on, / We battle in the Lord. (Hymns #887 stanza 1)
– The vict’ry’s won! We’ve overcome the enemy. / The Word of God we boldly testify. / God speaks His Word—in it there’s life and liberty— / And by the Word the devil we defy. (Hymns #1289 stanza 2)
About aGodMan
Life-study of Ephesians, 2nd ed., pp. 533-534, by Witness Lee
On one hand the word of God nourishes us and on the other, it is the sword of the Spirit to slay the adversary within us.
When we pray-read the Word of God, it becomes the living word, even the operative word, and it works in us to kill the adversary and terminate all its problems.
The self is the greatest enemy; we can experience the killing power of God’s word by praying over the word, and the self is slayed.
Praise the Lord! 🙌😃🙋🏼.
Dear brother, when we pray-read the word of God the constant word becomes the instant, applied word to kill the inward adversary – the negative elements within us.
Then Christ is victorious in our experience and we also are victorious.
Whenever we are troubled in any situation, we need to receive the sword of the Spirit – the sword, the spirit, and the word being one – to slay the enemy within and to put to death the self – the worst enemy of all.
Amen brother! Lord we pray that your word becomes the sword of the spirit
Amen, brother, praise the Lord, we take the word through prayer reading, and it works in us through praying over the words, killing the adversary within us.
may we be those who persevere in prayer.
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08/23/24 Being Fully Equipped Man of God by Inhaling and Exhaling the Word of God as the Breath of God (Week 5, Day 5)
“To Receive the Word of God as the Breath of God in Order to Be Constituted with God is also to Receive the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit in Order to Slay God’s Adversary: (Part 1) Whenever We are Troubled by Something Negative within Us, We Should Take the Word of God by Means of All Prayer in Spirit”
Ephesians 6:17b says, “… the sword of the Spirit, which Spirit is the word of God,” Many of the believers find it easy to understand how the Word of God enlightens them. Some believers might also experience the Word of God, bringing revelation to them, convicting them, correcting them, and instructing them in righteousness. But the majority of the believers find it difficult to understand Ephesians 6:17b, telling us that the Word of God can become a killing sword to deal with God’s enemy.
We must realize that God’s enemy, Satan, is not only the objective enemy outside of our being but also the subjective adversary inside of our being. Satan, as the subjective adversary, exists within us; in fact, he is in our “flesh” (body corrupted with sin) and in our “self” (soul contaminated with sin in the flesh). Therefore, to deal with Satan, we need to engage in a spiritual warfare that deals with him, both as the objective enemy outside of us and the subjective adversary who is within us, in our flesh and in our self.
The Bible, as God’s speaking, is the breathed-out Word of God. There are two aspects of the Word of God:
1.) Logos ~ the constant word in the Bible, which is outside of us, and
2.) Rhema ~ the instant Word spoken at the moment by the Spirit within our mingled spirit.
Ephesians 6:18 continues to say, “By means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time in spirit…” The expression all prayer in verse 18 refers to all kinds of prayer, including silent prayers, loud prayers, long prayers, short prayers, personal prayers, corporate prayers, and so forth. It does not refer to only one kind of prayer but to all kinds of prayer. Furthermore, verse 18 speaks not only of prayer but also of petition. Prayer is general, whereas petition is specific.
Ephesians 6:17-18 is a strong basis showing the way to receive the word of God. The word of God is the Spirit, the Spirit is the sword, and the way to receive the word is by means of all prayer and petition. We need to receive the word of God, which word is the Spirit and the sword, by means of all prayer and petition. Hence, in order to receive the word of God, it is not adequate to merely read the Bible. Instead, we need to take the word by means of all prayer and petition. This is to pray-read the Word.
The Word of God can become an offensive weapon, that is, a killing Sword, only by pray-reading and praying the Word. By pray-reading and praying God’s Word, we are not only being nourished but also being washed and scraped off of the negative elements in our being.
We need to continually breathe in the “logos,” the written Word of God, by pray-reading and praying on the Word with our mingled spirit. Spontaneously, the “logos” Word will become the “rhema” word; that is, the objective written Word will become the subjective instant and living Word when prayed with our mingled spirit. The living Word will thus become the applied Word to operate into our soul to surgically remove the negative elements in our mind, emotion, and will.