It happened on Monday, and it was so obvious that it was almost laughable. If you have been following along, a few weeks ago there was an attack on our living arrangements, then an attack on our employment followed by an attack on our marriage. Now comes an attack on our children.
I have been watching a History Channel program on Vikings. It has taught me a good deal about close-contact warfare, the kind of warfare done with swords. In close-contact warfare, you can see the eyes of your enemy; you can feel their emotions and sense their fear.
There are times that you know you must do battle, knowing you will prevail because of the enemy’s fear. Battle you will win you will, but this is different than battling an enemy who is strong and confident of their victory.
To paint a picture, this latest attack regarding our children is like the enemy wildly swinging his sword, fearful of his death, but staying true to fight. At this point, you know the victory is certain as long as you skillfully wield the sword. Hollywood has depicted this scene many times, but the one that comes to mind is the sword fight scene with the six-fingered man and Montoya in Princess Bride.
In the early part of the fight, the six-fingered man has the advantage, but Montoya finds strength by repeating the saying, “I am Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die.” The sword of the Spirit is the word of God—Montoya’s saying if you will.
Montoya went into the fight confident that he would win. He had trained, planned, even dreamed of how he would defeat this enemy. Once in the battle, however, he came to the realization that this enemy was not going to lay down and simply die. It looked as though the enemy had the advantage, and he did. But instead of giving up and dying himself, Montoya began repeating the saying over and over. Each time he said it, the enemy recoiled, and strength pumped into Montoya’s heart, until, boldly he speaks the words, and defeats his enemy.
What a powerful picture of close-contact warfare; the same warfare used against the adversary, the devil. It is important to practice. It is also important to plan. It is most important to persevere, not losing faith when in the battle. The word of God does not fail, only those wielding it.
One of my favorite lines from the Starwars franchise is Yoda’s words, “Do or do not, there is no try.” You cannot “try” to wield the sword of the Spirit and hope to be successful. You must wield the sword of the Spirit, and thereby you will be successful.
This is the difference between a close personal relationship with the godhead, as opposed to a religious relationship with God. With one, you learn the word of God by being close to the God of the word. With the other, you learn some verses of the Bible by memorizing them. One is simply words—good words, God words even, but just words. The other is the sword of the Spirit, quick, powerful, and effective in defeating the enemy.