A Warrior's Katana.
For those of you who have visited my apartment in Melbourne, you would have noticed that I displayed a samurai sword by my bedside. It was positioned in a way that if someone were to break into my room, I would be able to immediately unsheath the sword and use it. Even if you didn't notice it, I'm sure I would have shown it off to you at some point or another (I can't resist showing it off..... I mean come on, it's a samurai sword replica from The Last Samurai!).
Once a while, I would actually take the sword in my hand, draw it out and pretend that I'm some noble samurai warrior from ancient times.
"Wow," I thought, "there was a time when men fought for their country and families with this very weapon in their hands..."
As I drew the sword from it's sheath slowly, I knew that if this sword was sharpened, it would be extremely deadly - a single edged sword. It's like....the sword served its true purpose when it is drawn - it would be a weapon ready for battle. However, if it was sheathed, it would remained ineffective in battle until it was drawn from it's sheath - it would fail to serve it's purpose.
You see, the sword is still there, and the power to kill is still there, but it is contained; restrained; supressed; protected.
One thing was for certain. When a samurai warrior goes into battle, he would have to remove his sword from it's sheath before it can be used to effectively strike an enemy. He could strike his enemy with his sheathed sword all he wanted, and it would not harm his enemy. Only until it is unsheathed would his enemy fear the warrior. It had to be unleashed first.
Ephesians 6:17 (NIV) says:
"And take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
The Bible states very clearly that we are in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12). Sorry people. You have an enemy out there, and he hates you even more especially when you are christian. It ain't always a merry go round - in fact its more like samurai warriors clashing in the battle scene of 'The Last Samurai'.
If we look at it from this context, it is imperative that a christian uses this 'sword', which is the word of God, as much as possible when needed. Yet it's surprising how many of us neglect it. It's like we have the sword, but it is still kept in it's sheath. We have the weapon to fight the enemy, yet we are unwilling, or ignorant in it's inability to be effective unless it is drawn. Why aren't we drawing our swords for battle?
Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) says:
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.Sounds like a good reason for christians to start drawing their under-used swords against the devil, isn't it?
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Ephesians 6:12 (Amp):
12For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
