“For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, Nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them” (Psalm 44:3, NKJV).

We are not saved by our own sword, but by the arm of the Lord. This struck me this morning. It made me think of Jesus defeating Satan by the Word of God, and how Ephesians says we’re to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and how Jesus is the Word.

People try to win their battle, get back possession of the land by their own sword, by declaring phrases of Scripture, or phrases based on Scripture, as if that will bring the victory. But we aren’t saved by our own effort, and there are no magic words we can wave around like a sword to defeat our enemy.

We come before our enemy as David did, in the name of the Lord. We’re not picking up a Bible and waving it around. It’s not the sword of the Scriptures, but the sword of the Spirit. We come against our enemy in Jesus’ name, in the Spirit, letting the Spirit work in and through us His Word, to bring the victory.