February 26 2026

Thursday February 26

“Endure Hardship as a Good Soldier of Jesus Christ” 

Ephesians 6:17

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Today we are finishing our study of Ephesians 6:17—the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. As we share these final thoughts, we trust you have been encouraged to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:1, Paul told his son in the faith, Timothy, to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” So I encourage you—be strong in grace. This grace comes through humility, through confession of sin, through recognizing every moment your need for the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood to cleanse you, to help you, and to give you everything you need to be all that you should be for the glory of God. That is the grace of God—the unmerited favor of God. You do not deserve it, but you come humbly, asking for it. And my friend, when you resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Then Paul goes on to say in verses 2-3, “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Today, I want to encourage you to be a soldier who knows how to use the sword of the Spirit skillfully. You cannot use something skillfully unless you practice with it. You must take time to read the Word, to study the Word, to memorize the Word, to apply the Word to your life, and to share it with others. We also find that the Word of God helps us grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. That growth happens as we remain in the Word of God.

Another thing to remember is that the Word of God is what fuels reformation and revival in our churches. Think of Martin Luther in the 1500s. It was the Word of God—“The just shall live by faith”—from the book of Romans that stirred his heart to take a stand against the heresies being taught by the church in his day. If there is going to be reformation in the church, it will always come through the Word of God. The church has always been reformed and revived by God’s Word—not by entertainment, not by cleverness, not by the trends of the day, but by His holy Word. It is always the Word of God, which brings transformation, reformation, and revival to our personal lives, our churches, our homes, and our nation!

So how do we take up the sword? We take the helmet of salvation, and we take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. You must pick it up. You must choose to use it. You must carry it. You do that by reading God’s Word daily—every day (Matthew 4:4). You study the Word carefully. As you read, you ask questions: What does this mean? What is the context? What is God saying? How does this apply to my life today?

You memorize the Word, as we have discussed. You speak the Word out loud in faith. We read in Mark 11:23-24, that whatever you say in faith, believing, you will receive. That happens when you are praying the Word and the promises of God back to Him. Oh, how important that is. Then you obey the Word. You are not like a man building his life on sand; you are building on the foundation of the Word of God. Why? Because Jesus said the wise man is the one who hears His words and does them (Matthew 7:24-27).

My friend, let me give you a final of encouragement today from this passage in Ephesians 6:10-17: You do not have to live a defeated life. You do not have to be confused. You do not have to be tossed about by your feelings. God has given us everything we need to stand—the whole armor of God. And as we conclude with the offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, we are reminded again of its power. Take it up. Open your Bible. Believe what God says. Use the Word to fight temptation. Use the Word to resist lies. Use the Word to encourage others. Use the Word to witness and tell others who Jesus is. Most of all, use the Word of God in prayer. Spend time in prayer. We will see in the next verses the importance of prayer connected to the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

My friend, Satan cannot defeat you when you are standing armed in God’s Word. How wonderful that is—because he is dealing with a soldier who is equipped. So, take up the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit and by the grace that is given you in Christ Jesus, “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”.

Today, you can live a life of victory. “This is the victory that overcomes the world—even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

God bless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.