A Song and a Sword!

The Psalmist tells us to resist our enemy with a Sword and a Song. “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” (Ps.149: 6-9 KJV) I have found, when reading the Psalms, that references to the enemies of the Psalmist should be applied to the enemy of my soul. The methods that the Psalmist used to overcome those moments of despair in his life, I can use to overcome the attacks of the enemy in my life. Many battles fought by the Psalmist were physical but mine will be spiritual. So, what is the remedy? What can I do to have victory in my life? The Psalmist tells me to have the high praises of God in my mouth. When I looked this up, to see if I understood what they were saying, the high praises of God simply mean to “exalt!” Exalt means to raise in rank or position. It is to honor or give more power. To exalt is to praise. When I have the “high praises” in my mouth, I am then exalting God in every way. I am declaring God to be the highest in rank or position in my life! By exalting God I am giving great honor to Him. The high praise recognizes God’s power and opens my life for His power to work. With the “high praises” of God in my mouth I am no longer putting the emphasis on the power and authority of my enemy. I am now putting the emphasis on the power and authority of my God! It is at this time that I need to continue to extol His greatness. I need to sing of His power, His love and His mercy which endure forever. Now is the time to give Him the most honored and authoritative position in my life. When I have the “high praises” of God in my mouth, I should say them aloud. To often we say our praises in our mind unless we are in a worship service or prayer meeting. However, let me again remind you. The enemy cannot hear what you think. He can only hear what you say aloud. To have an effect upon him he must hear you say the “high praises” aloud. The second part of the instruction is to have a “two-edged sword” in our hand. Take the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, in your hand and use it against your enemy. Pick up your Bible and read it aloud. Sing the words! Pray the scripture! Make it personal and direct it at your enemy! Hebrews tells us it is sharper than any two-edged sword but it is only effective when we use it. Many are the times in prayer that I like to speak the Word of God, to God, as a reminder of His promises. For example, I have used Proverbs 18:10 this way: “Lord you said that your name was a strong tower that the righteous can run into and be saved. I am trusting you for salvation! I am calling upon your name in my time of need!” Many are the times when I have used the Word of God, in prayer, to address my enemy. I have used 2 Timothy 1:7 this way: “Satan, God hasn’t given me the spirit of fear, but He has given me the Spirit of Power and of Love and of a Sound Mind! I am claiming that promise. I will no longer be open to your spirit of fear! I take authority over you and the spirit of fear, in the name of Jesus! I curse it and command it to leave! I loose the Spirit of Power, and of Love and of a Sound Mind upon my life right now, in Jesus Name!” The Psalmist tells us that when we use the high praises of God and the two-edged sword we are in authority. We can execute judgment upon our enemy. We can bind them and put them in chains of bondage. The enemy is rendered helpless, without power and authority! This is an honor or privilege that is given to all of the saints of God. I call it using the Song and the Sword! Too often we fail to use the authority that God has placed in our lives. We allow the enemy of our soul to torment us and make our lives miserable. If we are not careful, we begin to feel this is our lot in life. This is all we will ever know! However, this is not the will of God for our lives. It is the will or desire of God for us to be victorious over sin and the enemy of our souls. It is God’s desire that we know life to the fullest. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10 KJV)