Videoclip of the young Tiger Woods and his father.

Hold this image of the young Tiger with his father standing behind him. The father’s hands on the Young Tiger’s hand instructing him how to hold the club, how to raise it and how to swing. Above all, how to stand.

Now, listen to the words of the Apostle and tell me if you see a parallel between Tiger and His Father & Timothy and his Spiritual father Paul.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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In Ephesians 6, Paul tells believers to

“Take up the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” To take up, is more than the simple act of picking up something.

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When someone says, “I’m taking up a sport, trade, hobby, a musical instrument, etc”, they are talking about learning, studying, training and above all mastering the skill it takes to become good at it—to produce desired results.

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Taking up the Sword of the Spirit involves training:

You find this aspect of “taking up the Word” over and over again throughout the Bible—Psalm 1; 119.

Training is so important:

Tiger’s success came from “muscle memory”

What is muscle memory?

· The dictionary defines muscle memory as “the ability to repeat a movement without thinking about it, as a result of doing it over and over and over again.”

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· When we practice a new movement over and over again, we are literally “trenching” a new neural pathway within our central nervous system. Neuroplasticity—the mind has the ability to change—become new.

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With enough practice, the movement begins to get easier. We don’t have to think about what we’re doing–we sort of just do it. This happens not only because we are gaining strength, stamina, and flexibility, but also because we are gaining body awareness, motor control, and neuromuscular efficiency. Muscle memory is a process of renewing your mind to make the brain/body connection stronger, faster and more accurate.

“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Proper Practice makes perfect.”

Listen to the words of Paul to Timothy in the 2 Tim. 2:15

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Another translation says…

Concentrate on doing your best for God...

· If you “learn” (practice) a movement again and again improperly (e.g., repeatedly squatting with bad form), then you’re “teaching” your muscles and nervous system that this is how you should move–even if the movement itself is potentially unsafe or inefficient.

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We don’t pray as we ought to, but the Spirit Himself helps us in our weaknesses. In the same way the Spirit [comes to us and] helps us in our weakness. We do not know what prayer to offer or how to offer it as we should, but the Spirit Himself [knows our needs and at the right time] intercedes on our behalf with sighs and groanings too deep for words. Romans 8:26 Jesus, the Logos became flesh, to show us the way of the Sword:

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—Luke 2:49, “I must be about My Father’s business (in my Father’s house).”

--Luke 4:16

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,

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His custom was to pray…

— facing temptations

— defeating Satan’s oppression (deliverance and healing)

Part of “Our Father’s Business” then is Welding the Sword of Spirit to destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus came for the purpose of destroying the works of the devil.

“For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

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This involves casting out demons, not following the pressure of Satan’s agents, resisting the devil in prayer, and with the Word, and so on. Jesus did this, and we are called to do it.

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Another part of “our Father’s business” is Welding the Sword of Spirit to bring healing.

Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit and power, and he went about doing good and HEALING all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38).

I recall an account by Kenneth Copeland many years ago.

He said that many years before, God gave him a a striking revelation through a vision when he was in Beaumont, Texas. He was preparing to minister in a service there, spending some time in prayer, when suddenly he saw myself standing in the pulpit of the church. Looking up, he saw a dragon—a horrible, ugly thing—poke his head through the front door of the church.

As he came into the church, his body expanded like a balloon, filling the whole room. He was snorting fire and smoke. When, in the vision, he turned it on him, he almost burned his clothes!

As he fell back onto the floor, Copeland said that he saw Jesus standing nearby with a sword in His hand. He said to himself, “Why doesn't Jesus do something about this? Can't He see I'm hurting?”

But Jesus didn't move. He just stood by with a frown of disappointment on His face. Then Jesus held out the sword to Copeland and pointed at the dragon. The look on His face said, Get up!

He reached up to catch hold of the sword, and an instant before he touched it, Jesus turned it loose.

The sword stayed in midair of its own accord. He grabbed it and began to pull himself up. Not only did it hold firm, but it began to lift him!

He stood and touched the dragon's chin with his sword and it split him from one end to the other. It laid him open right before his eyes. In amazement, He looked down at the sword. Why haven't I used this before? He thought.

The message to me was clear then and even clearer now.

We need to take up the Sword of the Spirit and Wield it like Bible-believing Christian soldiers marching unto war.

I raise my hands over God’s people, like I saw my father do many times as a pastor.

I raise my hands, taking the authority given to me by the institutional church.

I raise my hands, acknowledging the authority that Yeshua gave to His disciples:

· To Heal the sick in His name

· To Cast out demons in His name.

· To bind and to lose.

We need to take up the Sword of the Spirit and Wield it like Bible-believing Christian soldiers marching unto war.

It’s time for some payback. It’s time for Spiritual Warfare. It’s time for mothers and fathers to slay the dragon attacking our children.

It’s time for us to stand in the mighty armor of God and raise the Sword of the Word of God against the enemy. If not us, who? If not now, When?

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