Well, think of it this way. Samurai were some of the most respected swordsmen of their day, and even today command a vast respect for their dedication and skill in their art. They started training with the sword at the age of 5, and continued to train throughout their lives, knowing their skill with the blade meant life or death in a society where honor was easily slighted and only regained through combat.
If the the sword for a swordsmen is compared to the word of God for Christians, than that means our lives as Christians need to involve regularly training in the Word of God. This isn't just so we can answer the questions the world throws at us about our faith. It is also because, as we study the word, God speaks to us to guide us in our lives and even to affirm us as we walk the path of faith in this life. This came home to me very pointedly, recently.
My spouse and I decided to get out of town and see nature, recently. We had spent too much time in civilization for our tastes, and we needed a little fresh air and quiet. The plan was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing, and we didn't really have a plan on where we wanted to go. As we were driving, though, we saw a sign for an area to get out and walk and just decided to get off the road and go. We parked, and had only just opened our trunk to get our sunscreen out when we were approached by a young man about his religious beliefs.
As we talked with him, it was amazing how he would say something, and these bible passages would just leap into my head regarding the topic he was discussing. It was also amazing to me how clear it was that God had prepared us for this moment. One example would be that I had just recently written a blog entitled "The Foolishness of God", discussing a bible study on 1 Corinthians 1:20-2:5. In this passage, it discusses God sending Jesus for our sakes being called "the foolishness of God" because "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). In other words, to the world, Jesus' actions don't make sense because He chose to live and die for people that didn't love Him, didn't do anything He wanted them to, and didn't benefit Him in any way. This young man we were talking to professed a faith he said Christians would find no problem with, and at first discussion, it was difficult to find the differences... but with having recently done a study on the "foolishness of God," it became clear there were actually significant differences.
What was more amazing, though, was what happened that night. My spouse and I were doing our regular, nightly devotions. The ones for that night were on Ephesians 5:6-21 and Psalm 96. In Ephesians, verses 6-9, it says:
"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrathcomes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)"
Then, in Psalm 96:4-5(ESV):
"For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens."
(In this religion the young man followed, it springs from Hindu
practices and is named after one of the Hindu Gods.)
My spouse and I were just amazed by how God had spoken to us through scripture, not just in the situation itself, but afterward to affirm and encourage us in having stood up for our faith.
What I want you to understand and learn from this is that being active in studying the Bible will protect you, just as a swordmaster uses a sword to protect himself. In 1 Peter 2:1, the Apostle Peter warns us there will be false teachers who come into this world, and in Colossians 2:8(ESV), Paul writes, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." By understanding your sword, the Word of God, you will be prepared to face whatever "philosophy and empty deceit" that face you, and by the grace and power of God in His word, you will be the "fragrance of life" (2 Corinthians 2:16) to "those who are being saved" (2 Corinthians 2:15). For as God says in Isaiah 55:10-11(NIV):
"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
And what is that "purpose"? Jesus in Luke 19:10a(ESV):
"To seek and save the lost."
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