"Living and Breathing: The Power of His Words"

Isaiah 55:11 God’s word will not return to him empty, but will do what God desires and achieve the purpose for which he sent it.

Jeremiah 23:29 God’s word is like fire and like a hammer that can break a rock into pieces.

John 6:63 God’s word is spirit and life.

Acts 7:38 God’s word is living.

Ephesians 6:17 God’s word is part of the believer’s armor—the sword of the Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 God’s word is living, powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, judging people’s thoughts and intentions.

1 Peter 1:23 God’s word is living and enduring, through which people are born again.

It's like fire and a hammer; it's living; it's your armor; it's sharper than a sword; it's living and enduring. That sounds more descriptive of a warrior ready to fight than an object you open and read, right? But it's not. These things describe a book. Not just any book: THE Book, the Bible. Why does God find it necessary to leave us with such a powerful book? Probably because we have an enemy in this world that is the most cunning, deceiving, manipulating adversary you'll ever meet. We need some protection.


Did you know Satan, before the earth was formed, was an angel? Yep. He was the "choir director" up in heaven (Isaiah 14:11-14). He got greedy, wanted to become God and got kicked out of heaven, landing here on earth to wreak havoc. He traded his former occupation for  a new career:  "...walking about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). He definitely didn't get a pay raise in that career change, I'm certain. With an enemy like that (and yes, if you love the Lord, you ARE his enemy, by happenstance), we need some pretty fierce armor. So, what's the importance of God's word as our armor? What does it mean to be "living and active"? To "cut like a double-edged sword"? Is it not just a book? After all, it doesn't exactly have a pulse or anything. 


The Bible is split into two parts, the Old Testament and the New. The O.T. focuses on the law of the land. God was laying out a framework for us to follow: what things are good and bad, how to receive forgiveness through sacrifices, etc: 
"The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction." Exodus 24:12


 The N.T. focuses on the new covenant, which is far better. One where we no longer make sacrifices over and over again in hopes of forgiveness, but we come to the One, perfect sacrifice (Jesus) who makes our sins null and void before God:
"I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."  Jeremiah 31:33-34 


You see, we get the privilege of not just having God's word to look upon, but having it written on our hearts. Because it's now written on our hearts, it's alive and active, because our hearts are beating...pulsing...breathing. God speaks to us through His word, into our hearts, dividing our thoughts from our motives. Our rights from our wrongs. Our soul from our spirit. If not for such a book that can divide these things, we would be consumed by things not even realized. Habits that would go unnoticed. Bitterness would stay locked inside, stuffed away from any light. Things of the flesh would live inside of us, wreaking havoc unbeknownst to us. Your enemy would have the upper hand because you could single handedly destroy yourself! 


Satan knows the power of God's words. It's the reason he flees in midst of it. He knows God is in control. He knows God's Word will not return to Him empty. He knows it will accomplish what God wants. This is a battle. It's more of a spiritual battle that we cannot see, but it's a battle nonetheless. We need to be prepared. We need to have protection. We need what God has given us: the Bible.


Your enemy is roaring louder than ever before. His time is short and he is wreaking havoc on those whose armor isn't raised. And yes, I believe at this stage in our world, his time is shortened even more. He's searching and he's roaring....are you armored up to defeat him? I'm determined to be in this battle on the front line. But my success in this war begins and ends...with the Sword. 

"Let me hear your battle cry tonight. Stand aside or step aside, for the frontline."