Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of the soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”
A two-edged or double-edged sword has two sharp edges. It can cut in two directions when used. The Bible says God’s Word is sharper than any two-edged sword. It separates the truth from the lie sharply and quickly. It reveals what is good and what is evil. It shows who we are and who we are not. We have been given the greatest wisdom ever given within our fingertips found in sixty-six books in the Bible. It is all about Him. He sees our unbelief, our lack of faith, our doubts and insecurities, and failure to see that Jesus is greater. He is the alpha and omega. The beginning and the end. He is the great I AM (John 8:58). God’s Word renews our hearts by penetrating and transforming our heart and soul so we can then live it and show it before others.
Can you identify thoughts that are not congruent to God’s Word when they occur? Jesus sees them, recognizes my unbelief, and knows the intentions of our (my) hearts. He cuts to the chase in piercing my heart and mind with truths from His Word. One example is Ephesians 1:18-20, “The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me.” My prayer often has been from Psalm 119:92, “If your law had not been my delight I would have perished in my affliction.” Teach me Your Word during this season of my life like I have never known it before and make this verse my testimony when I emerge from this place.
Jesus responded to each of Satan’s temptations (hunger, authority, and fear) in cutting to the chase by simply reciting God’s Word. Luke 4:13 states the outcome, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” We need to do the same in guarding and thus protecting our minds and thoughts with the Word of God.
God’s Word is powerful. It doesn’t just sit and do nothing and cuts to the chase as one reads it and thinks it over. Jeremiah 23:29 gives a picture of its impact as it says, “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Then, 1 Thessalonians 2:13b declares, “the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” Yes, as the author of Hebrews states, “the word of God is living and active.” It is potent, powerful, intense, blunt, and diligently giving us wisdom for life’s circumstances. God engages Himself as we engage with Him with our hearts and mind to hear His knowledge and will for our lives. So, the question for myself is, how can I use what I have read in the Bible this morning in my work today? What will come up that God has providentially had me read as He has already gone before me and knows what I will be facing?
David Guzik’s commentary states, “God’s Word diagnoses the condition of man with a surgeon’s precision. It lays open the heart and accurately discerns spiritual health. In the case of those the writer to the Hebrews first addressed, they were too ready to follow in the failure of the children of Israel and to give up strong, living faith.”
God’s Word says it will keep me from sin, as Psalm 119:11 states, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Nothing and no one is hidden from God’s sight. All will have to give an account and answer one day.
Need to have success about something? Searching out God’s Word for your situation will bring God’s wisdom for the necessary direction. Psalm 1:3 states, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Pray for discernment in applying God’s Word to the circumstances in what you are supposed to do. Note the verse that gave you clarity and write it down so you will remember it.
Psalm 119:24 declares, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” Ask the Lord to bring to your mind His wisdom in replying to that email that may have offended you from a person in the office who just seems to have that gift of being an underminer, egotist, and aggressor. Sometimes waiting in a reply for God to bring back to your thoughts and mind His way is the better choice in times of conflict. I have been there and not always done that. Proverbs 11:2 warns, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.”
Cut to the chase with laying out your needs before God. He already knows but is waiting for you to talk to Him, to call out to Him. He sees you (Psalm 33:18). Engage in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Listen to Cody Carnes – Firm Foundation (He Won’t) LyricVideo