27.12.2022
IBC Admin
"The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Hebrews 4:12
Whenever we come to a New Year, we often consider making a New Year’s resolution. It might be the way we eat, breaking a bad habit, or some other area of life we know needs change. Of course, what fuels this thinking is our desire to bring about a positive change in our lives.
While there are many resolutions that can improve our lives, the resolution that bring about the greatest change is a resolve to spend time in God’s Word. Spending time with God in His word will give us the power we need to make positive change in our lives. Without that power, our resolve for breaking old habits simply becomes a matter of human will, instead of Divine intervention.
In Hebrews 4:12 we find four ways the Word of God impacts our lives. First, the “Word of God is powerful.” It is able to bring about great change to the life of the one who listens to it, mediates on it, and gains knowledge by it. Secondly it is “living.” The idea here is that it is dynamic, not static. The Word of God is not some ancient piece of literature that has no bearing on our lives. But within it is the very voice of God.
Thirdly, the Word of God is “sharper than any double edged sword.” Here we see that God’s Word is able to cut through the non-sense of our worries and anxieties and fears. It is able to convict us of sin and lead us to a better place. This sword of the Spirit is able to cut into our very souls and spirits, joints and marrow. In other words, when we spend time mediating on God’s word, it will change us in radical ways.
Finally, the Word of God is able to “discern the very thoughts and intentions of our hearts.” Our minds are often like battle fields, where we feel more like a victim than a conqueror. But when we have the Word of God in our hearts, we go from victim to victor, for now we bear the “sword of the spirit.” And now instead of our thoughts and motivations being led by the corruption of our sinful nature and world’s desire, God’s Word interferes and leads us to a better place.
So let us make a commitment this 2023 to spend more time in God’s word. When we do, its impact will be great in our lives, we will experience real change and most of all we will be carrying in our hearts the voice of the living God throughout our day.