30 for 30 RESET – Day 21

Gatheringplace   -   September 21, 2024

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12a NLT

Imagine a soldier running onto the battlefield without a rifle or sidearm. Or if he or she is pinned down, under attack, and has no weapon. This is exactly what it is like for you to live your life without the Word of God in your heart and mind. This is not just hyperbole, this is Bible, and it is serious.

Did you know that when Paul lists the pieces of the armor of God in Ephesians Chapter 6, when it gets to the “sword of the Spirit” He is not talking about a long broad sword like we usually see it depicted as? No, it is much deadlier than that!

The sword in Ephesians chapter 6 is a dagger used for close combat. It is a sword no longer than nine inches, and usually much shorter. It is razor sharp on both sides with an upturned, corkscrew type tip. This is for thrusting into the gut of the enemy and twisting to destroy his insides.

I know this is quite graphic, but you must understand that the spiritual warfare in your life is no joke. It is very, very real, and the enemy is taking no prisoners. He has zero mercy. He comes daily to kill, steal, and destroy you, and you must know your weaponry well. Our wake-up call should be that God gave us HIS armor for this fight.

So how does this translate to spiritual warfare in a practical way? Well, think of what Jesus did when Satan attacked Him. (Matthew 4) Jesus responded to each attack with the “Dagger of the Spirit,” which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:17) This was close contact warfare.

Now the word “Word” there is not “Logos” which means the written Word of God, but rather, “Rhema” which means the “spoken” Word of God. In other words, when Jesus was attacked by the enemy, the Holy Spirit gave Jesus a specific Scripture, in that moment, that He used to cut the enemy with.

This is what the writer of Hebrews meant when he says,

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12a NLT

The Word of God is alive when the Holy Spirit illuminates it.

So, how does this work in real time? When you are in a situation where you need to defend yourself against the enemy, to combat lies that he is using to plague your mind, or when you need a healing breakthrough, or a breakthrough of any sort, the Holy Spirit will illuminate a Scripture to you in that moment which is Him handing you a “dagger” to speak, or pray, or even sing.

Here’s an example: One time my wife, Hope, was bedridden for five months with our second child. It was a Sunday morning when I was preparing for church, and I went into a side room to pray. In that moment, the Lord “spoke” to my mind (a very strong thought) to begin praising Him, so I obeyed. While I was whisper praising God, so as not to wake Hope, He said, “Now dance.” I began dancing, feeling silly as I did, but I was just following what I thought the Lord was saying. Then He said, “Now begin declaring ‘Baal Perazim!” This is the name David gave to God in 2 Samuel 5:20 NKJ,

“So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, ‘The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.’”

This is why it is SO IMPORTANT for you to do what I outlined for you in yesterday’s post, to ready, study, memorize, meditate, and apply the Word of God in your life. For the Holy Spirit to give you Rhema, you must have the Word of God in you for Him to illuminate it!

I hope understanding the gravity of the spiritual warfare in your life, and the critical nature of having the Word of God as a dagger in your belt, it will motivate you to get the Word of God into your heart and mind.

Hoorah!

John

 

QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)

“Upward, Inward, and Outward”

  1. Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God Who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your sins. A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle-working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
  2. Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you do not get through an entire chapter – it is okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.

A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.

  1. Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, and its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You will not be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that is okay, just pick an area or two per day.

PRAYER POINTS

Personal:

  • Closeness with God
  • Deeper devotion to Christ
  • Renewed vision
  • Renewed passion
  • Strength
  • Joy
  • A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.

Church:

  • And increase of God’s manifest presence.
  • To see more CHANGED LIVES!
  • An increase in Miracles
  • Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
  • More young people joining the vision at GPC.
  • New building for GPC

World:

  • A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
  • That godly men and women will fill the seats of government at local, city, state, and national levels.
  • For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)