Scripture: Hebrews 4 v 12 - 13: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."A double-edged sword is a formidable weapon that cuts both ways causing considerable amount of damage. God has given us an even more powerful weapon in the form of His Word, the Bible, and His Son, also known as The Word.
The Word is quick. The old English word 'quick' means ALIVE. It is a living word. When we read the Bible the words we read come alive within our soul even separating it from our spirit. This is a necessary surgery because our spirit is redeemed but we must still consciously bring our souls into submission to the Lord.
Our souls contain all the sin, rebellion, rejection, anger, frustration, violence, addictions, deceit, corruption etc that caused our spirit to be separated from God.
Philippians 2 v 11 - 12: "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
We must work out the salvation of our souls with fear and trembling! To be reunited with our spirit which is now seated in Christ in Heavenly places, we must overcome Satan, our enemy, who controls our souls, emotions, intellect and will. We must actively work against him, learn how to defeat him and apply this knowledge to have the victory.
Jesus cannot go against our own will. The best He could do was free our will so that we can make the right choice. When our will is contrary to God's will for us it becomes a blockage to spiritual growth, healing, deliverance and receiving blessings. So it's important that we discover God's will for us and work with Him to secure our eternal life.
Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, rejected by some as unnecessary, we are equipped to deal with the enemy within. When we are living the life of a believer we will be able to help others to get free. Do not become complacent or lethargic in spiritual living, our enemy works very hard to keep our minds on carnal, worldly distractions.
Mark 16 v 15 - 17: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;"
Every believer is expected to preach the gospel to everyone, and make sure they are baptized by immersion in water. Baby baptism or Christening is not a Biblical truth and counts for nothing in the salvation of our souls. The person must be old enough to make a choice about his or her beliefs and then immediately be baptized in water.
Acts 16 v 29 - 33: "Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway."
Baptism in water buries the old sinful part of you and the righteous nature of Jesus which hates sin comes alive in you. This gives you a spiritual boost that helps the double-edged sword of the Word to work powerfully within you. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart. The Bible is a living word like no other book on this planet. To use the sword we need to thoroughly know as much about it as possible.
God knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on our head. He knows our every thought and motive and intention. Nothing is hidden. This is the only way He can fix us. He discovers all this when we are reading His Word. His living word shines a light into every concealed nook and watches us tremble with fear. He then pours out His love and mercy to heal us and take away all guilt and shame.
So do not neglect to work with Him on your own damaged soul. The enemy hates it because it exposes all his lies and evil plus sets the captives free. Free to tell others about those very lies that keep them in bondage.
Our God reigns and flashes that amazing double-edged sword whenever we study and heed His Word.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we worship You in Spirit and truth for all the provision You have made to help us escape from captivity. We are redeemed but need Your double-edged sword to set us completely free to help others come into Your eternal kingdom. In Jesus' name. Amen.