Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) For 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 (NLT) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. INTRODUCTION The Word of God is not simply a collection of words from God, a vehicle for communicating ideas; it is living, life-changing, and dynamic as it works in us. With the incisiveness of a surgeon's knife, God's Word reveals who we are and what we are not. It penetrates the core of our moral and spiritual life. It discerns what is within us, both good and evil. The demands of God's Word require decisions. We must not only listen to the Word; we must also let it shape our lives. [Life Application SB] The creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in the word of God. This word imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the soul in the image of God. ED126 There are many cases where men who have defended Christianity against skeptics have afterward lost their own souls in the mazes of skepticism. They caught the malaria, and died spiritually. They had strong arguments for the truth, and much outside evidence, but they did not have an abiding faith in Christ. O, there are thousands upon thousands of professed Christians who never study the Bible! Study the sacred Word prayerfully, for your own soul's benefit. 5BC1147 COMMENTARY PEARL The Bible holds supreme authority by virtue of its Author, who is the King of creation and thus Ruler over all the earth. The Bibles authority is inherent in its every word. Scripture is Gods revelation in history. Just as there is no higher authority in an earthly kingdom than a king, there is no higher authority you and I can appeal to than the Word of God in Gods kingdom. The Bibles authority is timeless. For example, when we read in Exodus 20:3, You shall have no other gods before Me, this command has the very same force behind it today that it had when God first thundered these words to Moses more than three thousand years ago. Unfortunately one problem I see as a pastor today is that people disregard Gods Word because to them, its just ink on a page. Our problem is that we werent there when God first spoke His Word - because if we had been there, we wouldnt be so casual about it. To get an idea of the terror that gripped Moses and all of Israel when God gave His commandments, read Hebrews 12:18"21. Even Moses said, Im so scared that I can barely even stand (loosely translated). The Bible is not simply words about God, it is the Word of God. Many people learn about God from the Bible, which is good - but that is not where you are to stop. The Word of God is the voice of God in print. It is active and alive and sharper than a two-edged sword, able to reach and instruct the deepest recesses and core of who you are (Hebrews 4:12). Do you find yourself convicted by the thought that you, too, take the Word of God too casually? Read and meditate on Hebrews 4:12. Spend some time in prayer thanking God for the Bible"and spend some time reading it. Your Word, God, is powerful. Your authority is all-inclusive. Grant me grace as I study Your Word to understand and apply it in my life each day. [Alternative View with Dr. Tony Evans; https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/alternative-view-with-dr-tony-evans/] COMMENTARY God's Word is powerful. It can fashion a universe and it can create life. It can transform a life or a nation. It can initiate judgment or it can bring revival. It can transform sinners into saints. Yet often God's people do not clearly understand what Scripture is saying. That is why God gives His people preachers and teachers. In Ezra's time God's people had drifted far from God, so Ezra taught them God's Word. As the people came to understand it, they fell under conviction and turned from their sin. The nation experienced revival because God's Word was taught clearly and accurately. When God's word is clearly understood, it is extremely difficult to remain indifferent to it. Have you been a careful student of God's Word? Are you currently in a Bible study? Do you listen intently to your minister's sermons? What might happen in you as well as in your life if you better understood God's Word? [Being Still With God Every Day by Henry Blackaby re Neh. 8:8] I have been thinking about the power of God's Word this morning and all the changes I have seen in my life and thousands of other lives because of it. Jesus is the Word made flesh, so when we read, study, and meditate on the Word of God, we are fellowshipping with Jesus. As His Word becomes part of us, we are transformed into His image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18). His Word has inherent power in it, and it changes us! We are instructed in the Bible to meditate on the Word of God, and that simply means to think about it, roll it over and over in our minds, speak it, and know that as we do, it is renewing our minds and teaching us to think as God thinks. Our thoughts are extremely important because they go before our words and all of our actions. God has a good plan for each of us and we will see it come to pass as we renew our minds (see Romans 12:2). We seem to find it very easy to meditate on our problems. We call it worry! It is a bad habit that can easily be eliminated from our lives by learning to meditate on God's Word instead. Each time a worry or a fear comes to your mind, find a Scripture that teaches you that God will take care of the problem for you and meditate on it instead of worrying. For example, if you are having financial difficulty, you can worry all day and night about it, or you can think about what God's Word says concerning Him taking care of you: Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully (1 Peter 5:7). God's Word has an answer for every need we have. I intend to spend a lot of time today just thinking about the power that is in God's Word, and I pray that you will join me. God's Word contains the power we need to be successful in all areas of our lives. Father, help me discipline myself to meditate on Your Word. Let it become a habit in my life. I ask You to continue teaching me Your Word and renewing my mind accordingly. [My Time with God by Joyce Meyer] Since spiritual discernment is the ability to see life from God's perspective, it requires that we know how He thinks and acts. The Bible is His unchanging, infallible revelation of Himself. However, the Lord doesn't simply give us a list of facts about His character and ways. All throughout the pages of Scripture, He illustrates who He is and how He operates. Although the Bible is ancient, it's not a dead book. It's alive and as fresh as if He were speaking directly to you. The stories may have taken place centuries ago, but the principles and applications are current and relevant. It's our instruction book about how to live. Guidance for decisions and discernment about situations are found from Genesis to Revelation. God's Word is active and piercing. The words don't simply sit on the page. They penetrate our hearts and judge our thoughts and motives. This convicting quality is why some people don't like to read the Bible. But self-discernment is essential if we don't want to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Some Christians live on a surface level, never understanding why they react to situations the way they do. But if we'll approach the Word of God with an open spirit, it will bring to light our hidden motives and reveal unrecognized sins. Spiritual discernment involves seeing not just our circumstances but also ourselves from God's perspective. Have you learned to embrace the piercing sword of Scripture, or have you avoided doing so because it makes you uncomfortable? Remember, God's Word cuts only so that it can heal. [In Touch Daily Devotional by Charles Stanley at www.intouch.org] Growing Deeper in the Scriptures First, we can hear Scripture. This is the simplest, least difficult method of learning the precepts and principles of the Bible. There are plenty of trustworthy Bible teachers and preachers around the world. There are churches and schools, trustworthy radio and TV programs, audio and video recordings, and countless online resources that specialize in scriptural instruction. Except for those individuals whose physical hearing is impaired, no one in the world has any excuse for not hearing Gods Word. Second, we can read Scripture. Hearing can too easily be a primarily passive encounter with the Bible, but reading requires more personal involvement - a greater investment of energy - than simply listening to instruction on the Scriptures. People who start getting serious about their spiritual maturity will purchase a copy of the Bible and begin reading. Numerous versions, paraphrases, and styles can be found on the shelves of almost any bookstore, and the Internet offers free access to virtually any translation available in print. To get the most out of reading, you might consider a through-the-year Bible: its reading plan guides an individual through all sixty-six books of Scripture in 365 days. Third, we can study Scripture. While I prefer reading a print Bible, many people have discovered the power and convenience of electronic Bible resources. This kind of Bible study makes sense, considering that almost everything else we do involves a computer. Some of the better programs take Bible reading to a completely different level, integrating the Scripture text with links to dictionaries, maps, encyclopedias, photographs, diagrams, and commentaries. A click of a mouse on an unfamiliar word brings a wealth of information to the screen, and you can easily lose the better part of an entire afternoon discovering the background and meaning of just one verse. Combine that kind of study with an online course or one of the many excellent programs offered in churches, and the average believer can be prepared to meet any spiritual challenge. Fourth, we can memorize Scripture. As I stated yesterday, committing Bible verses to memory is the best way to displace alien, unholy, and demoralizing thoughts! In all honesty, I know of no more effective way to cultivate a biblical mindset and to accelerate spiritual growth than this discipline. Fifth, we can meditate on Scripture. As we hear, read, and study Gods Word, our mind becomes a reservoir of biblical truth. We can then think through, ponder, personalize, and apply to our lives these truths weve hidden in our hearts. In times of quiet meditation, we allow the Word to seep into our cells, to speak to us, reprove us, warn us, comfort us, and transform us. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.] CLOSING THOUGHT I have a row of books that I call the Books That Changed My Life. It includes the first book I learned to read (Ann Likes Red), the book that made me fall in love with reading (A Little Princess), and the book that inspired me to want to be a writer (The Diary of Anne Frank). I've set apart poetry, memoirs, Christian classics, and novels that ministered to me through grief, inspired me as a writer, and took me to a deeper place with Jesus. For a short time, I included a book that brought back painful memories, until Jesus healed that wound and I decided it was time to put it on another shelf. So, why didn't I have a Bible with the Books That Changed My Life? I guess it just seemed strange to shelve God's Word next to Ann Likes Red. Today, as I considered what a monumental part of my life it has been, I couldn't not add it. It contains some of the first stories I heard as a child, not to mention the message that moved me to accept Jesus as Savior at age five and get baptized at thirteen; its words have ministered to me in ways that no Christian classic could. It's inspired my writing and continues to draw me closer to Christ. Some verses have convicted me in ways that felt like wounding, but in the end, Jesus used them for my healing, and I learned to treasure them. In a world filled with great books, I pray that I will never overlook the one that changes me in the most lasting ways. by Jeanette Hanscome Faith Step: List five of your favorite books and why they are special to you. Which stories from the Bible have changed your life? Commit to spending more of your free time reading it. [Mornings With Jesus 2019 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE Hebrews 4:12 - Power Greater Than Nuclear. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170818-1208.html YOUR COMMENTS If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or testimony on this passage of Scripture, either personal or otherwise, I would be interested in hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred Gibbs LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT Most Important Decision in Life: http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: https://stepstopeace.org/ Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782 Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ Amazing Facts Bible Studies: http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study Guides: https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/ LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/ Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657 Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE