In our excitement about the Word of God we need to strive to hide it in our hearts as well. In our heart is where our treasure is laid up. Do we ever take a moment to realize the gift God has given us in His Word? A slice of the thinking and mindset of God!
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1: 1-5
The same Word that sits on your coffee table existed before the foundations of the world were laid! That same Word is what gave life to everything you see today. It is that Word that penetrates and defeats the darkness we see in this fallen world every day. That Word that sits on our shelves is not just an insight into who God is and what He wants. It is not just a collection of writings spread out over the canopy of centuries in our history. It is God Himself. We often times can bemoan feeling as if God is somehow a far away entity or that God has somehow distanced Himself from us. All the while we have Him sitting on our end table. Maybe we dust Him off long enough to go to church each Sunday but He goes right back on the shelf when we get home. We feel His awesome power on Sunday but are lacking that power in our lives during the week because we choose to not access it. Hiding His Word in our hearts is an act of the will. Let's look at the armor of God:
Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6: 13-17 (NLT)
We should note two things from these verses. First of all, there is no covering for our back in this armor. That is because God did not create us to be in retreat! He did not create us to be running away. We are to be forward moving in our entanglements with the enemy. We are to be strategic. Secondly, the only offensive weapon we have is the Word of God. The Book of Hebrews tells us that the Word is alive and sharper than a two-edged sword. There is a reason why the enemy fights hard and long to keep that Bible on your shelf. There is a reason why the devil wants it sitting on your coffee table. Because he is afraid of it. He is afraid of it because it is the weapon that defeats him. This is who your enemy is:
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8: 44 (NIV)
The devil is not bilingual beloved. He only speaks in lies. That is his weapon against us. He wields it against us all the time. He is constantly whispering lies in our ears to get us off the track God has us on. But what about our great weapon?
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17: 17 (NIV)
