It would stand to reason that if the enemy is nothing but lies, that God would be nothing but truth. His Word again, is who He is. But like anything sharp, it needs to be used if it is to maintain its edge. The grind of everyday life can tend to pull us away from the Word and our sword can then become dull. We need to realize that every attack we undergo from the enemy consists of two opposite thoughts. One is from the enemy and it is a lie. For every lie he can possibly whisper into our ear, there is a verse in the Bible that assures us he is lying. If we have faith and believe the Bible we triumph because we believe God. If we start to waver and doubt the Word, we can fall for the schemes of the enemy.
Here is the key though. We do not casually decide to not believe the Word of God! Why would any believer do that? No beloved, we slip in our beliefs a little bit at a time because we do not hide the Word in our hearts. Because we compromise the time we need to spend reading the Word, internalizing the Word, and hiding it in our heart. We start to take it for granted. The words on the pages become just that words. Instead of being alive and sharp in our lives! When they become words instead of instructions; words instead of exhortations; words instead of assurances they become powerless. But when they are hidden in our hearts they are ready for us to use to combat the enemy. We pick up the sword of the Spirit at start to carve up his lies with the truth of God. With the promises of God. With the very nature of God!
The second salient point from the
key verse today has to deal with why we need to hide His Word in our hearts.
Sure it is because of the enemy and so that we can grow closer to God but
ultimately the Psalmist reminds us the price of not knowing or believing God
and that is sin. What sin ultimately does is separate us from God. I do not
believe that anyone starts their day out consciously deciding to sin against
God. It is a matter of sin becoming marginalized in our lives. It is a matter
of sin becoming blurry in our eyesight. The average atheist knows for example
that God says we should not steal. If he chooses that day to steal something he
probably did not set out to sin against God because he denies the very
existence of God! If a believer is presented with the same temptation to steal
and they succumb to it, then we can assume that "thou shall not steal" was not
firmly hidden in their heart. So it goes beyond spiritual warfare and being
able to discern the lies of the enemy and the truth of God. Because what waits
on the other side is sin. The enemy lies in an effort to make us ineffectual
for the
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11: 6 (NIV)
And how do we earnestly seek Him? Certainly through prayer and worship but also through reading His Word; savoring it; hiding it in our heart. It is a reciprocal relationship:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91: 1 (NKJV)
The key words in this verse are dwell and abide. These words convey a sense of permanence. They are not flighty terms. If we seek to abide under the shadow of Almighty God then we must choose to dwell in His secret place. We must choose to dwell in His Word and to hide it in our hearts.
2011 has begun. A new year is upon us with new opportunities. New chances to dust off the Word of God. Remove it from the shelf and start to hide it in our heart. A new chance to sharpen our sword and as a result; sharpen our faith. This is the war we find ourselves in:
