“Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NRSVUE
Every time we read the scriptures we should be looking to encounter the living Word himself-Jesus!
Want to know the condition of your heart? Read the scriptures-there you will find eternal life. Go to the scriptures with this prayer on your lips (search me oh God and see if there be any wickedness or waywardness in me and lead me in the Way everlasting) and God will show you. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us the scriptures are active and alive!!! God’s Word is always leading us to Jesus, and it is his light that will shine on all the darkness in our hearts.
It’s not just about us reading the Bible. It’s about the Word reading and correcting us.
King David knew this well:
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.” Psalms 51:1-9 NRSVUE
He goes on in vs 10:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” Psalms 51:10-12 NRSVUE
Don’t know where to start? Start in the psalms.
The psalms have been read and sung aloud for centuries by God’s people. We get to join with them as we read them. I’ve prayed the psalms for years and still do, but I’ve sensed recently that it’s more important now than ever because of the days we are living in.
Hell is not the only one at work in the hearts of people right now-so is God!! He comes as a refiner the Bible tells us. He comes as a purifierof what’s defiled. We need him right now to do a deep work in us as his Body. This is why reading the Scriptures is so important for us. God opens our eyes to see our own spiritual conditions that we would not otherwise see. His Word judges the intents and motives of our hearts, and leads us to repentance. God will always come to his people first before dealing with others. Let him in to purify and cleanse you dear friends.
We all need this purification right now, because we all can be deceived and lead astray in our hearts.
We cannot live in this corrupt and evil generation and think it won’t corrupt us in some fashion or another- sometimes on a deep level. But God gave us not only his Son in the flesh but his Son in the scriptures. All of the Bible points us to Jesus-from Genesis to Revelations, it is pointing us back to him. This is why we must be students of the Scriptures.
We are cleansed by the Word of God.
And I believe God is doing a deep cleansing in his ecclesia, the Body of Christ, and we must take notice and respond to him, asking God to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10 NRSVUE
The word Ecclesia is the Greek term for what we call the church-“the called out ones.” Lately I’ve sensed the Lord drawing my attention to the fact that all believers no matter the denomination are his called out ones. Not only must we see each other rightly as the Body of Christ right now, and put aside our doctrinal difference's, but we must also put aside everything that comes to divide us.
“Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25 NRSVUE
Not only does gathering with others on Sundays and at other times, sanctify us in a mysterious way, but so does the reading and meditation of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is not just another book!! It’s THE BOOK that keeps us, and our way pure, by leading us to Jesus!!
“How can young people keep their way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Psalms 119:9-11, 15-16, 18 NRSVUE
This entire Psalm is a fountain of wisdom.
Dear ones, we are living in times that require more from us. This is no time to be casual Christians. Why? Because the days are getting darker and more evil and we have an enemy.
Often in scripture, the devil is referred to as the adversary, the destroyer, and a thief.
We must not neglect this type of language in the scriptures, it is a warning for us to be watchful and alert:
“Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 NRSVUE
We need faith to resist the devil.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 NKJV
We MUST stay connected to God through the Scriptures and we must stay connected to him by staying in church, and having Godly relationships.
“There is safety in the multitude of Godly counsel.”
While we don’t focus on the devil, we must also not be ignorant of his schemes and devices.
There is a real danger of our hearts hardening when we don’t allow God to change us by his Word.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
Grace and peace,
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