Did God really say...

Many of us are familiar with how Satan deceived Eve back in the Garden of Eden. He deceived her by making her doubt the truth, and since then, we have lived in a fallen world. How many of us, though, are aware that Satan is still at work, trying to get us to doubt God's Word. This time, he assumes the disguise of a scholar, or professor, or an individual in the know.

Satan has sneaked into our churches and our discussions. We see verses like Matthew 5:42, ("Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." NIV), and Matthew 5:48, ("Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." NIV), and Satan is right there, saying "did God really say...". This time however, his words are a little different, and backed with deep, theological arguments. "Well, you have to take those verses in the context, in which Jesus was only talking to the Jews at the time,", or "Some scripture isn't meant to be taken literally, it is more like an illustration of some concept," or, "Jesus knows that we can't live up to those commands; we are never going to be perfect, but He loves us anyway; why not just ignore them...ignorance is bliss." Satan is trying to get us to doubt God's Word, and many of us are falling for it.

Have we forgotten 2 Timothy 3:16? "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." Now notice that it doesn't say "some scripture is God-breathed, and useful...", instead it says "ALL scripture is GOD-BREATHED, and USEFUL....".

I firmly believe that God's word is absolute Truth, and is infallible, and lives up to what it claims to do and more. "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16, NIV) His word is powerful, and will change lives. "God's word is not chained."

It is truth, and we need to take it as such. As I quoted earlier, "it is the power of God, for everyone who believes", and Satan wants to sabotage it. We need to be on our guard.

His Word is life-changing....if we don't water it down, and try and re-word it, or "interpret" it. Not only must we respect it, but we must, as Eric Ludy says in Bravehearted Gospel, (A very good book, by the way. i encourage everyone to read it!) "...believe that every nook and cranny of His Word to be completely true - and that it is true for today." (Bravehearted Gospel, Page 167)

God's Word is "living and active, sharper than any double - edged sword, it penetrates to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, NIV) His Word is sooooo amazing and good, and powerful, and perfect. It needs to be shown the utmost reverence and protected, defended, and used everywhere. It is the sword of the spirit, and is sharper than any other sword. I challenge you to dig into it! It is life changing!

As warriorpoets, we must know how to use our sword, so we can know how to fight. We must know what to do, so we follow the handbook from our King. Being grounded in the word is a key part of becoming a warrior poet.

So, how are your sword skills? I challenge you to dig into His word, and be prepared to be transformed!

For Christ's Glory!