Powerful Words

Do you read the Bible?

I don’t know how often you read the Bible. If you are reading your Bible every day, which I think should be normal for Christians, you may get to that point where you start wondering if God has something new for you, every day.

I know that as I read the Psalms I see the same themes and words (mercy, loving kindness, rock, grace, fear) and start thinking that God might not have something new for me today – maybe I should just read the Bible, get the reading done and hope that tomorrow, I may have a revelation from God.

But let’s remember this; reading the Bible isn’t just reading because the Bible isn’t just a book.

Pray, read, pray, read.

Reading the Bible is a journey. It’s a Spiritual journey that you take each day with your Father in Heaven. Bible time should be Pray, Read, Pray, Read! Where you go before the author of this beautiful, powerful, life-changing, truthful book and humbly ask that He would ready your heart, open your eyes and ears and speak to you through the words that you are about to read.

I pray to the Lord before reading the Bible. I ask the Holy Spirit to read along with me, to show me what the Lord wants me to see today, to hear today. And then I lose myself in the words. I read every word, I look at every word, I speak every word, I think about every word and I ask God to speak to me through His Word.

I go humbly before the Father and you say “Father, I believe that your Word is Alive“.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12 KJV

I don’t know of another book that does this, a book where the words discern my thoughts and intents of my heart!

As I read this book, this book reads me.

That’s where my thoughts were as I contemplated reading Psalm 64. And then I read Psalm 64.

The Journey of words, from fear to fear

The writer of Psalm 64 takes us on an amazing journey! It starts with the fear of the enemy – a bad fear – David doesn’t say deliver me from the enemy, he says deliver me from the fear of the enemy! That journey takes us through to verse 9 – a good fear – “And all men shall fear and declare the work of God” – the fear of the Lord, the fear that will keep believers safe and will deliver them from repetitive sin – the fear that breaks our heart when we do the things that Jesus delivered us from.

And in that journey from Verse 1 to verse 10 we see a theme, a powerful theme – WORDS:-

• Hear my voice (Verse 1)
• Secret counsel (Verse 2)
• Tongue like a sword (Verse 3)
• Bitter words (Verse 3)
• They say (Verse 5)

Words are powerful.

What is the Lord trying to tell me?

And in verse 6, writing about the enemy, but describing men generally, the writer says, “both the inward thought of every one of them and the heart is deep.“

The stuff that goes on inside of us, our thoughts, desires, temptations and fears are not superficial and certainly not shallow. The thoughts and heart are deep. Behind the thoughts and words; what we say and how we express ourselves, there is a deep heart and deep thoughts – How will we ever understand those things? How will we ever discern those things? How will we know which thoughts, words and emotions to listen to and care about and which to ignore or rebuke?

In the Psalm you will also see that the enemy is not fighting with swords and spears and shields and arrows. The enemy is waging war with words.

Do you remember what we just read in Hebrews 4? The Word of God discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. The same words as in Psalm 64. Hebrews 4, “thoughts and heart, Psalm 64, “thought and heart”. How do we discern our thoughts and the thoughts of the people who we have relationships with, how do we understand them? We do have the answer. It is the Word of God.

The Word of God.

And then I go to John 1 – and I find Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God“, and in verse 14. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us“.

How do I know what to do when I have fear of the enemy. How do I know what to do when I’m in trouble. How do I know what to do? I go to the Word. The Word of God. The Bible. The Word of God, Jesus!

Our words are powerful. Words are powerful and the most powerful Word is the Word made flesh.

Don’t ever think that God wants to talk to you every other day. Don’t ever think that God has nothing to say. If I imagine my young daughter coming to me in the morning, even if I have nothing to say, I will tell her that I love her! God is a loving Father, more loving than any earthly father. He always has something to say – read His Word, listen to His Word, pursue His Word and then Follow His Word. Follow Jesus!

May you be blessed today in Jesus name.

The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Psalm 64:10 KJV

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