The Sword of the LORD

The word Exodus means, "a going out," and that's exactly what God intended for His people from the very beginning. He wanted man to be separated, or set apart, for Himself, free from the distractions and entanglements that would bring him into bondage. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18).  Man, however, disobeyed God's commandment, and became a slave to his own passions and lusts, choosing to accept death rather than life. We have inherited the tragic results of that original choice ever since. In due course, God found one whose heart was after His, and He called Abraham to leave his kindred, and come out of the country in which he was born and raised. God told Abraham to go to the place which He would show him and, in return, He would bles...

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus..." (Philippians 2:5).   There are many battles that we must face while trying to live our lives for the Lord. We have an enemy who is intent on drawing us away from our confidence in Christ, and causing us to trust in our own strength and will. It is not just a matter of overcoming obvious sin either. We must also learn that anything that emanates from the natural man is tainted by the flesh, and promotes self-interest. We do possess some natural strength; but when it comes to spiritual warfare, our greatest power is simply insufficient to win the day. Jesus said, "...without Me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5b).  Many Christians still insist on doing much, though, and the result bears no lasting fruit. In Christ, however, we find that we are more than conquerors; and as we learn to rely on Him, we find that our enemy must flee away, and our natural life can be subdued.  There is a story that was tol...