The Sword of the LORD

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.   For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.   For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."   (Romans 10:8-11) There is an important link between what we believe, and what we speak.   Whatever we truly believe in our hearts, we will be anxious to share, and not ashamed to verbalize.   What comes out of our mouth in unguarded moments is usually what we really hold as true in our hearts.   There are, unfortunately, many Christians who have failed to believe in the transforming power of the grace of God in their lives, and who walk in defeat and discouragement as a result.   Their conversation in turn tends

"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine."   (1Samuel 17:40).   There is a place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan called Paradise.   It is just a spot on the map with only about 400 people who are considered residents.   I discovered the area quite by accident (I prefer to think of it as providence) one year when my family and I were on vacation.   Paradise lies about halfway up the western shore of Whitefish Bay, just off Lake Superior.   We rented a cabin there for a number of years and fell in love with the area.   In mid-August, the days are warm, the water a brilliant blue, and the air is crisp and free of the oppressive humidity that we often experience in Ohio in late summer.   The nights are cool and great for sleeping, and, on a clear night, you can see stars in the sky over Canada th