The Sword of the LORD

I need to learn to quiet myself before God.  It’s easier to pour out all the things that are on my mind than it is to listen to what my Father has to say to me.  Have you ever tried to get your point across to someone who wouldn’t let you get a word in edgewise, and when you finally did get to speak, you knew that they weren’t hearing you because they were too busy framing their next comment?  That’s how the Lord must sometimes feel about us.  Faith, God says, comes from hearing - not speaking - and hearing comes from the Word of God.  It’s only when God can reveal Himself to me through His Word that I can see myself in truth and be changed more into Christ’s likeness.  Then it is that I relinquish the control of my life to Him and truly begin to perceive that He is God.   As I was praying before church one Sunday morning I became aware of a stinging sensation in my finger.  Looking closely at it, I found that I had driven a wooden splinter into the flesh of my right index finger

"And the devil, taking Him [Jesus] up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.  If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Luke 4:5-8).   It is important that we understand the power that Satan has over the affairs of man.  Scripture refers to him as the "god of this world," (2 Corinthians 4:4) and the "prince of the power of the air." (Ephesians 2:2).   Before his rebellion against God, he was given dominion over the earth; but he was lifted up with pride, and challenged God's authority.  He has been convicted by God, but his final judgment has yet to be executed.  In the mean time, h

"And He said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.  But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." (Mark 4:26-29).    Jesus told this parable to His hearers to reveal something of the mystical nature of the kingdom of heaven by comparing it to something very common and familiar.  The process of casting seed into the ground, waiting for it to mature, and ultimately harvesting some sort of crop from it is something that most folks understand at least in theory.  Most of us have had some experience with planting and watching things grow.  The process may seem counterintuitive to the way we might think things should be, however.  Once seeds are buried in the earth, they

"Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." (Matthew 13:31, 32).   Jesus illustrates the power of the kingdom of God in this parable.  Though it began in obscurity through the birth of a baby in a stable and the Word that He brought to the world when He became a man, it has since grown until it now overspreads the earth and has influenced kings and kingdoms.  Once it was sown in the world, it became an irresistible force that has continued to grow from that day to this.  Through the Roman persecution, the Catholic inquisition, and every attack of Satan from the first century on, the church of God has grown, and the kingdom of heaven flourished.  Compared to the kingdoms of this world, it