The Sword of the LORD

"And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.  And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to Him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto Him, Yea, Lord.  Then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.  And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.  But they, when they were departed, spread abroad His fame in all that country." (Matthew 9:27-31).                                          This simple story from the gospel of Matthew reveals some profound truths about faith.   Yes, it is the record of a notable miracle that our Lord performed on two blind men centuri...

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary , the original meaning of the word “inspire” was “to breathe, or blow upon or into,” and, “to infuse life into by breathing.”  Before Jesus ascended to heaven after His death and resurrection, He appeared to His disciples and said to them, “Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.”  Scripture says that He then breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”  Also, when God created man, He breathed into Him the breath of life, and from that time on man could only survive as he continued to draw breath.  When Jesus breathed on the disciples that day, however, it was something more.  It was the infusing of the Holy Spirit into their lives; and just as it was necessary for them to breathe to sustain their life, it would now be necessary for them to draw life from Jesus through the Holy Spirit that He breathed into them.    It is this breath of God, this inspiration of the Alm...

As the air grows crisper, and the trees begin to show signs of fading, turn colors, and lose their foliage, I am reminded of the perpetual ebb and flow of the seasons around us.   Just as surely as summer explodes into fall, I know that fall will eventually fade into winter which, in turn, will yield to spring's regeneration.   Many people complain about certain seasons, or various aspects of them, but I have grown to appreciate them all.   Just as there are challenges to every season, there are also just as many blessings that can be found in each one.     Each season is unique and offers opportunities or tasks that are specific to that time, and that time only.  People who lived during the 18th and 19th centuries understood this much better than we do in this modern age.  They paid close attention to the changes of seasons and the phases of the moon.  "Moon seasons" governed when the best time to fell wood, plant various crops, or drive catt...

“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief. ” (Mark 9:24).    I don’t know about you, but many times I have found myself praying this same prayer that the distraught father in Mark chapter 9 prayed.  I find that it is easier to believe that God will help others who are going through struggles than it is to believe for myself.  It is also easier to believe for generalities than it is to trust God for one specific and very desperate need.  I can say I believe that God will meet all my needs, heal my body, and protect me from harm, and I can really mean it, but until my finances are threatened, my health is compromised, or danger is looming near, it is all theoretical .  When these things touch my life, I must learn to apply God’s Word in practical ways.  It is no longer a matter of what God could do, but a matter of what He wants to do right now for me.  This is where my ...

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25).   “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16).   Walking is one of the most natural things that we can do.   Usually it is employed just to get us from one place to another.   It is also recommended as an easy form of exercise, and we are all urged to get our 10,000 steps in daily.   The Bible has some very important things to say about walking, but especially about walking in the Spirit.   The Apostle Paul put great emphasis on wanting believers to learn to walk in the Spirit.   In several of his letters to the churches Paul makes a clear distinction between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh.   There are many Christians today, however, who are confused about what it means to walk, or to be led, by the Spirit.     To begin with, let’s answer this basic question: “Who is the S...

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ .” (2 Corinthians 10:5).    “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him?   But we have the mind of Christ .” (1 Corinthians 2:16).   The mind is truly the command central of every human being.   It is the seat of all our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.   It is where our creativity, calculation, passion, reasoning, imagination, judging, surmising, emotion, perception, logic, expression, discernment, and so much more originate.   The mind is also the gateway of our bodies and our souls.   This is where the real spiritual warfare takes place in our lives.   Our enemy, Satan, will lie to us, using reason, deception, and even the truth in a twisted form to weaken our resistance and get us to agree with him.   Once our guard is down, we are op...