Word of god is a sword

The gospel is a two-edged sword, quick, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

Heb 4:12: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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.

Yes! The word of God is a sword; it is the sword of the Spirit.

Eph 6:17 …and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God

Jesus said,

Mt 10:34: Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace but a sword.

The sword is the gospel; the word of God.

We see in Revelation Apostle John describing the Son of Man as,

And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength (Rev 1:16)

Rev 19:15: And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Jesus Christ is referred to as having a sharp two-edged sword.

Rev 2:12: And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; these things says he which has the sharp sword with two edges

The sharp two-edged sword is the gospel; the word of God.

See what the gospel is and how churches today are not preaching the gospel.

The two sides of the gospel

Like any two-edged sword, the gospel has two sides.

The gospel;

1.      Cuts and heals

Like a two-edged sword, the gospel cuts and heals the same time.

Like a surgeon’s scalpel, it cuts through the flesh, diving asunder of souls and spirit and of joints and marrows. … piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow (heb 4:12)

2.      Exposes and covers

Like a surgeon’s scalpel cutting to expose, the gospel cuts to expose evil, thoughts and intents of the heart. …and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (heb 4:12).

Lk 2:35: (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed

Eph 5:11: And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them.

The gospel exposes sin, reveals you are a sinner. You will not know how sinful you are until the gospel penetrates your heart.

Rom 7:7: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shall not covet.

Rom 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

After exposing, it reproves or rebukes.

John 16:8: And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment

2 Tim 4:2: Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine

Many people hate the true gospel because it exposes their sins and rebukes them

John 3:20: For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

After exposing sin, the gospel washes or cleans our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Mt 26:28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans us from all sin.

Sins cannot be washed away if not first exposed reason we have to repent. See how to repent

3.      Blesses and curses

The gospel blesses and curses. Every place we see God blessing Israel, we also see a curse.

Example;

You are blessed when you tithe and the same time you are cursed when you don’t.

Mal 3:8-10: Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed me.  But you say, Wherein have we robbed thee?  In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Mal 3:11-12: And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, says the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delight-some land, says the LORD of hosts.

See what is a tithe and should Christians tithe?

4.      Has peace and war

The gospel brings both peace and war/divisions.

Jesus said,

Mt 10:34-36: Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

At the same time, the gospel brings peace

Lk 10:5: And into whatsoever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

John 14:27: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

And Jesus is the Prince of peace.

Isa 9:6: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

5.      Has salvation and condemnation

The gospel saves. Yes! The main purpose of the gospel is salvation.

Rom 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Mt 18:11: For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Acts 2:21: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Lk 3:6: And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

See the main purpose of the gospel.

The gospel also condemns.

John 3:18: He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Jude 1:4: For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

6.      Reveals heaven and hell

Mt 8:11: And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

Mt 13:24: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field

Mt 13:31: 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

Mt 13:33: Another parable spoke he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Mt 13:44: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he hath, and buys that field.

Mt 13:45: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Mt 13:47: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind

The gospel also reveals hell.

Lk 16:23: And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Mt 13:50: And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Mt 25:30: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Lk 13:28: There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

Hell is real.

7.      Judges and crowns

John 5:22: For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son

Heb 13:4: Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whore-mongers and adulterers God will judge.

Rev 20:12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Rev 20:13: And the sea gave up the dead who were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

The gospel crowns or rewards

James 1:12: Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Mt 5:12: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven

Rev 22:12: And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

See crowning and judgment

(These are just few examples of how the gospel is two-sided).

In Jesus ministry on the earth, He was revealing the two sides of the gospel.

As He revealed the kingdom of God (heaven) He revealed hell

As He spoke of salvation He revealed damnation

As He spoke of life He spoke of death

As He revealed crowning and rewarding of saints He revealed Judgment

As He blessed He also cursed.

The gospel preached today is a one-sided gospel; a gospel of blessing and not curses, which covers but not exposes, has heaven but not hell, has salvation but no damnation etc.

It is a one-sided gospel and a gospel which is not of Jesus Christ. Giving birth to pop-corn Christians who jump when the switch is on and when it goes off they die.

It is a gospel giving birth to half-baked Christians; Luke-warm Christians and you know that you will be spitted out.

Rev 3:15-16: I know thy works, that you are neither cold nor hot: neither cold nor hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.

It is a gospel leading million ignorant half-baked Christians to hell. It is Satanic and Satan has taken advantage to hide the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to ignorant people who want to be told what they want to hear.

Reason Satan has raised many scoffers telling you what you want to hear. They are leading you faster into hell not into the kingdom of God.

2 Tim 4:3-4: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

The gospel of Jesus is two-sided; a two-edged sword. Any human being truly preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ must preach and teach the two sides of the gospel like Jesus.

Any true Christian must clearly know the two-sides of the gospel; the two roads (the road to hell and the road to heaven).

You will not inherit heaven by knowing heaven but you will inherit heaven by knowing hell and what leads millions of people to hell for you to avoid that. Because you do not know what takes people to hell, Satan preachers preaching a perverted gospel only telling you of heaven are leading you to hell.

Wake up!

Hebrews 4:12 King James Version (KJV) 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 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.(Proverbs 21 v 30 & Isaiah 54 v 17)

Interpretation of the verse obtained from meditating on the scripture: (Will provide shortly)

The word of God has three major characteristics according to Hebrew 4 v 12.

1) Quick

2) Powerful

3) Sharper than a two-edged sword

Let’s examine each characteristic respectively:

The first characteristic is that it’s Quick implies that the word of God is quickly manifested as God watches over his word to quickly perform it according to Jeremiah 1 v 12.

The second characteristic is that it’s powerful, the Word of God is God himself and it was he who existed in the very beginning and he is omnipotent (all powerful), hence the word of God itself is powerful, it’s so powerful that when heaven and earth will pass away the word God remains forever. In fact the word God is immortal and can never be killed. In conclusion the very existence of the universe today and all its elements therein are a result of the awesome power of the word of God. All things came into being by the spoken word of God, as seen in Genesis 1. God said let there be and there was.

The third characteristic is the word of God is the sword of the spirit according to Ephesians 6 v 17, the sword of God breaks the rocks in pieces. The word of God is more powerful than weapon fashioned by man, in fact no weapon fashioned against God’s word can prosper. A great war solider was delivered from death because the word of God was in his pocket. Please read the excerpt below:

SAVED BY HIS BIBLE

Private Bush had his devout Christianity to thank for saving his life when, in 1917, two bullets destined for his chest were stopped by a Bible he kept in his breast pocket.

Pte Bush was knocked off his feet and into a shell hole on the ravaged battlefield in Ypres, Belgium, and nearly drowned before being dragged to safety by his comrades.

They feared Pte Bush had been mortally wounded but instead found a bullet lodged in the brown Bible. Another had ricocheted off the Bible and passed through his collarbone.

Following the war Pte Bush worked in a paper mill in Bristol. He died in 1960 aged 76.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2739338/The-Great-War-Soldiers-saved-pocket-Bible-whistle-camera-Incredible-stories-three-heroes-cheated-death-revealed-time.html#ixzz4DwuvnsfZ

Wow! That was amazing right? The word of God is powerful isn’t?

George Washington said it is not possible to rightly govern the world without God and the bible. This is another attestation to the tremendous power of God’s word.

Life Principle:

Read the Bible daily, meditate on it day and night and see the awesome power of God manifesting in your life.

Nuggets:

In 6 weeks time you will see a remarkable difference in your spiritual life. No man who read the word of God constantly was a failure. All the kings of Israel that failed were none bible readers, they didn’t study the word constantly as in the injuction of Moses in Exodus 17 v 18; The secret to david’s success was that he studied the word of God 7 times according to Psalm 119 v 164. Scientist recommend that we should drink water 6-8 times a day to stay hydrated, as 70% of our body is made from water. We are 100% created from dust which was created by the word of God hence, if we take as much as 6-8 glasses a day we might need to take more to stay spiritually hydrated.

Prayer Points:

1) Oh Lord make me a reservoir of your word in Jesus name.

2) Every evil SUN choking the word of God from my heart, sword of God kill it, in Jesus name.

3) My father speak to me today through your word in Jesus name.

4) Sword of Gideon and of the word of God slay my Midianites today in Jesus name.

5) Oh sword of the word of God pierce through any evil deposit in my body in Jesus name.

6) Oh sword of the word of God pierce through everything that is not of God in my body & spirit in Jesus name.

7) Oh sword of the word of God discern every evil thought and intent of my heart and destroy it, in Jesus name.

Oh sword of the word of God cut down any evil tree in body, soul and spirit, in Jesus name.

9) Sword of Gideon and of the word of God slay my midanites today in Jesus name.

Words have power. Words are mighty instruments to construct but also great weapons to deconstruct. With words, mountains can be erected, and with words, they can be razed. With words, things can be called into existence, and with words, they can be recalled into nothingness. The power of words must not be underestimated. Words have as much power to build as they have to destroy.

St. James elucidated the negative power of words in his Epistle:

“So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:5–6).

That even the words of men are very powerful indicates that the words of Him from whom the Eternal Word proceeded can be exceedingly mighty. This was evidenced by the act of God when the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the surface of the deep. He then called things into being, and they came to be.

John the Evangelist expressed this awesome manifestation of the power of words in the first chapter of his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (1:1–3). It was this same Word that God sent to Mary through the angel Gabriel. Mary received this word by pronouncing her own word: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). As soon as this fiat was pronounced, the Word became flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary.

By this same power of the word, God can call things back from being. The psalmist professed: “Thou turnest man back to the dust, and sayest, ‘Turn back, O children of men!’ ” (Ps. 90:3). Jesus recalled from being many sicknesses in many people through the power of the word and controlled the force of nature, when necessary, by the same power.

Sword of the Spirit

It is for this reason of the awesome power residing in words that St. Paul describes the word of God as the sword of the Spirit. In warfare, swords could be used to attack and to defend oneself or comrades. However, one could have a perfect sword for one’s purpose but lack the knowledge of using it to achieve the desired ends. Therefore, before a soldier can wield the sword to produce desired results, he must first spend time and effort to become acquainted with the art of using the sword. This means that he must believe in what the sword can accomplish and carefully learn how to put it to good use.

An intercessor must, in the same way, understand primarily the power in the Word of the Master and secondarily the power in his own words. He must equally learn the art of using the Word and his own words, too, in order to hit the desired targets. We will use a few passages from Scripture to highlight first the force an intercessor can set in motion when he properly uses the word of God as a sword and later his own words.

Any word that goes out of the mouth of God is destined to achieve a purpose, and it must of consequence fulfill its destiny, no matter how much opposition it may encounter. Consequently, it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah: “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the things for which I sent it” (55:11). This is possible because the word of the Master travels with “lightning and thunder.”

The psalmist puts it in a very interesting way: “The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare” (Ps. 29:3–9 NIV).

In the same way, Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” This text expresses the dual function of the word of God. It cuts across the spiritual and the physical. When it is set in motion, it must arrive at its destination whether it is within the human physical world (bone and marrow) or in the depth of the spiritual domain (soul and spirit).

The word of God has accordingly no barrier whatsoever. Nothing can stop it from achieving its purpose or getting to its destination. Thus, the Lord says, “I work and who can hinder it?” (Isa. 43:13). No force can frustrate the power in the word of God. The mission of Jesus on earth was evidenced by the rampaging power of His words. Just a few examples will suffice:

• “Taking her by the hand He said to her, ‘Talitha cumi’; which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ And im­mediately the girl got up and walked” (Mark 5:41–42).
• “And He came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother” (Luke 7:14–15).
• “When He had said this, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go’ ” (John 11:43–44).

Those who acknowledge the authority of words exploit it in their relation to the word of God. This is how it becomes a sword for an intercessor. An intercessor should take a lesson from the Roman centurion, who sent a message to Jesus to heal his servant.

The Roman Centurion and the Power in Words (Luke 7:1–10)

A Roman centurion had a servant who was at the point of death. He wished he could help the servant live. He was told of Jesus. He sent messengers immediately to some Jewish elders to go to Him on his behalf and plead that He might come and heal his servant.

When these elders came to the Master, they pleaded earnestly with Him with the following argument: “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built us our synagogue.” The elders tried to put up a convincing argument. They showed their belief in the Master, that He had the power to do what they were requesting of Him, and supported their request with the fact that the centurion was a good man.

Jesus heard their plea and set out to visit the house of the centurion and heal his servant. But then a very surprising thing happened. The centurion sent messengers to stop Jesus from coming to his house.

What was his reason? His message read: “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.” What a humble man! His attitude shows already how he sees Jesus in relation to himself. He holds Him in high honor and respect. With this message, he expressed his deep reverence for the Master. Though he did not want Jesus to come under his roof, he, nevertheless, needed Him to heal his servant. Thus, he added in his message, “For I am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

This is an extraordinary insight and manifestation of faith in the power of words (not necessarily the word of God). This man understands very deeply what we can accomplish with words when we have the authority to use them. A man under authority has the power to use words according to his office and achieve his desired ends. The centurion knows this and equally knows that Jesus is a man under greater authority. He expresses the fact that it is clear to Him that the authority of Jesus is more sublime and expansive than his.

A centurion has power over a limited number of soldiers, but Jesus has power over nature, over all creation, including sickness. It then follows from his perception that Jesus needed only to use His authority, give the necessary orders through His word, and the sickness of his servant, like the soldiers under him, would obey. Then his servant would be healed. His understanding deeply surprised the Master. He was highly impressed by this centurion’s rare knowledge and insight and praised his faith.

An intercessor requires this level of conviction and faith in the power of the word, primarily in the word of God and secondarily in his own words. If he does not use the word of the Master with absolute faith and pronounce it with total conviction in its efficacy, the power in the Word will remain inactive.

In the same way, he should believe that he is the weapon of war of the Lord and should make decrees in the name of the Lord as one under authority. Studying the ministry of the prophets and how the New Testament speaks of the use of words (divine and human) will give us insight into how an intercessor should wield the power in words to make things happen.

Editor’s note: This article is from a chapter in The Art of Spiritual Warfare: The Secret Weapons Satan Can’t Withstand, which is available from Sophia Institute Press.