"Let the high praise of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand...."(Ps. 149:6)
I attempted twice to send a video devotional, but no go. Anyway, it concerned our text.
You and I are called to a service in The Kingdom of Heaven which the psalmist would later describe as, "This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!" This is not for New Testament-only folk. Yet I could spend the rest of the day giving "proof texts" from both Old and New. The moment you and I surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ we entered into a war. Actually we were in the war before; we were just on the wrong and losing side. This war has been from the Garden to this moment in time. When John the Baptist and Jesus both announced their "ministries," they both said, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This upped the proverbial "ante." It was a renewed declaration of war on Satan and his kingdom, a war with, "the kingdoms of this world," on all systems, political and "academic," which oppose, "The Word of God," Jesus, and the written declarations of The Kingdom of God, the Scriptures.
Psalm 149 tells us just what we are supposed to be about, "....to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishment on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment--" Then the declaration, "This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!" Really? "honor?" Yes, "honor."
Now the question is, How do we do this? It is not by our buying guns or arguing with the "opposition." The key to victory in this global and cosmic war is in the last phrase of our text, "a two-edged sword in their hand." This is a prophetic witness to the passage in Hebrews 4. Let me share it in context. The struggle, the battle, the warfare is in the minds of mankind and nations; therefore, the Scripture reminds us, "For the word of God is powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Hm to Whom we must give account." It does not matter the opinion one may have of their intelligence, cleverness, and debating skills. They cannot win in this war with any weapon other than the, "two-edged sword in their hand...." Keep going forth, might warrior.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray for more and more understanding of our text. Help me, Holy Spirit, to faithfully engage. Amen.
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Fall Mission: October 27-November 23
I attempted twice to send a video devotional, but no go. Anyway, it concerned our text.
You and I are called to a service in The Kingdom of Heaven which the psalmist would later describe as, "This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!" This is not for New Testament-only folk. Yet I could spend the rest of the day giving "proof texts" from both Old and New. The moment you and I surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ we entered into a war. Actually we were in the war before; we were just on the wrong and losing side. This war has been from the Garden to this moment in time. When John the Baptist and Jesus both announced their "ministries," they both said, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." This upped the proverbial "ante." It was a renewed declaration of war on Satan and his kingdom, a war with, "the kingdoms of this world," on all systems, political and "academic," which oppose, "The Word of God," Jesus, and the written declarations of The Kingdom of God, the Scriptures.
Psalm 149 tells us just what we are supposed to be about, "....to execute vengeance on the nations, and punishment on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment--" Then the declaration, "This honor have all His saints. Praise the Lord!" Really? "honor?" Yes, "honor."
Now the question is, How do we do this? It is not by our buying guns or arguing with the "opposition." The key to victory in this global and cosmic war is in the last phrase of our text, "a two-edged sword in their hand." This is a prophetic witness to the passage in Hebrews 4. Let me share it in context. The struggle, the battle, the warfare is in the minds of mankind and nations; therefore, the Scripture reminds us, "For the word of God is powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Hm to Whom we must give account." It does not matter the opinion one may have of their intelligence, cleverness, and debating skills. They cannot win in this war with any weapon other than the, "two-edged sword in their hand...." Keep going forth, might warrior.
Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray for more and more understanding of our text. Help me, Holy Spirit, to faithfully engage. Amen.
*********************
Fall Mission: October 27-November 23
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
