Characteristics of the word of God 2 (The Victor's Mentality 50)

My beloved readers, I welcome you once again to this week’s article. I believe by the grace of God that we shall all be blessed as we read in Jesus’ name.

In the last article, we began looking at the characteristics of the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, from Hebrews 4:12:

“For the word of God is living and 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.”


Today, we will continue from that third point: The Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword.

Im the last article, I said the Word of God is designed to touch the deepest part of our being, not just the surface. It is not meant to massage our ego or conform to what we want. Instead, the Bible describes it as a two-edged sword. You don’t handle such a sword however you like, rather, it handles you according to the truth of the gospel.

The Word is designed to put our flesh under and cause our hearts to embrace the truth of God. It is not there to agree with our own ideas or projections.

Many times when we hear God’s Word, it feels like it is condemning us. But it is not condemning. It only feels that way because it is hitting us hard where we need it. And yes, we need to be hit by the Word sometimes. If the Word has never challenged you deeply, it may simply be because you have not fully exposed yourself to it.

The intention of the Word remains the same no matter what we project. When we are moving in the wrong direction and we encounter God’s Word, there is a collision. The Word will not bend or change. We are the ones who must either change direction or align with it. The Word of God stands firm and it is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The fourth characteristic the Word of God divides the soul and the spirit. In other words, it exposes our inner life so we can receive the truth of God.

When the Bible talks about the soul, it refers to our feelings, desires, and emotions. When it talks about the spirit, it refers to our belief system, our convictions, and our alignment with God. The sword of the Spirit is designed to detect and bring to light the true condition of these two parts of our being. It cuts through both soul and spirit to reveal where our desires, emotions, beliefs, and convictions are conflicting with God’s truth.

Thank God for the written Word! There was a time in church history called the Dark Ages, when people did not have access to the Bible. They didn’t know what truly belonged to them in Christ. But today we have the Word, and it brings light to every dark part of our inner life. Instead of rationalizing our actions or making excuses, the right response to God’s Word is to simply agree with it as truth over our lives. We don’t need to justify our behaviour, or blame other things. Every excuse must stop when God’s Word is revealed.

Sadly, many of us are so full of ego that we even display it before God and His Word. We find it hard to admit we are wrong even when it is clear. We always want to give reasons for our actions, even when we know we are heading in the wrong direction.

Beloved, can we begin to humble ourselves? Let me ask you: What is that area where God’s Word has been speaking to you, but you have put it on hold simply because you don’t want to admit you are wrong and God is right? We must let the Word of God rule our inner lives.

The fifth characteristic is that the Word of God pierces the joints and marrow. This means it exposes our actions and reactions so it can align them with God’s precepts and order.

The joints represent our outward actions and reactions; what people see us do. The marrow speaks of the inner power or strength behind those actions. It is the drive and energy within the bone that fuels our behaviour.

The Word of God does not only touch our actions; it also touches the energy and strength we put into them. Many times we channel our energy into the wrong things, and that’s why we lack strength for the right things.

Jesus said it clearly:

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
 Matthew 26:41 (KJV)

Many of us already know what to do. We have received the conviction that we are wrong, but we lack the strength to change the course of direction. Sometimes we feel we have gone too far in the wrong direction, so we don’t have the courage to make a U-turn.

I remember when I was on campus ministering to a Muslim man. He opened up to me and said, “I know what you are saying is true, but I am already too deep in Islam. I don’t have the strength to leave.”

Maybe you are reading this and you find yourself in a similar situation. You know what God wants you to do. You know the steps He is asking you to take, but you feel you lack the strength. That is the beauty of God’s Word! You only need to acknowledge that the Word is true and receive the strength that comes with it. When the Word exposes you, don’t pretend you have everything figured out. Instead, open your heart and receive the help that comes from the Holy Spirit through His Word.

When we put it together; soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it covers the total man. That means there is no area of your life that the Word of God will leave untouched when you expose it to Him. The Holy Spirit will touch every part.

In the next article, by God’s grace, we will look at the last part, the heart and then begin to talk about how we should handle the Word of God.