Characteristics of the word of God (Victor's Mentality 49)

Welcome to today’s article. My sincere prayer is that we will all be blessed by God’s Word.

Last week, we began a new segment in our series, The Victor’s Mentality, and our focus is on the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We’ve been studying the different pieces of armour God has empowered us with so as to keep winning in life, and right now, our focus is on the sword of the Spirit.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17 (NKJV)

Today, we will take a step further and look at the characteristics of the sword of the Spirit, using Hebrews 4:12 as our reference.

“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.” Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)

One thing that helps in understanding the book of Hebrews is knowing the context in which it was written. The epistle was written to Jewish Christians who were under intense pressure and persecution, and there was a strong temptation for them to leave their faith in Christ and return to the old covenant practices under the Law of Moses. 

That is why the writer keeps showing the superiority of Christ and the New Covenant over angels, Moses, and the entire Old Covenant system. So, this is the lens we should use as we look at this scripture.

In Chapter Four, the writer tells us how many Israelites could not enter into the rest of God, the Promised Land, because of unbelief, and how they perished in the wilderness as a result. 

Then we see the preceding verse, verse 11, which says:
“Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”


So verse 12 comes directly after that warning. And notice how it starts; it starts with the word “for.” That is not accidental. It is telling us that the way to be diligent and not fall is by allowing the Word of God to do His work in our lives.

Beloved, we have no excuse because we have the Word of God. If a man gives himself to the Word and allows it to deal with him, he will not fall short of entering into God’s rest.

Characteristics of the Word of God

Let us look at this verse 12. But first, let me say this: the Word of God is the full revelation of God’s truth. It reveals to us the person of Christ, what He has done, and all that God has spoken to us and about us in Christ.

1. The Word of God is Living

The reason the Word of God is described as living is that the Spirit of God is never absent from His Word. As I established last week, the Holy Spirit always acts in response to God’s Word. He breathes life into it. That is why Jesus said in John 6:63, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

So you cannot treat God’s Word casually because God is inseparable from His Word. Wherever His Word is, His Spirit is right there.

I love how the old King James Version puts it. It translates  “living” as “quick” and that means it is unstoppable. Anything that encounters the Word of God must give way. There is nothing it cannot confound, and nothing can withstand it. Even the devil cannot stop a life that is rooted in the Word of God.

This is the weapon we have been given as believers, but unfortunately, many of us have trivialised it. We take it for granted. I pray that by the end of this teaching, we will hold on to God’s Word the way we should.

2. The Word of God is Powerful

The AMPC translates that the Word is active and energetic. Since the Holy Spirit moves with His word, the word takes on the nature of the Spirit who is always active.

Now, some people think the Word of God, is just the printed Bible. Yes, the printed Bible contains the Word of God, but that is not what makes it powerful. What makes it powerful is that the Spirit of God moves with it.

The Bible is not meant to stay only in our heads, on the shelf, or saved on our devices. It has to be used in real time. It has to be applied in real time. And one thing you must know is that the Word of God does not resign. It is always active.

Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

Every Word God has spoken has a purpose to achieve in your life, and it will not quit until it achieves it. So even when you are not yet seeing the results of the Word God has spoken to you, stay with it. It is active. Believe it and hold on.

3. The Word of God is a Two-Edged Sword

A two-edged sword is different from a regular sword. It is made specifically to penetrate deeply, all the way through the bones and the heart of a man. Because it is sharp on both edges, it does not cut superficially. It cuts deeply and precisely.

We will continue from this third point in the next article because there are still some things I want us to look at together.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​


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