Calvin’s commentary says this about the Sword of the Spirit, ”There is no man of any rank who is not bound to be a soldier of Christ. But if we enter the field unarmed, if we want our sword, how shall we sustain that character?” This is so true, isn’t it? No one is exempt from needing God’s Word. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, what your title is, or how much schooling you have, it certainly doesn’t matter if you come from a family with generations of Christians. And most importantly, it doesn’t matter if you’re in charge of a church or not. No man is exempt from needing the Word of God.

What other book can give us the solution to every question we have, every political issue, guide us to world peace, show us how to feed the starving, and give the answer to some of our major medical issues of today?

As a yong teenager I often find the Bible was boring. I would almost completely ignore the Old Testament; and honestly, when I did pick up my Bible, I didn’t know where to start so I was often reading a Proverbs to correlate with the date. The Bible was not alive and active to me, and this was by no one elses fault except my own.

As Believers we have become complacent in the most important thing we can do for growing our faith. Too often we excuse away time with God. How many times am I guilty of saying, “I’ll read my Bible after I do this…” But something else always comes up that’s more pressing than sitting with my Lord.

There are those who claim to be Christian that believe the lie, ‘the Bible is a bunch of stories, made up to prove a moral point or to convey a general concept’, particularly the Old Testament. There are men and women who claim to be Christian that do not pick up their Bible and do not pray, except on Sundays and maybe a midweek service; maybe they were really good this week and went to a Bible study too.

We have to stop playing the Heaven game and actually live the Heaven life.

Do you understand what I mean by this? We must be authentic in our walk. Walk the walk and talk the talk. We have to stop doing all the things because it’s the right thing to do, or because it’s what we’re supposed to do. We have to starting doing because we love. Start reading your Bible because you love God and want to know Him more. Start praying, without ceasing, because you love talking with God. Start serving because you love to further His kingdom on Earth. Start telling people the truth about Jesus because you love them, and would not see them perish but have everlasting Life!

Enough just going to church. The revival we pray for beings within. How do we seek out the lost, how do we find those that are pushed to the side, how do we love the unlovable?

First, we have to catch that fire. And we catch it by reading God’s Word, meditating on it, delighting in it, and do according to all that is written (Psalm 1:2-3, Joshua 1:8). The Bible is inspired by God, it’s useful for teaching truth, and for convicting our hearts (2 Timothy 3:16-17), it’s sharper than any two edged sword-it pierces the division of soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). It is alive and active, the Word is the main vehicle to which God uses to speak to us, to convict us, and to restore us.

In Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from Heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Now turn to Luke 8:4-18, the Parable of the Sower. This passage alone could be a study itself. But here are two things that I want to point out that Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear.” And towards the end He says, “So take care how you listen…” This goes back to inner revival and what you do with the calling God has placed in your heart. This goes back to what you do with the spiritual weapons you have. This goes back to how you are loving God. What are doing with what you have heard?

You know, naturally, I’m not a “start something up and get it done” sort of person. If there’s a cause or an event to get behind, I’ll jump in, but to lead something, no that is not me. God has pressed it so hard on my heart that we as the Church are not doing our part. We are not loving as God loves. We are not loving the way our Jesus demonstrated. There is still so much more we could be doing. We just have to have His eyes. I say this not to shame, but to inspire, just as the Word does. Catch that fire that God offers within His Holy Word.

Hebrews 6:5, God’s Word is good. Hebrews 4:12, sharper than any two edged sword. Ephesians 6:17, take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

I found something written in my Bible: strongholds of my soul will be destroyed by the sharpest sword, God’s Word. My strongholds at the time were fear, self doubt, selfishness, low self esteem, worry of what others think of me. As I have dug deep into the Word, as I have applied the Truth to my life, as I have believed the words that God has spoken about me as His child, as I have allowed His Word to transform my heart and renew my mind all these strongholds have been demolished. That ‘s not to say they haven’t tried to come back and rebuild a place in my heart and life. But I have found that it’s all about what I am doing, or not doing, with Scripture.

Are you feasting on the bread of life, or surviving on leftovers from last week?

Are you drinking the living water, or sipping from the well of self?

Are you delighting in the promises of the Lord, or are you overcome by the weight of the world and your circumstances?

The Bible “reveals a different kind of wisdom, comes from a different source, and tells of a different love.” It’s in the Bible that we will find the ability to forgive the unforgivable, to love the unloveable, to help the needy, to find the lost. It’s here we will find the strength and boldness and courage we need to face another day, to defeat our giants, and to win souls for Christ. It is His Word that will break the strongholds of your soul. It is Scripture that will provide you with the wisdom, the joy, the comfort, the compassion, the answers you need.

You can know the truth, but until you start walking in the truth, it doesn’t do you much good.

I want to encourage you that if you find reading the Bible a duty, or challenging, or boring even, talk to God about it. Tell Him your woes, ask Him to change your heart. I am a big advocate for exploring the Bible on your own. I think we get so caught up in “this is how you should study the Bible,” and forget that God gave us a mind of our own. Devotionals are amazing, don’t get me wrong, I still use them. But I have found the most joy, the most passion, the most information, the most knowledge by exploring on my own. That’s how this started. I had always wanted to know more about the Armor of God, but hadn’t ever found a study that went in-depth. So, I just started doing it myself, because why not.

If you’re feeling stale in any way in your faith, let us know. We can pray for you, encourage you; and trust that God will inspire you. But you have to be seeking, you have to be willing, you have to be ready for what He’s going to show you.