I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Pick your battles”, but has anyone ever asked you how you fight your battles?
My husband likes to watch YouTube videos. I think men are more into YouTube than women. We like to listen to podcasts and bluetooth our phones to speakers while we listen to some jams and load the dishwater.
Just me? Who has time to sit down and watch a video?
A few months ago, my husband wanted me to listen to a man who doesn’t believe in God interview a Christian he had on his show. My husband told me I don’t know how to debate people when it comes to the Bible because I get too wrapped up in my emotions. He suggested I listen to the video and glean some pointers.
So, I entertained my husband and listened to this man berate, degrade and rip this poor Christian man to shreds over the validity of the New Testament verses the Old Testament and the “discrepancies” in the Bible.
Side note: I like to use these babies …”” … when I don’t agree with someone.
As I sat there listening, I became more and more irritated. I found myself yelling at the cell phone, rolling my eyes, and calling the man an idiot. “He’s not interviewing this man! He won’t even let him answer a question without interrupting him and encouraging his audience to spew hatred at him.”
Is the Bible Relevant in Today’s Culture?
God’s word is old. Parts of it are older than others and the authors are a bunch of men who lived in different times and different places. That alone is a stumbling block to many. How can a book that uses moral examples of shepherding, plowing fields, and cultural differences be relatable to what we go through today?
The culture is always changing. We change fads, clothing, slang (anyone know what woke means and is it still usable in 2020?). The Bible NEVER changes. God has a standard of righteousness and time, culture, fads and the ever changing character of man cannot change what God has already established.
Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Let me ask you a question: which is more trustworthy; an unchanging word or a changing culture?
The American culture is very religious, but that means nothing when it comes to the knowledge of God’s word. More copies of the Bible have been sold in America than any other country, yet we don’t know it. How can a culture refute a word they don’t understand?
What has the Bible done for me?
If you’ve read my blog long enough, you know I was raised in church. But that doesn’t mean I knew God’s word. I didn’t. I rarely touched it and had only a surface knowledge of the Bible stories from Sunday school.
When I was thirty years old, I went through something called a spiritual battle. Do you know what a spiritual battle is? It’s the type of battle that you fight and you feel it in your soul. No one can help you. There are no answers that can satisfy the desperation you feel when you go through a spiritual battle.
This battle wasn’t something that could be won with a trip to the movies or an elaborate shopping spree. Trust me. I tried. And then one day, in complete desperation and hopelessness, I went to my mom’s house and told her I was spiraling into a depression and mental anguish. She said, “Just tell God to take it away.”
I love my mom. She’s a wise woman, but don’t you think I tried that? Of course I pleaded with God to take this battle away from me. He can do anything. Why not this?
And then, after I ran out of resources and people to talk to, I finally heard it. It was the still, small voice of God. He said, “Use your sword and fight.”
Fight your battle with the word
We talk a lot about putting on the armor of God in the church world. But if the church really put on the armor we would be much more victorious than we really are. You see, Ephesians 6 tells us the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. It is both a weapon of defense and offense for Christians. And it is the only thing that defeats the enemy of our souls.
When the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness, He didn’t argue God’s word. He didn’t even defend it. He used it in response to every suggestion, accusation and scenario given by the enemy. And what was the result? The enemy left.
God doesn’t need us defending His word and arguing it with the world. He wants us to read it, live it and uphold it. And when we know it, it becomes a weapon used to defeat the enemy in spiritual battles that can’t be seen with the physical eye.
How do you use the sword?
In our culture, swords aren’t used. I never see police officers carry a sword to serve and protect. Do you?
Swords used to be the way men fought in battles. But military force looks a lot different today than it was back in biblical times. Doesn’t everything? But, no matter what physical warfare looks like today, that doesn’t mean spiritual battles aren’t fought the same way in our time as they were back then.
The weapon of choice for Christians is and will remain the sword of the Spirit …. The word of God.
The word of God is sharper than any two-edge sword. It is as precise as splitting bone from marrow (Heb 4:12). It is timeless (Isa 40:8). Now only is it written by men, but the only book that claims to be inspired by God as men wrote it (2 Tim 3:16-17). It guides our path and tells us where to go, decisions to make and how to live (Psalm 119:105).
The word of God is not a book that you read only. It is a book that you apply to your life and live out. It truly identifies the fool and the wise (James 1:22), and it withstands the test of time and will outlive us all.
Government has tried to outlaw it, but it remains. Cultures have tried to shut it out, but creation testifies to it’s power. People dispute it, refute it, and convolute it, but those who wield the sword with wisdom and live by it are the evidence of its effectiveness.
Challenge
The challenge today is to pick up your sword and read it. As we face a new year, instead of making a resolution, make it your goal to read the word this year. Ask God to train you to pick up your sword and fight the spiritual battles that can only be won with spiritual means … the word of God.
I can testify to the truth of God’s word in my life. When I finally woke up to the understanding that His word meant life or death in the battle of my mind, I have vowed not to go a day without it.
Remember, the enemy of your soul roams about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Notice that word “may” in the verse. That means he looks for the opportunity to devour. And he will devour those who are not armed with the word. But those who have their sword drawn and ready? They are a force to be reckoned with and the enemy is no match for them.
To listen to this week’s podcast episode: Is the Bible relevant today? Click here. Click here for this week’s links.
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