As
Christians we find ourselves in a constant battle to live our lives as Christ
would desire us to. Pastor Jeff Voth has written a book for men called Cavetime
in which he suggests men should withdraw to the cave as David did while fleeing
Saul who wanted him dead. Like David, we have an enemy who wants to destroy us.
But God has not left us to fend for ourselves; He has provided everything we
need to live in this world. The concept of using the five stones as weapons
against our enemy are just as applicable today as they were in David’s time and
though our roles are different, I believe women have the same need for these
stones.
Today
we look at stone number four, the Word of God. Stone 4 fits very well into the arsenal
of weapons we have looked at so far. Stone one is “Show Up, stone two is
Worship, and stone three is Prayer. Let’s take a closer look now at stone four
and see how it fits right in.
The
world we live in is a dark place. If you fly over our country it is amazing to
see how man has tried to light it up. When I was a boy you could lie on the
ground at night and look up into the night sky and see an amazing view of the
heavens. But now you have to escape far into the wilderness to see that many
stars as the artificial light of man has polluted the night sky. Imagine the
cost and the use of energy it takes to keep all these lights on at night. Why
do we do it? Because darkness makes it easy to commit crimes and light is seen
as security. But that light is artificial and from what I see on the news every
night, evil is not being deterred much, for the real problem is not the
darkness of night but it is the darkness of man’s heart.
There are seasons in our lives when the world is darker than
other times. These are the times we need to escape to the cave and refresh so
we may prepare to get back into the fight. But if you know anything about caves
you know they are dark as well. But we don’t have to worry because God has
provided us a never ending source of light; Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John
12:46 “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever
believes in me may not remain in darkness.”
And stone four, God’s Word is the complete revelation of that light. Psalm 119:105 is the declaration of this very
truth, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Soldiers operate under orders and we
are God’s army. His Word has our orders. It tells us how to fight the battle
and then it illuminates the way. It provides encouragement and reminds us of
the power of God which is what drives us. How can we know what God wants us to
do and how we are to do it if we do not read His Word?
In the Vietnam War the army had a
weapon called a claymore mine. Basically it was thousands of metal balls that
were shot out at the enemy like a shotgun blast but with much more force. But
it had one drawback in that it had to be faced the right direction. Sometimes
the enemy would sneak in and turn it around so that when detonated it would
shoot back at our own men. This is what Satan will try and do with the Word of
God. He will turn it around so it’s not being properly directed and use it
against you. This is exactly what happened in the wilderness during the forty
days of Jesus’ temptations as we read of in Matthew chapter four. Jesus
countered Satan’s twisted use of scripture by speaking the truth of scripture.
Satan had no defense and was defeated each time. Our enemy knows the Bible.
Just as an army must spend time training in the proper use of its weapons, so
must we. We must take time each day to read God’s Word, to study God’s Word,
and to know its proper use.
As I said yesterday the weapons we
have are best used in a coordinated attack. First we must show up, we must be
willing to be God’s soldiers. Then we must worship Him as we show up, talk to
Him through prayer and even use scripture when we worship and pray. Then we
will be equipped to leave the cave and go into the dark battle with the light
of Jesus illuminating the path. His light will reveal not only the enemy but
also our own weak spots.
Tomorrow we will look at the final
stone which is the stone of community. I hope as you read this you will be
encouraged to call retreat at some time in your day. Take time to train with
these stones. Show up and practice with them before the battle hits. If you are
in the midst of a terrible assault then retreat for a bit to the cave and
re-arm with the stones. In truth the first stone of showing up will do wonders.
When we humble ourselves before God He will protect us. Show up, offer God
worship, pray to Him admitting your weakness, and use God’s own Word to seek
His protection. Sometimes we don’t even need to fight. Hear these words from Exodus 14:13-14, “And Moses said to
the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD,
which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you
shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be
silent."
Trust Him. The war was won at
Calvary. We are just on a mop-up mission.
God bless.
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