Ephesians 6:10-18 August 24, 2008
The Whole Armor of God, Part 7
“The Sword of the Spirit” –
“Hello? It’s For You!”
Rev. Meagan Boozer
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
We started this series with the first piece of armor Paul mentions: the belt of truth. The belt of truth is the written word of God – the Bible. Knowing what the Bible teaches is critical in order to stand against the wiles of the devil. The belt of truth is also the “in the flesh” Word of God, who is Jesus. If you want to see what the main teachings of the Bible should look like in your life and mine – take a look at the life of Jesus. We need to know the Bible and we need to know Jesus!
Since that first week, we’ve been challenged to put on the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, and the helmet of salvation. We’ve been commanded to take up the shield of faith – and today, we’re commanded to take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. We’ve already learned that the belt of truth is the word of God. So – what’s going on here?
The belt of truth is the written word of God – the Bible. It’s like the instructions you get when you purchase a gas grill. The printed instructions are provided by the manufacturer to explain how to put the grill together so that it works the way it was meant to work. The Bible is provided by our manufacturer (the LORD) to explain how to put our lives together so that they work the way they were meant to work. If we have questions about how to live our lives according to the Lord’s instructions, the answers that will help us figure it out are in the Bible.
But what if you’re reading the instructions for your new gas grill and something doesn’t make sense? What if the picture doesn’t seem to match what you’ve got in your hand? Well, presuming you have all the right parts, you can try to figure it out on your own, leaving the instructions behind. Or, you can keep going over the instructions until you understand.
Just last week, John and I opened a checking account at Orrstown Bank (sorry Teresa & Ken). Because it’s the only bank here in the valley, we decided it would be easier for us if we switched. After opening the account, I wanted to take advantage of their billpay feature. This is a feature that allows you to go online, open up your account information, enter the names of the companies to whom you send regular bills (like your utilities, car payments, etc.), and then send the funds electronically without writing checks and using the cost of a postage stamp (sorry Dawn). Two different times I got into my account on the computer, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I went through many steps, but the final instructions were: “select the left-most digit.” I could choose from 1 to 9. But, I didn’t understand. The left-most digit of what? How was this going to affect my billpay feature?
Finally, one morning I walked over to the branch office and asked one of the women working what the statement “select the left-most digit” meant. She picked up the phone to get me the answer I needed. Well, all of a sudden as she was getting this other person on the phone, the light bulb went on in my head. All of a sudden, I knew what “select the left-most digit meant.” “I got it. I got it,” I said to the woman. And when she got off the phone, she explained to me what had just come to me while I waited.
One weekday afternoon, back in 1994, I was sitting alone in the sanctuary of Falling Spring Presbyterian Church. I was the part-time director of music there at the time, and this odd thing was happening to me: a number of people, over a period of at least a year, had been encouraging me to consider entering full time ordained ministry. I would always laugh, and tell them they were crazy. Why would I want to put myself through another 4 years of school when I had a job I already loved in the church? Well, on this day, the pressure to seek God’s heart on this issue was intense. And so, I went to the sanctuary to pray. I had my Bible with me and skipped around reading a passage here and a passage there. I sat quietly in prayer and meditation on God’s word. And I ended up in Psalm 116.
I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
(I totally agreed with that!)
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I pray, save my life!”
(I felt somewhat anguished that day, but certainly not like the snares of death were encompassing me!)
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
The LORD protects the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest,
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
(At this point, I welled up with tears because I sensed with these verses that God was telling me to settle down and just keep doing what I loved to do and stop listening to all those people. What a relief. But I kept reading to finish the Psalm.)
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
(I didn’t really know what that meant, which happens quite often when we read the Scripture. But instead of giving up, I kept reading.)
What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
(Uh. Oh. Here I was, thinking I was “off the hook,” and then all of a sudden I KNEW this was the word I had come to read. All of sudden, sort of like what happened with the “left-most digit” thing, I got it! It was as if, not a light bulb, but a spotlight, was shining on those words and showing me what I was supposed to do. My heart was pounding, and I probably spoke out loud, “Really, Lord?” It was if the phone had rung, and the call was for me. All at once, I knew God was calling me to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. He was calling me to speak my ordination vows and lift up the cup of the sacraments before the people.) There were other things that came together to confirm God’s word to me over the next several weeks, but it was the words of that Psalm that formed the sword of the spirit for me that day.
The written word and the living Word are the logos word of God. When the biblical writers were referring to the written word of God, they used the Greek word logos. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” We’re talking about the logos word of God here. When the Apostle John wrote the first words of his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Greek word used for Word, was logos. Jesus was the logos. The living Word made flesh.
When Paul tells us to take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, he does not use the word logos. He uses the word rhema.
Rhema is the spoken word of God. Strong’s concordance says that rhema is “that which is or has been uttered by a living voice.” It applies to something happening right now in our lives. For instance, we might be wrestling with a specific thing, and during our quiet time (that time we take to read the Bible and pray), we read a verse that speaks directly to the situation we’re dealing with. All of a sudden we know what we should do next. It’s like what happened to me when I read Psalm 116. The light bulb goes on – and you know you’ve heard from God. That’s a rhema word – and it cuts to the heart like a two-edged sword.
Now why would this be such a big deal that it’s part of the armor of God?
Let’s say you’re sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. A loved one is having surgery. You don’t know what the doctor will say when they come to tell you what happened in that operating room. You feel like you don’t know anything except that your future rests on what that doctor is going to say. That’s what you feel like.
But then, from deep within you, a word rises up. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28,29) All at once, you know that your future doesn’t rest on the words of a doctor. No matter what happens, no matter how hard it might be, you are safe in the hands of the Good Shepherd. Peace comes over you. You know you can endure. This is a rhema word from God. The Holy Spirit spoke a living word to you that jerked you awake to the truth. The devil had lulled you into believing all was dark. The rhema word brought you back to the light. Do you see why this is such a powerful weapon?
More than at any time in the ministry God has called me to as a minister of Word and Sacrament, I have heard words of encouragement and thanks for this sermon series. Some of you have said this is the best preaching I’ve offered since I got here. Well, maybe that’s true. Hopefully we all get better the more we do something – but here’s what I really think has been happening with this series. I think the Holy Spirit has used this series of sermons as a rhema word of God for some of you. This congregation is filled with committed followers of Jesus Christ – and committed followers of Christ are constantly in the line of fire from the devil and his demons. Many of you were feeling a bit battle worn, and I believe that God brought you to worship with a sense of expectation – trusting that God would give you food to feed your weary souls.
Isn’t it true that sometimes our lives seem to be going great? Sometimes we’re flying high. Sometimes we can’t think of one thing we’d change about where we are and who we’re with. Sometimes life is like that. But sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we’re sick. Sometimes the people we love are sick. Sometimes we get laid off and we are really wondering how we will pay our electric bill. Sometimes we are falsely accused of doing something we didn’t do. Sometimes no matter what we do, it just seems like we’re sinking in quicksand. This is the reality of living in a sin-infested world, inside bodies that have both a sin nature and a spirit nature. As committed Christians, we know that it’s important to stay strong; it’s important to know how to keep standing and not fall over. From time to time, we really need a word from God – a rhema word – to remind us how to fight well against the wiles of the devil. Maybe I’ve preached better for this series because it was a rhema word to me. Maybe you thought I was preaching better because it was a rhema word to you. The rhema word is the spoken, living word. You can hear it through preaching, you can hear it as you read the Bible and it leaps off the page for you, and you can hear it in the encouragement or correction of a fellow believer. But one thing is for sure, when you get a rhema word – it fortifies and focuses you like nothing else can. And it totally weakens and disorients the devil!
So, my guess is that there are a few of us here this morning who may be saying, “man, I sure could use one of those rhema words. I really need to hear from God about this or that in my life.”
Here’s what you have to do in order to take up the sword of the spirit – which is the rhema word of God: You must put yourself in places where you can hear the Bible taught, and you have to make some time in your day to read the Bible. Romans 10:17 tell us, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
Let me see the hands of the people who ever went into school, unprepared to take a test, and then prayed to God that he would help you pass the test. Is God going to give you answers to test questions like a genie gives wishes to the one who rubs the lamp? No! God wants us to grow and mature in our responsibilities as Christian citizens in the world. We have to do our part. And so, if you want a rhema word from God, you’re going to have to do your part.
Would you please open one of the pew Bibles now, and let’s read together Psalm 1:1-3, “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.”
This doesn’t mean you have to sit by a stream, meditating like some statue on the word of God from sun up to sun down. This means that those who take the time to learn key Biblical truths and hide those truths in their hearts, have those wonderful words of life within them for constant instruction and encouragement. And each time one of those truths comes and knocks you on the head, “Hello. It’s for you!” as a rhema word, your roots go down deeper into the fertile soil that provides all the nutrients your spirit needs to continue to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.
Certainly receiving the rhema word regarding my call to ministry was a significant moment in my life. One other that I know I shared before, but I want to share again in the context of this teaching, was when I was preparing to lead the memorial service for the Rev. Linda Harter at Falling Spring Church. My emotions were a mess. I was grieving deeply. But God gave me a rhema word from God just when I needed it most. The very night before I was going to lead the service, as I was searching the word of God for encouragement, I came to Psalm 27, which has always been one of my favorites. The very last verse cut to the heart, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
I held onto the Lord and to that verse with all I had. “Okay Lord, you said to wait for you. So, I’m waiting.” I was full of emotion. There were 1200 people there – people who were grieving deeply like me. People who came expectantly. People who came hoping for a word from God that would help them. Even when I went up to sit behind the pulpit as the final prelude was playing, I was claiming God’s word to me. “I’m waiting for you, Lord. I can’t do it without you. I’m waiting for you. You told me to wait, and I’m waiting for you.” The devil couldn’t get to me. No way. That rhema word was my sword against the lies he was trying to get me to believe – that I couldn’t do it, that I was too weak, and would let the Harter family down. “Wait for the Lord. Take courage.” And in the moment I stood to lead, I was strong and courageous – as a testimony to the fulfilled promise from the Lord. I will never forget how he faithfully came to me that day as a result of me hearing & claiming a rhema word.
Isn’t it wonderful to know and understand how to keep standing against the mind games of the devil? All we have needed his hand has provided! May we be filled with joy as we claim God’s promises given to us, and share the good news of the Gospel, that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is alive and well, and speaking, and moving, and transforming us!
How can we repay the Lord for all of his goodness to us? Together, we will lift up the cup of salvation, and call on the Name of the LORD! Amen.
The Whole Armor of God, Part 7
“The Sword of the Spirit” –
“Hello? It’s For You!”
Rev. Meagan Boozer
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
We started this series with the first piece of armor Paul mentions: the belt of truth. The belt of truth is the written word of God – the Bible. Knowing what the Bible teaches is critical in order to stand against the wiles of the devil. The belt of truth is also the “in the flesh” Word of God, who is Jesus. If you want to see what the main teachings of the Bible should look like in your life and mine – take a look at the life of Jesus. We need to know the Bible and we need to know Jesus!
Since that first week, we’ve been challenged to put on the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, and the helmet of salvation. We’ve been commanded to take up the shield of faith – and today, we’re commanded to take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. We’ve already learned that the belt of truth is the word of God. So – what’s going on here?
The belt of truth is the written word of God – the Bible. It’s like the instructions you get when you purchase a gas grill. The printed instructions are provided by the manufacturer to explain how to put the grill together so that it works the way it was meant to work. The Bible is provided by our manufacturer (the LORD) to explain how to put our lives together so that they work the way they were meant to work. If we have questions about how to live our lives according to the Lord’s instructions, the answers that will help us figure it out are in the Bible.
But what if you’re reading the instructions for your new gas grill and something doesn’t make sense? What if the picture doesn’t seem to match what you’ve got in your hand? Well, presuming you have all the right parts, you can try to figure it out on your own, leaving the instructions behind. Or, you can keep going over the instructions until you understand.
Just last week, John and I opened a checking account at Orrstown Bank (sorry Teresa & Ken). Because it’s the only bank here in the valley, we decided it would be easier for us if we switched. After opening the account, I wanted to take advantage of their billpay feature. This is a feature that allows you to go online, open up your account information, enter the names of the companies to whom you send regular bills (like your utilities, car payments, etc.), and then send the funds electronically without writing checks and using the cost of a postage stamp (sorry Dawn). Two different times I got into my account on the computer, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I went through many steps, but the final instructions were: “select the left-most digit.” I could choose from 1 to 9. But, I didn’t understand. The left-most digit of what? How was this going to affect my billpay feature?
Finally, one morning I walked over to the branch office and asked one of the women working what the statement “select the left-most digit” meant. She picked up the phone to get me the answer I needed. Well, all of a sudden as she was getting this other person on the phone, the light bulb went on in my head. All of a sudden, I knew what “select the left-most digit meant.” “I got it. I got it,” I said to the woman. And when she got off the phone, she explained to me what had just come to me while I waited.
One weekday afternoon, back in 1994, I was sitting alone in the sanctuary of Falling Spring Presbyterian Church. I was the part-time director of music there at the time, and this odd thing was happening to me: a number of people, over a period of at least a year, had been encouraging me to consider entering full time ordained ministry. I would always laugh, and tell them they were crazy. Why would I want to put myself through another 4 years of school when I had a job I already loved in the church? Well, on this day, the pressure to seek God’s heart on this issue was intense. And so, I went to the sanctuary to pray. I had my Bible with me and skipped around reading a passage here and a passage there. I sat quietly in prayer and meditation on God’s word. And I ended up in Psalm 116.
I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
(I totally agreed with that!)
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“O LORD, I pray, save my life!”
(I felt somewhat anguished that day, but certainly not like the snares of death were encompassing me!)
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
The LORD protects the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return, O my soul, to your rest,
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
(At this point, I welled up with tears because I sensed with these verses that God was telling me to settle down and just keep doing what I loved to do and stop listening to all those people. What a relief. But I kept reading to finish the Psalm.)
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
(I didn’t really know what that meant, which happens quite often when we read the Scripture. But instead of giving up, I kept reading.)
What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
(Uh. Oh. Here I was, thinking I was “off the hook,” and then all of a sudden I KNEW this was the word I had come to read. All of sudden, sort of like what happened with the “left-most digit” thing, I got it! It was as if, not a light bulb, but a spotlight, was shining on those words and showing me what I was supposed to do. My heart was pounding, and I probably spoke out loud, “Really, Lord?” It was if the phone had rung, and the call was for me. All at once, I knew God was calling me to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament. He was calling me to speak my ordination vows and lift up the cup of the sacraments before the people.) There were other things that came together to confirm God’s word to me over the next several weeks, but it was the words of that Psalm that formed the sword of the spirit for me that day.
The written word and the living Word are the logos word of God. When the biblical writers were referring to the written word of God, they used the Greek word logos. 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” We’re talking about the logos word of God here. When the Apostle John wrote the first words of his Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Greek word used for Word, was logos. Jesus was the logos. The living Word made flesh.
When Paul tells us to take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, he does not use the word logos. He uses the word rhema.
Rhema is the spoken word of God. Strong’s concordance says that rhema is “that which is or has been uttered by a living voice.” It applies to something happening right now in our lives. For instance, we might be wrestling with a specific thing, and during our quiet time (that time we take to read the Bible and pray), we read a verse that speaks directly to the situation we’re dealing with. All of a sudden we know what we should do next. It’s like what happened to me when I read Psalm 116. The light bulb goes on – and you know you’ve heard from God. That’s a rhema word – and it cuts to the heart like a two-edged sword.
Now why would this be such a big deal that it’s part of the armor of God?
Let’s say you’re sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. A loved one is having surgery. You don’t know what the doctor will say when they come to tell you what happened in that operating room. You feel like you don’t know anything except that your future rests on what that doctor is going to say. That’s what you feel like.
But then, from deep within you, a word rises up. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28,29) All at once, you know that your future doesn’t rest on the words of a doctor. No matter what happens, no matter how hard it might be, you are safe in the hands of the Good Shepherd. Peace comes over you. You know you can endure. This is a rhema word from God. The Holy Spirit spoke a living word to you that jerked you awake to the truth. The devil had lulled you into believing all was dark. The rhema word brought you back to the light. Do you see why this is such a powerful weapon?
More than at any time in the ministry God has called me to as a minister of Word and Sacrament, I have heard words of encouragement and thanks for this sermon series. Some of you have said this is the best preaching I’ve offered since I got here. Well, maybe that’s true. Hopefully we all get better the more we do something – but here’s what I really think has been happening with this series. I think the Holy Spirit has used this series of sermons as a rhema word of God for some of you. This congregation is filled with committed followers of Jesus Christ – and committed followers of Christ are constantly in the line of fire from the devil and his demons. Many of you were feeling a bit battle worn, and I believe that God brought you to worship with a sense of expectation – trusting that God would give you food to feed your weary souls.
Isn’t it true that sometimes our lives seem to be going great? Sometimes we’re flying high. Sometimes we can’t think of one thing we’d change about where we are and who we’re with. Sometimes life is like that. But sometimes it’s not. Sometimes we’re sick. Sometimes the people we love are sick. Sometimes we get laid off and we are really wondering how we will pay our electric bill. Sometimes we are falsely accused of doing something we didn’t do. Sometimes no matter what we do, it just seems like we’re sinking in quicksand. This is the reality of living in a sin-infested world, inside bodies that have both a sin nature and a spirit nature. As committed Christians, we know that it’s important to stay strong; it’s important to know how to keep standing and not fall over. From time to time, we really need a word from God – a rhema word – to remind us how to fight well against the wiles of the devil. Maybe I’ve preached better for this series because it was a rhema word to me. Maybe you thought I was preaching better because it was a rhema word to you. The rhema word is the spoken, living word. You can hear it through preaching, you can hear it as you read the Bible and it leaps off the page for you, and you can hear it in the encouragement or correction of a fellow believer. But one thing is for sure, when you get a rhema word – it fortifies and focuses you like nothing else can. And it totally weakens and disorients the devil!
So, my guess is that there are a few of us here this morning who may be saying, “man, I sure could use one of those rhema words. I really need to hear from God about this or that in my life.”
Here’s what you have to do in order to take up the sword of the spirit – which is the rhema word of God: You must put yourself in places where you can hear the Bible taught, and you have to make some time in your day to read the Bible. Romans 10:17 tell us, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”
Let me see the hands of the people who ever went into school, unprepared to take a test, and then prayed to God that he would help you pass the test. Is God going to give you answers to test questions like a genie gives wishes to the one who rubs the lamp? No! God wants us to grow and mature in our responsibilities as Christian citizens in the world. We have to do our part. And so, if you want a rhema word from God, you’re going to have to do your part.
Would you please open one of the pew Bibles now, and let’s read together Psalm 1:1-3, “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.”
This doesn’t mean you have to sit by a stream, meditating like some statue on the word of God from sun up to sun down. This means that those who take the time to learn key Biblical truths and hide those truths in their hearts, have those wonderful words of life within them for constant instruction and encouragement. And each time one of those truths comes and knocks you on the head, “Hello. It’s for you!” as a rhema word, your roots go down deeper into the fertile soil that provides all the nutrients your spirit needs to continue to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.
Certainly receiving the rhema word regarding my call to ministry was a significant moment in my life. One other that I know I shared before, but I want to share again in the context of this teaching, was when I was preparing to lead the memorial service for the Rev. Linda Harter at Falling Spring Church. My emotions were a mess. I was grieving deeply. But God gave me a rhema word from God just when I needed it most. The very night before I was going to lead the service, as I was searching the word of God for encouragement, I came to Psalm 27, which has always been one of my favorites. The very last verse cut to the heart, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
I held onto the Lord and to that verse with all I had. “Okay Lord, you said to wait for you. So, I’m waiting.” I was full of emotion. There were 1200 people there – people who were grieving deeply like me. People who came expectantly. People who came hoping for a word from God that would help them. Even when I went up to sit behind the pulpit as the final prelude was playing, I was claiming God’s word to me. “I’m waiting for you, Lord. I can’t do it without you. I’m waiting for you. You told me to wait, and I’m waiting for you.” The devil couldn’t get to me. No way. That rhema word was my sword against the lies he was trying to get me to believe – that I couldn’t do it, that I was too weak, and would let the Harter family down. “Wait for the Lord. Take courage.” And in the moment I stood to lead, I was strong and courageous – as a testimony to the fulfilled promise from the Lord. I will never forget how he faithfully came to me that day as a result of me hearing & claiming a rhema word.
Isn’t it wonderful to know and understand how to keep standing against the mind games of the devil? All we have needed his hand has provided! May we be filled with joy as we claim God’s promises given to us, and share the good news of the Gospel, that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is alive and well, and speaking, and moving, and transforming us!
How can we repay the Lord for all of his goodness to us? Together, we will lift up the cup of salvation, and call on the Name of the LORD! Amen.
