The Upper Room Diaries

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12

While doing my daily Scripture readings I realized that the writer of Hebrews held the same line of thought as did Paul when he mentioned in Ephesians 6:17 that the Word of God is the (offensive) Sword of the Spirit against the evil one.

When it comes to Ministry, this means that any work/move of the Spirit must be tested by the Word of God as the Holy Spirit cannot deviate from it. If the Work does not conform to the Word, it should be discarded. Therefore there is a need to understand the content and context of Scripture. Unless the individual has a firm grasp of the Word of God, he or she will less likely be a candidate to be used by God in a powerful manner as the Spirit of God cannot use what people do not have.

The lack of Scriptural knowledge is evident when one is observed to keep uttering the same prophecy or giving the same inspired encouragement again and over again, as if the same words apply to every context. This is because prophetic utterance is largely limited by what people know and understand from Scripture. The gifting may be genuine but the gift is limited by the knowledge of the Word of God. It is like vocabulary, the bigger the range, the better the ability when it comes to expression. Same thing with Scripture, with increased knowledge, the Holy Spirit would then be able to draw out from a deeper resource at a given moment. The gifted person would thus be sharper at the dispensation of his or her gifting.

Everyone should strive for an increased understanding of the Word of God. This striving hints at our responsibility as stewards of our gifting and of the Ministry entrusted to us.