You have a weapon that punctures the enemy!

The Lord says for this time: 

"Never give up speaking My Word over your situation! Never give up declaring My Word over your situation! For My Word is like a sword, like a hammer, like a dagger, and like a fire! My Word slays the enemy! My Word pierces through the darkness! My Word penetrates and punctures the power of the evil one! My Word burns, cleanses, and purges! My Word overcomes!" 

There are many symbols of the Word of God in the Bible. One is sword. The other is hammer. Another is fire. Yet another is dagger. These are, among others, symbolic of the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) says, 'For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword...' 

In Jeremiah 23:29 (NKJV), the Lord says, "Is not My word like a fire? And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" 

For today, let's zero in on 'dagger' as symbolic of the Word of God. You can see this in Judges chapter 3 about this person named Ehud. For the record, there was an era when God's people were ruled by judges who led them through different crisis and challenges. One of these judges was Ehud.  

'Ehud' in Hebrew means 'united, joined, strong'. This reflected the unity and strength that Ehud brought to God's people those days. 

So, let's go to the Bible now and look at Judges 3:14-15. At that time, God's people have been conquered by a king named Eglon (a king of Moab); and they have served Eglon for eighteen years. But when God's people cried out to the Lord because of the oppression they have suffered under Eglon, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them named Ehud.

The Bible tells us that Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and about one foot in length), and he strapped it under his clothes on his right thigh. One day, after paying a tribute to Eglon, he took the dagger and thrust it into Eglon's belly, and Eglon died.

Now, let me be clear on this. As believers today under the New Covenant, we are not fighting (or wrestling against) flesh and blood, but against all those spiritual forces of darkness (see Ephesians 6:12). Rather, this act of piercing through Eglon's body with the dagger is symbolic of the Word of God piercing through the power of darkness that oppresses us! 

Beloved of God, no matter how weak you think you are, or how dead your situation may be, or how hard-pressed you are right now, the Word of God that you speak and declare over your situation is powerful and alive! Never underestimate the power of the Word of God! It effectively penetrates and punctures the power of darkness that tries to have a hold on you! 

So, go ahead! Speak it! Declare it! Proclaim it! Whatever Bible verse (or Bible verses) the Lord has shown you, given you, or put in your heart in this time and season, speak it and declare it over your situation! There is a reason the Lord shows you all these Bible verses. Use it! Wield it! Like Ehud did against Eglon! Draw it out! Strike it against the power of darkness that tries to oppress you, whatever the oppression may be! You have this spiritual weapon, the Word of God, that is more powerful than any word of darkness or work of darkness that comes against you! 

Like Ehud, you can change the situation that you are facing now, whatever the situation may be. For some, it may be a problem in your health. For some others, it may be a lingering problem in your family. Yet for some others, it may be a sticky situation at your workplace. How? By declaring God's Word into being! By speaking God's Word over your situation! 

So, watch and see what are the words that the Lord has been speaking to you in this time and season. Use it! Speak it! Declare it! Declare it over your life! Declare it over your situation! Declare it over your family! Declare it over every area of your life!

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Receiving God's grace to overcome and start anew

Judges 3:9 (NKJV): When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

The word 'deliverer' here in Hebrew is 'yasha, yesha, or yeshayah (Yah, the Savior and Deliverer)', and the name 'Othniel' means 'force, strength of God', from the words 'Othniy' (meaning 'force, strength') and 'El' (the name of God Almighty). Indeed, Jesus is our Overcomer God, strong and mighty!

This deliverance came about at a time when the Israelites were brought back to the 'land' of their past. 

When the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and Asherahs (i.e. the gods and goddesses, or masters of this world), the anger of the Lord was hot against them. They were then sold into the hand of King Cushan-Rishathaim, the king of Mesopotamia and served this king for eight years (Judges 3:7-8).

What does 'Cushan-Rishathaim' mean here? It means 'double wickedness, or repeating wickedness of guilt and curse'. This speaks of your past 'guilt' and 'curse', or some recurring thoughts of your past 'trying to make a comeback' and 'attacking you over and over again'. 

Notice that 'Cushan' is from the word 'Cush', the son of Ham (Genesis 9:22-23), which speaks of 'guilt and curse', because Ham uncovered and exposed his father (Noah's) nakedness. 'Rishathaim' means 'double wickedness, or repeating wickedness', from the words 'rishah' (meaning 'condemnation, fault, wickedness'), and 'ayim' (speaks of 'double, plural, repeat').

How about 'Mesopotamia' then? What does it mean to the Israelites? It speaks of Israel's past, because it was here that the Lord spoke to Abraham: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing." (Genesis 12:1-2) Abraham did not look back to Mesopotamia (speaks of his 'past') since.

People of God, have you been having nightmares or thoughts recently that bring you all the way back to certain past failures, mistakes, or shame of yours? And all of a sudden, all those past memories you've always wanted to forget begin to 'creep into mind' and 'haunt' you again! Or have you been feeling 'down' recently and memories of the past kept coming back as a recurring thought? For some, even certain faces or places may evoke (bring back to mind) past bad memories all over again!

You see, the devil will always try to pull you back to your past, or bring you back to the remembrance of your past failures, mistakes, sins, shame, disappointment, and defeat. In fact, he's good at that! The Bible says he (the accuser of our brethren) accuses us day and night (Revelation 12:10). But thanks be to God, because in Christ, we have overcome him by the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus) and by the Word of our testimony! (Revelation 12:11)

Now there's a big difference between the Holy Spirit and the devil. The Holy Spirit will always remind you of your right standing in Christ, i.e. you are now forgiven, and righteous in Christ (John 16:10, Romans 8:1, Hebrews 10:17), but the devil will always remind you of your past guilt, failures, mistakes, shame, i.e. your dark past (Revelation 12:10). In short, the devil wants you to stay in that past, and he knows that as long as you stay in that past and get yourself stuck in it, he will always have the upper hand over you!

Not just that, the devil also wants 'history to repeat itself' in your life, and he wants you to 'relapse into your old cycle of pain again'. That's also exactly what Cushan-Rishathaim the king of Mesopotamia did to Israel those days! But thanks be to God because Jesus came and carried this curse when He died for you on the cross once for all some 2,000 years ago! (Hebrews 7:27) You see, God didn't allow history (of His suffering and shame) to repeat itself at the cross! And just as He did not have to die on the cross the second time, 'history' also need not have to repeat itself for you neither! 

So, just because you've been hurt in a business, relationship, or even in ministry before doesn't mean history must repeat itself! 

Judges 3:10-11a (NKJV) says, 'The Spirit of the Lord came upon him (Othniel), and he judged (i.e. ruled, delivered, saved) Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. So the land had rest for forty years." Praise God! 

Do you see Jesus in the Old Testament here? He is in the Old Testament concealed, and in the New Testament revealed. 'Othniel' here is a 'typology' (the 'shadow' of things to come) of Jesus Christ today, your Deliverer. In cross-reference, notice in Luke 4:18-19, the Bible also says 'the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus', as He began His ministry on earth.

People of God, as you let go of your past and look forward to a brand-new year ahead, God's grace (supply, ability) to start anew is also very rich for you this coming year. Everyone has a past. It's a matter of to what extent (whether greater or lesser). So, no matter what your past may be, receive now a fresh release of His river of life (that brings life) and healing today. Receive also a fresh new grace for you to move forward. 

As you keep receiving this refreshing from the Lord, you know you have overcome your past and are ready to move on (by His grace) when you can smile and give thanks for who you are in Christ today and what He has done for you thus far (i.e. how He had worked in you till you are what you are today).

BUT NOW thanks be to God who always leads you in triumph in Christ, and through you diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14). NOW is your time to move on and  triumph again! Amen!