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The Bible is a sharp sword….Eph 6:17, and a two edged sword as it says in Hebrews 4:12. Because not too many people we know use swords as weapons anymore (thank God!) those scriptures don’t have the same meaning to us as they might have to a new Christian who lived in the first century when a sword was an invaluable tool. But even today, when cooking in the kitchen, sharp knives make life easier. A dull knife is just about useless, it makes things take longer and can even be dangerous because of the extra force needed to make even a simple cut. The Bible is a sharp sword! It has a point that gets to the point. As we talk about studying God’s Word this week, I think it is good to remember that the Bible is our best weapon against the enemy’s attacks. A good chef will sharpen his/her knives. A military man or woman will make sure they clean and care for their weapons. Even a hunter will make sure their arrows are sharp or their gun is well cared for. When we realize that we are in a war, it would be to our advantage to know our weapon. Knowing requires study! We should become well acquainted with how the Bible is set up, why there is an old covenant and a new covenant. We should know who are the major men and women surrounding the most important person in the Bible – Jesus. It is great to know our weapon so that when we are attacked by the enemy, we have an artillery of scripture that can help us stand strong and not be shaken. Because we have studied, we will know the character of our God, and know how He operates and what He would want us to do in each situation. What great benefits we have from taking time to study His Word.

During this week I want to talk about putting God’s Word first in your life. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. From reading the Word, to taking time to study it, to meditating on it, and to memorizing and living it out, God’s Word is our guiding force. To make right choices, and to live the victorious life God has for us, let’s give God’s Word first priority always! Here is your encouraging word for the day.

What does it mean to study the Word of God? I know lots of you read your Bible everyday, but do you know as Christians we are to study the Word of God as well? Remember the scripture “study to show yourself approved unto God”? The word study really is in there! When you study something, it isn’t just a casual read through. We should study the Word like we would study for a test. There might be a couple of them on your journey! Here are a couple of things I always use when I study the Bible. The most valuable tool to me is my concordance. I use a Strong’s Concordance, and it is fabulous. It is called an exhaustive concordance, because it is! Anything you need to find is in there. Additionally, there are all kinds of Bible helps available on computer, that I encourage you to use as well. A second thing that I always do is have something to write on or have my computer handy. When you receive some clarity on a scripture or a passage in the Word, I write it down. I would encourage you to write down your thoughts about what you have learned. Think about it, do some cross referencing which means finding other scriptures that say nearly the same thing, or relate in some way. Then do a word search to find other scriptures that have the exact word you are studying within them.
The greatest encouragement I could give you when it comes to studying God’s Word is to find a place to start. Why not make today the day you start studying to show yourself approved unto God. Then, don’t get down on yourself if you miss a day…..keep right on going! Make a plan, work the plan, and get ready to grow in God as you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Don’t you just love freebies? That’s when you get things you don’t have to work for just because. Whether it is candy at a parade, or free ice cream at on a special day, a birthday check or whatever, things that we get for free are wonderful.

Not only do we live in a free country, because we love God and have made a choice to serve Him, we have more free things than you can imagine. The biggest freebie is Heaven! We get to live with God forever when we die. Another freebie is that we can live above our problems and see God do great things for us because we pray. Another freebie is to have a conscious that is totally clean and clear because we choose to obey God’s Word. Another freebie is the ability to go to church each Sunday and learn more about the God we love so much. God is pretty amazing! He gives us so much!

Just like the freedoms for our nation, we know that really it does cost somebody something. We are thankful for the people who defend our nation and especially those who gave their lives for America. Our freedom in Christ cost Jesus His life. He did the ultimate sacrifice because He loves you so much. Pretty amazing…..all those benefits I listed above, plus many more…..His provision is abundant in every area of your life! It’s a freebie to you, but cost Jesus a bunch! You know how you can repay his love for you? His Word says that if you love Him, you obey Him. You can make the choice to make good life choices, to make the Word of God your priority, and then the things of the world will never even have a pull on you. That’s the way to live in true freedom!

Happy 4th of July! What a big party this weekend is for all Americans! So much of our nation’s history is founded by godly men and women, longing for freedom to worship God. From the original voyages across the ocean looking for a new world, the explorers were on a mission, to tell the new world about God. When the puritans came from England, they wanted freedom of worship. Not only was the new world a land of opportunity, it was a place where God could be worshipped freely. America’s founders were Godly men and women. America was founded on godly principles. We have strayed from that foundation, but thankfully, we still live in a country where we can worship God freely. 2 Cor 3:17 says that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We use that verse in our churches all the time. We can apply that to our country too. Where and when we let the Spirit of God reign, we will experience freedom. Let’s not forget the foundations and our humble beginnings. Let us not forget those who gave their lives for our freedom. Let us not forget to thank God, for men and women of courage, who bravely fought for our freedoms. Thank God we are free.

One of the greatest joys in my life is worshipping God through music. I love to sing and play before the Lord and worship God in totally freedom. I can remember back so well at the time in my life when I was just beginning to walk into the understanding of living the Spirit-led, Spirit-controlled life. I can recall having the urge to lift my hands to the Lord but feeling very self-conscious about it. I was sitting next to a friend in a worship service and she must have known from the outside the struggle I had going on in the inside. She whispered in my ear…. “it really won’t hurt to lift your hands, and it will probably bring you more freedom than you’ve ever known.” She was right. I went from being totally self-conscious about worshipping God to total freedom and a greater consciousness of God than ever before. Simply breaking through something in the natural realm, moved me into a greater depth of freedom than I had ever experienced before. Now I love the freedom I have to worship God with all my might – and with my mind, soul and strength.

Perhaps you are feeling bound in an area of your life, maybe there is a habit that has you bound. The devil has bondage mastered! He doesn’t want us to be free. When you realize the incredible price Jesus paid for your freedom, you may begin to look at bondage from a different view. It isn’t all just about will power. Freedom is about being completely dependent on God and knowing His will for you is to be totally free. It not only takes the spiritual element, it takes making wise choices as well. When you add God’s “SUPER” to your “natural”, it becomes supernatural! That’s what freedom is all about. God living BIG on the inside of you, and you making right choices. That’s living supernaturally! That’s true freedom!

There are some places that I put strategic scriptures, and one place in on my refrigerator. I know how important it is to be encouraged, so I encourage myself in the Word, every time I open my refrigerator! One I keep really handy is from Is 61:1 which was quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:18. It says:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
Because He has anointed me
To preach the good news to the poor.
He sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
To proclaim FREEDOM for the captives,
And the release from darkness for the prisoners

Of course we know that is what Jesus came to do, but we know that is our mission too. He sent us out and anointed us to tell others the good news, and it is about freedom! God’s Spirit lives within us, and His favor is on us. Let’s be about our Father’s business of bringing freedom to those who are bound! We run into people all the time who are broken hearted and are prisoners to something. Let’s use our words to let them know that Jesus died to set them free. They can know the same freedom we have experienced. Remember, God’s spirit is on you and in you to help others. Open your mouth and let them know!

One scripture I love to use in prayer is in Romans 8:2. It says in Romans 8:2 that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. What an amazing thing, through Christ we are set free from the power of sin in our lives. The law of sin that started in the garden through disobedience to God by Adam and Eve, has been revoked on our behalf through Jesus. Glory! We can live above the temptations of the enemy. We are no longer slaves to sin. To be set free from the bondage of sin and to be able to live in that realm where the Spirit of Life resides, is true freedom. The law of love, overrides the law of sin. When love came to earth in the form of Jesus, and died on a cross, he made us more than conquerors. Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave, and made us free to live above the world’s system, and to walk in, live in, and abide in the spirit. He was the conqueror and he gave us His victory! How amazing! Is there some area of bondage in your life that keeps hooking you in? The enemy knows where our hooks are. We can rise above his tactics that steal and destroy and live in the abundant life that Jesus paid a huge price for us to receive. Let’s live in that freedom.

Do you remember this song? He whom the Son sets free is free indeed, completely liberated from the curse of the law. It continues….He whom the son sets free is free indeed, free to be a servant of the most high God. It’s an oldie, with a 2 great truths wrapped up in those first two lines. What a wonderful privilege we have in Christ….we can be completely liberated from the curse of the law. The Bible says that the law was the school master, to lead us to Christ, and true liberty. Jesus told the Jews who had believed Him, in John 8:31 and 32, that “If you hold to My teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” He was talking about the freedom from being slaves to sin. And in John 8, verse 36, he reiterates His point. So if the Son has set you free, you will be free indeed. The next line in the song talks about servanthood. When we are set free from the slavery of sin, we are free to be servants to God. It sounds a little bit backward, that freedom in Christ, makes you free to serve, but the Kingdom of God is a bit opposite to the world’s system. Our freedom makes us want to serve, not only God but others too. I encourage you today, to serve someone as proof of your freedom in Christ!

As a nation we are about to celebrate Independence Day. The 4th of July is about freedom and independence and being free is awesome! Hi this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. What a joy to know Christ and have total freedom because of our relationship with Him. Cherish and value your freedom and remember that you are completely liberated because of Jesus! John 8:32 And you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free. Celebrate our freedom in Christ and in our nation this week!

Freedom isn’t free, it cost somebody something. I love looking in history books, and reading about people who gave their lives for something great. You think about some of the events in our own American history and we are thankful for people who were committed to liberty, so much so that they said, Give me freedom, whatever the cost. Patrick Henry on March 23, 1775 stood up in Virginia’s House of Burgess and said, there is no room for hope….the situation had gone from bad to worse. He continued, if we want to be free, we have to fight. 3 million people armed with the cause of liberty, began the American War for Independence with these words….. “We shall not fight alone, God presides over the destinies of nations, and will raise up friends for us. The battle is not for the strong alone, it is for the vigilant, the active, the brave….Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” What powerful words. He knew a secret that I believe he found in the Word of God. Once you’ve tasted freedom, you never want to go back into bondage. Remember the freedoms you enjoy today, and thank God that Jesus has set you free.

Have you ever put a quarter in a vending machine and nothing happens? There is a malfunction of some kind, and you get nothing. Bummer! There is a very important place where we don’t want a malfunction. We really do want the quarter to drop from our head to our heart, so we can put into action what God is speaking to our hearts. We call that revelation or insight. Sometimes you do things just because you know it is good for you to do. We call that head knowledge or just being smart! Then there are sometimes you know on the inside that God has something for you to do, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to be obedient. We call that heart knowledge – when knowledge becomes revelation or insight. I also call that knowing in your knower! As people who believe in Jesus, we have a direct line of communication with our Father God, and he wants to speak to you. Prayer is that connection – we communicate to God through prayer. Prayer really is just talking to God. The Bible says that God will give revelation to our sons and daughters, and that is who we are! God wants to pour out His Spirit on you and let what He is speaking to your heart become real in your life. Make sure you connect daily with God. He likes to hear from you, and He wants you to listen to Him.