We are in a war of words...

Short and provoking today. I’ve had this thought that I have been discussing with the Spirit of Truth, that treasure Jesus left us when He left the world physically. We were born into a “war of words.” John, the closest disciple of Jesus, wrote this in his first sentence to us.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”

Who starts a book like that? Really. Why was that so important?

Well, it’s actually profound. Unbelievably so. In the creation genius of God, communication was the element that opened the door to relationship. Without words, the ability to relate, teach, pray, and worship would be hampered, if not impossible. Jesus is called the “Word” by John. The Bible is referred to as the living Word of God. The Holy Spirit is called the Voice of all truth. In Genesis, verse after verse tells us that “God said, let there be…” With words, He spoke into existence all of creation. Through His words, creation came to be. But soon after that came the first words of Satan: “Did God really say…” And that is when the war of words began. God’s words created life; Satan’s words were full of deception and manipulation. Jesus later said, “I have come to give life and life to the full, and Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy.”

We were born in the midst of the war. And by the grace of God, we who have received our Savior as Lord now have the Voice of truth within us, helping us discern between truth and deception and manipulation. The world is loud, and the lies fly at us with increased speed and volume. But we have the ability to hear and discern truth and speak life into the atmosphere. And when we do, that same power God used to create the world comes through us to change the atmosphere within and around us. Take seriously the gift of words you have been given. Speak life today into those with whom God has chosen to cross your path. What a gift, what a power, what a privilege. In this battle, prevail with our words. In the beginning was the “Word,” and His name was Jesus. What a God.