God’s Battle Axe

Pastor Steven Becker • Aug 29, 2020

Read Jeremiah 51-52

   A soldier is not prepared without weapons. The weapons may differ based on the skillset of the soldier, or depending on their duties. Some may use a sniper rifle from afar. Others may use a weapon for closer combat. When the battle comes, you must have a weapon. No warrior goes to battle without one.

   There is a spiritual battle that we are in today, and God is a warrior for us in this fight. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us of this invisible war we are facing- “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Like a warrior in battle, God has a weapon, and that weapon is you! Jeremiah 51:20 says, “Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;” The following several verses tell of what God will do “with thee” (His chosen weapon of war). You are His battle axe, and God wants to use you in this fight!

   Now, take an assessment of yourself and the kind of weapon you have presented yourself to be for the Lord’s use? Are you sharp, constantly doing the work to sharpen the dull and weak areas of your life? Are you willing to be used, jumping at every opportunity to be used by the mighty hand of God? Or have you been content to sit on the shelf, collecting dust, or allowing yourself to remain dull in your spiritual walk? The Lord conveys to the people in this passage what He can do with them, and He can do the same with you! You can either be used of the Lord or be in judgment from the Lord. You are the battle axe that God has the ability to do great things with, if only you willing yield yourself to Him and allow Him to work in your life.

Today’s Truth: God has weapons in the battle we are in, and you are the weapon He uses often to do His powerful works. Present your life to Him as a willing soldier in this vital war!
OLDER POSTS
By Pastor Steven Becker 31 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 31:28-31 “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Many will start, but few will finish. Many will begin a new journey with perfectly sincere intentions of following through with their commitments, yet they will fail and quit. Their failure is not that they were imperfect, but that they never got up after falling. The end of Proverbs 31 tells what this prized virtuous woman received because she followed through with her commitments. This is her reward. Her Home- Your primary responsibility begins with those in your home. For a mother to be praised by her children (especially when they are grown) is one of life’s greatest accomplishments. Her Husband- The one that knows her best praises her. Despite her shortcomings, she is loved and respected. Men can tear down their wives with their words and actions. There is much power in a man that praises his wife, and vice versa. Her Honor- A woman that fears the Lord is the Christian that the Lord gives honor to. She is praised, but not only by men, but also by the Lord. Her Harvest- Her fruit comes as the reward of her labor. She didn’t win the lottery by luck. She was diligent in her business as a child of God, and fruit was earned that God gave her. Wisdom for the Day: When you make a commitment, keep the end in mind. Ponder the end and determine to be faithful to your decisions.
By Pastor Steven Becker 29 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 29:26 “Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.” People treat those differently that hold positions of power and authority. Sometimes it’s respect, and other times it’s rebellion. This is true and can be seen regardless of who the leader is. Terrible leaders are respected because of the position and power they hold. Likewise, truly good leaders can be treated with rebellion and resentment just because of the position they hold. They are spited for some reason. However, the truth remains the same in all walks of life. It pays off to be in good standing with your leaders. Work is more bearable and promotions are more likely. Punishment and unpleasant tasks come to those that are at odds with their leaders. Good men and wicked men will hold various positions of power. It may be in your best interest to get on the good side of your parents, boss, or spiritual leaders, but it will always be in your best interest to be in God’s good favor. Men can’t bless you like God can bless you. Moreover, men can’t chastise you the way that God can. Respecting and obeying authority is always honorable. God commands us to submit to earthly authority (Hebrews 13:17). This isn’t a matter of obeying earthly leaders or God. It is a matter of putting God first above anyone else. Obey God and obey men, but if your heart should be determined to please God above any man. Wisdom for the Day: Seek to please the Lord. Men can’t do for you and to you what the Lord can do. Being in good standing with God is in your best interest.
By Pastor Steven Becker 28 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 28:8 “He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.” Whether it be organized sports, backyard fun, or family night board games, there are rules to the games that we play. Have you ever played with a cheater that gained an upper hand by playing against the rules? The one that reaches the top by stomping over others is an unjust cheat that will eventually reap the rewards of his actions. Take advantage of others, especially the poor, and God will even the scales one day. There is much in the Mosaic law to Israel about how God’s people were to treat the poor. One of these instructions was to not charge interest to the poor so that their poverty would be increased (Exodus 22:25). There are other examples of this, but the bottom line that is repeated in different ways throughout Proverbs is to refrain from increasing your wealth at the hand of taking advantage of those that are the most vulnerable. Work accomplished with honesty, diligence, and integrity is honorable to the Lord. It is more important to Him that you do your work with these traits than it is how much money you have in your bank account or what your portfolio looks like. Cheating your way to the top is really less about cheating others than it is cheating yourself. You may find success in the beginning, but the end will not bring what you hope that it will. Wisdom for the Day: Success means nothing if it’s reached by deception. Have integrity in everything you do. God will always bless the right kind of labor.
By Pastor Steven Becker 26 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 26:3 “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back.” 70% of Americans own at least one pet. That is about 90.5 million families that deal with some kind of fur on their clothes, smells all over their home, food that they pray their babies won’t get into, and accidents throughout many of the houses. One of the biggest differences between these homes are the pets that are trained and the ones that are left to run wild like the house is their wild. Some animals have amazing abilities to obey commands. Not all animals fit this trait. In many U.S. states, it is legal to have the following animals as pets: skunks, bears, alligators, and cougars. Some animals need to be trained with an iron fist, while others can be bribed simply with treats and a cheerful tone of voice. Animals like horses need physical altercations in order to be trained. Humans, however, aren’t animals. We hold to logic, reason, emotion, and the ability to communicate to help one another. God’s example here is that a foolish man is like an animal. He isn’t able to be trained with normal conversations and teachings. Like an animal, it’s almost as if he needs to be treated with force in order to learn a lesson. How stubborn does one have to be for God to look at you and compare your ability to be trained and taught to that of a wild beast? It is never a complicate endeavor to follow the Lord. In the end, it is simply the ability to follow the instructions of His Word and the teachings He has given to you. Don’t make the Lord resort to drastic measures in order to get your attention. Submit to your loving Master, and learn from the direction He gives. Wisdom for the Day: Wisdom is wasted on the fool who acts like a wild animal that has an inability to be taught. Heed the Lord’s direction as He gives it plainly.
By Pastor Steven Becker 24 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 24:7 “Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.” There is something satisfying to my wife asking, “Honey, would you open this please?” Even though I may strain at it, I want her to think that I am capable where she is limited in these areas. Another example would be when she can’t reach something out of the top shelf in a cabinet. What is out of reach for her is in my ability to grasp. Fools can’t reach spiritual wisdom. It is out of their grasp. Earthly wisdom is down on the bottom shelf perhaps. But God’s wisdom is on another level. This doesn’t mean that the fool can’t ever get wisdom. It doesn’t mean that God cares more about others than He does for the fool. What it means is that those that have chosen the path of the fool have chosen to put the things of God on a shelf high above what they are able to reach themselves. When you find that something is out of reach, you look for help. It may be a person or it may be a tool. But humility plays into the process of admitting your lack and looking for direction. Fools have to turn from their ways if they want to put the help that God gives into their lives. If you’re in a place where you think you aren’t able to get what God has, then you need to turn from something in order to get more from God. James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” God’s wisdom is first pure. The requirement is simple-get clean and get wisdom. Wisdom for the Day: All of God’s goodness is out of reach to the common man. Asking for help takes humility, and this is certainly a start. But another part to reaching God’s help is turning from foolishness and sin to receive it.
By Pastor Steven Becker 23 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 23:17 “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.” When I was a young boy, I’d be walking in the mall with my family, watching television or riding in a car and hear someone say, “look down”, “look to the right/left”, “close your eyes”, or something like this. There was something that was in my view that I needed to keep my eyes away from. This may be a reference to a particular kind of sin and temptation, but this is how every Christian should respond when any form of temptation presents itself. We often want what we can’t have or don’t have. Serving God is great. Salvation is a blessed gift. Why then do we find ourselves wanting what we know to be to our detriment if we were to give in? It’s human nature to lust after sin. While this may be normal to experience, it is not permissible to give in to the urge to have everything you want. C. S. Lewis said, “Love is the great conqueror of lust”. Fearing God always is the constant reminder that you want God’s best and you certainly don’t want His punishment. Some think that as long as they don’t act on it, they can let their minds wander. The instruction that God gives is for you to overcome sin when it begins in your heart to want it. Don’t wait for the temptation to come up right in front of you. Win the battle of the mind, don’t allow yourself to even look at what you shouldn’t have, and you’ll have victory. Win the battle early and look the other way when sin pops up before your eyes and in your heart. Wisdom for the Day: Temptation should be won at the moment that it presents itself. Look the other way immediately. Don’t allow your heart and mind to ponder sin before you decide on what to do with it. 
By Pastor Steven Becker 22 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 22:10 “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.” Joshua 7 gives an account of one man that brought the army of Israel to its knees. As they went to fight Ai, they marked this battle in their win column before the battle even begun. After they left in defeat, they raised their arms to heaven wondering why God allowed them to be defeated. All of this was because of the sins of Achan. God needed to clean house in Israel before they could move forward. Do you have a closet or drawer in your home that could use some TLC? Over time, we allow little closets in our lives to become untouched. We don’t visit the problems that we are aware of. Instead, we close the door and act like all is well. This might fool your house guests that you invite over for dinner, but this doesn’t fly with the Lord. Contention leaves when the scorner is dismissed. Think of a security guard escorting a trouble maker out of a business. The trouble has to be removed so the work can continue. Progress is hindered or even halted completely when trouble is allowed to fester. What junk drawer in your life needs some attention that can hinder God giving you victory for a battle that you need to win in the future? If you want God’s help and desire His presence, you need a regular cleaning to keep your life pure so God can work through you. After David’s sin, he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) Wisdom for the Day: When you keep your life clean, you make your life usable. God will not allow progress when there is unconfessed sin that you have neglected to remove.
By Pastor Steven Becker 21 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 21:9, 19 “It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.” You likely heard your mother tell you at some point in your childhood, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all” . In other words, just be kind. Stop pinching, hitting, name calling, pulling hair, annoying, and doing anything that would cause your siblings to run to mother crying. We’d like to think that our actions change as we get older. I believe that they morph into different forms, but we can be pretty childish when we things don’t go our way. I’ll preface this by mentioning that this certainly goes for men and women. Albeit, God chose to mention two times in one chapter that an angry and brawling woman pushes the people in her home far away from her. Those who are angry at God, angry at the world, and angry with themselves resort to expressing their anger in the little things that they see. For many, these little things are the dishes left on the counter unwashed, the laundry that isn’t put away properly, or the item at the store that was forgotten. What starts as a small mistake turns into a screaming match, but it is an outpouring of an angry spirit. It costs nothing to be kind to people, especially the ones living in your own home, yet the value of kindness is priceless to those around you. Pastor Clint Caviness taught in our church about how his home decided they would live by the “law of kindness” , and that truth stuck with me. I’m not perfect at it, but we pursue this value in our home as well. Do people enjoy your presence or do they run away and walk on egg shells around you? Wisdom for the Day: People want to be treated with kindness. It doesn’t start with how others treat you, but with how you treat others. Be kind.
By Pastor Steven Becker 20 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 20:27 “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” A man’s spirit is the innermost part of his being. You could say that this is the real you. Your outward appearance reflects your spirit, and what you are inside is what will be revealed outwardly. Some will attempt to be the exception. They will live in sin inwardly and put on an appearance for God that is a false representation of their true spirit. Psalm 18:28 says, “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” The spirit of a man is a vessel for light. Jesus is the Light that can search your soul and teach you what you can’t know by yourself. Candles and others forms of light are often used for guidance. Today, we use flashlights. Opening your soul to God is like allowing Him to take you through your heart with a flashlight. He will reveal what you are unaware of, He will give you direction where you are unsure, and He will save you from going somewhere that will end in your destruction. Without the Lord, our only alternative is to live in darkness. You can choose confusion and disillusionment, but God wants to shine His light in you to show you the truth. Psalm 119:105 describes his light as a “lamp unto our feet and a light to our path”. It would seem to be a no-brainer to choose to live in light, yet some will still choose the darkness. Every time you open yourself to the Lord, you are welcoming His light to shine inside of you. Wisdom for the Day: God can bring light to your life that can reveal, guide, and help you when you would otherwise dwell in darkness.
By Pastor Steven Becker 19 Dec, 2021
Proverbs 19:12 “The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.” In 1962, the Incredible Hulk made his first appearance in the comic world. This fictional superhero became a fan-favorite in comic books, eventually making its way into TV. This isn’t an endorsement for the often-odd world of comic books. But Hulk is known for a statement that he makes to people that pushes his buttons. He says, “You won’t like me when I’m angry” . There are some people’s bad side that you don’t ever want to see. Your mind may think of the biggest, strongest, or most frightening person in your memory. However, there is another side to this coin. The bad side can be frightening, but the good side is unmatched. Above all men that’ll you’ll encounter in this life, there is only one person’s wrath that you should fear and this same person’s favor that you should seek with every part of your being. You don’t need to know what God’s wrath feels like. His wrath is always just, but it is never something that you should ever desire. What you should strive for is to dwell in His goodness. The expression of His nature that you experience will be a direct result of your actions. If you choose to live in rebellion, then you’ll experience a side of our holy Creator that you will not enjoy. Choose obedience, respect, and delight in His Word, and you’ll enjoy the wondrous blessings that you can’t imagine. Wisdom for the Day: You can’t have the best of God and the best of the world. The best of God leaves you out of the world’s best. The best of the world will give you God’s wrath. Whose favor will you seek? 
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