SMART BOMBS

“I have hidden your word in my heart…” (Psalm 119:11).

In January, 1991, I watched with great fascination the TV news footage that came out of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. In an unprecedented move, CNN was showing “live” shots of the war almost twenty-four hours a day. It was the first time I had ever seen actual footage of the laser-guided smart bombs that the U.S. Air Force used to destroy Saddam Hussein’s forces. Saddam had promised “the mother of all battles” but, instead, the American and coalition forces destroyed his military in a matter of a few days. The footage of the “smart bombs” shown on the news showed a bomb being dropped from a jet fighter miles away and riding a laser beam down to the target where it was detonated electronically just at the time when it would be most effective.

The reason we should get the Word of God, the promises of God, into us is not for bragging rights. The compelling, overriding reason , as far as I am concerned, is that it feeds our souls and teaches us how to live as believers. Also, it teaches us about God and His purposes and then it hides itself away in the recesses of our heart, ready for use when it will be the most effective.

The promises of God hidden in our heart are like smart bombs that have a special “Spirit activation switch” on them. We read the promises, we think and meditate about them, and we memorize them the best we can. This is the process of hiding the Word in our heart, the process of putting a smart bomb in place for the Holy Spirit to activate when He sees it can be used most efficiently and successfully.

Isaiah 30:21 is one of the Word’s most potent Scriptures about God giving guidance to His people. It says, “And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left” (Amplified Bible).

Most of the time when He speaks to me, it is through His Word. I am often humbled and amazed that suddenly out of the blue a Scripture will come to mind that I haven’t thought of for a long time. It gives understanding or clarity on a situation and is ready for use when the Spirit deems it to be the appropriate time—because I had hidden it in my heart.

When we are in need, the Holy Spirit reaches into the arsenal, which is where all the weapons are stored, somewhere deep in our heart. The Spirit selects the right weapon and then He flips the “activation switch” on that promise and it leaps into our awareness, our mind. We had read that promise, believed that it was true, and wondered how it would ever work its way out into our lives. It may have been tucked away in the arsenal for months or even years. These weapons, these promises, are not degraded over time as happens with natural weaponry, but they remain as potent today as when we first saw and understood them. The truth of God’s promises is not rooted in natural time, but in an eternal God who lives in eternity. Therefore, they are as powerful and forceful today as they were two or three thousand years ago.

No wonder the Bible has a lot to say about our reading and studying and getting familiar with the Word. The more we are aware of the truths of the Word, the bigger our arsenal will be. It’s fine to go on a natural diet, but let’s never be guilty of going on a diet when it comes to partaking of the Word. If anything, let me encourage you to take some extra helpings at the table of God’s promises and truth.

Ever wonder why some believers have such a tough time staying in personal victory? Could it possibly be that they are trying to live life on a college graduate level (spiritually) with an arsenal that would be more suited to a grade schooler?

Take it from me, build as big an arsenal as you can!