Saul was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel. He was instructed to utterly destroy the Amalekites, and all their livestock ~ not sparing any. 1 Samuel 15:9 says, “…were not willing to utterly destroy them.”

Samuel confronted Saul’s disobedience. Saul blame-shifted in verse 21. It says, “But the people…” Those are words we need to take to heart. Verse 23 says, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” 

Witchcraft is controlling others with a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 30:15 says, “…In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. But you would not…”

Jesus is our example of heart obedience. He prayed in the garden, “…O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Does your heart say, “nevertheless” when you battle your flesh? Psalm 119:10 is a great prayer. It says, “With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.”

God is a Mighty Warrior. Isaiah 59:16-17 says, “…His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”

He always goes before us. Psalm 85:13 says, “Righteousness goes before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.” Through Paul, He gave us warriors His armor. Ephesians 6:10-18. That is His protection for us as we do battle against the enemy of our souls.

The devil wars against us through deceptions. That is why James encouraged his readers to be doers of the word and not hearers only, “…deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22. Is your sword ready to fight? Do you have His word deeply embedded in your heart?

Remember what Gideon and his men shouted? They heard what was being said in the enemy’s camp. Judges 7:14. It became their battle cry. Verse 20 says, “…The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

The Lord has given us His word, like a sharp two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12. Yet there are other places where it speaks of His sword. Ezekiel 21:9 says, “Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord! Say: A sword, a sword is sharpened and also polished!

Verse 15 says, “I have set the point of the sword against all their gates…” Verse 16 says, “Swords at the ready! Thrust right! Set your blade! Thrust left—wherever your sword is ordered!”

Though this is speaking about Israel, I want to bring personal application. Isaiah 28:6 says, “…for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.” Let’s go back to verse 16. Picture it like God’s word that is hidden in your hearts.

As the enemy approaches with his suggestions of enticement to sin, we whip out our sword-verses and whack them to pieces. Psalm 18:40-42 is very picturesque. Think now of the dangling lying lures. Verse 42 says, “Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.”

As I think about the Lord being our shield, my mind goes to Psalm 91:1. It says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Verse 4 says, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”

Remember what Boaz said? Ruth 2:12 says, “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.” The above three verses are talking about who or what we place our trust in.

Our faith is always under attack. That is why the Lord provided a shield for us. Think of something the size of a door on its side. It is covered in pitch. As the flaming arrow hits, it is extinguished immediately. I call it ‘my door-shield of faith.’

The Holy Spirit dwells within. He knows the fiery dart is coming. He fortifies and strengthens our faith as we hide God’s word in our hearts.

I was memorizing Psalm 18:35. It says, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation…” I was thinking about what the Lord told Abram. Genesis 15:1 says, “…Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Abram’s reply might be one we would have when there is something we really want. Verse 3 says, “…Look, You have given me no offspring…” Then the Lord did something so amazing. 

Verse 5 says, “Then He brought him outside and said, Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. And He said to him, So shall your descendants be.” Abram believed, yet it was years before God fulfilled His promise. 

In Psalm 18:2 David made a proclamation of who the Lord is. It says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” His descriptive words all pointed to how the Lord was his protector. So He is with us.

This was written about the Lord. We can apply this to our own lives. Isaiah 30:4 says, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.”

Isaiah 55:3 says, “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live…” Isaiah 30:21 says, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right or whenever you turn to the left.” Incline means to listen favorably.

Proverbs 2 was written by King Solomon to his son. He instructed him to receive his words. Verse 2-3 says, “So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding.”

He continued. The result would be in verse 12. It says, “To deliver you from the way of evil…” Discernment is God’s protection.

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Where Do Thoughts Come From?

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The Holy Spirit dwells within. As we abide in God’s Word, it abides in us. Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” That means we need to be attentive.

Luke 4:4 in the Amplified says, “…Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God.” His eyes, His expressions, and His words all require our stillness of heart. 

Hebrews 5:13 says that when we only take in the milk of God’s word we remain unskilled. Verse 14 says, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Solid food consists of foundational doctrines. They are God’s established truths to order our steps in His righteousness. They are non negotiable in spiritual growth. Titus 2:10 says, “…adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” 2 Peter 1:5-7 are inner graces to  add to our faith.

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Since our thoughts precede all actions, it is imperative that we understand where they come from. In this book the author explores three different ways. Each one is supported by comparing Scripture with Scripture.

Have you ever wondered why you do what you do? Have you explored how you came to believe the way you do? Our heart is our belief system. Our experiences form our perceptions, which become the motives behind our thoughts. God is infinite, but we are finite. As we bring His word into our hearts, it will begin to shape our beliefs so they will align with His purpose for our lives.

As we continue to hide God’s word in our hearts, our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit increases. It is that word hidden which speaks when temptation’s lure dangles. 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Paul instructed Timothy to not give heed to things that were not edifying.

1 Timothy 1:5-6 says, “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk.”

The Greek word for idle means futile talk, worthless, empty, and meaningless babble. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

Inner dialogue with negative thoughts becomes idle talk. It lacks substance. It has nothing redeemable in it. It blocks us from discerning the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Ephesians 4:29 says our speech should, “…impart grace to the hearers.” ~ ourselves as well as others.