The power of the Word

 

The letter to the Hebrews describes the word of God as alive and active and piercingly sharp; it also says that the word is able to judge.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the reflections and thoughts of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12 (LEB)

This translation tells us that the word judges the reflections and thoughts of the heart. But what does that really mean?

To judge is defined as to form an opinion, evaluation, or mental conclusion about something or someone, or to officially decide a legal case in a court of justice.

As we have seen before, the English word does not quite carry the depth of meaning as the Greek. “Kritikos” is the Greek word and although it means “to judge” it also means “to separate or discern” and involves deep examination and critical evaluation.

This verse speaks of accessing the most intimate areas of us by thoroughly examining our true motivations and intentions, even those that we ourselves don’t realize we have.

Many people read Hebrews 4:12 and interpret the word of God as only the words found in the bible, but this verse incorporates the word that is written and the word that is spoken and the Word that is living and active which is the Word incarnate, Jesus Christ.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh – John 1:1&14 (LEB)

Beloved, Hebrews 4:12 is not a verse to be taken lightly, as it demonstrates the incredible power of the word of God.

The power of the word of God penetrates deeply with the utmost precision and judges to the point of revealing the true condition of your heart, in order to lead you to transformation.  

There is wonder-working power in the word and the Word!

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The power of the Word” © 2026 November 10, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

A Familiar Verse

 

Philippians 4:7 is a verse that we hear very often; some of us, I’m sure, have said it many times. You may not know it by Book and chapter but it’s a familiar verse.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (ESV)

But what is this verse really saying? What was the Apostle Paul conveying by telling the Philippians (and us) of this incredible peace that is unfathomable; a peace that guards our hearts and our minds?

Before we move on, let’s look at what he said in verse 6, another familiar verse.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (ESV)

Paul is saying that instead of focusing our attention on whatever we may be anxious about, we should counter it through deep-felt, earnest prayer with anticipatory gratitude.

This is the formula for shifting our focus from anxiety to God. When we concentrate on what’s worrying us, how can we concentrate on God? Anxiety causes us to be double-minded which only results in instability in all our ways (see James 1:8).

By following Paul’s method, our minds become centred on God, our faith is bolstered and our trust in God is strengthened because we are thanking Him in advance even before we receive an answer.

And when we replace our anxiety with heartfelt trust in God, don’t depend on our own understanding and recognize His Presence knowing that He is (see Proverbs 3:5-6), the door to the peace of God is swung wide open.

The peace of God is no ordinary peace; Jesus told us about this peace, He said it is not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (ref. John 14:27).

This peace is not just about feeling calm, this peace dissolves anxiety and the fear that it brings and by guarding our hearts and minds, it not only affects us deep within, but protects us deep within.

The original Greek word gives us a much better understanding of what Paul was describing.

“Phrouresei” translated “guard” is a picture of a soldier maintaining border security decked out in full military kit. Nothing gets past this soldier who keeps an extraordinarily close eye out for any interlopers. This peace remains watchful; it is continuously standing guard.

Beloved, Philippians 4:7 is a familiar verse that we’ve grown so accustomed to that we miss its profundity.

This is a supernatural peace, and it is available to you right now, even in the midst of your difficulties. Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you (John 14:27 ESV). It is already left, it is already given, all you have to do is open the door.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “A Familiar Verse” © 2026 November 10, 2026

 

 

Two Testaments Two Women Two Gardens

 

Two is a number that symbolizes division or separation, however, it also represents the uniting of two separate things.

The Bible is divided into two Testaments, the Old Testament and the New Testament.

There are some who believe that the two are totally separated, having nothing to do with each other, but that is not the truth.

Truth is a narrow path and no matter how enticing other paths may seem to be, they will never be a reliable path to freedom.

So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you continue to accept and obey my teaching, you are really my followers. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” – John 8:31-32 (ERV)

The truth is, the two Testaments are connected more than we realize; there are things in the Old that correlate to things in the New. For instance, Jeremiah 17:13 answers the age-old question of John 8:6 & 8.

Two women, Eve and Mary, called Magdalene. How could these two women, with completely different stories and separated by centuries be connected?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” – Genesis 3:1 (NIV)

Eve, while in the garden, encounters the serpent.

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid…Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” – John 19:41 & 20:15 (NIV)

Mary, while in the garden, encounters the resurrected Christ.

Two gardens.

In the New Testament, in the Gospel of John, there is a story of a woman who was in a garden, that woman was Mary, called Magdalene. She was the first to go to the garden where Jesus was buried but the tomb lay empty; perplexed, she was crying when a man she did not recognize approached, she thought that this man was the gardener.

Here in a garden is a woman talking to someone who is strange to her.

Genesis, in the Old Testament, also tells a story of a woman in a garden talking to someone who was strange to her; that woman was Eve.

While in one garden a serpent, identified as the devil, spoke to Eve, in another garden Jesus, the Divine, spoke to Mary.

You may be wondering: Okay, but what’s the significance? First of all, John was insistent on highlighting the location of the borrowed tomb – there was a garden, and in the garden. Clearly, he wanted his readers to make a connection, to jog their memory – where else was there a woman in a garden?

Eve took something from the devil, a lie that brought death to all of mankind.

Sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race – Romans 5:12 (GNT)

Mary took something from the Divine, a truth that brought Life to all of mankind and.

It is true that through the sin of one man death began to rule because of that one man. But how much greater is the result of what was done by the one man, Jesus Christ! All who receive God's abundant grace and are freely put right with him will rule in life through Christ. – Romans 5:17 (GNT)

Beloved, John’s account in the New Testament of Mary in the garden, takes us right back to Genesis’ account in the Old Testament of Eve in the Garden, showing us that what had happened in the garden through Adam, the first man, was restored in the garden through Jesus, the Last Adam.

Two Testaments, two women, two gardens and, two Adams.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Two Testaments Two Women Two Gardens” © 2026 November 8, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be Angry but…

 

Be angry but…; it’s all in the “but”, everything that comes after that “but” is what is remembered. The “but” has the potential to negate everything that came before it. Whatever proceeds thereafter can either lift us up or tear us down.

“You failed your driver’s test, but your instructor said that you can do it again in three months, so don’t worry about it.”

“I know you’re disappointed that you weren’t chosen as Head Girl, but you’ll be a great House Captain as you’ll interact more with your teammates and that’s what you love to do.”

“I love you, but I can no longer live with you; I want a divorce.”

“Ninety percent in Math? But you know that if you’d tried a little harder, you would have got full marks.”

The Apostle Paul wrote, Be angry but do not sin (Ephesians 4:26 NRSVUE); he more than likely, was echoing the advice of David, who wrote,

When you are angry [are disturbed; tremble], do not sin. (Psalm 4:4)

In this Expanded Bible translation, we see in parenthesis the words “disturbed” and “tremble”, this lets us know the level of anger of which both the king and the apostle wrote.

I don’t know about you, though it doesn’t happen often, I have become so angry that I didn’t just tremble, I could literally feel that my spirit was disturbed.

When anger gets to the level of rage or fury that’s the point at which the crossing over to sin becomes a great possibility. Clearly, there’s a fine line between anger and sin. If anger is not restrained, then sin will inevitably follow.

But it’s not about stifling your anger either, as that will lead to other problems, one being self-destruction.

Anger is supposed to be temporary; anger should not be allowed to linger or fester because the more we suppress our anger increases the chance of it being a source of destruction.

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime (Psalm 30:5 NIV)

God’s favour far outweighs His anger and that’s how it ought to be with us. Galatians 5 tells us that self-control is an element of the Fruit of the Spirit; the Fruit is incomplete when even one part is missing.

Lack of self-control affects the way we express anger, as it results in inappropriate behaviour. Too many of us try to justify our angry outbursts instead of taking responsibility and apologizing. We lash out, saying the worst things, rather than walk away, not in defiance but as a preventative measure. Inflamed tempers cloud reason and logic.

We must turn away from the cause of our displeasure to avoid actions or words we’ll soon regret.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths but only what is good for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29 NRSVUE)

Remember too that there’s power in what we say and what we say will not just affect us but can infect us (see Proverbs 18:21).

Beloved, there’s nothing wrong with getting angry; anger is a natural human emotion; however, it’s the fomentation of anger that first incubates then incites sinful behaviour.

So, you can be angry but don’t stay angry because remaining angry will only lead you to seek revenge but vengeance belongs to God alone (see Deuteronomy 32:35 and Romans 12:19).

God does not expect you to not be angry, but He calls on you to manage your anger otherwise you will sin and, it just isn’t worth it. Don’t let the sun set on your anger.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Be angry but…” © 2026 November 7, 2026

 

 

 

The Sea

 

My friend’s childhood home boasts an enviable view of the sea, after migrating, one of the things he misses most about home is sitting on the veranda for hours looking at the sea.

There are references to the sea from Genesis to Revelation, while some are literal, I would dare to say that most are representations of spiritual concepts. This type of parabolic language is rife throughout the pages of the bible. As you know, Jesus Himself spoke in parables.

From chapter to chapter, the sea carries much symbolism; some of which are positive, as in Isaiah 48:18 (MSG),

“If you had listened all along to what I told you, your life would have flowed full like a river, blessings rolling in like waves from the sea.”,

while others are not,

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:6 NIV).

In many instances, the sea is portrayed as hostile, turbulent and dangerous, but can also be calm and calmed.

You rule the oceans when their waves arise in fearful storms; you speak, and they lie still. (Psalm 89:9 TLB)

Nations, in the bible, can be represented by raging seas.

You stopped [silence; calm] the roaring seas, the roaring waves [ representing chaos], and the uproar [tumult] of the nations [peoples]. (Psalm 65:7 EXB)

Raging seas also speak of chaos and the unpredictable.

But even though the sea represents such primordial chaos, what Jesus does in Matthew 8:26 shows that He dominates chaos.

Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. (ESV)

Oftentimes Jesus would go to the sea to speak to the crowds gathered on the shore. In this regard, the sea is a place of teaching, encounter, and transformation.

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. (Mark 2:13 ESV)

Jesus conveys a powerful lesson when he compares a net thrown into the sea that catches fish of every kind to the Kingdom of heaven.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; (Matthew 13:47 NRSVUE)

This is yet another parable Jesus tells to explain the Kingdom of heaven. You would recall that the sea can represent nations and by extension its peoples, therefore the parable indicates that the Kingdom is not discriminatory but inclusive, as it encompasses all people.

Beloved, there’s much more to the symbolism of the sea but that’s for you to dive into. However, here’s one last thing that’s interesting to note, in John’s revelatory vision of the new heaven and earth, the sea is eliminated.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. (Revelation 21:1)

The hostility, the turbulence, the danger, the rage, the unpredictability, the chaos – every negative thing the sea symbolizes was no more.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The Sea” © 2026 November 6, 2026

 

 

Prayer of Adoration

 

Dear God, Three-in-one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I come before You now in complete awe, for Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your Kingdom. I adore You as the one who is over all things. You alone are God and there is none like You…

Glorious in holiness

Awesome in splendor

Performing great wonders

Full of compassion and mercy

Able to Lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations

Perfect in every way

Flawless in word and deed

A shield for all who take refuge in You

The Rock upon which I can confidently stand

Yes Lord, as I submit my adoration to You, cause me to keep in mind that it is You who are the foundation of my life, the God of my ancestors; that power and might are in Your hand and nothing, absolutely nothing will be impossible with You.

Now, let Your ears be attentive to my prayer through Jesus Christ my Saviour, Amen.

 

Daily Bread

 

Matthew 6:11 says, Give us today our daily bread.

I eat too much bread, so, in an effort not to eat bread, I don’t buy bread because once bread is in the house I am going to make grilled cheese with a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of oregano. But that doesn’t mean I don’t pray for daily bread.

We are familiar with that verse in the prayer we fondly call, “The Lord’s Prayer”, but was Jesus referring to actual bread or was that line speaking of something else?

When the Israelites were sojourning through the wilderness, God provided them with fresh “bread” each day; this wasn’t like sliced loaf or dinner rolls, this was something they called manna.

The Israelites called it manna; it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. (Exodus 16:31 NRSVUE)

Every morning for forty years, after the dew lifted, manna appeared on the ground. This was the Israelites’ life-sustaining provision from God for each day.

This is what the Lord has commanded: Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer per person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents. (v 16 NRSVUE)

So now let’s go back to the daily bread for which Jesus tells us to pray. In Greek, the  word is “epiousion” and “epiousion” roughly means “what is sufficient for the day”. That’s exactly how the Israelites were commanded by God to collect the manna – enough for the day.

Then the Lord said to Moses, I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. (v 4 NRSVUE)

Give us today our daily bread, is about your daily needs; it’s about asking God to provide you with all that’s sufficient for the day.

The truth is, this is not only about being provided with something to eat but about whatever is essential for you to survive the day.

We must trust God enough to know that when we petition Him today for our needs, He already has us covered for tomorrow.

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. – Matthew 6:8 (NRSVUE)

So, beloved, pray for your daily bread today and don’t be anxious about tomorrow’s bread.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Daily Bread” © 2026 November 4, 2026