Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (NIV)

One of the most difficult Biblical principles to accept comes from Jeremiah, the prophet. He reminds us in Chapter 17 that our hearts are deceitful above all things and beyond cure. One translation says the heart is deceitfully wicked. Jeremiah teaches us that our thoughts, emotions, ideas, and preconceptions about everything can lie to us and easily convince us of something untrue. Our hearts can hide from us our very own attitudes and thoughts. And there is no cure. But in today’s passage, we find hope.

God has given us the Word of God. It is a double-edged sword that protects us from the enemy’s advances against our hearts, but it also works surgically on our souls. Meditating and knowing the Word of God puts an instrument in our hands that will discern our thoughts and attitudes to reveal to us what is right and true and what is not. Without this discernment, we can convince ourselves that we are right and others are wrong to the point our actions reflect this belief. But when we have believed our own lie, we only hurt ourselves and others. We need help!

For example, the Word teaches us that when we fight and argue, the reason is that we are not getting what we want or trying to get from people what only God can give (James 4:1-3). The Word pierces the flesh to open and cut out the cancer of pride, selfishness, and covetousness. We may not see the source of our willingness to fight and argue, but the Word has discerned for us.

It is true that the wickedness of our hearts’ deceit cannot be cured- at least, not this side of Heaven. However, the Word of God actively suppresses all symptoms and effects of the cancer of deceit within us. There is unmatched power in the Word of God to subdue a heart deceitful above all things, even the Father of all Lies, that snake, the devil.

The Word of God is a daily treatment. And the Lord advised Joshua this way:

The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written within it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:8

Prayer: Lord, give me the discipline each day to meditate on Your Word, and may Your Word actively discern for me the truth about myself. Amen.