Jer. 23:29 "Does not my word burn like fire?" asks the Lord.

Jer. 23:29  “Does not my word burn like fire?” asks the LORD.  “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes rock to pieces?”

Do not underestimate the power of God’s Word.  It burns like fire.  Fire is not discriminatory; it consumes whatever is in it’s path.  Fire burns best those things that are all dried up.  There are some things that do not burn as easily as others, and there are some things that refuse to be consumed.  People when exposed to God’s Word are like combustionable material.  People who are most affected by God’s Word are those who know that their souls are all dried up.  They come to the point where they have no hope left in their lives for soul satisfaction.  They have tried and failed to find a life worth living for.  God’s Word also deeply affects those who may not be totally dried up, but know that there is more to life than what they are now experiencing.  They find some enjoyment in life, but know that something is missing.  God’s Word affects those who know they are in need.

Those who are not generally affected by God’s Word are those who have let sin harden their hearts to the point where they stubbornly refuse to listen or get near to the Word.  They dig in their heels and fight hard against anything having to do with God or His Word.  They refuse to be open to the possibility that God’s Word is absolute truth.  They scorn anything that has to do with God.  They refuse to acknowledge that they are in need.

The Word of God is like a mighty hammer that smashes rock to pieces.  It does what God gave it to us to do; it penetrates deeply into the soul and destroys all that is not of God.  When it is received, it pulverizes sin.  It does not spare any sin that it exposes.  The Word of God is very effective in bringing about change in the heart of anyone who is open to it.  When we read the Word with humility and expectation of receiving something from God, we will hear from God and changed when we let it rule our hearts.

If we are not affected like we should be by God’s Word, the problem does not lie within the Word, it lies within us.  God’s Word does not return to Him void.  It always does what God sends it out to do when we are open to it.