I like a BIG knife!

As I was chopping up the ingredients for supper just now, I found myself hunting down the biggest knife we own.  Not that the job really required that, but I just like to chop with a BIG knife.  As a matter of fact, while living with my in-laws and cooking in their kitchen I always LOVED to use my mother-in-law's cleaver!!!  It's still my favorite knife, I think. 

Now I know that some tasks require a much smaller more delicate knife that can fit into tight spots, like a paring knife, for instance.  (I love those, too, by the way!  They are so cute and usually much sharper than their little size leads you to believe.) 

No, don't start thinking I'm some crazy knife person who loves to cut things!  BUT, when slicing and dicing is the task at hand...I like to come to the chopping board properly (maybe even overly) armed. 
The same can be said for the battles of life, you know. 

If you come to a major life battle, or better yet are unexpectedly ambushed by one, I don't think a little paring knife is going to do the trick!  Is that what you are fighting your battles with?  Are you being caught off-guard and all you have to pull out and wield around is a cute little paring knife?

I think it is no coincidence that Joshua's weapon in which he was highly skilled was the sword.  You see, not only was Joshua very skilled at using the sword, he also - by faith - obeyed and trusted God when leading the Israelites in battles throughout the Promised Land as they went in to take possession of it.  They didn't just win these battles (see the book of Joshua), they went in led by God through Joshua and "put the sword" to everything, completely destroying the enemy...and leaving NO survivors!

There are a lot of parallels in this that we cannot overlook.

We need to be armed with and becoming more and more skilled with THE Sword...of the Spirit...the Word of God! (Ephesians 6:17)  Not only do we need to have a Bible and even occasionally read it...we need to dwell in it, let it soak in.  Kind of like how you unknowingly memorize television commercials and such, the more you expose yourself to His word, even if you don't understand it all, the more it becomes familiar to you and stored in your head and in your heart.  Then, when the unexpected comes, rather than floundering around in fear, you will have things come to mind and even come out of your mouth that you did not even realize you knew.  Sharpen that Sword!  Practice swinging it around.  It will be a bit heavy at first, but as you lift it and use it more and more your strength and accuracy will increase.  Before you know it, you might just be a Spiritual Samurai!

Another parallel we cannot afford to miss is the fact that, because of their faith in God and obedience to His instructions to them, they went in and completely destroyed the enemy (even some very BIG and powerful ones)...leaving NO survivors!  When we fight our enemy, we cannot afford to leave any little stray bits that seem innocent and harmless lagging around.  We MUST leave NO survivors!  Otherwise, those little loose ends could rise up and come back to really do a number on us later, when we least expect it.  Whatever your enemy is...go to God first and give Him your fears, ask Him what to do (or not to do), then TRUST and OBEY!!!  Go in and put the Sword to the enemy...and leave NO survivors!

Now...can you see why I like a BIG knife!?! 

Nothing but THE Sword will do!!!