The Hammer & The Fire – Michelle Burkett

“And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the Lord. “Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
—Jeremiah 23:28b–29 NKJV

A lot was being said in Jeremiah’s day. Prophets shared dreams and made promises, claiming their words came from God. But the Lord had not sent them. The words may have sounded good. They may even have been what people wanted to hear. But they were not His Word.

Then God asks, “What is the chaff to the wheat?”

You can have a great heap of chaff and still have nothing to eat. Wheat feeds you. Chaff leaves you empty.

We are in the decade of peh—the mouth—and wow, it seems everyone has something to say. YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram—everyone has access to a platform, and the mouths are open! Opinions are plentiful. Fear and conspiracies are rampant. Those are just a few of the external voices. But there are internal voices, too! Old wounds have a way of speaking up, as do judgments, offenses, and pride. So many voices, and it can feel like they are all loud. In this cacophony, we must discern what comes from the heart of God and what simply adds to the noise.

I want my ears and heart tuned to His voice. Don’t you?

The Word was God, and the Word became flesh (John 1:1, 14)-–that’s Jesus! He lived a life that showed us the heart of our Father. Jesus, the Word, exemplified “God is Love” (1 John 4:8). If I hear a word—or speak a word—without knowing His love, I can miss His heart even while using the “right language.” We must read both the Old and New Testaments through the filter of love. If you read something in the Word that does not sound like love, keep digging. God can only be love. 

This does not mean every true word is comfortable. God corrects us because He loves us. He will put His finger on a place we would rather avoid because He wants us FREE. His correction calls us back to Him, and it frees us into greater love! It does not leave us buried in shame.

We can ask ourselves: Is this drawing me toward Jesus? Is it helping me see Him as He truly is? Am I speaking and walking in the truth with the love He has shown me?

His Word is wheat. It nourishes us and gives us strength to grow. As we receive His truth, we begin to look more like Him. Mercy grows. Kindness grows. Humility, generosity, and love grow in places where fear once had its way.

Chaff cannot do that. We can keep taking in words that feed our pride, stir up fear, or give us someone to judge, and still feel empty. We may be full of things to say, yet hungry in our spirits. Oh, let us hunger for the Word that gives LIFE!

Then the Lord says, “Is not My word like a fire?”

Yes, Lord. Let it burn!

Let His Word burn through what is false. Let it shine into the places where we have believed a lie. Let it warm hearts that have grown cold from disappointment. Let it burn up the chaff we have mistaken for food.

And let His Word be the hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.

You may know exactly where that rock is. Maybe it’s something you’ve been believing for, but you haven’t seen it yet. Perhaps disappointment has hardened into distrust. Perhaps something painful was spoken over you years ago, and you have carried it as though God said it. Perhaps you want to believe Him again, but a place in your heart feels closed off and hard.

Bring that place to Jesus. Let Him speak there. You can’t break through that hardness by trying harder. His Word and His love can reach what your strength cannot. Stay with Him as He speaks truth over that place, even if at first all you can see is a small crack (Ezekiel 36:26). Don’t let go of the Word!

I love the story of  Eleazar, one of David’s mighty men. When the Philistines gathered for battle,  Israel’s men retreated. But Eleazar drew his sword and stood in the midst of the barley field. He stood his ground in that harvest field and fought the enemy. He fought even in his weariness, never letting go of the sword. He held and wielded the sword for so long that his hand clung to the sword’s hilt, and he could not let it go. The Bible tells us that the Lord brought about a great victory that day (2 Samuel 23:9–10; 1 Chronicles 11:12–14).

Can you picture that? An enemy coming. People running. A harvest field of grain. And someone choosing to stand, refusing to let go of his sword. Let that be who we are! Let us hold fast to our sword: the Word of God, written by Love.

When I read Jeremiah’s question—What is the chaff to the wheat?—that field stays with me. There are things worth standing for: the truth of who God is – His heart and nature, the truth of His Word, and the hearts of people who need to know His love.

Eleazar held on to his sword until his hand was formed around it and would not let go. Let us hold God’s Word that close! Let it become entwined with our thoughts, our hearts,  our prayers, and our lives. Let His Word be so formed in us that when all the other voices get loud, HIS is the one we recognize and run to. Let us feast upon His Word so that it matures us from lambs to sheep who know His voice. Let us be so fixed in His love that we quickly discern His voice from the chaff. Let’s become wheat, nurturing others with substance – His life and love.  

Remember: Eleazar stood, but the Lord brought the victory.

Jesus stood on the Father’s Word when He was tempted in the wilderness. Again and again, He answered, “It is written.” The enemy’s words did not define Jesus. He knew His Father.

That is where our strength is too. We stand on who God is and what He says. We search His Word. We draw near to Him. We thirst for Him until our hearts are steadied in His presence. We listen for His voice among all the others, and we follow Him.

Then there is John the Baptist—another voice in the wilderness.

When people asked him who he was, John answered with the words of Isaiah: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:23). John knew his assignment. He called people to turn toward God, and his voice prepared them to receive Jesus.

I want our voices to do that. I want the words we speak to pave the way for the Lord in someone’s heart. Dry places surround us, and people are hungry for more than another opinion. They need the living Word. They need to encounter Jesus.

So let us be faithful with what He gives us. Let us speak words that are true and bathed in love. Let us speak with courage and tenderness from the heart of God. May our words carry mercy to the wounded, hope to the weary, and an invitation to embrace Jesus.

Let His fire burn up the chaff. Let His hammer break through the hard places. Hold on to His Word until you cannot imagine letting it go. Stand in the field. Listen for His voice. Then lift yours and speak His Word in love, faithfully.

Prayer

Jesus, You are the living Word, and I want to know You more. I choose You! Tune my ears to Your voice. Show me what is wheat and what is chaff, and feed me with the truth that makes me more like You. Let Your fire burn away every lie I have carried. Let Your Word break through the hard places in my heart. Teach me to hold fast to You as Eleazar held his sword, always remembering that the victory belongs to You. Give me a voice that carries Your truth and Your love. May my words and my life pave the way for others to encounter You. Amen.

Faith, Hope, and Love – A book  from Patricia King`

You’re invited to deepen your journey with God with Patricia’s new 30-Day Devotional: Faith, Hope, and Love.

Faith, Hope, and Love are the essence of the Christian life. Faith anchors us in God’s promises, hope sustains us through uncertainty, and love transforms us and overflows to others. Together, they form an unshakable foundation for a victorious walk with God.

Live a life where faith believes, hope endures, and love never fails.

The Now of God – A book  from Robert Hotchkin

You’ve prayed. You’ve fasted. You’ve stood in faith. Yet some prophetic words, promises, and callings still seem stuck, delayed, or impossibly far off.  But what if you were able to reach beyond your past history and present challenges?

What if you could step past time itself and into the eternal present-tense of the Great I AM — where every one of those promises is suddenly activated and accelerated?

In The NOW of God, you’ll discover how to:

• Break cycles of delay, disappointment, and discouragement

• Identify and demolish the lies that keep you stuck in “not yet”

• Awaken to the present-tense power of the Great I AM

• Move from waiting on breakthrough to walking in it

• Activate faith that pulls “tomorrow’s” promises into today

Love That Transforms – A teaching MP3  from Patricia King

This is a powerful message. But be forewarned, it is not for the faint of heart. This teaching from Patricia King will move you, stir you, and it may even shock you. But along the way you will learn to connect with a level of compassion you did not know you had, and from that place invade darkness with the light of God’s love and see lives and regions transformed. The world is crying out to know the love of God. Will you arise, shine and share it with them?

Winning The Battle – A book  from Robert Hotchkin

All of heaven is available to you right now through the finished work of the cross. But often it does not look or feel that way. The reason: There is a battle for your mind, will and emotions that largely determines the fullness of God’s presence, power and Kingdom that you walk in. It is critical that you partner with Him to the battle.

We at Patricia King Ministries thank you for your prayers, partnership, and financial support. May you be richly and abundantly blessed. And remember, God loves you with an everlasting love!