When two of our grandchildren were playing, the youngest started crying loudly and holding his head. When adults came to investigate, the oldest was asked, “Did you hit your brother?” The expected answer was, “No.” But the proof of a crying child rubbing his head was right in front of us. So, a second question was asked of the oldest child: “Where did you hit your brother?” This time the sheepish answer was: “On the head.” We learned that when you ask the right questions, in the right way, it can serve like a Lie-Detector machine that reveals the heart of the matter.

There is something far more powerful than a man-made machine, or even a mother’s austere stare, to get to the truth of what lies within the heart of children of all ages. It is the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12-13 puts it this way: “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Our Bible is a miraculous book in the way God gave it, preserved it, and in how effectively it works within the heart. The above verses describe it as being “quick,” meaning it is alive with divine ability to work in any soul. It is “powerful,” or mighty, in its ability to convict or empower us to victory. It is “sharp,” like a surgical instrument that can easily cut or penetrate hardened souls. It cuts away foolish rebellion better than logic, our testimony, or tears. The Scriptures are able to pierce the soul (the seat of our emotions), spirit (the mind or intellect), and even tough joints and marrow. It can get to the inner man of the unsaved who stubbornly resists salvation, or to the saved not in a proper spiritual place. God’s Word discerns and reveals our thoughts and motives, and exposes everyone, as if naked, before the Lord, who is the author of this miraculous book.

These truths enable believers to place confidence in God’s Word, use it generously when ministering to the unsaved, and respond when it speaks to our hearts. We encourage you to read God’s Word every day.