20 Feb Let the Weak Say, “I am Strong”

Joel 3:10 :
10 Beat your plowshares into swords,
and your pruning hooks into spears;
let the weak say, “I am a warrior.”

A. In the third chapter of Joel, we hear the prophet describe a time yet to come. It will be a time of great harvest on the earth, and this verse describes the catalyst.
A plowshare is an agricultural instrument used to till the soil.
At this point in history, it was a tool that spoke of one’s vocation. However, the prophet was speaking of a time yet to come. The prophet described the plowshare as an instrument that will be turned into a sword.
The sword is often used in the Bible to describe God’s Word
Ephesians 6:17
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
The only way a plowshare can be turned into a sword is for it to go through extreme heat, and then the blacksmith must beat that plowshare into shape.
Heat and punishment of the metal turns that plowshare into an instrument of battle.
God must do this in each of our lives in order for us to be useable as a worthy sword. We are all in a battle – a spiritual battle.
Paul describes our battle as one against the principalities of the unseen world > DESCRIBE THE CITY ENVIRONMENT
EPHESIANS 6: 10-12:
10 Finally , be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might . 11 Put on the whole armor of God , that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil .
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood , but against the rulers , against the authorities , against the cosmic powers over this present darkness , against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I believe God is going to raise up many in the workplace to use their plowshare as a weapon of righteousness in these last days. That weapon won’t be used for destruction, but as a weapon of love.
That weapon of love will yield a great harvest in our lifetime. But this is only part of the story.

B. God is also going to turn our pruning hooks into spears. A pruning hook is used in two ways.
First, it is used to prune a tree for greater growth and productivity. Second, It is also used to cut the fruit from taller trees in which one cannot reach the fruit.
This fruit from our vocation is going to be cast forth like a spear, but even more as seed planted to bring the harvest of which Joel speaks. Fruit from our work life is often the financial rewards generated.
God wants to use our finances and everything else for His purposes. We must use our vocations and the fruit that comes from them as seed to bring the great harvest that God is planning.

C. Let the weak says : ” I AM STRONG ”
Strong = GIBBOR (Hebrew) = Giant, mighty.
When we change vocational skill to be used as SWORD = according to the WORDS of GOD > WE ARE WARRIOR OR GOD.
When we change our FRUITS of our Talent or Vocational (FINANCIAL) to be like SPEAR = AS SEED PLANTED IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN ORDER TO BRING HARVEST > WE ARE WARRIOR OF GOD.

Just like our four businessmen brothers from Indonesia that God Spoke to them to invest their vocational and fruits into Our church Vision to build One Stop Service Building in the city of Sydney.
Isaiah 66:6
6 “The sound of an uproar from the city!
A sound from the temple!
The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies!

How are you using your plowshare and your pruning hook for God’s glory today? Ask God to show you how He wants to use your skills, resources, and relationships to prepare for the great harvest He has planned. Amen