Pastor Kent Christmas | My Word Is Like A Hammer

The spiritual life is a continuous battle against adversity and strongholds. This powerful teaching emphasizes that God’s Word is the ultimate weapon, likened to a hammer designed to shatter, pound, and pulverize all obstacles standing between believers and their divine inheritance.

Instead of expecting immediate breakthroughs, believers must embrace persistent spiritual action, recognizing that every declaration of faith is a strategic blow against the enemy’s fortified positions. Furthermore, God declares His people to be His “battle axe” and “hammer” on Earth, equipped to break down nations and destroy kingdoms standing against His will.

1. The Word of God as a Pulverizing Hammer

The prophetic word from Jeremiah 23:29 declares: “Is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord? and like a hammer that breakth the rock into pieces”.

Divine Shattering Power

The Hebrew definition of the word “hammer” in this context literally means to pound, shatter, or pulverize. God is saying that His Word relentlessly shatters and pounds strongholds until there is nothing left that can be put back together.

This imagery contrasts with the human desire for instant results. While we often pray for God to deliver an immediate answer, sometimes God sends His Word, and it begins to work, but not all at once. God is hitting strongholds that have been considered impregnable up until this point.

Deliverance Through the Word

The Word of God functions as both a healing agent and a deliverer. Psalms 107:20 states that God “sent his word and healed them” and also “delivered them from their destruction”.

When God sends His Word, it begins to pound, weakening the integrity of the enemy’s structures. Every time the Word is declared, God hits the stronghold, which begins to fragment and weaken its integrity. Even if a believer feels discouraged by a delay, every utterance made in faith is a powerful hit. The Word is described as nuclear to the works of the devil.

2. The Jericho Blueprint: Persistent Declaration Defeats Fortified Walls

The story of the Battle of Jericho provides a clear illustration of how God’s Word, coupled with persistent, faith-filled action, destroys strongholds.

The Impregnable Obstacle

Jericho was the hindrance that stood between Israel and their inheritance, representing the entrance into the land God had promised them. It was the largest and most fortified city, with walls that historians claim were over 30 feet tall and wide enough for three chariots to drive abreast on top. Israel could not breach the city on their own.

God’s Strategic Silence and Shouting

God commanded Joshua to have the people march around the city once a day for six days. During this time, the people were strictly commanded not to shout, make any noise, or let any word proceed from their mouths.

The marching was God’s strategic action. The sources interpret this to mean that for those six days, heaven was hitting the wall with the Word of the Lord. When the seventh day arrived, Israel was commanded to circle the city seven times, and then, at God’s instruction, they shouted with a great shout. This shout was not random hollering; the sources suggest they were saying something that God had put in their spirit.

The Result: Pulverized Walls

When the people shouted and released the word of the Lord, the Word—like a hammer—came down and hit the wall. The walls of Jericho “fell down flat,” meaning they didn’t just crumble; God pulverized them. This allowed the people of the Lord to march directly into their inheritance.

This story serves as an encouragement that even when strongholds seem intact, the Word of the Lord is hitting them, weakening their structure until one final blow brings them down completely.

3. The Judicial Hammer: God’s Authority and Decision

The concept of the hammer extends to God’s judicial authority and the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The Gavil and Divine Authority

The gavel (a judicial hammer) signals a decision in court, representing the judge’s authority. The sources declare that God has already dropped the gavel on the enemy’s camp.

• Rending the Veil: When Jesus was crucified and His blood was shed, the veil that separated God from His people was rent. The blood of Jesus was like a hammer that dropped on the sins of mankind, rendering a decisive blow.
• Quieting the Room: The judge’s gavel is also used to quiet the room. God has rendered a decision and silenced the evil men and women who had tried to put a “mute” on believers.

God’s Judgment on Evil

The sources assert that God has recently dropped the hammer on evil people in the Middle East, demonstrating that what the enemy said could not happen, God has done it. This judicial action signifies that the eternal judge has made His ruling, and believers are now seeing the beginning of God taking His children into their inheritance.