Listen to Devotion

“Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the LORD. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?”

Fire can warm or destroy. The same flame that purifies gold can reduce wood to ash. God says his Word is like fire—a force that both refines and consumes. It burns away lies and exposes the truth.

Jeremiah lived during a time when many false prophets claimed to speak for God. They said what people wanted to hear—promising peace, safety, and blessing without ever addressing sin or calling for repentance. They used religious language. They sounded convincing. But their words were lies—spiritual misdirection.

The Lord doesn’t leave us guessing which voice to trust. He says his Word is like fire—consuming deception and purifying hearts. It’s like a hammer—breaking the rock of human pride. God’s Word reveals what is real and right, cutting through delusion and self-deception. The standard for truth is not how something feels or how widely it’s accepted. The standard is what God himself has spoken.

True, what God has spoken may be painful to hear. God’s Word exposes the weight of our sin—but also the even greater depth of his love. It leads us to the cross, where every sin was nailed and every guilt laid on Jesus. There, justice and mercy met. The fire of God’s Word consumed our condemnation. The same Word that uncovers sin also saves us from the fire we deserve. And like a hammer, it shatters every accusation with three history-changing words: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

So, we listen carefully. We test every voice by what God has already said. We trust the Word that cuts because it also heals. God’s Word doesn’t flatter—it saves. Let the one who has God’s Word speak it faithfully. Let the one who hears it believe it fully.

Lord, burn away the lies I want to believe, smash my sin, and help me to trust your truth. Amen.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.