Alive and Active: Encountering God’s Word at True Woman ’25
Have you ever sat through a sermon and thought, How did the pastor know what I’m going through? It feels as if he is talking just to me.
Or maybe you’ve picked up a devotional, and that day’s reading spoke into your exact life circumstances. The publishers put it together months—maybe even years—earlier. How could they know?
They didn’t. But God did. And in His infinite wisdom, He orchestrated the topic of that sermon or devotional to deliver the exact truth you needed to hear at that moment.
In just a few days, over five thousand women will gather in Indianapolis for True Woman ’25 (with thousands more joining via the livestream from around the world). Each one will be facing different circumstances, carrying different burdens, enduring different trials. Nancy and the team of speakers have spent months seeking the Lord’s guidance as they’ve prepared their messages. And while they can’t know what you are personally going through, God can speak through their words to meet each woman where she is, touching the unique circumstances of her life.
That’s because this One who created the universe, who knit us together in our mothers’ wombs, intimately knows our thoughts, desires, fears, and failings. And through the wonder of His Word, He speaks to each of us.
So, how can His Word speak so precisely into our lives? The writer of Hebrews gives us an answer:
For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. (4:12–13)
As we look ahead to True Woman ’25, it’s amazing to consider the ways God’s Word will move—living and active, ready to meet each woman personally in her journey.
Living and Effective
The writer of Hebrews describes God’s Word as living. The Bible isn’t just words written on a page thousands of years ago that we can study for academic purposes. No, God’s Word is alive and working. It is living because God is living (Heb. 3:12). This is why you can read the same passage repeatedly and gain fresh insight each time.
Hebrews goes on to describe God’s Word as effective or, as some translations say, active. To be active involves movement and being effective means that there are results. God’s Word is not stagnant in the annals of history but rather it continues to move in people’s hearts and lives, producing results that can’t be explained through human efforts.
Though we may not see those results immediately, God assured the prophet Isaiah that hearing and reading His Word will accomplish exactly what He intends:
“My word that comes from my mouth
will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please
and will prosper in what I send it to do.” (Isaiah 55:11)
With this promise in mind, we can come before the Lord in prayer, trusting that His Word will work in our hearts according to His perfect plan.
Lord, as the truth of Your Word is proclaimed, may You move in women’s hearts to hear the message You want to speak to them. May the truth they hear propel them to act on whatever You’re calling them to do. And may You bring effective and lasting life change as a result.
Sharper than a Double-Edged Sword
When I think of a sword, I picture scenes from Lord of the Rings or medieval knights—steel flashing in battle, wielded for both offense and defense. A double-edge sword is especially dangerous, able to cut both ways with a razor-sharp edge.
The Word of God works in a similar way. It penetrates deeply into our spirits, exposing our true thoughts and heart intentions. It lays bare our secrets—those thoughts we would never voice to another living person, that sin we’ve never confessed, the sinful habits we clutch too tightly.
This sword is also a powerful weapon against our fears and the lies of the enemy. It cuts through deceptions and confusion, anchoring us in truth—reminding us of who God is and who we are in Him. It equips us for the spiritual battles we face each day.
Some commentators also compare this sword to a surgeon’s scalpel—cutting not to destroy but to heal. With precision, it gets to the root of the problem—our desires, beliefs, motivations—so God can fix what is broken. In fact, Hebrews 4:13 says that all things “are naked and exposed” before God, the One to whom we will have to give an account of our life.
I don’t know about you, but the concept of standing completely naked, emotionally and spiritually, before a holy God is terrifying—if we’re doing it on our own merit, that is. But praise be to God, if we’ve heard the good news about Jesus and surrendered our lives to His rule, then we need not fear. Because Jesus intercedes on our behalf before the Father (Heb. 7:25), we can come boldly, asking Him to wield His Word in our hearts for our good.
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You know all and see all. Would You use Your Word and the words of the speakers over these next few days to bring light to that which needs to be exposed? Reveal hidden thoughts and intentions, bring discomfort or conviction, provide healing and restoration. Use this time to shape us into the image of Your Son, so that we may reflect Your holiness and grace.
A Prayer for This Weekend
As women step foot into the Indiana Convention Center or connect via the livestream, I’m praying that the active and living Word of God will meet each one of us with exactly what we need.
May He provide comfort in the midst of heartache and trials.
May He give correction when we wander away from following Him.
May He bring a rebuke when something in our lives is not pleasing to Him.
May He pour out cleansing for every sin—both hidden and known.
May He impart strength for the battles you fight each day—and for the ones that lie ahead.
May He extend guidance for the decisions you must make today and in the days to come.
May He send peace for those things that unsettle your spirit.
May He breathe new life into the woman receiving Christ as Savior—and fresh life into all who abide in Him.
Wherever you are in your relationship with Jesus, may His Word speak with power into your life. May it cut through fear, shine light into hidden corners, and continue leading, guiding, and transforming you long after the conference has ended—alive, sharp and full of life.
Fortitude is courage in the face of pain, strength in the midst of adversity, and the ability to persevere under pressure. The kind of grit we need to follow Jesus doesn’t come from willpower or inner strength, but from the grace of God poured out in our lives. Join us now through September 30 for Endure: A 40-Day Fortitude Challenge, during which you’ll be invited to depend upon Christ for everything and to cultivate the confidence, clarity, calm, community, and courage required to stand firm in the storms of life.
Join the 40-day challenge today.
