In the words of Lydia Baxter, the name of Jesus offers joy, comfort, and hope. In the light of scriptures, the name of the Lord is equally a weapon of war that can silence the fiery darts of the wicked one. If this is so, why do many believers seem powerless and helpless? Why doesn’t the name produce as effectively as it once did? A principal reason is that many people routinely take the name of the Lord in vain. Proverbs 30:8-9 gives us clue as to taking the name of the Lord in vain. “Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches—Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the Lord?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God.” Two things can be seen here as taking the name of the Lord in vain; that is, lying and stealing. These issues are viewed seriously by God. Whenever someone lies, he is indirectly controlling his victim; and God does not want anyone to have a controlling spirit. Lie misleads; it corrupts the judgment of the victim.

When we clean up and engage the name of Jesus by faith, we will discover that it has not lost its power.

We will all readily condemn armed robbers. However, it is not only when people rob at gun point that they violate God’s word. Withholding what is due to people and to God is also stealing! The problem today is that so much lying and stealing are going on in the Church. And as if that is not enough, people don’t count them as gross sins. When we clean up and engage the name of Jesus by faith, we will discover that it has not lost its power.