KNOW THE WORD FOR YOURSELF
Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP).
For you to live a joyful life, and be the full expression of the will, righteousness, and glory of God, you have to know the Word for yourself and live by it. Those who
don’t know the Word of God can hardly fulfil God’s desire and plans for their lives. The Word of God made you (1 Peter 1:23), and except you live by the Word, you’ll not be the “you” that God dreamed of, nor fulfil His destiny for you. This is why we teach the Word and encourage God’s children to be students of the Word. You must know the Word for yourself.
Don’t live on the basis of assumptions. Don’t let people influence you with their “religious” opinion of God. Don’t accept that something is from God just because it
sounds good, nice or religious.
Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures…” ; Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” The Word of God is the mind of God expressed; His will written and expressed for us. What an extraordinary advantage, that you can study the Word for yourself, understand it, and live accordingly! It’s a great blessing!
The measure of your glorious and victorious life will be to the degree of your knowledge of God’s Word, and how much of it you put to work. It’s not about how long you’ve been a Christian; it’s about how well you know and apply the Word. Thank God we have the unparalleled advantage of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who grants us understanding of the Word! He’s the Author of the Scriptures; so as you study, you can depend on Him to guide you, and grant you insight into divine mysteries and secrets.
Give the Word your attention and time. Study and put your heart in it. If you want to live a life that’s beyond the ordinary, it’s by the Word, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
THE WORD IS ALL THAT’S NECESSARY
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
It’s so important to understand that when you were born again, you were actually born of the Word. The Bible says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (1 Peter 1:23). You’re the offspring of the Word. You’re called to live by the Word, even as you’re being built by the Word; you dwell in the Word.
Therefore, as one who’s born of the Word, when you speak, your words cease to be mere words. That’s the reason Romans 10:8 says of the Word: “…The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” You’re to always give vent to the Word; speak the Word always.
Here’s what the Spirit is saying to you even now: “In the realm of the spirit, the Word is all that’s necessary; receive the Word at my mouth, says the Lord, have it in your spirit for your spirit is the home of the Word. As you receive my Word, you’ll think my thoughts and walk in my realm of life. Therefore, when you speak, it will come to pass, because it’s the Word; says the Spirit of the Lord!”
Yes, you’re born into that realm; created, fashioned and sharpened by the Word. As you grow in the Word, you become a manifestation of the Word. That’s the way Jesus was; He was the outbreathing of God, the Word of God made flesh. He walked the streets of Israel as the Word. And as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). We’re called the word—the epistle of Christ: “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). Meditate on these truths today.
A REPROGRAMMING THROUGH THE WORD
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:2).
The Word of God gives you everything you need: health, joy, wealth, prosperity, grace, wisdom and all that the vicarious death of Christ and His triumphant resurrection delivered to us as Christians. That’s what salvation encapsulates. With the knowledge of God’s Word in your spirit, you have what it takes to create anything you want.
At the well of Samaria, Jesus encountered a woman and asked her for a drink of water. But noticing that He was a Jew, the woman told Him they had nothing in common, and for ethnic reasons declined. Then, Jesus replied, “…Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14). The Master knew He could give her something to quench her thirst for ever—the Word. With the Word, she would be able to create anything she desired.
Often times, when people are facing difficult situations, what they need is a Word-therapy or what I may call a “Word-diet.” They’d have to listen to God’s Word and study the Scriptures over a period of time, until the Word gets rid of the wrong mind-set, and reprograms them aright for success. If that doesn’t happen, no matter what else you do for them, their situation wouldn’t change.
Sometimes, when people are sick in their bodies, the real problem is beyond the symptoms that are apparent in their physical bodies. Such pains might stem from their mind. There’s a difference between the sickness of the mind, and that of the body. So, even when they’re healed in their bodies, the sickness continues, because it was really a problem of the mind. The solution is to reprogram their minds through the Word, for total restoration.
THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…(Hosea 4:6).
Sad as this may sound, it’s true nonetheless! God’s people suffer in life, not because they don’t pray enough or love God enough, but because they lack accurate and adequate knowledge of the Word. Reiterating this, the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 22:29, “...Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures….”
When people lack accurate and relevant spiritual information from God’s Word, they experience defeat and failure. This isn’t because they’re “weak” Christians or because God couldn’t deliver them; it’s just the plain and inevitable result of ignorance.
Psalm 82:5-7 is so touching; it describes the debacle and despondency of the one who’s ignorant of his heritage and identity in Christ. It says, “They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” Pathetic!
Now you can better understand why in the lives of some people, things aren’t just happening the way they should; they’re putting in all the efforts they could, yet nothingproductive is coming out. What’s the problem? Ignorance: they know not, neither do they understand; they walk on in darkness, destroyed by sickness and plummeted by the harsh elements of this world. Is this the lot for the Christian? Emphatically no! The Bible declares, “…but through knowledge shall the just be delivered” (Proverbs 11:9).
If you have knowledge, there’ll be a difference in your life. The knowledge of God’s Word will build you up, and deliver your God-given inheritance into your hands (Acts 20:32). If you’ve been wondering why your experiences haven’t been as victorious as the Word describes, you need to spend more time studying and meditating on the Word. Build your faith with the Word of God, for faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). As the Word comes to you, don’t just agree by way of mental assent, respond by confessing the same things. Soon enough, you’ll change the situation.
COMMENDED TO THE WORD
And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32).
The Apostle Paul couldn’t think of a better way to bless the brethren at Ephesus than to commend them to the Word of God. As Christians, we’re born of the Word (1 Peter 1:23); the Word gave birth to us; therefore, our lives can only be built and sustained by the Word. From the moment you made Jesus the Lord of your life, the building
process began; the Word builds you spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and in all areas of life.
Furthermore, the Word is able to “give” you an inheritance among all those that are sanctified. This is quite an interesting thought. The Spirit of God, through the Apostle
Paul, wrote this to the Church. Why would He say this to Christians who already have an inheritance in Christ Jesus? First, understand that He wasn’t talking about the ownership of the inheritance; rather, he was talking about the inheritance being delivered into your hands.
For example, you might be the rightful owner of an inheritance, e.g., a landed property, and never be able to get into it, perhaps because of litigations due to difficult individuals claiming ownership of the same property. In the same way, though all things are legally yours in Christ Jesus, there’re rebel holders of authority—Satan and his cohorts—who often try to sway God’s people from enjoying their inheritance. The Word of God is able to literally deliver your inheritance into your hands, to enjoy, irrespective of the activities of the adversary.
If you’d constantly meditate on the Word, not only will you be built for success, excellence and the victorious life, the Word will also deliver into your hands, that which is rightfully yours in Christ. So, open up your appetite for the Word. Bombard your mind with Scriptures until you’re completely inundated, and you’re configured to think from the Word’s perspective only.
CONSCIOUSLY STAY IN THE WORD
To see your life go from grace to grace, make giant leaps of faith, and experience the uplifting power of God, you have to make certain decisions. The first is to surround yourself with the right information, and that can only be gotten from God’s Word.
If you’re not giving yourself to God’s Word as you should, there’ll be other information that’ll come to you, albeit, negative, to keep you from living a life of victory. Make a conscious decision to study and meditate on the Word; let the Word of God dwell in you richly. Discipline yourself to keep listening to the Word of God, day in, day out.
You might say, “It’s a busy world; how do I create the time to consistently listen to, or study the Word?” While you are dressing up in the morning getting ready for work, or even while you’re on the go, listen to a message on your device. This is one sure way to constantly bombard your mind with the Word of God so that your faith will keep growing to meet the challenges and the crises of life in the present hour.
If you stay in the word, your faith will be strong. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Perhaps you commute long distance to work every day; maximize those times. If you’re on the bus or train, put your earplugs on; shut the world out and listen to God. If you aren’t driving, get out any of our books, be it in print or digital format and study; inundate your mind with thoughts from God’s Word.
Your spirit has ears that are different from your physical ears; so, don’t stop listening to the Word. When the crises of life come, your faith will prevail; you’ll always win. Take advantage of our different platforms, like the Pastor Chris Digital Library (PCDL), the Rhapsody of Realities mobile app (where you can download Rhapsody of Realities and our other books) and build your life with the Word of God. Listen to, and study these materials, not just once but consistently, until the message gets into your spirit and stays. That’s what will produce the results you desire.