We Are Made Alive By God's Word

Did you know that we all come into this world as creations of God yet we are controlled by the Devil? One of the behaviors that we have and develop is to be liars. It was Jesus who said that the Devil is a liar and the father of liars. So it is that when we repent of our sins, receive forgiveness and start living for Christ we have to overcome the lies that we have lived with. The way He has given us to that with is His Word. As we listen to and read the Word of God His Holy Spirit is able to replace those lies and make us be conformed to the likeness of Christ. The more we fill our lives with the Word of god the more we will become like Christ. It is His Word that shapes our lives to do His will for our lives.

P. S. Many of these thoughts came from the Purpose Driven life by Rick Warren and I have added my own thoughts because of how it has convicted my own life. Pastor Dennis God’s Word is Alive. His Words are spirit and life. There is no other book that can make such a claim. It is when God speaks t hat things change. What brought about creation? “God spoke and it was so.” Gen. 1 It were not for the Word of God you would not be alive today. Think with me what the Bible does for us: It causes life, produces faith, makes change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles, makes well the hurting, constructs character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy, triumphs over adversary, crushes temptation, infuses hope, releases power, purifies our minds, assures a future. With out the Word there would be no life. We cannot take a moment for granted. Job 23:12 “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” With no nourishment from God’s Word the purpose of our lives cannot be fulfilled. The words used to tell us what the Word of God is are referred to as Milk, Bread, Solid Food, and fire, Hammer, A light, a lamp and a double edged sword. The Bible cannot be placed on a shelf to be used for a decoration and help us in life. If you desire to be like Christ God’s Word must become a priority in your life style. Let me suggest three ways in which to have this done:

1. I must accept the Bible’s Authority. The Bible must be my standard of influence. My compass in directing my life’s transactions. It becomes my advice for all the choices I make. It need be the standard for assessing everything that has to do with my life. It is to be the first and last word in all of my life. For many they base their decisions by four ways: the culture (everybody is doing it.), Traditions ((that is the way it has always been done), Rationale (what seems most reasonable), Emotions (How I feel at the moment). Not that these are wrong in many areas of what we need to do but they have been distorted by the fall in the garden. We need something that will be a perfect standard. It is the Bible that says Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure.”2 Tim. 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” It was early in the life of Billy Graham when he was preaching that he made the decision to trust in the Bible as the authority for his life. We need to ask first in all our decisions, “What does the Bible say?” When we discover what the Word says we must act on it whether it makes sense to us or if we feel like it.

2. I need to assimilate its truth. I must fill my mind with the Word of God so that the Holy Spirit may transform my life. There are five ways in which I must follow if this is to be done.

A. I must accept God’s Word. To have an open and receptive heart when I hear it or read it. It is easy for one to come with a clogged mind, shallow mind, preoccupied mind and miss what God is wanting to speak to us about. If we are not learning from the message we need to recheck our attitude. It is when we come with a humble and approachable mind that God is able to speak to us.

B. I must take time to comprehend God’s Word. Many of the years of the Christian Church it was the duty of the priest to bring the truth of God’s Word to the people. So the truth was diluted through man’s mind. Today we have access to the Bible and too many helps. Right now there is no law against reading it. So why do we find those who are believers spending more time in reading the newspaper or listening to news than in the Word of God? We become pretty poor spiritually if we spend three hours watching TV and three minutes in reading the Bible. If you would only spend 15 minutes a day in reading the Bible you would have it completely read through in one year. If you would turn off the TV for a thirty minute program and read your Bible you could have it read through twice in one year. It is as we spend time reading God’s Word that we always find ourselves within the range of God’s voice. What is your plan for Bible reading?