THE EFFECT OF GOD’S WORD IN OUR LIVES
The previous post was an introduction. These next two articles will look at some of the practical effects of the Bible in our lives. This is part 2, in it, we will see the display of the power of God's Word.
God's Word Is Alive and Powerful
GOD'S WORD PRODUCES FAITH IN OUR LIVES
We will look, first of all, at Romans 10:17 - So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
“So then, faith comes . . .” - If you don’t have faith for something, here is the fantastic news. There is a way to receive it. God’s Word provides all that we need, including faith, because we see that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. We read earlier in the first post in Hebrews that the Word of God is alive and powerful.
Jesus said in John 6:63 - The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life.
The power of His Word will produce in us the very thing (faith) necessary to receive the promise that God has spoken to us in His Word.
In Hebrews 11:6 it says Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 10:38 tells us that the Just live by faith.
Sometimes it seems like believing is an impossible task because we are trying to produce it ourselves. We say or think we have to try and "believe harder." God indeed says we have to walk by faith and live by faith, but He provides a way for us to have faith, and it is found in His Word.
God’s Word is not just black letters on a white page that we read. Indeed, there is “information,” but as we have read God's Word works in us to produce the will of God in us. His Word is alive, powerful, is Spirit, is a person (Jesus). Hence, as we hear His Word, it penetrates and settles (as a seed), gets planted in us, and brings to pass the very Word. It produces God's will in our life, including growing faith.
Here is a practical application of this if you need something. If you have a situation in your life that needs God's work in it. Get into the Bible.
Find out what Scripture says about it. Investigate what the Bible says about your situation or need.
Read what Scripture says about it (over and over, get immersed in it).
Pray what Scripture says because God will always back up His Word.
Here is some encouragement. When reading the Bible, read aloud. There is something to be said about reading aloud because faith comes when you hear yourself read.
Faith is an essential product of hearing God’s Word. God's Word is powerful and it produces faith in the hearer.
GOD'S WORD IS SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT
When you become born again as a Christian, you need nourishment. The marvelous thing is that God’s Word not only produces the faith to be saved, but it is suitable nourishment for every stage of spiritual growth. God’s Word is ideal for those young in their relationship and can also provide what is needed for the mature Christian.
Look at 1 Peter 2:2 - As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow,
After we are born again, there should be a healthy appetite for God’s Word that we may grow by it. A newborn baby desires its mother’s milk. Interestingly, in that baby stage, the milk supplies everything required for that baby to grow, develop, and become strong and healthy. All the nutrients needed are found in the milk of the mother.
Our desire for God’s Word (whether a babe or not in our spiritual life) should be like that of a natural baby for the mother's milk. In the spiritual sense, God’s Word is sufficiently nutrient-dense for every stage of development in our spiritual life.
So as we grow up, we need things like bread. We need something hardier. Jesus said to Satan when Satan tempted Him to make bread out of stones: Matthew 4:4 - But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” God’s Word can fulfill that role within us as we partake (eat) of it. It is our bread needed to live by.
Then there comes a time when we need solid food (meat). In Hebrews chapter 5 the writer addresses Jewish people who were familiar with Scripture from their background. He tells them something that isn't so favorable, he says “You should be doing better than you are.” He said this because they were still acting like babies when they should be grown up.
Hebrews 5:12-14 - For though by now you should be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God and have come to need milk rather than solid food. 13 Everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a baby. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are mature, for those who through practice have powers of discernment that are trained to distinguish good from evil.
So we see that God's Word can be solid food. God’s Word is the spiritual nourishment provided to us by God for every stage in our spiritual life.
Many struggle in their spiritual walk because they are not nourished properly. Sometimes our life requires heavy lifting and requires us to exert ourselves more than usual. We enter a problematic situation. We have a problem at work. The enemy attacks in an unexpected manner. In the natural it is difficult to do strenuous activities without proper nourishment, in our spiritual life it is next to impossible to face the challenges on a spiritually empty stomach. Let alone grow and mature. Many Christians are spiritually mal-nourished, not where they should be in their growth process because they have not received the nutrients of God's Word.
GOD'S WORD PROVIDES MENTAL INSIGHT (ILLUMINATION)
This talks about receiving spiritual insight, understanding, and wisdom from God through His Word.
Psalm 119:130 - The giving of Your words gives light; it grants understanding to the simple.
The entrance of His Word into your mind and your heart gives light. This is very different from natural education. You can be educated and still be in the dark. Some of the world’s most educated minds dwell in the deepest darkness.
Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Proverbs 6:23 - For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
Light shines upon something to be seen better, clearer, and more efficiently. Light also can reveal problems so the solution can be seen.
Sometimes we use the phrase, "I was kept in the dark." We are saying we couldn’t respond accordingly/adequately because we didn’t have a clear picture. We didn’t see correctly what was happening. If we had had full illumination of the situation, we could've responded accordingly.
God’s Word gives insight, understanding, and wisdom to every situation and every part of our life if we let it. First, it reveals (shines upon us) our state (being a sinner). It then demonstrates our need for a Saviour and reveals to us Jesus. This, of course, is the most essential spiritual insight we can receive.
But it also reveals to us God’s promises. God provides insight into His will and provision for us through His Word. God's Word also gives us wisdom and insight for living. His Word teaches us and corrects us. It shows us the path to walk. God's Word exposes the dangers that we may encounter along the way. It gives us understanding of the time and day that we live in. It tells us what we can expect to come. God's Word provides the mental illumination and knowledge we need to live.
It said in Psalm 119:130 that God's Word gives understanding to the simple. There are two thoughts about that which come to mind.
First, to the simple, or to those who can’t figure it out for themselves, God provides wisdom and understanding. If someone is being honest, this would probably be most of us. Especially considering the times we live in, it is complicated to know what to do. We need God to give us understanding.
Secondly, it reflects the needed attitude. We need to acknowledge our simplicity and need for help. It is very difficult to help someone who thinks they know it all or have it all figured out. We need to recognize that we need God's Word because we don't have the ability or the answers. God's Word can't work if we are prideful; it needs to be received in humility.
CONCLUSION
We see the power of God's Word in our lives and its impact as we consume it. I hope that encourages you to read and eat of it more. In the next post, we will look at some other things God's Word provides to us.
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