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By Hellen J. Kuleskey
This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Josh. 1:8 NKJ).
After the death of Moses, the Lord spoke to Joshua, Moses’ servant and successor. The Lord commissioned, instructed, encouraged and exhorted him to be a successful leader. The above Scripture gives us the reason for Joshua’s success—knowing and obeying the Word.
Why is the Word so important to our lives?
The Word is God speaking to us.
The writer of Hebrews tells us the Word is alive and powerful. “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power—making it active, operative, energizing and effective; it is sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12a AMP).
Jesus told His disciples, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63b). In his comment on this verse, Evangelist Morris Cerullo said, “The words coming from Jesus’ mouth were given to Him from God and they were ALIVE. Within them was the power to bring them to pass. God’s Word is irresistible—the ultimate power in all of creation.”
God’s Word is self-fulfilling; it does not return to Him void (empty). “So shall My word be that goes forth out of my mouth; it shall not return to me void—without producing any effect, useless—but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11 AMP).
What does the Word accomplish in our lives?
The Word of God builds faith into our lives. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17 NKJ). Someone said, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing again.” In other words, faith does not comes by a casual hearing of the Word; it comes when we read it again and again and meditate on it until it becomes a part of us.
The Word enables us to overcome temptation and keeps us from sin.
We can follow Christ’s example when we are tempted to do wrong and sin against God. Jesus refuted the devil’s enticements each time by quoting Scripture. He said, “It is written” and quoted the Word.
The Psalmist wrote, “Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psa. 119:11). Those of us who know the Lord have at one time or another experienced the Word of God coming to our minds just in time to keep us from a wrong choice or a wrongdoing. That is an example of God keeping us from sin through the Word stored up in our hearts.
The Word of God enables us to know the will of God.
First of all, God will never lead His children contrary to His Word. For example, you are single and are increasingly attracted to someone of the opposite sex. You soon learn, however, that the individual is not a born-again believer. Should you try to develop a serious relationship with him or her? Your answer is in the Word. “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14 NKJ).
The Psalmist likens God’s Word to a lamp that will shed light on our way as we journey through life. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psa. 119:105 NJK).
Why do we have to speak the Word?
God created the universe by speaking words.
The creation story is recorded in the first chapter of the first book of the Bible. God spoke the words, “Let there be....” and light and darkness, day and night, sun and moon, land and seas, plants and animals, etc., all came into existence. Creating by speaking is God’s spiritual law.
We create by speaking words.
On the sixth day of creation God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness....” (See Gen. 1:26-31.) Becausee are created in God’s image we have the power of speech and the power to create through our speech. “Your words create images and eventually you will live out the reality of that image,” writes Charles Capp in his booklet, Creative Power For Healing.
The book of Proverbs gives us a solemn warning concerning this ability. “Life and death are in the power of the tongue... (Prov. 18:21). There are many instructions and warnings in Scripture concerning the tongue.
Through the spoken Word we appropriate the promises.
Jesus said, “...Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says’”(Mark 11:23 NJK).
Through the Word we get answers to our prayers.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (Jn. 15:7). These words spoken by Jesus need no explanation.
Through the Word we overcome the attacks of the enemy.
We have already noted that Jesus overcame the temptations in the wilderness by quoting the written Word of God. (See Matt, 4:1-11.) St. John tells us that the brethren overcame Satan “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11). (They testified what the blood of Jesus has done in their lives as revealed in the Word of God.) The Apostle Paul writing to the Ephesian church instructs them to put on the “whole armor of God” first, then to take up the mighty weapon, the “sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” (See Ephes. 6:11-17.)
As we consider the vital role of the Word in our lives, let us heed God’s instructions to Joshua to speak the Word at all times, rehearse it to ourselves until it is in our hearts, and then obey it. Like Joshua, we too will enjoy the results—prosperity and success.
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