Matthew 4:4 (NASB)
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
Every word that comes out of the mouth of God. That tells me if I’m going to have the life that God wants me to have, I must know God’s word. One may ask why should I know God’s word?
Romans 1:16 (NASB)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
We see that the power of God is available through two different things. First His word is the power of God, and the second thing is to those who BELIEVE. Now that last statement might be so different than what most have believed about God and His power. Too many have just thought, well if God wants me to have it, He will just do it. That might sound noble, but according to God’s own word, it’s false. How many good, wonderful Christians have thought, “Well, it’s all up to God” and did without?
But according to God’s word, we have just as much to do with causing God’s power to be directed to us as He does.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NASB)
13 And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
I want us to key in on the last part of that verse.
. . . the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
Did you notice that it’s the power of God which is working in who? To those who believe. So what happens if I don’t believe? According to the scriptures nothing will happen on my behalf. You can’t leave up to God what He has left up to us.
1 Peter 1:23 (NASB)
23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.
We know that God’s word is in seed form. If a person will allow God’s word to be planted into their heart, and allow that seed to grow, one day that person will have a harvest of whatever seed they have allowed to be planted into their hearts and watered that seed to let it become a harvest of the seed they planted.
For example, if a person hears that Jesus was made sin for them and that He paid the price; then anyone who believes that and calls on Jesus as their Lord will be saved and forgiven.
Whatever seed of God’s word is allowed to be planted in your heart and watered will produce a harvest in your life.
For example one of my favorite scriptures is:
1 John 3:8 (NASB)
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
The word, destroy in this verse means to loose, to release, to dissolve. In other words Jesus came to loose, to release me from ALL the works of the devil. Did you get that? We have been set free; loosed from all the works of the devil. Now that is awesome seed. We need to let that seed be planted into every Christian’s heart and watered and allowed to grow.
Now what have we been set free from?
Now look at this verse:
Luke 13:16 (NASB)
16 “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
Jesus has set us free from sickness and disease. We have to know that, and let that seed be planted into our hearts and watered until we know that we know it’s true and stand against sickness and disease if it tries to attach itself to us.
It’s not just hearing God’s word one time or so that usually gets the job done. Seeds must be planted. Seeds must be watered and cared for. Keep God’s word in front of you all the time. If not you will begin to start looking at something else, and it’s usually not God’s word. It’s what you see in front of your natural eyes.