Be Strong in the Word
The most authentic and reliable book you can ever read is the Bible. The lessons and principles in God’s Word never get outdated. God’s word has enduring, eternal value (1 Peter 1:24-25). The Bible is not an ordinary book, it has great power to transform lives and situations. If there’s anything we need to be strong in, we need to be strong in the Word. There is great power in the Word of God.
In whatever situation we find ourselves, God wants our confidence to be in His Word. If a well-known billionaire should promise you that he will give you a job next week Monday or He will give you five hundred thousand naira on Monday, you won’t be troubled and doubt his ability to fulfill this promise because you know he has the resources and abilities at his disposable to fulfill this promise. So in your mind, you are bubbling with confidence that come next week, you would have a job or five hundred thousand naira in your account. If we can have such confidence because of the words of a billionaire, how much more when the One who has given us great and precious promises in His Word is wealthier than the wealthiest of men, wiser than the wisest, stronger than the strongest?
Here are some critical and essential reasons why God wants us to be strong in the Word:
God places a very high value on His Word. For God not to do what is in His Word, it means that He is a liar; it means He doesn’t have integrity. But that is certainly not true! God never lies (Numbers 23:19). God doesn’t joke with His Word. God doesn’t give flimsy excuses for not doing what He promised like we often do. To go against His word is to put His name at stake. God’s Word does not fail. It always accomplishes what it is sent to do. It always results in divine promises being fulfilled. (Isaiah 55:10-11). So, we need to be strong in the Word to know what God has promised us and to lay hold of what God has promised us.
God’s Word has a purifying component. God’s Word cleanses, sanctifies and refines us. It has the power to remove all manner of impurities, sins and flaws from a person’s life. Sins that can stain and taint our character, are washed away as our lives come under God’s water of purification; as we spend time in the Word of God. John 17:17 says “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” Ephesians 5:26 talks about the washing of water by the Word. Many of us wouldn’t dare go out, especially to an important event, without having our bath because we know we wouldn’t smell nice and fresh. But how often do we go out without taking a wash in the Word of God. The only way to get rid of the stench of sin and be truly clean inside and out is to be strong in the Word.
The Word of God is a sword God has put in our hands to cut off everything the devil tries to place on us or plant in our lives (Ephesians 6:17). It is through the power in the Word that we overcome sin and temptation. When the devil threw fiery darts of temptation at Jesus, Jesus was able to quench those fiery darts with faith in God’s Word. He used a Word of God to counteract every temptation the devil threw in His face. Jesus spoke the Word with power and authority, and the devil left Him. By speaking, confessing and declare God’s Word, every devil and demon against your life will flee.
God’s Word is food for our soul. For our physical bodies to grow, be strong and healthy, we need food, one of the basic necessities of life. Not eating well, not taking in the right nutrients can affect our health. A malnourished person is usually very weak and in bad health. We easily satisfy our bodies longing for food, but what do we do about the hunger and thirst in our soul for God’s Word? Do we have a daily healthy intake of God’s Word? Insufficient amounts of God’s Word in our spirit makes us spiritually weak, it breaks down our spiritual immune system, making us unhealthy and prone to evil attacks. The spiritual energy, strength and stamina to stand firm and strong and not get swept away by the storms of life, comes from having the Word of Christ dwelling richly in us (Colossians 3:16). When we are strong in the Word, in the day of adversity, in the day of trouble; fuel subsidy, inflation and other economic challenges, in the day of peer pressure, pressure to fit in, pressure to perform, in the day of health problems and other difficulties, we won’t faint, our faith in God won’t get shipwrecked (Matthew 7:24-27, Proverbs 24:10).
Challenge yourself to set aside time each day to spend time with God and in the Word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you a glorious inheritance amongst all those who are sanctified and have been set apart for God’s use and glory.
PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay