'APPLYING THE WORD OF GOD'
- 'BEING DOERS OF THE WORD OF GOD'
INTRODUCTION
Acts 3v21 speaks of the "restoration of all things".
In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve trusted completely in God's character and His word until they were deceived by Satan with his "Has God said?". He called into question God's character and motives, and His word.
As part of this restoration, God is leading us back to that place where we, His children, trust completely in His character and word once again.
The Bible is still the worlds best selling book and has been translated into many languages. We have so many different translations in the English language, that we have no excuse for not reading and applying the word of God to our lives.
We also have the well known Wigglesworth prophecy about "...when the Spirit and the Word come together this nation will see the greatest revival it has ever seen"
I believe that this means that God wants us to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit AND the Word. Revival is not just about a revival of God's life and presence, but also a revival of His word.
In Psalm 119 King David says "I love Your word - I will obey Your word - Your word is good - Your word comforts me - Your word strengthens me - Your law is my delight - revive me according to Your word etc"
The main battleground of our warfare is the mind - and the battle is over the word - which is the truth. Spiritual warfare isn't a battle for power it's a battle for truth - the lies and deceptions of the enemy Vs the truth of God's word
THE CONDITION OF OUR HEARTS (Mark 4v3-20)
"Listen. Behold a sower went out to sow. and it happened as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it.
Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.
And some seed fell amongst thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced - some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred"
"The sower sows the word.
And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground, when they hear the word immediately receive it with gladness, but have no root in themselves and so endure only for a time. Afterwards when tribulation or persecution arises FOR THE WORDS SAKE, immediately they stumble.
Now these are the ones sown amongst thorns. They are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things, enter in and choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.
But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, ACCEPT IT and bear fruit - some thirty fold, some sixty, and some a hundred"
In this parable Jesus is drawing attention to the condition of our hearts:
1) A hard heart - someone who doesn't pay attention to or accept the word of God. Comes along Sunday by Sunday but nothing changes in their life, so Satan just keeps coming along and taking away the word. This will happen again today!
2) A shallow heart - someone, who on the surface, loves God and His word, but has no real depth in their walk with God, so when problems arise FOR THE WORDS SAKE they soon stumble.
3) A worldly heart - someone who hears the word but who is still too much in love with the things of the world, to receive the word and apply to their life, and become a true disciple of Jesus.
4) A good heart - someone who hears the word, accepts it, applies to their life, and bears fruit.
DECEIVING YOURSELVES (James 1v21-25)
"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, he will be blessed in what he does"
God's word is true and we need to accept His truth in our hearts (Psalm 51v6). Whether or not we feel it is true, we need to believe it is true!
Jesus is the truth - the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth- and the word of God is truth (John 14v6; 16v13; 17v17).
Satan is the father of lies and he seeks to keep people in bondage through deception - but it is the truth that sets us free (John 8v32).
When we are sure God loves and accepts us, we can be free to own up to our sins and face reality, instead of running and hiding from the truth and painful circumstances.
Faith is the biblical response to truth and believing what God says is simply a choice we can all make. If you say "I wish I could believe God, but just can't", you are being deceived. Of course you can believe God - because what God says is always true! Believing is something you choose to do, not something you feel like doing.
If you have believed the lies of the enemy for a number of years, then choosing the truth may be hard for you at first, but as you continually choose the truth, the truth will continually set you free!
BUILDING ON THE ROCK (Math 7v24-27)
"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it fell. And great was its fall".
Are we building our lives on the rock or on shifting sand?
Are we those who only hear the word of God, but never apply it to our lives?
Or are we those who hear, obey, and apply the word of God to our lives?
CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION
As said at the beginning, God is restoring all things. This includes encouraging His children to once again "Trust in Him and His word with their whole heart, and not lean into their own understanding" (Pro 3v5).
Why? Because that's the way He planned it in the beginning, in the Garden of Eden. And that's the very two things that Satan challenged when he said "Has God said?" He called in to question God's character and motives, and the truth of His words.
Pray and ask God to reveal any lies you are believing. Write them down on a piece of paper - this makes them stark, blunt, and clear.
Ask God what the truth is, and write this down on another piece of paper.
Repent of believing the lies, renounce specifically, and break it off your life. Then throw this first piece of paper away.
On the second piece of paper which contains the truth, continually read it and speak it out over your life, for the next 30 days. The truth of God's word will set you free from the lies of the enemy and cause you to bear fruit - thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold!
