Applying the Word
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During the last couple of weeks, there is so much that has happened to me, and it was a very empowering, humbling week, whilst also being a heartbreaking week, and God mending what was broken.
I am very young as a follower of Christ , and I was born into a Christian home, which is great of course, but there are things that get accepted as givens when you're born into a journey you feel that you have to rise to. There are many things that I just accepted internally as a truth without actually acknowledging it. Furthermore, there are seemingly simplistic things that i've simply learnt incorrectly about. And about 2 years ago when I was battling all types of things, I lived a very "Vanilla" or many would say "lukewarm" life. The life I lived didn't very much reflect what I believed in my heart. God was more of a resource in my brokenness than A father I was in relationship with. And about a week ago, Matthew 6:24 clicked in place: No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. (NLT). Even though I didn't know where the verse was from, I did know the verse from memory. I was watching a sermon from the Transformation Church Youtube channel (of which I'll leave their channel at the end). The Lead Pastor basically voiced this verse, just slightly differently, saying who and what you're around is what you'll be influenced by. And their lead pastor, Michael Todd, breaks down scripture in such a way that it's so obvious the application of the Word is in the context he uses. and there was so much truth in his messages that I heard in that one sermon, that I have been listening pretty much non-stop to his sermons for the last 2 weeks.
Now returning to two years ago, I thought that like, I could solve my own problems, and went through a cycle of different methods that held the place of God; My pride held me from truly accepting God, and the Love of God didn't really resonate as a real concept, just as something that lived in the unapplied conceptual world of my brain. I thank God for bringing me so far in two years, but after Soul Survivor i didn't really have a reality check. As in I had a semi-active relationship with God, and most of the time was seeking God and the word of God. I quickly found out that I wasn't being real with myself. You don't have one major experience with God, and you're set for life; a relationship with God is an active one, but also a real one, and therefore if you want to reach that fullness, you have be really open and transparent about who and where you are in Christ. When I thought about myself, I thought, I'm not really a bad person, therefore there isn't anything I really need to come to terms with, I'm a proper christian now and I can just Go on my merry way. But after I had just been marinating in what God had to say for a few days, I asked God to be real with where I'm at, and trust me when I say there was a long list! 😂 what I realised is i'll never be perfect, but with God I am enough. And to many of you, you may think, "well that's a simple enough concept to understand, James, like come on." and that neatly leads in what I'm trying to apply today.
Just because you know something you don't necessarily do it, and although I knew that I was enough with God, i didn't fully understand that, nor did I apply it to my life. And I asked God, how can I have a closer relationship with you, and i felt that he said through his word. Romans 10:17 says Faith comes by hearing , and hearing by the word of God, and after hearing that what you're most influenced by is what you follow, I was 1, compelled to start delving into the word, and 2. to spread the message of the importance to the word. I didn't know how I was going to write this, and was so stuck on who I could use an example of someone in the word for the message; turns out two days before, God told me to read Daniel and the Lions den again, and I was like, "Come on, I know this story, this is the most basic story, but i'll do it." i Then read it again, and took notes. Then two days later after this revelation over the importance and application of the word, I turned to God for an example, and after a minute, it snapped, that God had given me Daniel 2 days before and, yo I was so hyped and I wrote so many notes about wisdom application, and here this is now. I'll now Get into what God wanted to say through me, and to be more clear than usual, i'll try and put my own points into points to make it easier to come back and look at.
1. You need to read the Word.
Many of us when an opportunity comes our way we will ignore the fact God exists, and will make a decision and cut him out of the picture ( This is from personal experience). the Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. It doesn't say some that you do, it says all. and sometimes God will answer your situation with the word. To write this post, I had to first be immersed in the word when God spoke to me, as it was essential for his timing in how he wanted me to impact something that was bigger than myself: the lives of others. You need to read the word. I know I've written the same verse twice know, but i'll write it again because it is so essential: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. God says that this is where faith comes from, and it makes sense. Although I like philosophy, i find it polarising as expressing the full extent of a relationship with God, and that's because, Serving God is something that applies Body, soul and spirit, but philosophy is only something that applies the soul, or your mind, will and emotions. That's why the verse says that faith comes by hearing. God is able to speak through the word: you can come to God on an intellectual level before you apply all of yourself. Hearing the if you think about it is something that has to be understood, or applied. you need to read the word because your faith will rise and be replenished through it. Faith means complete trust, therefore you can trust God without the word no doubt, but complete trust comes from the the Word of God. Peter writes about how the Living word lives for ever, and I never used to understand how a book could be living, but now I do! God's message for one passage is boundless, which is why modern world situations can be applied to a 2,000 year old book, let alone your own personal situations.
My advice would be to read a version that you can already understand on a surface level, before God even speaks to you through it, because if you don't initially understand it on that surface level, it'll be harder for the Book to come alive for you. I personally use mainly the New Living Translation (NLT) in tandem with the New International Version (NIV), because those are the easiest to understand on the surface for me.
2. The Word's a habit
While I was writing my notes, I was reminded of a song about the water of Life, which I believe is based in John 4:13-14 : Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. (NLT)” I could write a whole new post about the grace of God explained by Jesus in these verses alone, but I think that I'll save that for another time. What I realised at the time of writing was that Water for Body is like the word for the spirit. First of all you need Water to live, and you need water constantly, not just that one time when you feel dehydrated. Some of you (in all transparency, including me) are dehydrated in the word, and it is both essential for your spirit. in Psalm 51:10, David writes: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Thankfully when you come to Christ God cleanses your heart and spirit, but obviously we still do wrong, and we need to keep our hearts clean, and come to terms with our wrong doings before God. But, as an analogy, when a Baby is born, it is given water to drink. Therefore when we are born again in christ we need The word to stay spiritually quenched, and I understand this won't click with everyone straight away; I was born into a Christian family and this only properly clicked in me ( as in I understood and started living a life immersed in the word) about a week and a half ago. But you can ask God for this truth to come alive and to being within you, you've just got to ask; the Bible says "Ask, and it will be given to you: seek and you will find: knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.(NKJV)" This is not a passive act: If you want to be fixated and drenched in the Word, ask God to make it habit. Read at least once everyday. If you don't know where to start ask God to guide you; if you still don't hear from God, start on one of the Gospels, for example, Matthew 18, and just read to the end of the chapter. and ask God to minister you that way, but whatever you do ask God, so that a way of life that is built on the word will develop.
3. The word needs God's application and Obedience.
For some of you reading thinking that you know the word, let me let you in on something. Just because you know something, it doesn't mean you understand it or how to apply it. You can know not to lie to your friend, and not understand how to tell them the truth or apply your knowledge of the truth to them. furthermore if you did know how to do it, and how to apply it, you may still not tell the truth. From a christian perspective, Jesus is our Saviour and our anchor, but it only works in faith. If you ask God for the word and he gives it to you, you don't just think, "well thanks God, that's very interesting, see ya, i'll go on my way now." you have to ask God how this needs to be applied, and you need to obedient to his answer. This also works without the context of the word. If you simply ask God what you need to do in a stage in your life, then you need to listen to what he has to say, and be obedient enough to apply it to your life. And trust me, this is the reason why the argument against a God for me is something that I know not to be true: Because When I ask for God's opinion, quite a lot of the times it's not something that I planned, or particularly was fond on doing!😂 If God reveals your application, heed to his instructions, and follow in obedience.
4. Have faith that God is your anchor/ God may place you last
This may feel like a re-iteration of the point I just made, but what I believe to be at the forefront of the Christian life is Prayer, Worship and Relationship. now, seeing as this is a post about the Word, some of you may be confused on why the Word of God isn't its own aspect. That is because the Word is prevalent in all of these aspects. the Word can be studied and referenced and empowering through and within prayer, worship can be built on the praise of God through the word, and a relationship with God requires God's interpretation of the word for the context that you need. Going back to John 4:14: "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." - If you're plugged into the source, then you won't run out - you will thrive in every aspect of your christian life if your are plugged into to the word. A Good example of someone who did trust God to be his anchor was Daniel before and when he was to be thrown into the lion's den. most know the story; The High officers and administrators in their wickedness and anger tricked King Darius into signing a law saying that only he (Darius) shall be worshipped. Then Daniel is thrown into to the Lions den, and because of his faith in God and his innocence, they do him no harm.
Do you know the attributes that are Given in the Bible towards Daniel? in Daniel 6:4 it says: "...He was Faithful, always responsible, and trustworthy." Note that Faith is the first attribute (in honesty, all of these attributes amount to the same principle of faith,) and that because Faith is by hearing, and hearing is by the word of God, Daniel knew the Scriptures. Not in the same way that we do today, but he did know the scriptures. If you look at it from the perspectives of the high officers and administrators, His faith meant nothing if he was going to die, and the same with all of his other great attributes. From Daniel's perspective, even when he knew that his life was on the line, he trusted God nonetheless. True faith is established by God, not by those around you. Faith is the knowledge that God is your protector and redeemer, and whatever comes and whatever goes, God is with you. And that Faith isn't situational based on what is not based on whether you feel you have a lot of problems, because David had plenty problems in the shapes of lions that in everyone else eyes, going to tear him apart. but he had faith, and that faith was built on the word. When the world tries to tear you apart, have faith in God, and let that be built on the word of God. It may feel like your'e in turmoil or financial issues, or relationship problems, or whatever you are going through but think to yourself what Jesus said. In Matthew 9:12 he says : "...'Healthy people don't need a doctor-sick people do'...'For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.' " God doesn't pick apart those that think that they are righteous, he heals the brokenness. A miracle is not a miracle without a seemingly impossible problem. Don't believe me? ; Feeding the 5000 (which was actually minimum c.20,000, counting wives and children) - They had no Food, and there were 20,000 hungry people. Lazarus resurrection - he was dead for 4 days. The Israelites where being pursued by the Egyptians? God parted the Red Sea for them to pass through and closed the parting behind them. God doesn't have to do a miracle every-time either, God may be making you better so that that you can reach your full potential in your purpose; Ask Job - he had everything taken from him, and through the fires of his world burning to ashes, he was faithful, and God multiplied him above and beyond his previous position. Ask Abraham, he was asked by the Lord to kill his only son Issac, and by Faith he obeyed, and in his obedience God blessed him with many descendants. This was so significant because Issac was his only son; God blessed him where he thought he was deficient.
God will transform you if you're seeking after him, but he can't if you won't allow him. So stick to the word so that you may just receive a word that transforms your spirit, your situation your perspective or most likely all three, and know that your setback may just be a setup for a miracle only God can take the glory for. God is able to forge you out of the fires of your surroundings, but only if you are faithful, and Faith for the last time, is by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God
This is so important to me because I have been so deficient in this area concerning immersion in the word , and the bible says that the Lord has strength in my weakness. This for me, the act of spreading God's word for others to receive, is God thriving in my weakness. I know that this isn't my only weakness, but I know that I let God can have strength in those areas if i'm honest about where I am currently, not who I pretend to be. And that means that for all of us (including me) have to be self-analytical, and ask God to show us us deficiencies so that he can have strength in them, because there are things that we hide about ourselves that we never come to terms with because we aren't consciously aware of them, or they have been so hardly ingrained into our personal reality, that you can't separate a bad trait from your identity. Know that you're not defined by your faults, because God's wiped the slate clean if you're sincere about serving God. When God makes you anew, you spirit is renewed, but your body and soul need time to grow in christ. Just because you are renewed and God has delivered you from possibly big milestones, there are still parts of you that if they were gone you wouldn't feel like yourself. That might be that you are instinctively selfish, that may just be that your mean because you've been hurt, and your way of dealing with that is taking it out on others. whatever your bad habits, (and i'm sure they're multitudinous) they are rid by dying to those things that you falsely identify with and letting God fill those spaces. I pray that God will strengthen you in faith; Both in relationship with him, and through the gift of his Word, the Bible. I pray that you will be obedient to God's call and that your heart will be open to understand and apply scripture on Gods instruction. I pray that you understand that God embraces all who are not whole, and that though you are not whole as we all aren't, you are loved by an Everlasting Father who will guide you if you have faith through his word.
I'll leave a link for Transformation Church Youtube Channel underneath this, They have a group of prayer series which were so captivating for me. The lead Pastor, Michael Todd is very young, very funny, and brings an energy and his heart that lends a change of perspective to things that you may have heard said before. personally I recommend the series: Inner circle, Revive, Grace Like A Flood, Planted not Buried and Recalculating.
God bless you and enthral and empower you through his word. Amen.
https://www.youtube.com/user/TransformChurchTV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cxlPcQrzuk&t=149s
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