THE POTENCY OF THE WORD

(John 1:1, Proverbs 4:20-21, Col. 3:16, John 17:17, John 8:32, Deut. 32:45:49, 1 Tim. 2:15, Joshua 1:8, Luke 10:42, Phil. 4:8)

“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God”. The Hebrew term for “word” is “dabar” and it is mentioned 394 times in the Old Testament to mean communication as regards to the “word of God” or the “word of the Lord”. This also implies the expression of His being by which He makes Himself known to us or reveal Himself to us. For example in 1 Samuel 3:21 “And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord”. We can also say the Lord revealed Himself through the bible, therefore it is up to us to see Him in the bible (Genesis-Revelation).

In Proverbs 4:20, we are admonished to give attention (pay attention) to God’s word. When we pay attention to God’s word and it becomes a part of our lives, it will have an effect in every area of our lives. When we carefully pay attention to God’s word, the issues of life we are battling with will not be an issue at all. When we refuse to give attention to God’s word it is to our detriment, God does not need the word, we do.

The word of God is our manual for living (John 6:63). Studying and obeying the bible teaches us how to live and access the blessings of God. There is nothing life demands that is not obtainable in the word, every situation, challenges in life we are faced with have a word solution to it, but it will require giving the word attention.

The issue is this, rather than giving the word attention, we are busy attending to other matters and other matters cannot give us the satisfaction or solution we need (Note: it is not that we should not attend to other matters, but the word should guide us on how to attend to other matters)

Jesus warned Martha in Luke 10:42, you care a lot about other things but Mary sat down at the feet of the master to listen to what He has to say, and that one thing cannot be taken away from her. We must come to a point where the Bible should be our guide in handling the issues of life. Let’s stop living as if God just threw us into the world to “take care” of ourselves. He gave us a guide “the bible”. Our responsibility is to open it and use it accordingly.

The word of God still has its potency and integrity, all through scriptures, there is a strong emphasis on the power of God’s word. (Hebrew 1:3, 11:3) The word “uphold” in Hebrews 1 implies to sustain/maintain, so the word can sustain and maintain your life. There is much power in the word when it’s declared in faith, remember faith is a product of the word. Even in prayer, the word is relevant. If you are empty of the word, your prayer will be limited.

The word can also be used as a weapon of warfare (Ephesians 6:17). It is described as the sword of the Spirit, not just a sword but a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12); this authenticates the word as a weapon of war. Don’t die in silence; you have in the word what it takes to defeat satan, that is what Jesus used to displace him. Take time to stay with the word, give it attention if you want it to work for you.

HOW TO ASSESS THE POWER IN THE WORD
1.    Reading the Bible alone is an instruction (1 Timothy 4:13) and when you read it, there is a blessing attached to it. Revelation 1:3. Reading the scriptures gives us hope. It nourishes our souls. What physical food is to the body, the scriptures is to the soul.

2.    Study: studying scriptures is going beyond reading. You want to learn more, acquire more knowledge when you are studying scriptures. In studying, you dig deeper; there are some things you cannot assess just by reading. The Berean Christians took time to study scriptures to be sure what they heard was the truth.

3.    Meditation: it means to think carefully about something, to ponder on something continuously especially things read/studied from scriptures. We must know that meditation remains God’s method in meeting the cravings of our hearts. If what we read or study would be profitable to us, then we must learn how to meditate.

4.    Putting the word to work (practicing the word). This is the only way the word can work for us. You do not just hear but do what the word says. (James 1:22, 1 Timothy 4:15-16) The value of the word is seen in the application. When you don’t apply the word, you will not experience the power in it.

Conclusion: Where we are now, demands we give the word attention; it has the ability to solve all our problems and bring us closer to God. Let’s go back to the major (the word) so that the minor we are majoring in will not be an issue. That is why Paul said, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified”. Acts 20:32.