Word is living:

 Word is living:

 

Hebrews 4:12

12     For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

     

            Here is a different reference to God’s Word being alive. Not only is it alive, but it is also full of life. It’s not just surviving. It’s doing something. It’s examining what’s proceeding out of our hearts. Is it something from our spirits, or is it from our souls? It’s impossible for us to tell on our own. We need this living Word to enable us to distinguish which it comes from. Back then when this was written, it would have been nearly impossible to tell where the bone left off, and the marrow began. That’s the way we are without the Word to “slice” those thoughts into their core pieces, so that we can know from where they come … our souls or our spirits. If we don’t continue to read and meditate upon His Word, we won’t have any ammunition for the Spirit of God to use to reveal to us the origination of the thoughts and intentions of our hearts.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not think that My Word is an inanimate object. It came from Me. I breathed on it, and it came into existence. It has My life in it, and it will accomplish what I intend for it to do. It will work in your life to show you the right way to go. It works inside you to bring about My will in your life. It will show you which of your thoughts are My thoughts, and which are those of the flesh. You can trust My Word to do what I have intended it to do. It will dwell deeply inside of you to bring about My will in your life. It is able to distinguish between what My Spirit tells you and what your soul tells you. It will never fail because I never fail. When I say something, it always comes to pass.”

 

            61. As I read God’s Word and allow Him to have His way in my life, that living Word can discern what is from my spirit, and that which is from my soul. I can rest assured that which is from my spirit is from God and is the best thing for me to do.

 

Chapter 5

 

The Word of God

 

 

 

 

 

            At this time we’ll look at the Word of God. Jesus was called the Word in the Gospel of John. Here, though, we’re considering the written Word. Of course, we mean the Bible. It is the Bible that gives substance for the Holy Spirit to work on in our lives. He uses it to bring us into conformity with Jesus. Someone once said that without the Spirit you’ll dry up, and without the Word you’ll blow up. You need both working in your life. If you only study the Word absent the Spirit, you won’t have anything to help put force behind the Word. It will be relatively useless. And if you only go after the things of the Spirit without the Word to bring stability, you can get off into error or at the very least not have any productivity in becoming like the Son.

 

            Imperishable seed:

 

1 Peter 1:23

23     for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

     

James 1:21

21     Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

     

            When we were born of the Spirit of God, it came about as the result of our hearing the living Word of God concerning our need for salvation. When we responded favorably to that seed (Word) which we heard, we were born again. This seed is not like any other seeds which we may have planted in the ground. Those seeds could perish under many different conditions. The seed by which we were born from above will never perish. This means that its “fruit” that grows is also imperishable. This Word produces a “fruit” astonishing … the salvation of our souls. This salvation is not just a one shot get to Heaven salvation. It includes a lifetime work in our soul area to bring us closer to the image of Jesus Christ. In order for this imperishable, living Word to bring us closest to that image, we need to “help” it by putting aside all filthiness and what remains of wickedness from before our coming to Him. This prepares the “ground” of our heart for the seed to grow to its fullest.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "What I have given you is so precious. It is My life through My Word. My Word will never fail. It is imperishable. All else may fade away, but My Word will never fade away. It will always come to pass in due season. You can count on My Word to do in you what I said it would do. It will never fail. You can accept it or reject it, but it will do the work that I have chosen for it to do as you allow it to do in your life. Count it as precious, for it is so. Hold it fast, for it will never let you down.”

 

            60. I have been born again of an imperishable seed … the living Word of God. It began its work at rebirth and continually works to make my soul into what God has planned for me.        

 Receive power:

 

Acts 1:8

8     but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

 

            The Holy Spirit didn’t come upon us just to give us goose bumps. He came to empower us to be witnesses for Jesus wherever we may go in the world. It was a statement of fact … we shall be witnesses. We shall go into the world, and we shall be witnesses for Him. We are no longer powerless wimps. We have the power that created the universe living inside of us. Just imagine what we can do to bring people to Jesus!

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I did not choose you to be weak and ineffective. I chose you to be powerful in Me. When My Spirit comes upon you, you should walk forth in My power. You should no longer be afraid of what man can do to you for you have all My power residing within you. I gave you this power so that when others see your life, they will see what I desire for My children, and will want what you have. You will be a witness for Me wherever you go throughout the world. You shall show forth My strength in time of weakness. This is the work of My Spirit in your life. That is what He was given to you for.”

 

            59. The Holy Spirit has come upon me, and so I have received the power from above. This power enables me to be a witness for God wherever I go in this world.

 

 

            How can anyone attempt to live as God intended without relying on the Holy Spirit? He is involved in everything we do for God. God knew we needed Him. That’s why Jesus rose from the dead so that we might walk in newness of life through His Spirit. If He had just died for our sins, we would have had forgiveness; but without Him rising from the dead and giving us the Holy Spirit, we couldn’t begin to become what God intended. We were destined to have the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 Fruit of the Spirit:

 

Galatians 5:22-23

22     But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

     23     gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

     

            Since the Holy Spirit is residing inside of us, He will bear fruit as long as we let Him. This fruit will make our lives with each other even more pleasant. If we have this love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control functioning in our lives we will have a much better relationship with each other. We will be looking out for each other and wanting what’s good for our friends and relatives. We won’t be so self-centered. It’s not that we will have a few of these things. We should be exhibiting all of them. It’s not a group of different kinds of fruit. It’s one fruit that has many different “flavors”. As we grow in the Spirit, we will see all of these manifesting themselves more and more in our lives.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "When you have My Spirit operating in your life, you will have My fruit blossoming in your life. Whatever you do will come from My Spirit and will show forth My fruit. You will have no need of anything when He is in control of your life. My love will shine forth from you to others. You will experience My joy in the midst of sorrows. You will be patient even when your very fiber wants to act. You will not simply do deeds of kindness; you will be kindness itself when it comes to others. You will be true to Me and to others. You will never turn against us. You will be gentle even when you used to be harsh. You will be in complete control of everything that you do. You will not yield to the ways of the flesh. You will be strong and show forth My fruit in your everyday life.”

 

            58. The Holy Spirit in me will bring forth His good fruit in my life as I allow Him free access.

 With us forever:

 

John 14:15-17

15     “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

     16     “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;

     17     that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

     

 

            The disciples were troubled because Jesus said He was going away. They would never see Him again. Also, they wouldn’t have Him to rely on to get them out of whatever situation they were in. Jesus told them not to be anxious. He was sending someone just like Himself to be their Helper. Even better, this Helper would be inside each one of them. While Jesus was on the earth, He could only be in one place at a time. This way He could be any place on earth with each one of them to help in time of need. The same is true for us. He is inside each one of us to help us whenever we need Him. The world cannot receive Him. In fact, they usually don’t even believe He exists; or else, they make Him out to be something totally different. They say He’s in everyone or in everything including the trees.

 

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Just like I will always be with you, so will My Spirit be with you forever. He will guide you into all truth. He doesn’t speak on His own behalf, but He speaks words from Me. He will show you what to do and what to say. He will be with you always to comfort and to guide you.”

 

            57. Even though I don’t have Jesus physically with me, I do have another Helper just like Him in me… the Holy Spirit. He will be with me forever.