How do we make sure that the Word of God abides in us?
Welcome, dear readers, to our “Daily Word for Spiritual Edification”!
I thank God for every one of you and pray that the hunger for God’s Word and His wisdom and your passion for fellowship with God will not diminish ever, because God is the source of our life.
Yesterday we discussed that we can be spiritually strong and overcome the wicked on if the Word of God abides in us. The more of the Word you have in you, the stronger you become. God desires for us to feed on the Word as much as possible.
It is possible to know different teachings, but our reaction when problems arise in life is what truly reflects how much of the true Word abides in us. When I have God’s Word abiding in me, then during the attack of the wicked one it becomes the only hope and strength that helps me to overcome. If I do not have any Word abiding in me, I will not be able to overcome and my problems or circumstances remain unresolved. But if I have the Word engrafted in me, it helps me to deal with every situation.
Why are there so much fear, panic, disappointment, weariness and tiredness in the lives of many believers? It is because the Word of God does not abide in them. God wants us to be filled with the Word. When we read the word of God with the understanding that we need the word daily as our source of light and direction, then we are motivated to do read it even more. Since I want to be spiritually strong and able to overcome the wicked one, I want to have the understanding of God’s purpose for my life, I want His direction as to how to carry out my assignment and I want to walk in purity in my life – and for this very reason I read God’s Word and study it on a regular basis.
How do we make sure that the Word of God abides in us?
In order to answer this question I would like to use an illustration. Imagine me holding my Bible tightly with my whole hand; I am holding it firmly, so it would be hard to knock or pull it out of my hands. But if I am barely touching it or holding it loosely, it can fall out of my hands easily. In order for me not to lose my Bible I have to hold it firmly using my whole hand and all the five fingers. This is what the five fingers symbolize:
- I listen to the Word;
- I read the Word;
- I study the Word;
- I memorize the Word by heart;
- I meditate on the Word.
Meditation or contemplation is the final in this list, because it touches all the other areas. I listen and meditate; I read and meditate; I study and contemplate; I memorize and contemplate. Contemplation is linked to all the other activities.
Why are all of the above steps so important? It is because only the totality of all five points will help the Word of God get engrafted in our hearts and abide there.
Some believers only listen to the Word of God in church, on TV, on the radio. If you live only on this level, then God’s Word cannot abide in you as it should. Yes, we should listen to the word, because, as is says in the Bible, faith comes through hearing. When you listen to sermons, you are filled with faith and hope; that is why we like to listen to sermons. And when we do, we also should take notes; it is important. Yet we cannot stay on this level and only listen.
We must also read the Word, because by reading the word we are able to fellowship with God. Listening is meant to strengthen my faith, since faith comes by hearing of the Word. In order for my faith to be strong, I have to listen to the Word on a regular basis. But then I also read the Word in order to fellowship with God, the Author of the Word.
«Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…» (Colossians 3:16).
May God abundantly bless every one of you!
Till tomorrow!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
