Psalm 119 has 176 verses in it and it reminds me how important the Word of God is to the believer. This psalm was probably written by David although it is not specifically identified as one of his. The man writing the psalm was under attack – not a military assault but a personal attack by those who would destroy him and, perhaps, even take his life. The flavor of the psalm is that the assault has been going on for a very long time – accusation, gossip, slander, traps, etc.

In this psalm, the writer places immense value on the word of God for his hope and his ultimate victory. Let me list just a few of the phrases that he uses:

Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might nor sin against you.

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Your statutes are my delight, they are my counselors.

Preserve my life according to your word.

Strengthen me according to your word.

Your promise preserves my life.

I have put my hope in your word.

Your statutes are my heritage forever.

Preserve my life according to your laws.

Deliver me according to your promise.

The writer clearly believes that God is discovered in his word and that his word is unbreakable. He believes that the written word of God faithfully represents the character and promises of God that God will not violate. If it is written, then God will be true to his word. His constant reference to the Word is not out of fear that God might forget his promises but is a clear statement of belief that God is always true to his word so we can count on his promises.

Jesus used the phrase, “it is written,” numerous times in the gospel. He quoted scripture as the Word of God that is always true or that must come to pass because it has been written by the God who cannot lie. To me it is also interesting that Jesus always spoke about the word in the present tense – it is written rather than it was written. It carries the same implication as the name that God revealed to Moses about himself. Tell them, “I am.” To speak in the present tense suggests no beginning (past) and no end (future). It suggests that something is an unchanging reality. God is – he always has been and always will be. His written word has the same quality and because of that can be totally believed and acted upon. Of course, God reserves the right to determine how and when a promise will be fulfilled but if it is written, it must be fulfilled.

To get the word of God deep in our hearts is a great weapon against the enemy. To know without doubt what the Lord has promised us disarms the lies, deceptions, and bullying of the enemy. I’ve been around long enough to know that the church in America does not value Bible study and memorization like it used to. Few people carry a Bible to church. When Bibles are misplaced they stay in lost and found for months. Very few come looking for them. Perhaps, they have others, but I suspect it is because there is not much hunger for what is inside.

It is almost as if self-help books and worship CD’s have replaced the Word. There is nothing wrong with a good book or worship CD’s but nothing stands unless it stands on the Word. Jesus constantly referenced the written word as his ultimate authority and the plumb line for his actions and beliefs. He used it as a sword against the enemy when Satan assaulted him. We should do the same.

Spend time in the Word. Chew on it. Memorize it. Discuss it. Study it. Get it in your heart. Like the psalmist, it is your heritage forever. You have inherited God’s promises and statutes. The psalmist says, “With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches” (Ps.119:13-14). Take possession of his truth and his promises as yours and know that they open up the storehouses of heaven to you. The Word unlocks greater riches than any the earth can offer.

Let me encourage you to spend time in Psalm 119 to see how much the psalmist valued the Word, the written promises of God, and the wisdom for living embedded in scripture. You will be blessed by doing so.

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Heb. 4:12

What does the scripture mean when it says that the word of God is living and active? What does it mean to say that the word is animated and has life beyond the page? How does it dissect and judge? And is that our experience with reading God’s word?

I like what Bill Johnson has to say about reading and studying the written word. “Our yielded hearts are impressionable as we study the Bible and receive God’s impressions like fingerprints. Within that sort of tender soil, the Lord plants the seeds of his Kingdom perspective. The insights and empowering nature of the Scriptures provide solutions that are applicable to every society and culture…Our study of the Scriptures must take us beyond the historical settings, beyond language studies…, and at times beyond the context and intent of the human authors as to its content. Our reading of the Word must enable us to hear from God afresh…I am not knocking principles. The transformation of individuals, families, cities, and nations depends upon receptivity of Kingdom principles. However, this is not the core of the Christian experience with the Bible. Rather, more often than not, we should read to have a God encounter. The Word of God is living and active. It contains divine energy, always moving and accomplishing his purposes” (Bill Johnson, Walking in the Supernatural, p.161-163; Destiny Image).

Some things appear to be inanimate. Without knowing what you had found, a battery would seem to be inanimate, cold, hard, and good only as a paperweight. But when something connects to it in the right way, tremendous power can be released. Uranium appears to be only a lifeless rock. Yet it emits radiation, an invisible power that has almost unlimited potential (for life or death) for those who know how to tap into the tremendous energy resting in the stone. Gunpowder just lies there like a pile of sand until something releases the inherent power in the powder. The Word of God contains tremendous power for those who have receptive hearts and for those whose faith can tap into the life resting in the word. Like gunpowder, it can simply lie dormant but when a spark is added, explosive things happen. Faith and obedience is that spark.

Most seminaries or classes on how to study the Bible will emphasize context and the original meaning the author gave to his writings. Having established that, it is up to the student to determine some biblical principle that might apply to our current life situations. Determining the principles for Christian living is the thing and the goal of Bible study. I still believe that is the starting place and there is significant value in that. But there is more. With God, there is always more. I believe that Johnson’s assertion that the ultimate goal of Bible study is an encounter with God is a key to spiritual transformation.

God did not just provide Israel with the written word from Sinai. He gave them his presence in the tabernacle so that they might encounter him and his goodness as Moses did on top of the mountain. The written word was given to prepare them for an encounter. Jesus rebuked the Jewish scholars for their approach to the scriptures. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (Jn.5:39-40). The Pharisees believed that the Torah was a document from which to determine God’s commandments for men and principles for living. That was true, but there was more. Not only did the scriptures tell them how to live but they pointed to a person – Jesus Christ. They never thought to look for the person, only the principles.

More than principles and Bible facts, scripture reveals the heart of God for us and reveals who we are to Him. Knowing those two things, ignites faith and faith releases power. If I were to go back to the book of 1 Corinthians, I could study it through the lens of, “What did Paul say to the church at Corinth that might be applicable to us today?” That would be valuable and give me a great approach to Christian living. But if I studied the letter through the lens of, “What does this letter reveal about the heart of the Father, the love of Jesus Christ toward me, and who I am in the eyes of my Father?” it would be even more transforming. One approach promotes obedience first, while the other promotes relationship first, from which obedience will naturally flow.

As you spend time in the written word, look for the Living Word who came in the flesh and dwelt among us. We all believe that Bible study changes us but I have known many men who could quote extensive sections of scripture but did not seem to have the love of God in them anywhere. The Word is living and active as God lives through his word. Receptive hearts, hunger for his kingdom, or a willingness to risk something for the glory of God is what releases the power because it releases God to touch us in transforming ways. You might want to ask God to arrange an encounter with him as you study, a revelation of who he is and his heart for you, a rhema or fresh word for the day, or a response of obedience that will create an encounter with the Father during the day. Finding him is the thing.

Be blessed as you search for the Living Word in the written word today.

When participating in spiritual warfare, the word of God is essential. It is essential not just for discerning what is “scriptural” or not, although that is important, but scripture is a weapon to use directly against the enemy. When confronting the enemy who is harassing, tempting, or afflicting you or another, the word of God is powerful.

Paul tells us, when speaking about the armor of God, that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Eph.6:17). We are also told by the writer of Hebrews that the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword (Heb.4:12). In the book of Revelation, John describes a vision of Jesus and says, “In his right hand he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword” (Rev.1:16). That picture of Jesus establishes him as one with great power and authority. His words leave his lips as a sword with power to judge.

In the wilderness temptation recorded in Matthew 4, Satan came to Jesus to tempt him. The devil always shows up when our strength (spiritual, emotional, or physical) is somehow depleted. Satan approached Jesus after forty days of solitude and fasting. His energy levels were low and he had been without the encouragement of friends or family for over a month. Satan, believing Jesus to be extremely vulnerable, came to tempt him as he did the First Adam. Jesus fought back with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

Jesus quoted scripture in response to every temptation of the enemy. The words of believers carry authority and power. How else could the commands of God’s people bring healing and deliverance or even raise the dead. In the spiritual realm, our words have substance and weight. But if our words have substance, how much more do the very words of God spoken from our lips.

Again, we are told that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit. I believe when we declare that word with faith and conviction it cuts and bruises the enemy. When we are confronting the enemy, declaring appropriate scripture has a powerful affect that afflicts and torments the enemy.

Declaring the authority of Christ over the enemy is a powerful use of the word.  Scripture is filled with such verses declaring that Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth; that Jesus has a name that is above every name; that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. etc. In the wilderness temptation Jesus did not give chapter and verse, but simply said, “It is written… We can do the same when confronting unclean spirits.

For example, we might say, “The word of God declares that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and I now declare his authority over you.” Or we might say, “ I command you in the name of Jesus, who is declared by the written word of God to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and you will obey his commands as I declare them to you.” Or… “It is written that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord and now you will bow the knee to his commands as I declare them.”

Declaring scripture strengthens our own faith in the moment while it weakens the enemy and torments him. Demons do not always depart with the first command. If a stronghold exists, you may have to “assault the walls of the enemy’s fortress” more than once with numerous commands. Declaring the word of God over that person or a situation takes big chunks out of the stronghold walls.

Every believer should have a catalogue of scriptures on hand to wield against the enemy: scriptures that declare who Christ is, who we are in Christ, the defeat of Satan, the victory of the church, God’s willingness to heal and set captives free, and scriptures that defeat fear and temptation of every kind. As believers, our words carry authority but the very words of God from our lips, carry even more power and authority with which to defeat and torment the enemy. Make a list, memorize them, and keep them handy.   We live in a dangerous world. Don’t leave home without your sword.

I wanted to give you a little culture correction moment as our culture continually pressures us to turn our backs on biblical truths in the name of Science. I want to share a lengthy quote from Dr. Caroline Leaf, a top neuroscience researcher who, along with many others, is doing cutting edge research on the brain.

We have been living under a myth called the gene myth, which locates the ultimate power over health and mental well-being in the untouchable realm of genes, relegating them to the level of gods. This myth has bound the mental and physical health as well as the peace and happiness of too many people for too long. Almost daily, another headline pops up with the highly fashionable concept of a gene for this or a gene for that. You are an alcoholic or depressed or battle with learning disabilities or whatever. Genes may create an environment within us in which a problem may grow, a predisposition, but they do not produce the problem; we produce it through our choices …

Genes have been made out to be responsible for feelings, spirituality, beliefs, even things like the enjoyment of music – all human behavior, to the extent of determining human affairs, human relation ships, and social problems. In fact, genetic predisposition has become entrenched in popular culture to the extent that phrases like ‘she has good genes’ and ‘he was born that way’ are commonplace. This thinking removes choice and accountability from the equation and is scientifically and spiritually inaccurate. You control your genes, your genes do not control you. Genes may determine physical characteristics but not psychological phenomena.

Outstanding research has been done by Dr. Gail Ironson…at the University of Miami. She found that the most significant factor that made a difference in healing for those with HIV was their choice to believe in a benevolent and loving God. Her study ran over four years…those who did not believe God loved them lost T-cells (powerful cells that attack diseases) three times faster, their viral load increased three times faster, and their stress levels were higher, with damaging amounts of cortisol flowing.

Dr. Ironson summarizes her research by saying, “If you believe God loves you, it’s an enormously protective factor, even more protective than scoring low for depression or high for optimism. A view of a benevolent God is protective. But scoring high on the personalized statement ‘God loves me’ is even stronger.” (Dr. Caroline Leaf, Switch on Your Brain, p.51-52).

The newest research is showing that what we choose to believe and say, altars even our genes and DNA. Renewing our mind with the word of God (Rom.12:12) and coming into alignment with what he says  about us and who we are is even more transforming than many of us ever thought – not just at a spiritual or emotional level but even at the core of who we are physically.

It turns out that mind (what we choose to think and act on) has substance that, like the tongue, truly has the power of life or death. Contrary to culture, the newest science is confirming God’s Word at every turn – not making it irrelevant but more relevant that ever. By the way, Dr. Leaf is a strong believer in Jesus as well as being a brilliant researcher.

Enough about curses. In this last segment on words, let’s move on to the empowering and encouraging aspect of our words. God has placed us on this planet and called us into his kingdom to rule on his behalf. In order to do that, he has given us authority and authority is expressed through words.

Jesus came as a man. His most used self-descriptor in the gospels was Son of Man. One of the reasons he came as a man was to demonstrate the life that each of us can have as we walk in fellowship with the Father. What Jesus did, we can do. Jesus lived a life as a representative of the Father expressing his authority and directing the power of heaven through his words.

Through words he commanded men to be healed, demons to depart, the dead to come forth, storms to cease, lepers to be cleansed, blind eyes to see, and lame men to leap. His words released the power of heaven into situations on earth. His words were powerful because he was declaring the Father’s will over individuals and circumstances. Jesus said, “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it” (Jn.12:49). Remember God’s word to Isaiah. “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa.55:11). When God’s word goes forth it will accomplish his purposes whether from the lips of the Father, his Son, or those who represent him – his sons and daughter’s on the earth.

If it is a specific word and a fresh word from the Lord it is powerful. If it is a declaration, a prayer, or a command that expresses his will as revealed in scripture it is also powerful. Our words release God to fulfill his intentions on the earth. We do not control God but God, in his own sovereignty, has determined to rule in partnership with his people and, in many cases, he waits on us to declare his word over circumstances he wishes to change before he acts. Most of us understand that concept when it comes to healing or deliverance or provision. But what about the process of shaping the lives of people?

God’s word is compared to a seed in numerous places in the scripture. It goes forth carrying an innate power to produce life. In the right environment it will grow and bear abundant fruit. Many prophetic words are words that God is broadcasting with the potential to produce what has been declared if they are accompanied by faith and obedience. Sometimes the faith is in the one who receives the word. Sometimes the faith is in the one who declares the word.

Speaking life over people is simply declaring God’s will and God’s truth over a person. Like watering a seed, we are calling out the potential for good and greatness that God has placed in every person. We are calling out their destiny in Christ. Our words, because we have authority, impart power to that potential. When we encourage one another, build up one another, or bless one another we are imparting power to the potential God has placed in each of his children. When we call out gifts, faith, leadership, salvation, success, or godliness in others we are releasing the work of the Spirit in those individuals to produce what we are calling out. That is speaking life over others (or ourselves) rather than death. That is blessing rather than cursing. We are doing more than expressing sentiment; we are releasing the power of heaven because we represent heaven. This is especially true as we declare life and destiny over children.

So…measure your words. Be intentional. Be life-giving. Words matter because they have power. Recognize the power God has placed in your mouth and use it to administer God’s grace in every life and every situation – including your own and be blessed!

Faith can be hard when life does not meet our expectations. Faith can be hard when promises we read in scripture that seem black and white and iron clad do not unfold as we anticipated. Faith can be hard when we expect God to intervene in supernatural ways to right every wrong yet we see wrong prevailing. This is not a new dilemma. The psalmists struggled with the same issues.

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.      For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills…This is what the wicked are like—always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued; I have been punished every morning. (Ps.73:2-5, 12-14).

Here was a man who tried to live for the Lord every day and to so what was right. And yet, his days seemed like a constant struggle. Nothing was working out. God seemed to be ignoring his prayers. Perhaps he had health problems or financial struggles. Maybe his business was failing or his boss was a tyrant. Maybe he had a rebellious child or his marriage was slipping away. Those things in themselves were hard enough but the kicker was what he observed in the lives of those who gave no thought to God at all. They were prospering – good looks, great health, a fine house, the best of food and wine, an upper tier education for their kids, amazing vacations and a Roman spa membership. Along with that they enjoyed fame and fortune built on deceit and unscrupulous business practices. Where was justice?

There is a slice of biblical theology in which God promises good things to the faithful – health, safety, prosperity, obedient children, and long life along with vengeance on the wicked. But there is also another slice that promises persecution, hardship, warfare with an invisible enemy, a need to put on armor every day and a prayer to keep the evil one from us. If we ever believe that our faith will smooth every road, give us favor in every situation, and that every prayer will be answered immediately just as we had envisioned it, we will probably live with disappointment. The greatest danger is that we will take up offense against God and decide that he is untrustworthy.

Scripture calls on us to preach, teach, and understand the whole counsel of God not just one facet that we find particularly appealing. All of God’s word is true and all of his promises are certain but they often come later than we anticipated. Think about Joseph who was given prophetic dreams that he would be a ruler some day with his brothers bowing before him. All that came to pass but only after being sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. Eventually there was prosperity and power but a season of hardship filled the parenthesis between the dream and the reality. Neither the suffering nor the prosperity contradicted God’s word. The key for Joseph was not to judge God as a liar because his dreams were not fulfilled immediately or even soon but to continue to trust God that his promises would come to pass – some in this life and some in the life to come. We greatly differentiate between this life and the life to come, but I suspect God sees them both as one continuum. Promises made now but fulfilled then are just as faithful.

The psalmist struggled with the idea that God’s justice should punish the wicked while all he saw was the wicked being blessed. He lamented, “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me” (Ps.73:16). Sometimes our assumption in such matters is that God is blessing the wicked while we forget that the prince of this world can bestow wealth and fame as well. As he continued to seek God, however, he was given a revelation. “Till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (Ps.73:17). In a moment, God revealed the eternal destiny of the wicked and the certainty of God’s justice. We are also told that the kindness or goodness of God calls men to repentance. So judgment and mercy are both reserved for the wicked to be dispensed in different seasons.

All this is to say that when we live by faith, we trust in the promises of God and often we cry out for those promises believing God for an answer. When we don’t see his answer quickly or as we had imagined it or when we see those who are indifferent to God already enjoying blessings that we are still praying for, we may take offense at God when he is still being true to his word. Remember, Paul had to learn to be content in moments of abundance and in moments of scarcity as well. Faith and expectations must be rooted first in the goodness and faithfulness of God so that I know God will grant a harvest for whatever I am sowing into with faith and prayer. Then I wait on him to see how and when the harvest comes. May he always give us eyes to see what he is doing and understanding to know what he has already done and to always count him faithful.

“In Proverbs 4:20-22 we have the most comprehensive instructions as to how to receive healing:

Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

The Word of God cannot be health to either soul or body before it is heard, received, and attended to. Notice here that the Words of God are life only to those that “find” them. If you want to receive life and healing from God, take time to find the words of Scripture that promise these results.”(F.F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer, Revell, 9^th Edition, p.19).

In this quote from Bosworth’s classic book, Christ the Healer, a primary principle for finding faith for any promise is laid out. It begins with our commitment to the truth of God’s word. Do I believe that the Bible is inspired and that the word and promises of God are true? Most Christians would say they believe but my experience tells me that most of us believe it in principle not in practice. Most of us either believe that the Word is true for others but usually not for ourselves or we believe the word is true except in cases where the straight-forward promises of God are affected by extenuating circumstances – and they are nearly always affected by extenuating circumstances.

We assume that to be the case because we pray and don’t immediately see the results we anticipated and so we calculate that some unknown quirk in heaven kept God from answering our prayer. We assume that for reasons far beyond our understanding it was not God’s will to answer our prayer for healing or a myriad of other things we prayed for even though we have a clear promise in scripture that what we prayed for is something God always wants to do. So we begin to tack on a disclaimer to each prayer which is usually something like, “If it be your will.”That disclaimer immediately reveals that we doubt God’s will for the thing we have been praying about. In the context of healing, that phrase reveals our doubts about God’s real commitment to heal those who ask.

Until we are convinced that it is always God’s heart to heal – especially those who are God’s covenant children through Christ – then we will always pray with a kind of fleshly hope that has little expectation attached (I know this from personal experience). So then, if we want to grow in the gift of healing, we need to spend quality time in the Word looking at the scriptures that demonstrate and declare God’s willingness to heal. We need to live with those scripture until we are convinced that the Word of God clearly declares that truth. In truth, I am as lazy as the next guy so what I really want is for some amazing healer to lay hands on me, impart the gift and the faith, and leave nothing more for me than to head to the nearest rehab clinic and get everyone healed and released in a few hours.

But … would I value the gift, know the Word, and would I have struggled through my questions to find solid rock on which to stand when the winds of doubt begin to blow later?   I find myself wanting God to heal through me to create my faith rather than my faith prompting heaven to heal. I think God is willing to do both but I need to pay the price of prayer, study, and argument to establish the truth in my heart that God is always willing and able to heal because his Word says so. Any prayer standing on less than that assurance is going to tend toward double-mindedness and James tells us that a double-minded person who prays will receive little of what he or she prays for.

To say that God always desires to heal is not the same as saying that healing will always occur. Our free will and fallen nature get in the way of many things that God desires on the earth including healing. But we must start with the conviction that God is willing or we can’t ask in faith. Then if healing doesn’t occur we can begin to look for roadblocks to that healing and by the revelation and wisdom of the Spirit can begin to remove those blocks so that God’s will can be done and his will is healing. So if you are uncertain as to the heart of God in the matter of healing find his promises in the Bible, fix your eyes on those promises, meditate on them, and listen to people who have faith regarding healing not to those who doubt. That is a practical beginning for experiencing life and health in this world and the world to come.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.(Ps.1:1-3)

This is a familiar psalm but I was just taught something that made it even more meaningful.  Of course the progression of walking, standing, and sitting is important. As we open our ears to the wicked we often are drawn to their point-of-view or their worldview. I’ll just define wickedness as anything contrary or opposed to the will of God.  The “wicked” are those who live contrary to God’s will and in opposition to his truth.

Think about our current culture and the power of media. When we lend our ear or our sight to the values supported by most of the media we run the risk of being drawn into the world’s value system and seeing life through the distorted lens of culture. How many of us have watched so many television dramas or situation comedies that we have experienced the “normalization” of things we once found shocking, offensive, or troubling?  There was a time when television would not even depict a husband and wife as sleeping in the same bed. I think that’s extreme but the sensitivities of the culture pushed back against anything sexually suggestive in primetime.

Now, however, adultery or every kind of sex outside of marriage is so commonplace on television and in the movies that were are no longer offended when we see it.  It has become so much a part of the landscape that we have begun to view it as normal and once we view something as normal we are tempted to consider it acceptable – not just on the T.V. screen but also in the lives of people we know and maybe even in our own lives.

Homosexuality was once considered so perverse that it was not even talked about in public settings.  Then it became a tagline in jokes that people laughed about.  Then television began to depict homosexuality and lesbianism in “cutting edge” dramas.  Then comedies began to include a cute, funny individual who was gay but very likeable and harmless.  Now gays are depicted as heroic for “coming out.”  The value that homosexuality is not only acceptable but laudable has found it’s way into our culture and if we entertain that message long enough we will find reasons to agree with the culture and reject God’s word.

I am not “gay bashing” here because we all struggle with brokenness in our own lives, but I am illustrating how once we begin to walk (or listen to) those who maintain values opposed to God’s truth, it is only a matter of time before our values are compromised.  At first we walk and then we stand and talk and then we take our place with them.  After all, we think that so many people agree with them and it all seems kind of normal now anyway. The church has certainly fallen into that pattern over the past fifty years or so.  Few of us can deny that in these past decades the church has not shaped the culture but culture has shaped the church – at least in America.

But God says “blessed” is the man who avoids that steady, inch-by-inch compromise. Instead, the man God praises is the one who spends his time in the Word of God rather than being glued to his favorite television series. He praises the man who exchanges ABC for NIV or ESV or KJV (for the more traditional).  Lot, the nephew of Abraham is an interesting study in this.  At first he spent all of his time with Abraham but when the flocks became so large that the pastureland in one place couldn’t sustain them they separated.  We are told that Lot chose a well-watered area in the region of Sodom and Gomorrah.  But later we find him living in the city and sitting in the city gates as an official of Sodom even though he was apparently troubled by the immorality there.  Eventually his comfort level with wickedness cost him everything but his life.  My guess is that his wife’s desires had something to do with that move but my guess is also that his wealth caused the leaders of Sodom to reach out to him.  Flattered by their attention, he may have made concessions for their behavior.  Although he didn’t participate he also sat in silence.  How many believers have compromised their values in the business sector, entertainment, or in politics to be “part” of the inner circle?  At first the association is occasional but then instead of walking by we stop to chat and then we find ourselves sitting with those who oppose God.

The key is the verse that emphasizes a lifestyle that dwells on the Word of God.  He doesn’t just read the scriptures but meditates on them – chews on them, processes them, and internalizes their truth.  He does so night and day, not just on occasion or not just for five minutes a day in a devotional read.  He sets his course by God’s word.  He walks according to that word rather than walking with those who oppose it.  The prophet asked the question, “How can two walk together unless they are agreed”(Amos 3:3)? When we walk with someone it suggests agreement with him. We can walk with the world or walk with the Word. Most of us assume that we can walk with both but scripture warns against being double-minded.

This man is like a tree planted by waters that grows strong and bears fruit.  What I learned today was that the most likely tree this refers to is the acacia tree found in the wilderness of Israel.  These trees will be found along a wadi – a dry streambed or ravine that sees water only when it rains from time to time.  These trees grow slowly and live for hundreds of years.  They put roots deep into the soil in the riverbed where water will flow in due time and when that time comes, the roots suck up every drop of water they can.  It’s as if the tree hungers for water as the man of Psalm 1 hungers for God’s Word.

When we read this psalm we probably think of great trees in forests perched along deep rivers that run throughout the year.  If you lived in the desert where Moses wandered and where David hid from Saul, you would think of acacias. This was the tree from which the Ark of the Covenant was made – hard wood overlaid with gold. A friend of ours, who is part of our weekly small group, informed us that Mesquite trees in our part of the world are members of the acacia family.  They really have two kinds of roots. They send out long shallow roots all around that suck up any moisture as soon as it hits the ground but those roots feed a taproot that goes down fifty or sixty feed looking for underground water and anchoring the trees to stand in the face of storms.

The man God applauds sends out roots that soak up God’s truth wherever he finds it and the Word he absorbs anchors him with a taproot of faith that goes deep in the ground. Those trees are a great benefit to those who find them.  They provide shade from the desert heat.  The Bedouins boil the sap and make medicines and ointments from this tree.  Camels feast on the leaves and dried branches provide a hot fire for cooking or staving off the cold of a desert night. Those who mediate on the Law of the Lord day at night are blessed by God and, in turn, bless those around them as well.

Each day is a question of who we will walk with – those who don’t know God and whose values and beliefs stand opposed to God’s word or God himself, soaking up all that his Word and his Spirit have to tells us.    Be blessed today.  Choose less of the world and much more of God.  I’ll join you.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. (Dt.6:5-6)

And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.  (Dt.10:12)

He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the greatest and first commandment.  (Mt.22:37-38)

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. (Mk.12:30)

He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Lk.10:27)

Most of the verses above are very familiar.  If you have been in Christian churches for any length of time you have heard them quoted.  I want you to notice something about these verses, however, that is almost counter-cultural to the American evangelical church. In every one of these verses we are told to love God with our hearts before we love him with our minds. The pattern is consistent throughout the Bible.

There are two ways to understand “the heart” is these passages.  One way is to understand that our emotions and affections, which flow from the heart, are to be turned toward God.  That would certainly be the way many of us would understand the passage.

The second way to understand the passage is that the heart is the place where revelation is given to us by the Holy Spirit and that love for God is going to be released in us by the Spirit through an act of revelation. In his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul writes, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.            I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Eph.1:17-19)

Those of us who believe that salvation comes by grace believe that we could not even respond to the gospel without the Spirit giving us an understanding of spiritual things. Paul clearly states that the man without the Spirit cannot understand spiritual things but considers them to be foolishness (see 1 Cor. 2:14). To love God with all of our heart then means that we are to love God based on the revelation that is constantly released into our heart by the Holy Spirit.  You may have had that conversation about your faith and the  “insight” or “understanding” the Lord has given you about something.  That is a great definition of “revelation.”

But here is the counter-cultural part.  I was always taught to love God with my mind before loving him with my heart.  In the fellowship where I was first taught the word of God, the heart was considered to be the seat of our emotions and those emotions could lead us to deception.  I was taught that the mind (our intellect) was to be the guardian of truth in my spiritual life.  And yet biblically, the Holy Spirit is the guardian of truth for believers as he “leads us into all truth.” We are to love God with our hearts and even our soul before the mind is mentioned.  Most of us, however, are trained to develop our minds rather than our hearts. We are trained to think with our intellect rather than to hear and understand God first within our hearts. Paul also tells us that we if we confess Jesus with our mouth and believe in our hearts that he are Lord we shall be saved (Rom.10:9-10).  We are to accept and understand a truth in our hearts even before we understand it intellectually.

When God speaks about changing people he speaks about giving them a new heart rather than a new mind as the first step to transformation. Undoubtedly the mind is to be renewed but not by intellectual arguments.  It is to be renewed by revelation that comes from God’s Spirit to our spirit and then to our hearts and then to our minds. This chronology of belief is important because many pastors have been taught in seminaries to take a strictly intellectual approach to scripture and to discount the notion that God still speaks a fresh word to his people by his Spirit.  The result has been the rejection of many biblical truths by intellectuals because the intellect that is unsubmitted to the Spirit argues against the miraculous moves of God which seem irrational and illogical in the natural.

My point is not to throw out our intellect because we are to love God with our minds as well as our hearts.  But I want to encourage us to begin to focus even more on developing a heart that has eyes that have been opened to the move and the voice of God.  It is in our hearts that we will behold God and fix our eyes on Jesus. The heart trained by God to perceive and believe will then train the intellect to align itself with God rather than argue against what it cannot fully understand or control.

There has been a recent surge of criticism and warnings against the idea that the Holy Spirit still expresses himself through miraculous gifts and revelation.  Those who criticize the  “charasmatics” are brilliant men who love God with all their minds.  But without the revelation of God being fresh in their hearts, they will not know the Lord as Paul prayed for the Ephesians to know him.  Let me encourage you to constantly pray for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and for the eyes of your heart to be opened so that you may know God better and know the riches that are yours in Jesus Christ.  Let’s be as diligent in developing our spiritual hearts as we have been in developing our intellect.  Be blessed.

In these last days, God will be pouring out more of his Spirit to match (actually overmatch) the counterfeit wonders and miracles of the enemy that are coming.  Within the church, we will see a continuing growth in gifts of healings, tongues, miracles and prophecy. That is a good thing and yet there will be growing pains as men and women will attempt to operate in these gifts without the benefit of being mentored by those who are mature in the use of these gifts. Many will begin to experience these gifts in fellowships where the miraculous gifts have been denied or simply ignored.  They will not have ready access to spiritual mentors in those areas.

If you are one of these individuals who hunger after these gifts or who is beginning to experience the activation of these gifts in your life, I encourage you to ask the Spirit to direct you to spiritual mentors in the community who are mature, godly, and experienced in the operation of these gifts.  Let me warn you that strong “giftings” do not necessarily indicate mature spirituality. There are some men and women who move powerfully in gifts of healing or deliverance or even prophecy whose gifts run ahead of their spiritual maturity.  We often see that phenomenon in the natural realm with athletes, musicians, and even politicians. There giftedness brings them riches, fame, and acclaim long before their character can handle those things.  It can happen in the spiritual realm as well.  Because of that, as you seek mentors look for longevity and character in the exercise of the spiritual gifts you are seeking or experiencing more that the flamboyant fruit of someone who is “wowing” everyone with their gifts.  The mature may also amaze people with their gifts but they will carry with them the mantle of humility as well.

As we move into this time frame of an increase in the miraculous gifts of the church we will also need to be cautious and gracious with those who are very gifted but not so experienced. This may be especially true in gifts of prophecy.  Mature prophets know that the gift is given for the comfort, encouragement, and strengthening of the person receiving the word.  They know that not everything they are shown by God is to be shared with the receiver.  Some knowledge they receive is simply to set the context for the rest of the message and is not to be shared – especially in a public setting.  For instance, a prophet may be shown a sin or a traumatic event in the life of a person to set the context for what God wants spoken over them to set them free from the sin or heal the trauma. However, the sin or the trauma is not to be revealed publically and maybe not even privately.

God is not in the business of shaming or re-traumatizing the people he loves. Those who are operating in the gift without maturity or mentoring may not realize that and some people may be hurt or embarrassed by the immature exercise of these gifts.  If so, we should not dismiss the gift and we will have to have grace toward the prophet.  We will all make mistakes as we grow and cannot grow without exercising the gifts.

Some prophetic words will be right on target and some may miss the target because we “know in part and we prophesy in part.”  We will need to test the prophecy and retain what the Spirit confirms with our spirit and hold the remainder loosely.  In this season of empowering, we will need to affirm the gifts and the gifted without requiring perfection or we will quench the Spirit in our churches or in our own hearts. We will certainly need to test the spirits and the prophecies but we must do so with grace and love rather than distrust and cynicism.

For those who are desiring the miraculous gifts or beginning to experience them, as I said before, I encourage you to seek mentors in your fellowship or in another part of the body of Christ in your community – balanced, gifted, humble and mature Christians operating in these gifts.  In addition to or in place of those mentors, God is also providing this mentoring through anointed books and teachings.  The prophet Isaiah spoke of the time when the knowledge of God would cover the earth.  The spread of that knowledge is being done, in part, right now by the writing of books, teachings on DVD’s, etc.  These can also be great mentoring tools.

Of course, the question becomes which of those can be reliable mentors?  I can’t give you a list, but let me say that you should look for or listen for several indicators of spiritual maturity in the writer or teacher.

• Does the author or teacher reflect the Spirit and character of Christ – love,  joy, peace, gentleness, patience, etc?
• Does the author or teacher point you to Jesus more than the gifts?
• Does the author or teacher quote scripture responsibly or does he/she misuse the Word to validate their own ministries and personal theology?
• Is there humility in their writing or teaching rather than pride and arrogance?
• Is there a critical spirit toward others or do they love the entire body of Christ?
• After asking the Holy Spirit to lead you into truth, does the writing or teaching resonate with your spirit or trouble you?
• Do other mature Christians who accept the full ministry of the Holy Spirit recommend the book?

In the coming months and years, God will continue to pour out more and more power on his church if his church is willing to receive it and become a faithful steward of the gifts. I encourage you to be in that part of his church that does so.  These gifts will not just be healing, prophecy or miracles but amazing gifts of mercy, generosity, teaching, administration, music, wisdom, and so forth. They will be required to face the last great assaults of the enemy on planet earth. Each of us will be on a growth curve in learning how to operate in our respective gifts. Be wise but also give yourself and others grace as we growth.

Sometime before Thanksgiving I will post the recommended books you have commented on.  I would still like to continue to hear from you about the most transformative books in your life so that others can drink from the same pool.  Be blessed.