Healing Word

Psalm 107:20

He sent His word and healed them.

We have reached my very favorite healing verse. I love this one. Just a quick caveat though. It is not the one I use for myself in all circumstances. Often God leads me to a different verse for my situation, which is why it is vitally important to inquire of Him rather than leaning on our own understanding.

Back in the Old Testament, they would not have had the revelation on this that we do. They didn’t have John 1: 1, 14, “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” We know that Jesus is the Word, and we know him as healer so combining the Word with healing seems consistent to us once we piece it together. It is a bit mind expanding though when you consider this is an Old Testament passage.

So, that leaves me with this question, when did God send the Word? My guess is as soon as the curse entered the earth and that would have been as soon as Eve and Adam bowed their knees to Satan.

In God’s kingdom, there is no dis-ease. There is only ease. He made it to operate perfectly. When Satan got a foothold in the earth, corruption and decay entered in like a seething plague. It has been destroying the earth ever since. God had to implement a plan to save his creation, both humans and the earth. So, he sent the Word, and we know the Word has triumphed over Satan.

What does this mean for you and me? Well, it means that Bible you hold in your hands, also holds the keys to life. The more we immerse ourselves in it, meaningfully immerse, not just reading it like reading a school textbook, the more we find the Living Word, Jesus. Jesus is the Word, and the Word is life. “He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity,” (John 1: 4 GW).

So, God sent His healing Word and healed us all. Life and healing are in the Living Word. The Living Word is Jesus, as well as all the truths God sent us in the Bible. It is Jesus who brings those words to life. Getting to know one leads to knowing the other. Together they bring life and light. Take daily as directed.

Alive

John 1: 1, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.

The reason I send you a scripture each day is because I believe the Word of God has the power to improve your life. The Word of God is alive and powerful. It is not just a collection of writings by a bunch of dead guys. The Word is Christ. He was the Word and was with God and He still is the Word. He is life and power.

You see, too many people think the Bible is just a book. But to Christians it is so much more. We can understand it at great depths depending on our own level of development. As we grow, we understand it to be a “how to” manual on how to live in this earth, a book of promises, our covenant, and it is the sword of the Spirit. The more we grow and learn the more we recognize it as vibrant and animated. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4: 12a). The sword of the Spirit is not some dead thing. How much good would that do us? It is alive and viable even to the separating of joints and marrow (Hebrews 4:12b).

To those who believe the Bible is just a dead book they will only be able to get theology and philosophy from it. But, for those who understand that it is alive and that it is part of the trinity in the person of Jesus Christ, then it is life and hope and power and salvation. It is the light in dark places and deliverance in the storm. It is the answer to life’s problems and the herald of the new life.

Do not let yourself be deceived into devaluing the potency of the Word of God and the power that it can have in your life today. Grab hold of it in Spirit and truth and let God’s Holy Spirit lead you into all truth and into victory. Live your life on the Word of God and let it breathe life into every area of your life. It is not just a book. It is the life, the light and the way.

Abiding with Jesus

John 15: 4

Abide in Me.

We know that we supposed to abide in Jesus, and we accept the idea fairly easily. However, how do you abide in him?

One of the easiest ways I know to abide in Jesus is to meditate on his Word. Meditation is dwelling mentally and spiritually with Jesus. Some of us were raised with the idea that meditation was a “new age” practice and thus forbidden to us. Well, it is only new age if you consider the Old Testament times “new age.” The first mention of meditation is in Genesis. Joshua 1: 8 records the advice God gave Joshua as he was about to take over leadership of the nation of Israel from Moses. It reads, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night.” Since this is the advice God gave Joshua, it must be good advice for us too.

Jesus is the Word (John 1: 1,14). What better way to abide in Jesus than to abide in the Word? As you ponder the Word of God, you are also effectively searching the heart of God. As you dwell on those words and thoughts, your heart and mind dwells in Jesus.

Sometimes we make Christian Theology way too hard. Christianity is really as simple as hanging out with Jesus. As we dwell with him he becomes our friend, then our best friend and finally the love of our lives. If you want to be a friend of God and a close friend to Jesus, then hang out in The Word. You will find Father, Son and Holy Spirit there and have fun at the same time.

Treasure Trove

 Psalm 119: 161- 162

Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of Thy words. I rejoice at Thy word as one who finds great spoil.

The value of the Word of God, it cannot be overestimated. It has life and healing in it, but what, really, is the Word of God? Or stated differently, is the Bible synonymous with the Word of God?

I do not believe it is. To me the Bible is the physical replication of the Word of God. I do believe it is sacred text but the text alone is not what gives life to our bones. It is the living word that contains the miracle working power. At its most fundamental level the Word is Jesus (John 1: 14). At the highest level I would say that “The Word” is every pronouncement of God. It is every utterance that has ever proceeded from God’s lips. The question for us is what does any of this mean for my life, for our lives here in the earth? Understanding that the Bible is a recordation of God’s word is important. We actually have access to God’s diary. Think about that a moment. Now, let’s go to the next step. When we read the Bible we are just reading black text on a white page unless we allow the next level of engagement to manifest. That is where we recognize that the words that we read can be lifted off of the page. They can be ingested as the staff of life. No longer are they simple words but now they carry the voice of God. They are language but spoken language rather than written. We begin to hear the Father’s voice in our ear and in our spirits speaking life to us.

Then comes the next level of God’s Word to us. Not only do we hear His voice in the pages of the Bible but then we begin to hear His voice speaking to us about our lives. This is not a departure from the Bible or from the “Word of God” but rather an extension of same. God takes His heart, which is revealed so transparently in His word, and extends those principles to our specific life circumstances. They still are “The Word” and in a sense they still are the Bible because God will never, ever tell you anything that contradicts with the Bible. I just don’t think He has stopped speaking. He is still filling pages with His word. Maybe in the years to come, after the rapture, there will be a third testament. Perhaps some of us will have the job of compiling a new text. I don’t know but the point is that God is alive and He is still speaking. Not only that, but even the Bible is not in stasis. It breathes and speaks. God’s word is alive. Don’t think of His word as just a compiled book that we call the Holy Bible. Think of it as His breath leaving His mouth and breathing new life onto you. You can go into the pages of that book and the next thing you know it has jumped off of the page and is shouting joyous good news. It is dancing in your room and praising God.  

The Word of God is alive and it is precious. It is health and liberty, victory and life. We rejoice because God has given us His word but He isn’t done yet either. Listen to what He will speak to you today either through the Bible or whispered in your ear. Either way it is time to celebrate the Word of God.