Responding to God's Word
James 1:22-25
Message #4
Did you get a Daily Devotion Journal? You can download one from calvarynuevo.org/resources or DOWNLOAD DAILY DEVOTION JOURNAL HERE.
This is our fourth message in our Alone With God series. It’s very instructional, almost like a classroom. It is so important what we are talking about; we have to do it in a classroom instructional method.
We said last message that Applying God’s Word is the inward acknowledgment of what the Holy Spirit is specifically addressing in your life in-line with the correct meaning of the Word, through the scripture that you’re looking at.
Responding is about taking obedient – faithful – action on God’s truth.
F.W. Robertson – A great Preacher of the 1800’s said;
It is perilous to separate thinking rightly from acting rightly. He is already half false who speculates on truth and does not do it. Truth is given, not to be contemplated, but to be done.
God has given you his truth not to be contemplated, considered or mused… but to be done.
Maybe in our devotion time – maybe we’re just looking for that “Hallmark thought” to get us through the day. You know something that would go great on a Hallmark card – something from God’s Word to inspire us for the day. And don’t get me wrong, those quick, one-line encouragements are great for what they are. They’re just a shot in the arm reminder that God is with us and that he loves us.
But we need more than a Hallmark card in our relationship with the Lord. We’ve got to get alone with God purposefully meeting him in his Word and intentionally listening to the Holy Spirit for how he would have us apply his Word. We need to be ready for God to reveal to us what he is specifically doing in our lives. We need to have “ears to hear” what the Spirit of God is saying to us in and through his Word, and we need to bring all of that to a point of obedient, faithful action in our lives.
God speaks with a specific purpose, and God speaks at a specific time. And when God speaks according to his purpose and according to his time, there is always a response required.
1)Your ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, or lack thereof, is a direct RESULT of your RESPONSE to Him
2)Your relationship with Jesus will either INCREASE or DECREASE based on your response to Him
3)Where Jesus Christ is concerned, there is always a “Response Required.” (No response = no relationship)
And when I say response, I’m always talking about a response of obedient, faithful action.
So, I have this computer program that I can type a subject into, and it will recommend sections of Bible text that I can use to teach that subject. Not individual verses, but sections of scripture. I typed in “obedience to God’s Word,” and the program gave me 506 different sections of scripture I could use to teach “responding in obedience to God’s Word.” So – this is going to be a very, very long message.
I could easily read scripture to you all day showing you the requirement of a response when God speaks to you. But, let’s turn to one great example in Nehemiah Chapter 8. This is part of our Nehemiah series (message 13) with the message titled “Responding to God’s Word.”
In Nehemiah Chapter 8, a genuine revival is started by the people of Israel responding to God’s Word. The rebuilding of the wall is finished and Ezra brings out “The Book of the Law of Moses,” and he reads God’s Word to the people until noon. But then, what kicked off the revival is the same thing that has kicked off every revival in modern history. It is the correct and genuine response to God’s Holy Word that kicked off the revival in Nehemiah and every revival since.
And this correct and genuine response of the people is summarized in just one verse, Nehemiah 8:6. It comes in three steps, so we’ll read the entire verse then draw out the three steps.
After reading God’s Word (for hours) we read Nehemiah 8:6.
Nehemiah 8:6 (NLT)
6 Then Ezra (Scribe and Priest) praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
This is one of the best examples of responding to God’s Word in the Bible. (Let’s break it down.)
1st step – Nehemiah 8:6(a) (NLT)
6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” . . .
The word “amen” means Yes, Lord, I agree. May it be so, and may it be so in my life. This is the beginning of a correct response to God’s Word. Yes, Lord, I AGREE - May it be so, in my life.
2nd step – Nehemiah 8:6(b) (NLT)
. . . and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands . . .
This is a sign of surrender (as they lifted their hands). The lifting of hands (in scripture and in history) has always been a sign of surrender. I give up lord – I give up my ways - I surrender to you.
So, first, it’s I agree, Lord and may it be so in my life. And then it’s I surrender to you, Lord.
3rd step – Nehemiah 8:6(c) (NLT)
. . . Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Bowing down to the Lord, with your face to the ground, is an act of total submission to the will of God. It is the physical act of saying, I will bow to your will Lord- I will DO what you say.
That is the perfect picture of responding to God’s Word.
1) - I AGREE with you, Lord - and may it be so, in my life
2) - I SURRENDER to YOU, Lord
3) - I WILL BOW to your will Lord- I will DO what you say
And did you notice in Nehemiah 8:6 that the people’s response led to worship?
Romans 12:1 says – Give ALL that you are
All your faculties (mental, emotional, spiritual)
and all your members (your actions)
To God – as a living sacrifice (for his will and for his glory).
And the end of Romans 12:1 says – This is truly the way to worship him.
Responding to God in obedient, faithful action is ultimately the truest way to worship him. That famous verse in 1 Samuel 15:22 says,
1 Samuel 15:22 – (NLT)
22 . . . “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Sometimes our response is a PHYSICAL action
Sometimes our response is taking our THOUGHTS captive
Sometimes our response is RENEWING our heart and our mind to be aligned with God’s Word.
But there is one phrase that is always involved in correctly responding to God’s Word – obedient – faithful – action.
AGREEING with the Lord
SURRENDERING to the Lord
BOWING to his will and doing what he says.
Our key text today is James 1:22-25.
James 1:22–25 (NLT)
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
Guys, our life with Jesus Christ is not a string of “Hallmark card sayings” meant to make us feel good while we go on doing whatever we want to do. Our life with Jesus Christ is meant to be a RADICAL transformation of all that we are.
A radical transformation of how we THINK
of how we SEE things
of how we ACT
of how we REACT.
In Christ, every area of our lives is meant to be transformed.
If you were born with a sin nature like I was, then everything about us must be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. And that will only begin when you begin responding in obedience within a growing relationship with the Lord.
So, let’s look at another completed example of the Daily Devotion Journal. But we are going to do something a little different today. If you haven’t been with us, we’ve been putting up an example of the Daily Devotion Journal in each message. Today, I want to show you my Daily Devotion Journal on these verses (James 1:22-25), but then I’m going to put the verses back up on the screen and ask you to take a minute to respond to God’s Word yourself, right where you’re at.
We just read these verses, so I’m going to put my Daily Devotion for you on these verses.
Here is my “Meditate” section on these verses.
The pray – is that slow down, get alone with God, stop everything, shut everything out, just get one-on-one with God.
Then look at the MEDITATE instructions. Just soak in the scriptures. Read it over, read it repeatedly. Check verses for context. And then paraphrase it in your own words. A lot of people have a hard time doing this, and it takes some practice. It’s a personal paraphrase.
I started in verse 19, and you can see where I have circled the word “change.” I write over it – change how you listen, speak, and respond. I encourage you to circle things that the Holy Spirit is beginning to bring out to you. Circle words or phrases that he is really pointing out.
Get rid of your sinful actions. Remember, this isn’t me applying the scripture; it’s rewriting it to myself. And receive – this word “receive” is really important to me. It means not here physiologically but receive into your heart – receive God’s Word for the power to save your soul. Again, I’m not applying or teaching it to myself; I’m rewriting the actual scripture. You can’t just listen but you must do what the Word says. And the word “do” is important to me, obviously, when I did this. Otherwise, you are a fool if you listen to God’s Word and don’t do what it says. I’m not teaching it; I’m rewriting the scripture, that’s what it says.
To listen and not hear and not obey is foolish. Behold (an important word for me which means to soak in, to gaze longingly at, to marinate) the perfect will of God and do what it says, then (a conditional clause – it means if you don’t, it won’t happen) God will bless you and transform you.
Now, moving on to my APPLY section. This is the application part of the Daily Devotion Journal. What is the Holy Spirit pointing out for this purpose at this time? Now, at other times I would read the same scripture and I would have a different application because the Holy Spirit is doing something different. But this is what I wrote here.
The power of God is in me in the person of the Holy Spirit. The trigger is obedience. And this obviously I was praying about this message and working on this message. And that’s so true. The power of the Holy Spirit is in you. The trigger is obedience. The trigger isn’t knowledge about Jesus, even knowledge about the Holy Spirit. The trigger is obedience that fires that power up.
It’s not knowing; it’s doing. I can know, I can talk, I can teach. I can stand behind a pulpit my whole life but if I don’t DO, I am worthless to God. Let that sink in. If you don’t know someone, you know someone who knows someone who knows a pastor who stood in a pulpit for years while they lived in sin and darkness. That pastor is worthless to God. And if I do the same thing, I’ll be worthless to God. Be afraid. If you handle the Word of God in any way, be afraid.
It’s not the talk; it’s the walk. Forget about the talk. Listen, guys. You don’t even need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ to teach the Bible. Look at the liberal Bible colleges. You can teach the Bible all day long; it’s not about the talk. It’s about the walk. How are you responding?
Here’s my RESPONSE section. “What specific action will you take in response to this scripture? Here’s what I wrote: The action I will take is to take action. To me, that’s my response to this scripture. Lord, I’m going to do it. I’m going to follow you with all that I have, with all my faculties, all my members; I’m going to serve you. I know when you speak, Lord. This is me personally saying, Lord, I know. I hear you when you speak. I will respond with action according to your Word. Not according to my flesh, not according to my understanding, and not according to my desire. But I will respond in action according to your clear Word. This is my commitment to God. I will do what you’re calling me to do. I will bring it to obedient, faithful action.
Now, it’s your turn. You don’t have to write it down. Just look at the scripture. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Look at the scripture and read through it slowly. Think about the words, and look for a word or a phrase to jump out at you in this scripture. Ask the Lord what is specifically important to me today in these verses? Is there something that is jumping out at you?
Now apply it to your life. Where does it fit in your life? You have to fight the Holy Spirit now to ignore this because the Holy Spirit will bring up in your mind where he wants to apply this. You’ll be like, “No, not there. Is there someplace else? No, not there. Any place else? I guess it doesn’t apply.”
Don’t do that. Allow the Holy Spirit to pierce you. Even at this moment, allow him to pierce you. Where does this apply? Where does this apply in your life? What would the Holy Spirit bring up in you where you would say, “Yeah, I got it?”
Now, how are you going to respond? What are you going to do? There’s something in those verses that the Holy Spirit will bring out. He will apply it specifically and personally to your life, and now you are on the precipice. Now – you respond. What are you going to do? What are you going to do with what the Holy Spirit is pointing out?
Now make a commitment to do it. Just say, “I will. I will, Lord. Give me your power. I’ll obey – you be my power to obey.”
If you get in the habit of doing that with the Lord, your life will be transformed. And it will be supernatural, and you’ll say, “Wow! Why did I wait so long to have a real relationship with the Lord?”
I would say that this is my number one desire for this church and the Word By Mail family. It’s to be used by God to teach people how to meet God in a personal and a relational way, how to meditate in his Word until it speaks to them, how to allow the Holy Spirit to apply his Word to a specific area in their life, and then how to access the power of the Holy Spirit to obey. That’s how a Christian’s life gets radically transformed.
And listen, the percentage of Christians who get to this point is low enough to cause every pastor I know to want to quit at one time or another. It’s not that high – Christians who are walking in this power, in this passion with the Lord.
As we’ve referred to before, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says,
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
18. . . And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Our transformation is progressive, As the Lord – Who is the Spirit – changes us more and more into His image.
But again, that transformation will never begin until we start responding to God’s Word.
We have a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally. We have a savior in Jesus Christ, who has paid the full penalty for all our sin and given us his righteousness. We have the same power that rose Jesus from the grave living inside us – in the person of the Holy Spirit. And the trigger that ignites all of this power of God inside of us is obedient – faithful – action.
The obedience, the response is the issue today. When God led the Children of Israel to the Red Sea, he didn’t part the Red Sea until they were all there and Moses placed his staff in the water. Then God worked.
At the Jordan River, when all of Israel was at the Jordan, it did not part until the feet of the priests were actually standing in the water.
And Peter did not walk on water until he faithfully got out of the boat.
The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is triggered by your obedient, faithful action. The very moment you obey him, he gives you the power to obey him.
What we are talking about is a daily lifestyle where you genuinely meet God – meditating on his Word, engaging God, interacting with him. Where you have “ears to hear” and apply what God is saying to you personally and specifically – where you begin responding in obedience within an always growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
You can DO this.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Jesus Christ has made the way for us to come boldly before the throne of our gracious God.
God has provided all we need. The only question is, will we choose to respond to him in obedient, faithful action?
This is our fourth message in our Alone With God series. It’s very instructional, almost like a classroom. It is so important what we are talking about; we have to do it in a classroom instructional method.
- We started with a message called “Get Alone With God,” which is the preface, the environment setting.
- Then we learned what it meant to “Meditating on God’s Word” (marinate in it) where we are engaging God through his Word.
- Then (last message), we looked at “Applying God’s Word” – having “ears to hear” what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, personally, in-line with his Word.
- In this message, we do something with that. Today we put our engaging God (in his Word and by his Spirit) into action.
We said last message that Applying God’s Word is the inward acknowledgment of what the Holy Spirit is specifically addressing in your life in-line with the correct meaning of the Word, through the scripture that you’re looking at.
Responding is about taking obedient – faithful – action on God’s truth.
F.W. Robertson – A great Preacher of the 1800’s said;
It is perilous to separate thinking rightly from acting rightly. He is already half false who speculates on truth and does not do it. Truth is given, not to be contemplated, but to be done.
God has given you his truth not to be contemplated, considered or mused… but to be done.
Maybe in our devotion time – maybe we’re just looking for that “Hallmark thought” to get us through the day. You know something that would go great on a Hallmark card – something from God’s Word to inspire us for the day. And don’t get me wrong, those quick, one-line encouragements are great for what they are. They’re just a shot in the arm reminder that God is with us and that he loves us.
But we need more than a Hallmark card in our relationship with the Lord. We’ve got to get alone with God purposefully meeting him in his Word and intentionally listening to the Holy Spirit for how he would have us apply his Word. We need to be ready for God to reveal to us what he is specifically doing in our lives. We need to have “ears to hear” what the Spirit of God is saying to us in and through his Word, and we need to bring all of that to a point of obedient, faithful action in our lives.
God speaks with a specific purpose, and God speaks at a specific time. And when God speaks according to his purpose and according to his time, there is always a response required.
1)Your ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, or lack thereof, is a direct RESULT of your RESPONSE to Him
2)Your relationship with Jesus will either INCREASE or DECREASE based on your response to Him
3)Where Jesus Christ is concerned, there is always a “Response Required.” (No response = no relationship)
And when I say response, I’m always talking about a response of obedient, faithful action.
So, I have this computer program that I can type a subject into, and it will recommend sections of Bible text that I can use to teach that subject. Not individual verses, but sections of scripture. I typed in “obedience to God’s Word,” and the program gave me 506 different sections of scripture I could use to teach “responding in obedience to God’s Word.” So – this is going to be a very, very long message.
I could easily read scripture to you all day showing you the requirement of a response when God speaks to you. But, let’s turn to one great example in Nehemiah Chapter 8. This is part of our Nehemiah series (message 13) with the message titled “Responding to God’s Word.”
In Nehemiah Chapter 8, a genuine revival is started by the people of Israel responding to God’s Word. The rebuilding of the wall is finished and Ezra brings out “The Book of the Law of Moses,” and he reads God’s Word to the people until noon. But then, what kicked off the revival is the same thing that has kicked off every revival in modern history. It is the correct and genuine response to God’s Holy Word that kicked off the revival in Nehemiah and every revival since.
And this correct and genuine response of the people is summarized in just one verse, Nehemiah 8:6. It comes in three steps, so we’ll read the entire verse then draw out the three steps.
After reading God’s Word (for hours) we read Nehemiah 8:6.
Nehemiah 8:6 (NLT)
6 Then Ezra (Scribe and Priest) praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
This is one of the best examples of responding to God’s Word in the Bible. (Let’s break it down.)
1st step – Nehemiah 8:6(a) (NLT)
6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” . . .
The word “amen” means Yes, Lord, I agree. May it be so, and may it be so in my life. This is the beginning of a correct response to God’s Word. Yes, Lord, I AGREE - May it be so, in my life.
2nd step – Nehemiah 8:6(b) (NLT)
. . . and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands . . .
This is a sign of surrender (as they lifted their hands). The lifting of hands (in scripture and in history) has always been a sign of surrender. I give up lord – I give up my ways - I surrender to you.
So, first, it’s I agree, Lord and may it be so in my life. And then it’s I surrender to you, Lord.
3rd step – Nehemiah 8:6(c) (NLT)
. . . Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Bowing down to the Lord, with your face to the ground, is an act of total submission to the will of God. It is the physical act of saying, I will bow to your will Lord- I will DO what you say.
That is the perfect picture of responding to God’s Word.
1) - I AGREE with you, Lord - and may it be so, in my life
2) - I SURRENDER to YOU, Lord
3) - I WILL BOW to your will Lord- I will DO what you say
And did you notice in Nehemiah 8:6 that the people’s response led to worship?
Romans 12:1 says – Give ALL that you are
All your faculties (mental, emotional, spiritual)
and all your members (your actions)
To God – as a living sacrifice (for his will and for his glory).
And the end of Romans 12:1 says – This is truly the way to worship him.
Responding to God in obedient, faithful action is ultimately the truest way to worship him. That famous verse in 1 Samuel 15:22 says,
1 Samuel 15:22 – (NLT)
22 . . . “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Sometimes our response is a PHYSICAL action
Sometimes our response is taking our THOUGHTS captive
Sometimes our response is RENEWING our heart and our mind to be aligned with God’s Word.
But there is one phrase that is always involved in correctly responding to God’s Word – obedient – faithful – action.
AGREEING with the Lord
SURRENDERING to the Lord
BOWING to his will and doing what he says.
Our key text today is James 1:22-25.
James 1:22–25 (NLT)
22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.
23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
Guys, our life with Jesus Christ is not a string of “Hallmark card sayings” meant to make us feel good while we go on doing whatever we want to do. Our life with Jesus Christ is meant to be a RADICAL transformation of all that we are.
A radical transformation of how we THINK
of how we SEE things
of how we ACT
of how we REACT.
In Christ, every area of our lives is meant to be transformed.
If you were born with a sin nature like I was, then everything about us must be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. And that will only begin when you begin responding in obedience within a growing relationship with the Lord.
So, let’s look at another completed example of the Daily Devotion Journal. But we are going to do something a little different today. If you haven’t been with us, we’ve been putting up an example of the Daily Devotion Journal in each message. Today, I want to show you my Daily Devotion Journal on these verses (James 1:22-25), but then I’m going to put the verses back up on the screen and ask you to take a minute to respond to God’s Word yourself, right where you’re at.
We just read these verses, so I’m going to put my Daily Devotion for you on these verses.
Here is my “Meditate” section on these verses.
The pray – is that slow down, get alone with God, stop everything, shut everything out, just get one-on-one with God.
Then look at the MEDITATE instructions. Just soak in the scriptures. Read it over, read it repeatedly. Check verses for context. And then paraphrase it in your own words. A lot of people have a hard time doing this, and it takes some practice. It’s a personal paraphrase.
I started in verse 19, and you can see where I have circled the word “change.” I write over it – change how you listen, speak, and respond. I encourage you to circle things that the Holy Spirit is beginning to bring out to you. Circle words or phrases that he is really pointing out.
Get rid of your sinful actions. Remember, this isn’t me applying the scripture; it’s rewriting it to myself. And receive – this word “receive” is really important to me. It means not here physiologically but receive into your heart – receive God’s Word for the power to save your soul. Again, I’m not applying or teaching it to myself; I’m rewriting the actual scripture. You can’t just listen but you must do what the Word says. And the word “do” is important to me, obviously, when I did this. Otherwise, you are a fool if you listen to God’s Word and don’t do what it says. I’m not teaching it; I’m rewriting the scripture, that’s what it says.
To listen and not hear and not obey is foolish. Behold (an important word for me which means to soak in, to gaze longingly at, to marinate) the perfect will of God and do what it says, then (a conditional clause – it means if you don’t, it won’t happen) God will bless you and transform you.
Now, moving on to my APPLY section. This is the application part of the Daily Devotion Journal. What is the Holy Spirit pointing out for this purpose at this time? Now, at other times I would read the same scripture and I would have a different application because the Holy Spirit is doing something different. But this is what I wrote here.
The power of God is in me in the person of the Holy Spirit. The trigger is obedience. And this obviously I was praying about this message and working on this message. And that’s so true. The power of the Holy Spirit is in you. The trigger is obedience. The trigger isn’t knowledge about Jesus, even knowledge about the Holy Spirit. The trigger is obedience that fires that power up.
It’s not knowing; it’s doing. I can know, I can talk, I can teach. I can stand behind a pulpit my whole life but if I don’t DO, I am worthless to God. Let that sink in. If you don’t know someone, you know someone who knows someone who knows a pastor who stood in a pulpit for years while they lived in sin and darkness. That pastor is worthless to God. And if I do the same thing, I’ll be worthless to God. Be afraid. If you handle the Word of God in any way, be afraid.
It’s not the talk; it’s the walk. Forget about the talk. Listen, guys. You don’t even need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ to teach the Bible. Look at the liberal Bible colleges. You can teach the Bible all day long; it’s not about the talk. It’s about the walk. How are you responding?
Here’s my RESPONSE section. “What specific action will you take in response to this scripture? Here’s what I wrote: The action I will take is to take action. To me, that’s my response to this scripture. Lord, I’m going to do it. I’m going to follow you with all that I have, with all my faculties, all my members; I’m going to serve you. I know when you speak, Lord. This is me personally saying, Lord, I know. I hear you when you speak. I will respond with action according to your Word. Not according to my flesh, not according to my understanding, and not according to my desire. But I will respond in action according to your clear Word. This is my commitment to God. I will do what you’re calling me to do. I will bring it to obedient, faithful action.
Now, it’s your turn. You don’t have to write it down. Just look at the scripture. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Look at the scripture and read through it slowly. Think about the words, and look for a word or a phrase to jump out at you in this scripture. Ask the Lord what is specifically important to me today in these verses? Is there something that is jumping out at you?
Now apply it to your life. Where does it fit in your life? You have to fight the Holy Spirit now to ignore this because the Holy Spirit will bring up in your mind where he wants to apply this. You’ll be like, “No, not there. Is there someplace else? No, not there. Any place else? I guess it doesn’t apply.”
Don’t do that. Allow the Holy Spirit to pierce you. Even at this moment, allow him to pierce you. Where does this apply? Where does this apply in your life? What would the Holy Spirit bring up in you where you would say, “Yeah, I got it?”
Now, how are you going to respond? What are you going to do? There’s something in those verses that the Holy Spirit will bring out. He will apply it specifically and personally to your life, and now you are on the precipice. Now – you respond. What are you going to do? What are you going to do with what the Holy Spirit is pointing out?
Now make a commitment to do it. Just say, “I will. I will, Lord. Give me your power. I’ll obey – you be my power to obey.”
If you get in the habit of doing that with the Lord, your life will be transformed. And it will be supernatural, and you’ll say, “Wow! Why did I wait so long to have a real relationship with the Lord?”
I would say that this is my number one desire for this church and the Word By Mail family. It’s to be used by God to teach people how to meet God in a personal and a relational way, how to meditate in his Word until it speaks to them, how to allow the Holy Spirit to apply his Word to a specific area in their life, and then how to access the power of the Holy Spirit to obey. That’s how a Christian’s life gets radically transformed.
And listen, the percentage of Christians who get to this point is low enough to cause every pastor I know to want to quit at one time or another. It’s not that high – Christians who are walking in this power, in this passion with the Lord.
As we’ve referred to before, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says,
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)
18. . . And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Our transformation is progressive, As the Lord – Who is the Spirit – changes us more and more into His image.
But again, that transformation will never begin until we start responding to God’s Word.
We have a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally. We have a savior in Jesus Christ, who has paid the full penalty for all our sin and given us his righteousness. We have the same power that rose Jesus from the grave living inside us – in the person of the Holy Spirit. And the trigger that ignites all of this power of God inside of us is obedient – faithful – action.
The obedience, the response is the issue today. When God led the Children of Israel to the Red Sea, he didn’t part the Red Sea until they were all there and Moses placed his staff in the water. Then God worked.
At the Jordan River, when all of Israel was at the Jordan, it did not part until the feet of the priests were actually standing in the water.
And Peter did not walk on water until he faithfully got out of the boat.
The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is triggered by your obedient, faithful action. The very moment you obey him, he gives you the power to obey him.
What we are talking about is a daily lifestyle where you genuinely meet God – meditating on his Word, engaging God, interacting with him. Where you have “ears to hear” and apply what God is saying to you personally and specifically – where you begin responding in obedience within an always growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
You can DO this.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Jesus Christ has made the way for us to come boldly before the throne of our gracious God.
God has provided all we need. The only question is, will we choose to respond to him in obedient, faithful action?