How can we take God’s Word for it? With people, that is simple. With God, we have some difficulties. The following implementations should help you to really take God’s Word for it.
If a human being tells us something, we hear it and we take this person’s word for it, because we trust that he or she tells the truth. However, this sounds quite simple. If I write now, that this works the same with God, I will hear many buts and ifs. These buts and ifs are a consequence of our understanding of God’s Word, the Bible, and how He talks to us. First of all the authority of the Bible serves as a basis. As I already said, the Bible is God’s Word. Unfortunately, many parts from the Bible are, figuratively spoken, cancelled from many pulpits. If one would print this „revised version“, the outcome would be a thin little book. Fact is that the whole Bible (without apogryphs) is a writing inspired by God.
„All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly equipped for all good works (2 Tim 3:16-17).“
The Bible is all we need, so that we can be perfect as a child of God. If we „delete“ scriptures from the Bible, we rob ourselves. There are mainly two methods of „deleting“ or „making invalid“ Bible scriptures:
- tradition
Traditions can either be passed on over generations or simply creep in into the life. The Bible warns us of traditions: „Thus have ye made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition (Mt 15:6).“ - intellectual judgement
That is when we judge things after our level of knowledge, be it school knowledge or knowledge from experience. However, the Bible is no scientific book but must be judged spiritually: „These things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual (1 Kor 2:13).“
A very important prerequisite to take God’s Word for it is that we grant the Bible the authority of the writing that is inspired by God in the whole scope. Not traditions nor experiences curtail the scope of the Bible or cloud the understanding of the Bible. God should be able to speak to us unfiltered.
Consequently here is the first way how God can speak to us. It is the Bible. The Bible is not simple a history, law, or textbook. It is a book, that can give us information. However, it is also a book, through which God can give us revelations. It is a piece of information, that Jesus was on this earth 2’000 years ago, did good things, died at the cross and rose. Somebody may read these information in the Bible and suddenly may recognize that this Jesus went on the cross for his/her sins. Information became revelation (it dawned or the I see effect). The information in the Bible will always remain the same, but revelations can emerge from the Bible your whole life. Therefore, it is important to read in the Bible, on a regular and frequent basis.
With the study of the Bible, we get to know God better. We learn to know His will and His character. We learn to better understand through it how God can speak to us. We must be capable to recognize God’s voice in every situation, because we do not always have the Bible with us or not in every situation we have the possibility to take a Time Out and find out the right scripture. Therefore, Joshua got the following command:
„This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein. For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Jos 1:8).“
Do you take this scripture as piece of information and assume it that Joshua was so successful because of the compliance of this commandment? Or do you claim this scripture for yourself and live after it because it turned into a revelation and you want to live after it. However you looks at this scripture, God wants to see what He has spoken to Joshua, in your life, too. There are so many scriptures in the Bible, that we can simply look at as a piece of information or really take God’s Word for it and apply it in our life.
The Bible is of full promises or prophecies. Many prophecies are already fulfilled, some are about to be fulfilled and some more still wait to be fulfilled. We can call on promises, but necessarily doesn’t have to. It is up to us what we do with them. Which reasoning do we admit? Are the promises only for the person, to whom it was directed? Before God, all people are the same, therefore we can call on every promise personally. This happens with simplicity, if we completely trust God and His word, the Bible. Maybe you still hear the echo of the question in the garden Eden: „Did God really say?“ Does not the devil try to question God’s statements still? Adam and Eva had not given any verbal answer to this question. Only Jesus answered the question when He has been tried by the devil. Three times, the devil tried Him. Three times, Jesus answered: „IT IS WRITTEN!“ Jesus didn’t discuss with the devil but stood on the Word of God and made clear what is right. The devil had to capitulate after three attempts. God’s Word is a mighty weapon against the devil. Therefore, the devil tries to take away the strength from God’s Word, in that he waters down the Bible, withholds it from the human being (as it was in the Middle ages) or lets question parts of the Bible.
If Jesus already had to stand on the Word quite clearly, how much more we. If we take God’s Word for it, we can put the devil to flight in our own lives and can do big things for God. Peter needed the invitation of Jesus in order to go out from the boat and go on the water. We too are asked to go out pictorially from the boat again and again, to go on God’s Word and to meet Jesus. I wish you many exciting experiences with God’s Word and if you like, you can tell me about your experiences.