YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORD OF GOD
Text: Isaiah 55:6-11
A Sermon of Encouragement About the Power of the Word of God in One’s Life
Additional Scriptures: Hebrews 4:12; James 4:8-10; Jeremiah 29:11
Isaiah 55:6-11 (AKJV):
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found,call ye upon him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way,and the unrighteous man his thoughts:and let him return unto the Lord,and he will have mercy upon him;and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways,and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Your Relationship with the Word of God can determine the direction of your entire life. How you allow the Word of God to take hold of you can mean the difference between winning or losing; between living a victorious life or a defeated life; or ultimately between life or death itself. In fact, many of the problems believers face is because they have not allowed the Word of God to soak in enough to bring forth faith-filled fruit.
Hebrews 4:12 says, 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The opportunity to seek God’s guidance and direction presents itself daily. Take advantage of those opportunities. Make full use of Your Relationship with the Word of God.
There are three ways a person sins: thoughts, words, and actions. I believe if you make an active decision to put away sinful thoughts, words, and activities, God will honor your willingness to be closer to Him, and He will in turn draw closer to you. James 4:8-10 says, 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
My assignment today is not to turn you into a sad group of individuals. Instead, it is to help you to understand the predicament that sin has gotten us all into. Sin is known as the relationship breaker. So if sin can just grab hold of your life, it will eventually cause you to sever any ties with what you thought you had in Your Relationship with the Word of God.
Too many times in the world we live in, we see people who claim to be Christians, yet their lives tell a completely different story. Now I’m not here to pass judgement on anyone, but I will say that I expect an apple tree to produce apples, a pear tree to produce pears, a fig tree to produce figs, a grapevine to produce grapes, and a sin tree to produce sin!
If you allow Your Relationship with the Word of God to be one where you determine to always receive the proper amounts of nourishing elements (because you have taken the time to seek Him), you will experience spiritual growth unlike anything you have ever seen before
One might ask, “What does it mean to seek the Lord?” In short, seeking the Lord involves three things (in no particular order):
– Research the scriptures as a student eager to learn the deep lessons contained within God’s Word.
– Pray for understanding, clarity, and purpose in your research.
– Get rid of any and all external distractions so that you can hear, see, and know God’s direction for your life.
God encourages us in Jeremiah 29:11 with this: “11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
The reason a lot of people are living defeated lives is because at some point in life they have surrendered to the enemy.
God knows and understands:
-you are in pain
-you have been met with some unprecedented circumstances
-telephone disconnected
-waiting on your next paycheck
Tell ya what you oughta do:
-try Jesus
-Submit to God
-resist the devil
Things I will Stop or NOT Start:
– Saying certain things (Words have power) – in fact, Proverbs 18:21 King James Version (KJV) says,
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
– Coveting other people’s stuff
- Successes…making statements like “wish I was that successful, but nobody gives me a chance…”
- Talents…making statements like”wish I could do a,b,c…I don’t have any gifts or talents”
- Possessions…making statements like “wish I had one of those a,b,c…I never get anything good”
– Soapboxing over every new clever saying related to holiness and righteousness.
***Don’t just give me a bunch of commercial announcements about it, but show it to me by living the example in front of me.
***What you allow will be allowed…so don’t get mad if your life starts to tell on you at inopportune times…
You may not think your little acts, or your small omissions matter, but Galatians 5:9 (NKJV) says “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
Things I will Start or Restart:
– Focused, consistent, targeted prayer
– Declarations
– Speaking into the lives of those who matter to me most
– Go on a diet / change my diet (turning away from harmful content)
- Eye Gate
- Ear Gate
- Temple Gate
*** I used to be able to eat all kinds of foods with no problems but, since I’ve become a little older and wiser, I have come to understand and KNOW that all foods don’t agree with me…That will preach all by itself as it relates to our spiritual diet.
*****We can do all these things in the strength of The Lord.
Be encouraged by Philippians 4:10-13 (AKJV):
10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
God’s Word is a seed that yields the fruit of faith. Make a commitment to growing closer to God, and be encouraged today as you declare that you WILL make YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORD OF GOD a good one!
God bless you today, and every day!
Author, speaker, musician DEREK E. EURALES, Jr., loves to share his faith, motivation, and music. His book, Principles of Christian Living, has become a “must read” for believers of all ages. To order your copy, click here.