Starting the new year of blessing, Manmin Central Church is filled with fervor for the Word of God. It is because the church members desire to reach New Jerusalem by achieving a sanctified heart that pleases God and being faithful in all aspects. We can be led to prosperous ways to the extent that we become more sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:5) and that we know more of the truth and live more in it (Joshua 1:7-9). If we understand the specific ways to arm ourselves with the Word and follow it, we can become spiritual warriors, extend the kingdom of God, and bear abundant fruit both in spirit and body.
Step 1 Listen to, Read, Memorize the Word of God Diligently, and Engrave It Deep in Your Heart
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 reads, "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
The Passage above comes from the love of God who wants to protect and bless His children. We can be under His protection by watching and engraving His Word in our heart and keeping His commands. Thus, God's children ought to have His Word nearby all the time and engrave it in the heart (Proverbs 3:3).
A common attribute among men is a changing heart. To the extent that they have more fleshly attributes, it is frequent for them to forget what they were told to do and keep to their first decision. Thus, they should pay much attention to what they have heard as written in Hebrews 2:1. Someone may say, "I am too old or I have too bad a memory to memorize the Word and put it in heart." But it is just an excuse.
If you memorize verses of the Bible, it could be gone after a short while. But if you put them in your heart, you can remember the message the verses deliver to you, even if you cannot remember where they are in the Bible. It is just like we habitually eat three meals a day, sleep, and breathe although we don't consciously try to remind ourselves of them. That is, if we store the Word in our heart and try to act in it, we never forget it.
Therefore, engraving the Word in heart means that we obey the Word in deeds, make it bread of life, and cultivate it into spirit. It doesn't mean storing the Word as knowledge, but it is to put the Word in heart and cultivate in into spirit. Then, you will not forget it even after time passes, and moreover the Holy Spirit will remind you of the Word when necessary.
Step 2 Meditate on the Word Every Day, and Pray Fervently with the Word
When you love someone, you may think of and miss him or her all the time. In the same manner, if you love the Word of God, you will meditate on it all day (Psalm 119:97; 148). However, it is not one's willpower and efforts that enable him or her to meditate on and keep the Word.
We need to receive God's grace and strength and the Holy Spirit's help through fervent prayer. Only then can we cast away sins and practice the Word. That is why 1 Timothy 4:5 says, "For it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer."
God told the Israelites not to eat any of a lamb raw or boiled at all with water, but rather to roast it with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails (Exodus 12:8-9). A lamb signifies Jesus who was the Word, became flesh, and came to the earth. He is the truth itself.
The Passage means that we should not interpret the 66 books of the Bible literally, nor mix them with any other knowledge. We should receive the Word only through fervent prayer and in the Holy Spirit's inspiration and make them life. It is as said in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Step 3 Cultivate Heart into Spirit by Practicing the Word
Romans 2:13 says, "For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified." As said, it is important to put the Word into practice, not just to listen to it. Through the works our faith can be perfected and we can reach perfect salvation.
Jesus said in John 6:53, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves." Eating the flesh of the Son of Man refers to making the 66 books of the Bible bread of life in our hearts, and when we practice the Word in faith, it is to drink the blood of the Son of Man. When we realize the truth and practice it, the blood of the Lord will cleanse us from all sins and we can recover the image of God.
When we practice the Word of God, our untruthful heart stained with sins change into truthful heart. If we meditate on the Word all the time and try to practice the truth, the Holy Spirit will let us hear His voice through good parts of our heart. He teaches us the truth and reminds us of all things that belong to the truth (John 14:26).
For example, when you are insulted and persecuted unjustly because of the name of the Lord, He will remind you of Matthew 5:11-12, saying, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." If you have the Word in your heart as bread of life, you can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit who advises you to rejoice and give thanks. When you obey it with faith, you can pass the test easily and give glory to God.
Those who have the Word of God as bread of life in heart can be guided by the Holy Spirit. By obeying His voice, they do not commit sins. To the extent that they arm themselves with the Word spiritually, they can defeat Satan and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit clearly and receive His guidance. Thus, they can be guided to ways of prosperity all the time.
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