Believe #3: The Word of God Has Power!

For the word of God is living and powerful... (Heb 4:23, NKJV)

I'm a sports fanatic and will watch nearly any sporting event that comes on television. Ever so often I will be watching a game and I'll see one of the athletes talking to themselves. Sometimes they will be doing it before a big game to hype themselves up; some will do it when they've made a mistake; some will do it at a crucial moment of a game, knowing that the immediate future depends on what they do next. One athlete, when asked, said it was simply a way to encourage himself in a pivotal moment. And now I wonder, how many of us do this with the word of God?

These athletes I see are encouraging themselves with different mantras and slogans, finding supposed strength and encouragement, in their moments of need but all they are really doing is quoting powerless words. But we as Christians have a word that we can quote to ourselves in our moments of need, despair, fear, temptation, depression, anxiety, etc., etc., etc. that contains the power of God himself. Jesus, when he was being tempted in the wilderness, responded to every temptation with the word of God. And what was the end result of that? Then the devil left him and behold, angels came and ministered to him. (Matt 4:11 NKJV)

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the most perfect example we have on how to live a life walking with God, used the word of God to defeat Satan when Satan was attacking him and it's something we need to incorporate into our lives also. It is time for us to start quoting the word of God, not only in church, or in Bible studies; not only when we are around "church folk" and not only in times of blessing. We need to start quoting the word of God to ourselves when it's most needed.

When you're outside the bar, trying to fight the temptation to enter and drink, quote the Word then. When the desire for that drug that used to make you feel so good pops up, quote the Word then. When you see the person who keeps throwing the sexual advances your way that have you considering breaking your marriage vows, quote the Word then. When you feel like there's nothing worth living for, and your sadness, depression, or loneliness has you thinking about suicide, at that very moment quote the Word. You know why? Because it has power and is able to deliver you from whatever you are faced with at any given moment.

The words in the Bible, that I submit we need to be quoting to ourselves as often as possible, come from the same God who spoke, with words, the world and everything in it into existence. They possess the same power today that they did in Genesis 1:1. Our God gave us his Word as a guide, as a source of strength and hope. He gave us his Word four our daily living, so that we might make it through every day until he calls us home. So, the next time temptation, sin, or anything else threatens to destroy us, speak the Word of God to it and stand firm knowing that the Word you spoke is more powerful that the thing that is threatening you. Today let's make a habit of using the Word of God to combat whatever comes against us. We have the power to do si, we just have to use it.

Prayer for the Day: Almighty Creator, your Word has been in the world from the beginning. Help us to use your word in the way Jesus did to counter the temptations an trials that he encountered on earth. Fill us with the strength of your Word and bless us always. Amen.