BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO
Everything that God does on the earth, He does it by His Word and Spirit. Everything God will do in your life cannot be outside these two. In Genesis 1, we see the two at work at creation. The Spirit of God first hovered upon the surface of the deep, and then, God released His Word: let there be light. And there was light. The Word and the Spirit work together.
Outside His Word, there is nothing God will accomplish in your life. Therefore, your attitude to the Word of God will determine what God will accomplish in your life. Hebrews 11:3 says, âBy faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visibleâ (NKJV). If your life is going to be properly framed, the Word of God and your attitude to it will play a key role.
How important is the Word of God to you? Does it mean anything to you? Do you consider it crucial to your living? When you hear the Word of God in church or being preached on radio or television, or youâre reading your Bible, what importance do you attach to it?
Your answer tells a lot about where you are in life today and the direction of your life. Your attitude to the Word of God also tells me a lot about your relationship with God. If you value God in your life, youâll value His Word. The writer of Psalm 119 says, âHow sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!â (NKJV). He says in verse 11, âYour word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against Youâ (verse 103 NKJV). Also in verse 148, the psalmist speaks of staying awake through the night, meditating on the Word of God. This shows high regard for the Word of God.
The prophet Jeremiah says, âYour words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hostsâ (Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV). He ate the Word and it became unto him the joy and rejoicing of his heart. That is what the Word of God does when you feed on it. The lives of some people are not what they should be today because of the wrong words theyâre hearing and meditating on. How important is the Word of God to you?
Job was another person that valued dearly the Word of God. He said in Job 23: 12b, âI have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary foodâ (NKJV). That was a good attitude to the Word of God, for the Bible says man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). You, probably, have eaten once or twice today, but have you eaten His Word? Youâre not supposed to be living on physical bread alone. You must esteem and enjoy the Word of God more than your daily food. How important is the Word of God to you?
If the Word of God is not important to you, youâll not know what God has spoken about how to live and His promises. Therefore, youâll not be able to obey Him and enjoy His promises. How can you receive miracles from the Almighty God for whom you have no regard for His Word? As regards resurrection, Jesus told the Sadducees in Matthew 22:29 that they didnât know the Scriptures or the power of God. You must know both. Know what God has spoken, believe it, and obey it.
There is power in the Word of God. Life outside the Word of God is a disaster. Jesus likened hearing His Word and not obeying it to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on the house, and it fell with a mighty crash (Matthew 7:26-27). Luke 6:47-49 also records this.
Donât receive the Word of God as if it is the preacherâs word. If you receive it as the Word of God and believe it, it will work effectively in you (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Value the Word of God as one who finds a great treasure (Psalm 119:162).
15 Reasons the Word of God should be important to you
Here are 15 reasons the Word of God should be important to you.
1. It is the power of God to salvation. The gospel of Christ or the Good News about Christ is the Word of God. Paul says he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (Romans 1:16). Nobody can be saved without receiving the Word of God either by hearing or reading it (Romans 10:14-15). The Word can save a sinner and make him a child of God.
If youâre not yet born again, come to Jesus now. Tell Jesus youâre a sinner, confess Him as your Lord and Saviour, hand over your life to Him, and invite Him into your heart.
2. It is your access to the life of God. The Word of God will give you life. It will revive you and refresh you. Philippians 2:16 calls the Word of God the word of life – hold tightly to the Word of life. Psalm 119:50 says, âThis is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me lifeâ (NKJV). The more of the Word of God you read, study, hear, and meditate on, the more the life of God you receive. Jesus is the Word of life manifested in the flesh (1John 1:1-2).
3. It is the nourishment for spiritual growth. 1 Peter 2:2 enjoins believers, as newborn babes, to desire the pure milk of the word that they may grow thereby. The Word of God, to Christians, is like milk for newborn babies. It is also solid food for mature believers (1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12-14). Without physical food, a human being wonât grow normally. Without the Word of God, a child of God canât grow spiritually. Christians who are not taking a balanced diet of the Word of God will suffer stunted growth spiritually.
4. It protects against sin. Psalm 119:11 says, âYour word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against Youâ (NKJV). The Word of God will keep you away from sin when you study it, meditate on it day and night, keep it in your heart, and allow it to control your thoughts and actions. Exposing your mind to the Word of God regularly brings about a renewing of your mind, leading to your transformation. Thus, you will not conform to this sinful world (Romans 12:2). The Word of God is the antidote to sin.
5. It is a cleansing agent. Ephesians 5:26 says Jesus sanctified and cleansed the church with the washing of water by the word. The Word of God has the power to clean up your life no matter how dirty your life is. As youâre exposed to the truth of the Word of God regularly, youâre being cleansed. The mirror of the Word of God allows you to see what is wrong in your life and empowers you to make amends (James 1:23-25).
6. It gives direction in life. Psalm 119:105 says, âYour word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my pathâ (NKJV). The Word of God will illuminate your path and give you direction in life. The writer of Psalm 119 pleads in verse 133, âDirect my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over meâ (NKJV). With the Word of God, you canât be in darkness. His Word brings light.
7. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The more of the Word of God you hear, the more the faith you access. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith, there is very little you can accomplish as a child of God. Donât despise the Word of God.
8. The word of God gives genuine hope. Hope based on the words of a human being may not be fulfilled. But the Word of God gives you hope that is attainable because the author, God, has no limitation. He has the power, the credibility, the integrity, and the resources to do what He has promised. Therefore, your hope in Him is not misplaced. Psalm 119:81 says, âMy soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your wordâ (NKJV). Verse 114 says, âYou are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your wordâ (NKJV). Let your hope be in the Word of God, not in mere human philosophy which has no guarantee of fulfillment.
9. It is the key to good success. Regular meditation on the Word of God, and consistent confession day and night, plus obedience, will give you good success in life (Joshua 1:8). You canât fail when you do this. You may get success through other means, but good success comes through the Word of God.
10. The Word of God has the power to heal and deliver. There is healing and deliverance in the Word of God. âHe sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructionsâ (Psalm 107:20 NKJV). Do you need healing or deliverance? Get the Word of God that promises you this and begin to confess it regularly, and your healing or deliverance will soon manifest. But make sure you donât give up if it looks as if nothing is happening. Live by faith, not by what you see (2 Corinthians 5:7).
11. It has creative power. When you put the Word of God in your mouth, and you keep confessing it, the Word creates for you what you are speaking. In Genesis 1, the word of God created everything that God made. Hebrews 11:3 says by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God. John 1:3 reiterates that everything created in the beginning was by the Word of God.
With the Word of God in your mouth, you can frame your world to become what you want according to Godâs plan for your life. Stop speaking negative words. Stop evil speaking â words that God has not spoken â and you will see great changes in your life.
12. It gives victory. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17 says you should take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. By the Word, youâll overcome every enemy and opposition. Donât joke with the Word; donât play with the weapon that will guarantee your victory. Revelation 12:11a says the believers overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Confess the Word.
13. It is a âmore sure word of prophecy.â 2 Peter 1:19 calls the Word of God a more sure word of prophecy (KJV). Holy men spoke as the Holy Ghost moved them. The words they spoke, written down in the Bible, have been fulfilled. The ones yet to be fulfilled shall be. None of the words of God shall go unfulfilled (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). It shall come to pass. Donât trivialize the Word of God.
14. Godâs promises are in His Word. The Bible contains many of Godâs promises to His children. You need to study it and appropriate the promises to your life. God cannot lie; He will do as He has promised (Number 23:19; Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2). Romans 9:9 refers to Godâs promise to Sarah: âFor this is the word of promise: âAt this time I will come and Sarah shall have a sonââ (NKJV). The LORD fulfilled His promise to Sarah. She conceived and gave birth to Isaac (Genesis 21:1-3). He will fulfil His promise in your life if you believe Him.
15. The Word of God is the means of reconciling the world to God. The Word of God that believers preach is the Word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19). The only means by which the world can be reconciled to God is by preaching the Word of God to sinners. It is the Word of reconciliation. It is through the ministry of reconciliation that Jesus has committed into the hands of believers that sinners are saved. If youâre born again, your ministry is to see that others are saved too. What are you doing about this?
Conclusion: God expects you to cultivate a positive attitude to His Word. Reverence Godâs Word. Listen to it, study it, meditate on it, confess it, and, above all, obey it. Donât despise or disrespect His Word. Be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer or reader alone, deluding yourself. The blessing is to the doer and not the hearer or reader (James 1:25). If youâre willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life â your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
