I believe one of the reasons why so many Christians struggle with the issue of studying the Word of God and putting it to work in their lives is their ignorance of its absolute importance. In this generation, we have access to the Word like no other generation had before us. As a matter of fact, you can literally have the Bible, which is God’s Word expressed in writing absolutely free. More so, it has been made available in forms that make it possible for you to carry the Word of God wherever you go. But it seems that many Christians don’t consider the Word as a necessity, let alone something they can’t do without. However, God gives us several reasons why His Word should not be ignored. Let’s examine some of those reasons and help you see why you shouldn’t ignore the Word of God.
You see, the reason why too many Christians ignore the Word of God is their ignorance of what it actually is to them. The Word is not some book we are commanded or required to read. As wonderful as the stories we read in the Word are, the purpose for them is not entertainment or just so we can have a record of God’s deeds and dealings with men who came before us. The main reason why we are given the Word of God is so that it can impart and sustain the Life of God in us. The Word of God is Your Life. It is My Life. Now don’t just move on, let that soak. Take a few minutes and meditate on this.
The Word of God is MY life!
What difference it will make for those who understand this fact about God’s word. Many times, people quote Jesus telling His disciples that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life but somehow, their actions and attitudes towards the Word proves that they either do not understand or do not believe what they read. Now there is something remarkable the prophet Moses said to the Children of Israel about the Word.
Deuteronomy 32:46-47
And He said to them, set your hearts to all the words which I testify among you this day, which you shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law. For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life…
KJV
How mistaken and dangerous it is for us to have any thought towards God’s Word short of this first reverberating truth. Listen, the fact that God’s Word is our life is one of the foundational pillars of the existence of everyone who is born of God. If that pillar is shaken, your whole personality and existence will be out of course. Alternatively, the degree to which this foundational pillar of Truth is in place is the degree to which you experience the life of God. Never let the devil manipulate you into relegating God’s Word to church services or special moments only. You need the Word as a daily supply for the sustenance of your life which is spiritual even more than you need food for the sustenance of the body. That’s the reason why our Lord Jesus said…
Matthew 4:4
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God.
KJV
Notice He did not say that man may not live by bread alone but man shall not live… That statement is a matter of fact. Everyone who only eats natural food and never feeds on the Word of God is dead spiritually. He or she is only existing. The Word of God is not something we relate with religiously. It is food for our spirits and sustenance of the Life that springs from the Word. Those who will live the Life of God and express His nature on earth must be people who understand the importance of God’s Word to them.
Transformation by the Word
Now we live in this tabernacle called body but we are spirit beings. People do not see our spirits but they can see the life and nature of God at work in us as we continue steadfastly in the Word. One thing that happens to every believer who gives himself or herself to the word is a genuine transformation of that person’s soul and even the body. The Power of God resident in our recreated human spirits is able to permeate the soul and make an impact on our bodies, revealing the glory of God that resides in us.
Remember our bodies are not just the tabernacle of our Spirits but also of God who lives and abides in us. Now God’s Word is the Mirror that shows you what manner of Spirit you are and as you continue to look at the Word, that perfect image of your spirit man, by the power of the Holy Ghost begins to superimpose the likeness and power of God on the soul and body.
2 Corr 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
KJV
What image are we transformed into? The image of Christ. Our human spirits are born after his very image and likeness as was the case with the first man Adam, only this is far more glorious. Remember the Glory we are to behold as mentioned in the passage above is actually in us. The book of Romans chapter 8 makes this clear…
Romans 8:18
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
KJV
Then again in Colossians 1:27, we are told,
To whom God would make known the what is the riches of the glory of this mystery amongst the gentiles which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
KJV
You can be a Christian who has no true relationship with God’s word and as a result not be able to see that glory which is resident in you, manifest to the praise of God.
James 1:23
For if any be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass, for he beholds himself and goes his way, and straightway, forgets what manner of man he was.
KJV
This is why a believer may frequently be confused about his or her identity. Those who regard the word of God as an option in their lives seldom put it to practice even when they hear because they don’t take it to heart. You need to consistently have your gaze and focus on the word in order to act on it and see the glory of God manifest through you.
Never neglect the word of God. If you find it hard to go for a few hours without eating, it should be even more difficult to go for a day without meditating on the Word. Those who do not know God or are spiritually dead may regard His Word as a vain thing. That is because the Word of God is spiritual and only the spiritual can make meaning of it. However, it is not a vain thing for you. It is your Life. Without the Word, you do not have Life and whenever you are out of touch with the Word of God, you are out of touch with Life. Focus on God’s word daily. Give attention to the word and see what a wonder it transforms you into.
