SERIES: SOMETHING OF
SIGNIFICANCE
Today’s Subject: THE POWER OF WORDS!
WORD in Hebrew, which the Old Testament was written in, means: To Construct!
Scripture: John 1: 1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made, without him nothing was made that has been made!
Words are life giving forces. Jesus said in John 6:63 …” The Words I speak to you they are Spirit and Life.”
This is so powerful because Jesus was letting us know when he said his words were spirit that the breath or wind of God was resident in what he said. He always spoke the end result or what He desired to happen. The Greek word for spirit is pneuma or air, wind or breath. As we know, when the wind blows you cannot see the wind but you sure can see its effects!
If we follow Jesus example when we speak, we can be part of changes being made in our lives and our sphere of influence.
It is important to take note that Jesus in that same Scripture said: The words I speak ARE Life.
The meaning of Life in Greek is: Possessor of Vitality; Active and Vigorous
Consequently, Jesus was saying the Words He spoke carried vital life. They transported and impacted situations with the life-force that was in them.
For instance, if the weather needed changing, he spoke what he wanted to see happen. He told the wind: “Peace, be still.”
Again, words are especially important because we can construct, build and establish our lives through what we speak.
This is extremely exciting because Jesus, who now lives in us and whom we are joint heirs with, gave us the example of how to build our lives in accordance with the Word of God.
Realizing how important what we say is, as well as what others say, can bring the abundant life Jesus paid for us to have or words can cause less than desired results to happen.
Would you like for God to marvel and be amazed at your words?
Let us look at the following story to understand how important words can be to us and others we desire to help.
Matt 8:5-13. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help. “Lord, he said, my servant lies at home paralyzed suffering terribly.”
Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
The Centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof but just SAY HE WORD, and my servant will be healed. For I am myself a man under authority with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go’ and he goes and that one ‘Come’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.”
I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside in to the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
THEN, Jesus said to the Centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you have believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very moment.
Some powerful things to glean and apply to our lives concerning faith-filled words from this story are:
The Centurion honored and worshipped Jesus by acknowledging Him as Lord.
He humbled himself when Jesus asked if he wanted him to go to where his servant was to heal him. He did not come with a sense of entitlement because he had position.
He gave glory to God by letting Jesus know he acknowledged the power in his words to change things when He spoke!
He understood that Jesus’ words were servants that did exactly what Jesus told them to do just as his servants did exactly what he told them to do!
Jesus marveled and was amazed and said that He had not found that kind of faith or understanding in Israel….in other words, he was looking for someone who had faith in the SPOKEN WORD!
Jesus said many of the people he had ordained to receive kingdom blessings would not, because they did not understand the power of who he was, and the power Words carry to change lives and circumstances.
Jesus said to the Centurion: Go! It will be done for you just as you have believed……
What did he believe? He believed Jesus’ words had the power to heal his servant and he said so! It came to pass just as he told Jesus it would!
His belief and spoken affirmation was a servant for healing!
Jesus acknowledged that Words were Servants and now we will see what Jesus says about Words also being Seeds!
Jesus said in Luke 8:11 “The seed is the Word of God…”
I was recently studying about acorns which are seeds from the Oak tree of which worldwide there are about 400 different species.
The oak tree begins bearing seeds around October and they have very hard shells that when planted will, in about a week or so, begin to open up and sprout pushing their way through the soil to become large trees.
Interesting though, a large portion of these acorns get eaten by squirrels and various bugs before they can get planted to become a tree.
Did you know that God refers to people as “Oaks of Righteousness?”
Isaiah 61:3 says, “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting for the Lord for the display of His splendor.”
The Bible often speaks of natural things like seeds and trees in relation to our lives. God wants us to become strong, vibrant word filled people to display and release his glory, but circumstances often try to circumvent that just like the “critters” that get to the acorn before it can be rooted and planted. However, as the Bible says, with our faith, our believing and words released through knowledge of what Jesus did for us, we can become strong and vibrant and all He created us to be.
It is extremely interesting that when Jesus spoke in the temple in Luke 4:18, it says He found the place where it was written and spoke what was written about himself and then sat down. He said, “Today these Words have been fulfilled in your hearing, he was fulfilling what had been spoken about Him 100’s of years prior.
Did you know it is important for us to find the places where it is written about us and decree the Word concerning our lives? Do you need healing? Find the place where it is written: “By His stripes I am healed.” Claim it as yours and water it frequently with praise and thanksgiving.
Do you need peace or salvation for family members? Find where the promise is of the gift of peace that Jesus said I leave with you and also the promise that says: You and your household shall be saved!
These are about you and so many more and as I have heard, 7,000
promises to be claimed as our own that cover every area of life.
Let us look at the significance for us today of the proclaimed Words in Isaiah 61:
He said the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me BECAUSE the Lord has anointed me to bring GOOD NEWS to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted [This means those that are weighed down with the pressures of life.], to PROCLAIM [proclaim means to acclaim or praise enthusiastically] liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound [This means physically and emotionally.]; to PROCLAIM the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified!
So much of what we are seeing and hearing today around the world is symbolic of what Jesus said He would be coming to fix! As listed above, He came to set people free so they would be trees of Righteousness!
Our part is to use our Words to agree with God’s Word and just like the acorn has the potential within it to become a large tree, it must be planted to keep the “bugs” away. We do the same by planting our Words of faith knowing that God said, He had put potential in the Word of God that we speak or plant to bring a 30, 60 100-fold multiplication. These are blessings He paid for us to experience but we must do the planting!
In Mark 4:15, Jesus said the seed that had been planted in people was of such great importance that Satan came immediately to steal the word that had been sown. This is symbolic of the “bugs” that steal the life from the seed before it becomes a tree!
However, God’s Word, as mentioned above sown in a tilled heart, one which recognizes the power of Words, keeps it by faith from being stolen and great results are experienced! That is exciting for not only us but the Holy Spirit. The Word says, “Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32
FINAL SIGNIFICANT POINTS TO THINK ABOUT:
God’s Word, according to Hebrews 4:12, is ALIVE, POWERFUL and ACTIVE!
When we find the Word that pertains to a need or circumstance we want to experience change in, we apply it by speaking it. By doing so, we are using our words to build and construct needed changes or improvements and we are also releasing these Words to be our servants just like Jesus did!
In Matthew 4, when Jesus was confronted with a variety of opportunities and decisions, He said: “IT IS WRITTEN” and quoted God’s Word.
…In the Beginning was the Word and as John 1 says, “Nothing that was made was made without the Word.” Give the Word first place, keep planting it, watering it with praise and thanksgiving and in due season, get ready for great things will happen!
No comments:
Post a Comment