SEVERAL YEARS AGO, a radio preacher said he didn’t feel the need to be in God’s Word every day. He figured that after years of studying the Bible, he could go a week or more without reading it.
I don’t think he realized what he was missing by not partaking of God’s Word daily. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 (NKJV), “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
The Message paraphrase puts it this way: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”
Jesus spoke these words when He was being tempted by the devil. He didn’t pray, prophesy, or try to cast the devil out. He simply spoke God’s Word three times.
The devil has no answer for the Word of God. That’s why feeding on that Word every day is the key to living a victorious life. Some people turn to God’s Word only when there’s a crisis, but we need to feed on His Word all the time—in good times and bad. When we stay full of the Word during peaceful seasons, we’ll be ready when trouble comes.
Just as we can’t live without air, we can’t live in victory without the Word.
THE WORD OF GOD NEVER CHANGES
We can depend on God’s Word. His Word is unchanging truth. Matthew 5:18 (MSG) says, “God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.”
When we base our lives on the Word of God, we come through trials victoriously. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we’ll have trouble in this world, but that we have overcome the world through Him.
God’s Word is a rock for us to build our lives on. It’s a firm foundation. (See Psalm 40:2.) Some people build their lives on experiences—a word of prophecy or a dramatic event. We thank God for experiences, but they aren’t a foundation.
People who rely on experiences often live on an emotional rollercoaster. One day they’re up—the next day they’re down. But those who stand on the rock of God’s Word can withstand anything. Yes, we will face problems. But when we stand on the Word and speak it, we can’t be defeated.
GOD’S WORD BRINGS LIFE
Proverbs 4:20–22 (NLT) says, “My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.”
The Word is as essential to our spiritual lives as oxygen is to our physical lives. Just as we can’t live without air, we can’t live in victory without the Word. You can survive for a little while without food, but eventually your body will grow weak and die. Spiritually, it’s the same. You may last for a little while without the Word, but not very long. Our spiritual man is designed to live by the Word of God. Jesus said we can’t live by bread alone.
I’ve watched people try to live the Christian life without the Word, but it doesn’t work. When we read, study, and meditate on God’s Word, it gets inside us. When a sponge full of water is squeezed, what’s inside comes out. When pressure comes—when something unexpected happens—the Word should come out of us. Not fear or panic, but God’s truth. Out of us should come, “I’m more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus.” “I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony.”
We hear people talk a lot about the Word. But talking about it and reading it isn’t enough. We have to practice it—we have to live it. We can talk about vitamins all day, but if we don’t take them, they don’t help us. It’s the same with the Word of God. It must be taken in and acted on. Our spiritual man cannot survive without it.
GOD’S WORD PRODUCES RESULTS
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The Word is full of power. And when we know the Word, we become full of power. God’s Word contains enough power to produce what He promises those who believe—salvation, healing, deliverance, provision, protection, and whatever else we need.
During one windstorm, I was concerned about the trees in our yard. We’d already lost several in past seasons. So my wife and I declared, “According to the Word, we will not lose any of our trees.”
After the storm, all we found on the ground were a few little dead branches. Meanwhile, our neighbor’s tree, just 20 or 30 yards away, was down, and limbs were everywhere. Someone might say that’s just coincidence, but I believe the Word. It says we can speak protection over our lives.
People don’t always realize what they hold in their hands when they pick up a Bible. It’s comfort for the hurting . . . freedom for the captive. . . love for the rejected . . . medicine for the sick . . . salvation for the lost . . . life from Heaven . . . peace in the storm . . . a refuge in trouble . . . the key to Heaven’s resources . . . strength for the weary . . . victory over Satan.
GOD’S WORD IS OUR FOUNDATION
God told Joshua how to be successful. He said, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8 NKJV).
That was under the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant, we still must study the Word. Jesus told us, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7 NKJV).
God expects His Word to be a part of our daily lives. He didn’t tell us to spend all day in the Word, but we do need to read it and think about it often. Even when we’re doing other things, we can keep our minds on His words.
When we believe God’s Word, speak His Word, and act on His Word, we’ll see its power working in our lives. The Word of God is our solution in every situation. So walk in it, talk it, and live it, and you’ll see that victory is yours.
Author
Kenneth W. Hagin
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