Prayer:
Father, let Your Word dwell in me richly in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 3:16). Baptize me with grace to read, meditate, and continue in Your Word daily, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
1. The Foundation of True Discipleship
Jesus declared:
“If you continue in My word, then are you My disciples indeed” (John 8:31).
Notice carefully—He did not say, “If you continue in prayer, fasting, giving, or other practices.” These are all important disciplines in the Christian life, but the true mark of discipleship is abiding in His Word.
This is where many believers miss it. We labor in many religious activities yet neglect the one thing that secures true discipleship—continuing steadfastly in the Word. Without the Word taking root in our hearts, how can we:
- Walk in the power of God?
- Walk in faith?
We cannot, for faith and power both spring from the Word.
So, pause and ask yourself: Am I truly a disciple of Jesus Christ?
2. The Word—Our Life and Light
- Ezekiel 2:2—“The Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me.” The Word is the channel of the Spirit.
- Psalm 119:130 – “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Light comes only by the entrance of the Word.
The essence of light is sight. When the Word opens your eyes, you see truth, and what you truly see you cannot doubt—even in the face of persecution or death.
This was Paul’s conviction in Romans 8:35–39: no peril, famine, lack, or abundance could separate him from the love of Christ, because he had seen the truth in the Word.
Therefore, we must pray continually:
“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law” (Psalm 119:18).
3. The Word Fuels the Fire of Faith
Faith lives and grows by the daily intake of the Word. When you stop engaging the Word, your faith begins to wither.
- Proverbs 26:20 – “Where no wood is, the fire goes out.” In the same way, where there is no Word, spiritual fire will die down.
- The altar fire in the Old Covenant was never to go out (Leviticus 6:13). So also must the fire of our spirit man burn continually through the Word.
Confession:
- My fire will increase day by day.
- My fire will never go out, in the name of Jesus Christ.
4. The Danger of Neglecting the Word
The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–12) warns us: those who lacked preparation were shut out when the Bridegroom came. The Word is the oil that keeps the lamp burning. Without it, even religious zeal becomes empty, and the door may be shut.
Isaiah 55:1 reminds us that the true currency for the Word is time. If you will grow in light and strength, you must pay the price of time in the Word.
Tragically, the religious leaders in Jesus’ day missed Him because they had forgotten Moses’ writings. When the Living Word stood before them and declared, “I AM,” they could not recognize Him because the written Word was not abiding in them.
5. The Word Unlocks Love and Faith
The two greatest forces in Christianity are love and faith. Yet neither can be sustained apart from the Word. Without the daily generation of light through Scripture, love will grow cold and faith will weaken.
The devil is not the true cause of many failures—the real issue is our neglect of the Word.
Therefore:
- Inject yourself with the Word daily.
- If you are under a ministry that exalts a man’s gifts above God’s Word, run for your life. For only the Word abides forever (1 Peter 1:25).
Closing Exhortation
Beloved, these words are not idle. They are life. The days of manna are over; we are in the days of minding. Sit with the Word, search out the mind of Christ, and let the Word abide richly in you.
