HE spoke, and ..

He spoke and it came to be; He commanded and it stood firm. [Psalms 33:8] It is the word of promise from God that comes to you this day, as grace takes you from where you are in your spiritual pilgrimage, to where God wants you to be, basking and resting in His love, and experiencing His peace. It touches on the all important aspect of how God operates in every aspect of life. In the beginning was the ‘word’. The earth we live in is sun centric, revolving steadily around it. Your life, is in the same manner word centric, for in all your lack, it is the word of God that you need, as the answer and solution. Your focus therefore, needs to be on the word. For whatever your lack may be, physical, financial, emotional, social, it is always through the seed of the incorruptible word that God meets your needs.

In creation – displayed:

It can be seen in the creation of the world, in the very first chapter of the Bible, where God spoke forth what He desired to see, for it to come into being. Then, at the end of the chapter, God stood back, to proclaim a certificate of goodness over it all .

In new creation- authenticated:

New creation also takes place through the word. You are born again through the incorruptible seed of the word of God, to become a new creation in Christ. [1 Peter 1:3–6] And what God speaks forth through His word is always good. It is also true that, what has been created by His word is also held and sustained by His word It is what the writer to the Hebrews establishes saying, Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat at the right Hand Majesty on high. [Hebrews 1:3]

God also sustains, upholds, propels and restores through His word, all the works of His creation. Living in a fallen world, you could be suffering from lack right now due to the wrongdoing of another towards you. But restoration comes to you of all that you have lost in life, by your obedient confession in faith, of the word that He has spoken to you concerning it. For, when you have been saved by the grace of God, through the power of His word, it follows that you are also sustained by it. And, it is why Paul rebukes the Galatians, for having been bewitched into thinking that salvation that came to them by grace, needed to be maintained by their self effort.

That you may live..:

God wants you to live, and not merely eke out an existence, struggling to make ends meet. And to this end, your fitness comes from God, through His word. For, man shall not live by bread alone, is the truth of God’s word, a truth that the Lord Himself has affirmed. And therefore, the psalmist’s prayer that is in line with God’s word is, Sustain me with your word that I may live. [Psalms 119:16] And, it is one that will see you live and flourish in life, when it becomes yours. In your life’s journey, as you progress ahead according to His word, and in the course of it encounter challenges and difficulties, He sends His word to heal and also deliver you. [Psalms 107:20] He delivers you from your problems, as you focus on the word and shift your eyes to look upon the problem solver. It is what happened at the Gate Beautiful.

‘Rise up and walk’:

The beggar who had been lame from the time of his birth, sat regularly outside the temple, at the Gate Beautiful, looking at the hand of those who passed by, asking for alms. It was the same when Peter and John came near him. His focus was on their hand, to receive a temporary solace, when Peter commanded a shift in his focus. ‘Look at us’, he said, and then began to say what must have sounded very disappointing to the poor beggar, and naturally so. The words, ‘Silver and gold I do not have’ would not have sounded sweet, to the one who was expecting precisely that; but it was then that the apostle spoke words of miraculous power to him. ‘In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk’, he said to hold the lame man’s hand, and raise him up. And the lame man with ankles that were miraculously strengthened stood firm for the very first time !

It was the voice of God that he heard through Peter, the command of God that came to him, which made him stand upright, miraculously healed of his infirmity ! And the man who until then had been cut off from the temple of God, went leaping and praising into it, enjoying the wondrous privilege of it. [Acts 3:1–10] When God speaks, it comes to be. Today, you and I who were cut off from the presence of God, being dead in our transgressions, have through the Cross, by the Saviour’s word, ‘ It is finished’, can now draw near to worship the true living God, receiving salvation and deliverance from the cruel bondage of sin. You are the temple of God, as the church; and your body now is the temple of God, the Holy Spirit who lives in you now and forever.

And, when His glory fills the temple:

God’s glory filling you, your body that is now the temple of the Holy Spirit, is nothing but the demonstration of His glorious power in and through you, that the world may see and glorify the Father in heaven. Glorifying God is not merely about giving to Him as offering, silver and gold that is already His anyway ! It would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, and playing Christian, to boot it all !

The glory of the unlimited God:

At the wedding in Cana, the Lord demonstrated His glory, records the word of God, as He changed water into wine, satisfying a lack in a way never seen before. [John 2:11] But it is not the only way, He demonstrated His glory, and does so even now, though it was the only incident in the Bible, where He turned water into wine. His ways are higher, He has said, and not in a condescending manner. They are so much better than what you and I can come up with. And it is why, ‘Lord, be glorified in my life, and be magnified in my situation’, can be your prayer even this day. His thoughts for you are greater and higher. Let your focus therefore, be on the word that He speaks to you, for it can transform your situation, to bring about the change that you ardently await, as He demonstrates His power and glory. The word of God, the voice of God that speaks to you through it, has authority, to bring His word to pass. It is something that the centurion who came to the Lord knew, for he himself had authority, and also more importantly knew that he was under authority. He knew therefore, what to ask of the Lord, as he believed in Him for his servant to be healed.

‘But, only speak a word’:

He knew that just one word from the Lord, was sufficient, to be able to say, ‘Speak a word, and my servant will be healed’. [Matthew 8:8] And the Lord marveled at his faith, to speak the word of healing to him; one that the centurion believed and went, to find his servant healed and well. When He speaks, it comes to be. It is what happened in the life of the nobleman too, as he received healing of his son. Jesus said to him ‘Go your way, your son lives’. So the man believed the word of Jesus and went his way. [John 4:50] He began his journey back in obedience, to the word.

The word starts you off:

The word that God speaks to you, the promise that He gives as an answer to your prayer can set you on the path to your destination, the place of answered prayer. The logical truth underlying it, can be seen in the life of the nobleman who set out on his journey back to his home, in faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. God starts you on your journey, when He gives the word, and then He walks with you every step of the way from the beginning to the end, to see your answer. It requires faith, and the nobleman had faith.

The question of time:

And as he started his journey back, he saw messengers coming in the opposite direction. The prodigal son, in the Lord’s parable, did not know how he was going to be received, but he found his father running towards him with exceeding joy. The nobleman received good news that brought joy in him too, as he saw the outcome of his faith. It is then that he probed deeper to know when the healing had occurred, to learn that it was at the very moment when the Lord had spoken to say, ‘Go your way; your son lives’. In your life, what you have been praying for has been done, at the very that moment He spoke His word of promise to you. And, as you embark on your journey, your journey of faith towards it, you will indeed see good news coming towards you. It is a step by step progression, as you hear His voice through the preaching and meditation upon the word, and not a blueprint for your entire journey that He gives you.

For Christian life is a walk of faith. It is seen in the life of Abraham, in the book of Genesis, where Abraham’s call is narrated as, ‘Go to the land that I will show you’. [Genesis 12:2] And in the book of Acts, the same incident is told with a different perspective as, ‘Come to a land that I will show you’. [Acts 7:3] Thus, so very specifically, God lays down the terms of His voyage with you. He gives you the word, and travels with you as you put your faith in it, and walk forward. Then at the end of it all, He is there to receive you, at your destination, the land of promise, where you receive and experience the manifestation of His word to you. When He spoke, it came into being, to be a done deal.

When He said ‘go’:

Oppression of the devil in a person, departed when the Lord spoke. He expelled demons with a single word, ‘Go’! There could be many demons in a person. ‘Legion’, or six thousand, is what the demon possessed man said to the Lord. But when Jesus said, ‘Go’, they had no other option but to leave. [Matthew 8:32] He cast out spirits with a word, and healed all those who were sick. [Matthew 8:16] Take a stand against the enemy therefore, and hold your ground, without bowing down to it. The Lord shows you the way, even today. And sometimes, He did not even have to address the enemy directly. It was seen in the life of the Canaanite woman, who implored Him on behalf of her demon possessed daughter. And, when the Lord appreciated her faith to say that her daughter was well, she went and found that it was so. [Matthew 15:21-28] For, hearing the woman’s prayer unto the Lord, and His answer, the demon knew that it had no place in the girl anymore !

Prayer – powerful and effective:

Prayer is a very common term; every religion has a structure to it. But, it is the prayer of the righteous that is powerful. [James 5:16] And, it is God Himself who has qualified you to be declared righteous. What could be higher than that? And, He has done so, because of your faith in what Christ has done for you on the Cross, to make you the righteousness of God in Him. It is what gives you the privilege and the confidence to approach the very throne room of grace, to find help and mercy in your time of need. It is in your prayer, that He speaks to you His word that will see you overwhelmingly conquer life’s many hurdles and challenges, to see you stand firm. And, in life’s circumstances, sometimes when the evil one works against you through people, or in any other manner, even as the Lord spoke directly to the storm, to see the wind and the waves obey Him, you need to speak directly to the problem.

Did the storm have an ear? Does your problem have an ear? ! You and I do not know ! But the Lord taught the disciples a valuable lesson of faith on that day, in the midst of the fierce storm. And, it is one that is equally valid and applicable in your life today, for sometimes, you need to declare the word of God to your problem in order to see it subside and depart. It is also vital though, that what you declare is the word of God; and that too, not as words of magic, but out of the fullness of your heart, in a relationship with the Lord God Almighty, in the knowledge of who you are in Christ Jesus. ‘It is written’, was what the Lord declared in order to overcome and thwart the devil’s wily temptations. [Matthew 4:9-11] And, you can do it too, when you know the truth that sets you free. It is the truth that you are guided into as you are led by the Holy Spirit who now dwells in you, when you are a child of God.

Doing what He says:

‘Whatever He says to you, do it’, were Mary’s words to the servants at the wedding  at  Cana,  when a situation  of  lack arose in  the wedding  feast. [John 2:6] The Lord was ready to say it, and He did. But it was when the men did what He instructed them to do, to fill the water pots with water and take it to master of the banquet that they witnessed a miracle, of water that turned into wine ! It is the magnificent truth that needs to be written in your heart, as you approach the Lord’s Table, to partake of the Holy Communion. ‘Do it in remembrance of my death’, are the words that He has spoken, regarding it. And when you take Him at His word, to do it, it will change your world. The parameters of your life would be then, higher and greater, for all that is His, now becomes yours.

‘MINE for you’:

It is the truth of the Lord’s Table in concise terms. For, whatever He has is for you. His own Body has been broken for you. His own Blood has been shed for you. How much more then, will every other blessing of God be yours in Christ. For, it is He who has died for you. It is He who has risen again for you. And, it is He who is interceding for you at the right Hand of God, even now. All His purposes and promises are for you. All that has been freely given to you already through the Cross is what you acknowledge with a grateful heart, and celebrate at the Lord’s Table, to appropriate it. And, what connects you to it is your faith. By grace and through faith, is how it works out in your life.

The expression of faith:

It was a practical lesson on faith that the disciples witnessed from the Master, as they heard what he spoke over the fig tree, and saw it withered from its’ roots, the very next day. And when the disciples were amazed, it was then that the Lord spoke to them the truth of seeing even mountain like problems disappear, when you declare in faith without doubting, the change that you want to see. [Mark 11:20-24] ‘Have faith in God’, the Lord said to the disciples. And ‘have the faith of God’ is how it is expressed in some translations of this passage. And, it stresses the importance of knowing, speaking and operating in the manner in which God operates to bring about change.

How does a godly change come about?

When you keep on listening and talking with someone, you will at some point begin to speak like that person. It is why the bible warns you that bad company corrupts good character. But when talking with God, in prayer and fellowship, you are in good company, and the result will be the very opposite, as your character is enlightened, and not corrupted, to speak like Him in faith that is of Him.

And Jesus says – ‘I say, and so you say’ !:

‘For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain …’ [Mark 11:23] I have said it, and now you can speak it, is how the Lord works out the practicality of it in your life, when mountain like difficulties loom ahead of you. The ‘whoever’ needs to be you. Even in the very familiar verse that says  ‘whoever  believes  in  Him, will not perish, but have eternal life’. [John 3:16], the ‘whoever’ needs to become you, in order not to perish but flourish in life. Understanding plays a role in it. It is very much like you speaking to your little infant, which to begin with may not respond. But as time goes by, understanding comes, and it starts talking, initially with not much clarity maybe, but then goes on to speak; and speak the words that you have been speaking to it, in tender, caring affection.

To God the Father, you are His precious child. And, when understanding comes in you in order to speak the word that God has spoken to you, and is still speaking to you in His word, you will begin to say it too, in a confession of faith, and it is how change comes in your life. He has said it, and therefore you can confidently say it. And for this to happen, you need to know the word of God, and what He has spoken to you through it.

He has said that you will always be above, and never be below.
He has said that all your children will be taught of the Lord.
He has said that by His Stripes you have been healed.
He has said that your wife shall be like a fruitful vine, in the very heart of your house.

The Lord God Almighty has said it all. And therefore you can confidently say it, because you are only giving voice to His word. It is the word that can never fail, and can never pass away. And what God has spoken, has the same power when you speak it forth, for you are His child. Therefore, everything that is His is yours. ‘My Body that is broken for you; My Blood that is shed for you’, the Lord has said. Therefore now, it is you who ought to confidently say, ‘The Lord is my Helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’ [Hebrews 13:6] His word has the power to bring things to pass, when it is spoken in faith by you, without doubting. It is the unshakeable promise of the Lord; and it requires of you to speak to the mountain like problem, that may appear to be immovable, in order to see the change that you are awaiting in your life.

And, even as you lift up the cup of thanksgiving unto the Lord, for the word that He has spoken to you this day, may it remain in your heart, and in your mouth, to see the change that you are longing to see come to pass in your life’s circumstances. And may His Name be lifted up through it all, to radiate the brilliance of God in you for the glory and honour of His Name.

In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.