We are reminded daily of just how crucial it is that we have the Word of God built into our spirits and the gifts of the Spirit operating in our lives.
Without the Word and the gifts of the Spirit we are defenseless in a world where satan can bring tragedy into our lives or the lives of our loved ones.
There are people everywhere who, unknowingly perhaps, are getting up in churches and telling untruths about God. "We were preaching the Gospel and serving God and He took the lives of three of our children. We don't know why but we know it must have been for His glory. He had a purpose in it somewhere."
Why don't we just be honest about it and say, "Yes, satan beat me at the game of life. I let him steal something from me that God had given me because I didn't give my attention to the Word. I didn't claim and stand on the promises without wavering. I didn't have the gifts of the Spirit working in my life. When God tried to warn me, I couldn't hear him because I never learned how to listen."
Too many of us want to make the Word fit our personal experiences rather than going to God and saying, "Lord, where have I missed it?"
It makes everything so much simpler and so much more comfortable if we can just go through life never taking any responsibility for what happens to us, if we can just blame God for every tragedy.
The truth is, satan beats us over the head and wins many battles because we have not taken up our weapons. Many of us don't even know what our weapons are, let alone how to use them.
What good is the Word of God if we can't use it in our everyday lives, if we can't walk in the blessings it promises?
What good are the gifts of the Spirit if we can't use them to live victoriously? That's why they were given to us in the first place.
It's time to get serious and take hold of what belongs to us as children of God. Someday we'll each be held accountable for what we've done with the Word.
Will we have to stand before Jesus and say, "Lord, I was so busy working for you I just didn't have time to read it. But I kept it safe on the shelf and made sure to dust it once every six months.
Or can we say, "Lord, I took it. I believed it. I confessed it. I stood on it, and I beat the devil over the head with it every time he showed his ugly face."
I believe that is the person the Lord will smile at and say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Copyright 1999, by Singles Scene/Spirit & Life
Reproduction without permission prohibited