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The Apostle Paul offers five keys to winning as a Christ-follower in his writings to the Ephesians.
Key number four is the Word of God. Let me explain.
So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.
This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.
Truth, righteousness,
peace,
faith,
and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.
In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
Ephesians 6:10-18 The Message
Key #1 Realize whose you are
Key #2 Take everything the Master has set out for you—well-made weapons
Key # 3 Be prepared
Key # 4 The Word of God
Christian recording artist Mercy Me released a song titled “Word of God Speak” a number of years ago.
One of the verses says,
“Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your Majesty
To be still and know
That you’re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In your holiness
Word of God speak.”
I like its picture of the Christ-follower and the Word of God.
Word of God speak
The Word of God is alive. In the beginning, God spoke, and whatever he said happened precisely as he spoke it.
As a Christ-follower, God’s Word will speak to us as we surrender our agenda to his will. I am certain you have experienced it speaking to you.
Have you ever read a portion of scripture that you have read many times before, only this time, it jumps off the page, pierces your heart, and explodes in your thoughts as something you have never seen before?
That is the Word of God speaking to you.
It doesn’t happen that way every day, but it happens to the Christ-follower whose heart is open (and surrendered) to walking with God.
Another way the Word of God speaks to you is more subtle.
There have been times when something bothers me, and I muse (to mean not intently) a prayer.
Here is a recent example.
As hurricane Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico, I prayed for God to send it away from Florida. It made a bee line for the central part of the state. Each day, I told the Lord that I trusted him.
I awoke the morning it was supposed to make landfall and checked the forecast. When I saw that it had made landfall near where I used to live, I asked, “Why, Lord?”
As I read my Bible that morning, I read this verse.
“When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed.”
Proverbs 10:25 The Message
When I read it, it struck me that there must have been some wickedness that God wanted to address.
The point is that the Word of God spoke to me as an answer to a simple prayer.
The third way the Word of God speaks to you is through the spoken Word of God. By this, I mean a sermon or message you are listening to.
God uses the minister’s words to resonate in your heart: an answer, solution, and needed direction.
Would you pour down like rain
“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s Word.”
Ephesians 5:25-26 The New Living Translation
The Word of God is like cleansing water, washing away the filth of sin and unforgiveness.
As a Christ-follower, the Word of God offers insight into living, guidance through obstacles, and direction for a winning life.
It must be a daily part of your life.
As an overachieving first-born male, I attacked this daily discipline with a vengeance. I read three chapters of the Old Testament and New Testament and one chapter from the Old Testament book of Proverbs every day.
I admit it was over the top, but it was the discipline I adhered to for ten years.
If you do not have a daily discipline of Bible reading, I suggest you start with a chapter from the book of Proverbs. After that, a chapter from the New Testament Gospel books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
Washing my eyes to see
Your majesty
The cry of the Christ-follower’s heart must be to see YOU, Lord.
The Word of God gives us unique insight into the heart and nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The stories of the Old Testament show us a sovereign God who is righteous and unwilling to tolerate unrighteous rebellion.
The Old Testament shows us the compassion of God as he chooses a people for himself.
The Poetry books of the Old Testament (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon) show us God’s character and his desire for humanity.
The New Testament books of the Bible show us God’s plan to redeem lost humanity. They show us Jesus’s person and the promise of the Holy Spirit.
They show us the birth of the Ekklesia (the called-out, called into) followers of Christ.
The sixty-six books of the Bible show us the Godhead as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
It is a simplified explanation of the Word of God, but it should paint a clear picture of who God is whose you (the Christ-follower) are.
To be still and know
That you’re in this place
One day, God the Holy Spirit dropped a chorus into my heart.
Be still and know
Be still and know
Be still and know
I am God
I will be there
When you’re not sure
I will be there
When it’s crashing in around you
I will be there
Be still and know I am God
I posted a story, When God seems Silent, that speaks about knowing God is there, even (especially) when He seems silent.
As Christ-followers, we walk on a different plane than those who do not walk with Christ (those who claim to know him, [remember Jesus said not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of God] and those who do not).
I am saying we walk by a belief system that is not bound by the physical elements of this world—it is beyond what we see, hear, or understand.
Being still in the midst of a storm is not a natural response, yet it is what Christ-followers are called to do.
Please let me stay and rest
In your holiness
One day as Jesus instructed the people, he said to them,
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.”
Matthew 11:28 The Message
Consider how powerful this invitation is.
Are you:
Tired
Worn out
Burned out on religion?
Then come to me, (in fact) get away with me, and you will recover your life and find real rest.
God considers resting so important that he commanded the seventh day to be a day of rest. Postmodern humanity hardly understands this concept, and this post isn’t the place to discuss it.
However, it points to the importance of the Word of God—the Bible—in the lives of Christ-followers.
Next time, prayer, key number five.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead provides you a living hope. It is a living anticipation full of expectation of something good happening.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. As I learn, I will pass it along so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.
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