God and his word are one

The Apostle John tells us, the Word became flesh (John 1:14) and His name is Jesus. The Word is God speaking.
God and His Word are one. The Word is the will of the Father, just as
Jesus, the Word made flesh was the will of the Father. What God says,
is. What God says, will become. If He did not want it to be so, He would
not have said it, He would not have sent it. The Word is always now, it
is a present tense fact because God is always now. In this part we will
see the reason why so many in the church struggle with the questions,
as to whether or not what God says in His Word is for today? Does
God really do today what He did through the early church? Is what God
did in the early church to be expected in the church today?

In Matthew’s gospel we see a scene where Jesus is with the twelve
apostles and makes a statement concerning the events that awaited Him in
Jerusalem, «From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that
He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
(Matthew 16:21) After Jesus gives His apostles some final instructions,
He once again tells them what is about to happen to Him, «You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.»
(Matthew 26:2) In the minds of the apostles they may not have been able
to process this or they may wonder why Jesus would even want to go to
Jerusalem if this were going to happen, nevertheless, what Jesus tells
them, happens exactly as He said it would.

After the resurrection, Jesus appears to His apostles. John’s gospel
singles out the apostle Thomas and reveals why so many in the church
today question whether or not what God says in His Word is for today? Does
God really do today what He did through the early church? Is what God
did in the early church to be expected in the church today? «Now
Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus
came. The other disciples therefore said to him, «We have seen the
Lord.» So he said to them, «Unless I see in His hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand
into His side, I will not believe.» (John 20:24-25) Notice that the
only way that Thomas was going to believe that Jesus rose from the dead
was to see and touch Him. It did not matter to him that Jesus told him
that it would happen and then reminded him again that it was about to
happen and it did happen. The only way Thomas was going to believe the
Words of Jesus was to physically see Him and touch Him.

Unbelief is one of the reasons why some many in the church today reject the fact that God and His Word (which
are one) still do today what we see recorded in the New Testament. The
power of God in the Body of Christ has not passed away with the apostles
or in any dispensation. What most call faith today is no more that a
mental assent to the Word of God. Mental assent acknowledges the
truthfulness of God’s Word, but never acts upon it. It’s like standing
outside of a bakery desiring to have some of the fresh baked goods but
never going into the bakery to purchase or possess them. You see them,
you smell them, you think just how great they will taste. Your brain
acknowledges these things but you do not act upon the truthfulness that
brain has made real through your senses. Just like Thomas, you can only
believe God’s Word based on sense knowledge, what your five senses can
make real and never act on what God said. This is the kind of faith that
every human has, but it is not the faith that pleases God (Hebrews
11:6)

John continues to record, «And after eight days His disciples were
again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut,
and stood in the midst, and said, «Peace to you!» Then He said to
Thomas, «Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your
hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but
believing.» And Thomas answered and said to Him, «My Lord and my God!»
Jesus said to him,  «Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have
believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.» ( John 20:26-29) True Bible faith, the faith that
please God, is to accept and act on God’s Word regardless of the things
in the natural. It is accepting and acting on God’s Word only because
God said and because He said, we do not need physical proof. This is the
very way that one is saved. You accept Christ as Lord and Savior
without physically seeing Him. It is the same principle across the board
when it comes to everything else that God’s Word says. We do not need
physical proof, what God said is proof enough!

Although John’s gospel singles out Thomas, Mark’s gospel reveals another
issue that keeps most in the church today in bondage to these erroneous
teachings that what God did in the ministry of Jesus and the early
church passed away with the apostles because we have the Bible and do
not need these things today. Mark records, «Later He appeared to the
eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and
hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him
after He had risen.» (Mark 16:14) Notice that not one of the apostles believed what Jesus told them concerning what would happen to Him in Jerusalem.

We saw in the life of Thomas that unbelief was why he would not believe
the Lord’s Word. Here in Mark’s gospel not only is unbelief a problem
but the other reason why so many in the church today do not believe and
act upon God’s Word is due to hardness of heart. Jesus said, «For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.» (Matthew 6:21) and «For
from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these
evil things come from within and defile a man.» (Mark 7:21-23) To
defile means to debase the pureness or excellence of something. A hard
heart lowers the character, quality, and value of God’s Word. Unbelief
is the culprit behind a hard heart.

Now that the reasons why so many in the church today doubt the integrity of God’s Word has
been exposed, my prayer is that you no longer let the doctrines of man
sway you from truly believing that God’s Word is God speaking, now. God
and His Word are one! The Word is the will of the Father, just as
Jesus, the Word made flesh was the will of the Father. What God says,
is. What God says, will become. If He did not want it to be so, He would
not have said it, He would not have sent it. The Word is always now, it
is a present tense fact because God is always now. Amen… 

We live in a time of constant distraction and activity. Keeping our focus on God can be difficult. How do we focus on Him?

What a good question.  Turning our focus to God and away from the things of the world is extremely important to us as Christians.  Making Jesus the center of everything is how we experience victory and freedom.  And I could write paragraph after paragraph about how needed it is, but it isn’t helpful if I don’t tell you the practical side of how to do it.

John 1:1 (Amplified Bible Classic Edition AMPC) says:

In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.

In this verse we learn that God and His Word are interchangeable.  Jesus is the living Word; the Word made flesh.  Therefore, if we focus on the Word, we focus on God.

To do this in practical everyday life, we need to set aside time to read and study the Word daily.  We are not only to read the scriptures but we need to meditate on them as well.  The word meditate means that we take time to ponder and digest what we read.  We are to consider the meaning of what we have read, determine how it applies to us, and use it in our Christian walk.  A good study Bible (such as The Life Application Bible), a concordance, and a Bible dictionary will assist in this. 

Scripture memorization is also highly recommended.  It is important to get the Word in us so it can have the greatest impact on us.  Post scriptures around your house so it is always before your eyes. 

Joshua 1:8 (KJV) says:

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21 (The Message MSG):

Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you’ll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth.

When we make the Word our focus we make God our focus because God and His Word are one.

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isa. 55:11)

I’ve never figured out how people think they’re going to get God to do something for them apart from the Bible. You see, you can’t separate God from His Word. The Bible is the Word of God.

You can’t separate someone from his or her word. In other words, a person is known by his or her word.

God is known by His Word. He is everything the Word says He is, and He will do everything His Word says He will do.

If you want to find out who God is, go to the Word and find out. Sometimes people say, “Well, I don’t know whether God will do that or not. I hope He will.”

If you want to find out what God will do, go to the Word.

I remember a man years ago who was in the healing ministry. He was saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, and was getting good results in his ministry. He wasn’t praying in faith; the Holy Spirit was just manifesting Himself through him.

Now this man had missed it in a few places. I don’t mean that he did some great wrong. He didn’t rob a bank or kill someone. But he simply realized that he had missed God and failed to do what God wanted him to do.

James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” So he had sinned.

This minister said, “I hope the Lord will forgive me. I don’t know whether He will or not.” He was mightily used by God, yet didn’t even know what the Bible teaches!

 The minute he said that, I automatically thought of what First John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

This minister died early in life Â- before his time Â- right in the middle of his ministry. Some people said that the Lord just called him home. No, He didn’t. This minister did go home to be with the Lord, but the Lord didn’t call him home.

He played into the hands of the devil, and the devil tripped him up and robbed him of what God intended for him to have. He should have learned that God and His Word are one. He should have still been alive and preaching.

Confession: God and His Word are one. I line my words up with God’s Word and see the results I’ve been longing for.

(Taken by permission from RHEMA Bible Church , aka Kenneth Hagin Ministries , Tulsa, OK , USA.  www.rhema.org )