The word of God must be united with faith in order for divine transformation to take place. Keep reading to dive deeper into this topic, and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Introduction
As we begin, I want you to imagine a movie set based on medieval times, when there were knights and horsemen. The lead actor is dressed in all the finery of a culture centuries old. His mail, tunic, boots, and a sword at his side.
Suddenly the set is invaded by a group of people – terrorists – who start attacking everyone. The lead actor takes off running in the direction of the woods. He tries to run as fast as he can to get away but is soon taken down by an attacker. The attacker is beating him with fists and stones. He barely manages to escape and starts running again only to be ambushed by another person who also begins to beat him down. The actor again escapes by the skin of his teeth and keeps repeating this process. The attackers are relentless, and the actor is at their mercy, barely surviving each round of attack.
Imagine this goes on until the actor is eventually killed by his pursuers. And, because the actor assumed the sword at his side was a fake movie prop, never once did he think to use it to defend himself or incapacitate the enemy.
I think that many in the body of Christ are just like this. We know we have a sword, and we know what swords are used for; but we don’t really see that it is practical and useful in fighting the battles of life. Sure, the idea of it is interesting and it’s what we’ve always known. We can tell you all about it, but if push comes to shove, we won’t know how to effectively use it.
For example, there are many who suffer from nightmares and sleep with their Bibles under their pillows for protection. But, like my French professor would say, that’s not how that works. And many are eager to see the promises of God manifested in their lives but do not consider the conditions that require it. So, because we ignore the principles of scripture, it is not manifested to us; and then we treat God the word of God with suspicion. But there is power in the word of God for those who receive true revelation.
Before I really get into that, though, I’d like to take some time to consider today’s focus text.
Dissecting the Focus Text – Hebrews 4:1-12
Let’s open our Bibles to Hebrews chapter 4. We’ll start reading from verse one. It says:
1Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
Verses 3-5 use Old Testament scripture as supporting evidence of God’s promised rest. Then in verses 6-9 it says:
6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after such a long time, as it has been said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
These verses use a reference to the children of Israel to make a point to present-day believers. The Israelites, as many know, were brought out of captivity by God and were to be led by Moses into the Promise Land. They received the word of God through Moses; but, because of their lack of faith and consequent disobedience, they were unable to enter the Promise Land. Then along came Joshua who would finally lead them into the land of Canaan.
But the author shows that God’s promised rest was not confined to Canaan. He quotes David’s words in Psalm 95: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” This tells us that God has given an open invitation to enter His rest – whenever that time may be. Whenever that “today” is. So, we can know that the rest that God speaks about is not just the promised land of Canaan, because that work was already complete long before David’s time. Yet, as verse 9 says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.”
What is that rest? Strong’s Lexicon tells us that the term ‘rest,’ “is often used to describe the spiritual rest that believers enter into through faith in Christ. This rest is both a present reality and a future promise, reflecting the peace and fulfillment found in God’s presence.” Additionally, it explains that “The concept of rest in the New Testament … emphasiz(es) a spiritual rest that comes from trusting in God’s completed work through Jesus Christ.”
The children of Israel received from God both a natural and a spiritual promise of rest. Those promises have been similarly inherited by modern-day believers. Unfortunately, the children of Israel struggled to see the fulfillment of both their earthly and heavenly promise. That is why the author of Hebrew encourages us in chapter 4 and verse 11 saying,
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
Disobedience here is defined as “…a willful refusal to be persuaded by divine truth, often resulting in a hardened heart and rebellion against God. … refusal to be convinced by God’s voice.” What it boils down to is a lack of faith.
It is to this that verses 12 and 13 give the warning:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
The author of Hebrews tells us to be “make every effort to enter the rest [of God], so as not to fall by following the same example of disobedience [as those who died in the wilderness].” It’s a caution for us to be sure that we truly believe in Jesus’ ultimate victory and the completed work of God, and that we maintain that stance.
Faith is the Prerequisite!
Like the children of Israel – we all have heard the Gospel preached. From we knew ourselves, we were attending Sunday school, going to weekly prayer meetings, bible study services, church conventions, and so on. Yet – like the Israelites – for many of us, all those messages of the good news of Christ did not benefit.
It wasn’t because the sermons were boring or the older church leaders did not have degrees in theology. The reason is simple and outlined in scripture. As Hebrews 4:2 explains, the message the Israelites heard did not benefit them because, “it was not united with faith in God by those who heard it.” Likewise, the power that is in the written word of God is nothing to us if we are without faith.
Wherever you venture in scripture, you will find that faith is a crucial element in our walk with God. It must be present if we are to see the manifestation of God’s promises on Earth, and to effectively apply biblical principles. Throughout scripture, the Lord blesses those who please Him. Abraham and David pleased God in their faith and obedience, and God promised them many things that extend to us as believers today.
Similarly, our inheritance in Christ Jesus – salvation, eternal life, abundant life; that inheritance could only be secured because our Savior is that “beloved son in whom [God] is well pleased (Matthew 3:17).” And when Man begins to walk in that Christ-like nature, God is also pleased with us, and His goodness can be manifested in our lives more and more. This is God’s heart toward those who please Him; but, “without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).” Without faith, it is impossible to walk in the promises of God.
So, when we look at Heb. 4:12, what the author is really urging us to pay attention to is that the absence of the manifestations of God’s promises in our lives is not because His word does not have the ability to redefine our reality. Certainly, the word of God is powerful. It is our lack of faith that often renders it useless. The writer warns that we cannot hide our lack of faith from God, because His word divides our souls and exposes our hearts of unbelief so that we are naked in judgement before Him.
Do you truly believe?
We’d all like to think that we have real faith in God
Unfortunately, though, I’ve had the revelation that many times we can’t honestly say we have faith in God. Well, we say it but it’s not actually true. A lot of times, when our faith is “strong,” per se, is when still have some measure of control over a situation or we can still see a way for things to come together. But when a situation is really out of our hands, and even the experts are lost about what to do, then we fall into worry, anxiety, and despair.
Today, I dare to ask: Do you really have faith, or is it just that you have a backup plan?
We cannot hide an insincere faith, or lack of faith, from God. So, we cannot speak to or hope to see the power of his Word at work in our lives if we don’t first confess our unbelief and repent from it. We must ensure that we continue to build our faith in God, because it is only after His Word finds in us a faith worth uniting with that we can then engage it to transform our lives.
Faith is a prerequisite here, because you’ll never reach for a weapon that you don’t trust to get the job done. If you see a cockroach in your house, you’ll pick up a slipper to attack it. You may even use that same slipper to warn off a spider, but you wouldn’t reach for that slipper if you saw a snake coming out of your bedroom closet. You definitely wouldn’t rely on it if your security cameras showed armed intruders in your back yard.
There’s only one plausible exception where someone would not use a weapon that is proven to be effective; that is if they do not have access to it at the time.
Sometimes in life we are met with unexpected hardship and unpredictable circumstances to which we must find an answer. Many times, the enemy sets up an ambush and the first thought when attacked is to have a have a drink, light a blunt, or ease the mood with secular music. Other times we complain or gossip to family and friends, call that one person we know in “high places,” throw money at the situation, or simply give up.
However, when the Word dwells in you richly – when you always have your weapon on you, you have a different response. You will execute the word of God in to annihilate your enemy, because you have access to the most effective weapon!
When we are full of faith, we have confidence and boldness to do what we must to advance the kingdom of God in the earth. We are rooted in the very word of God that has the power to accomplish the purpose of God, which means that the Word can effectively work through us.
The Weaponized Word of God
Earlier, I gave the illustration of the actor on set who unexpectedly fell under attack but never reached for his sword because he thought it was a prop and not a real weapon. A bit later, I pointed out that you’ll never reach for a weapon that you don’t trust to get the job done.
If you’re reading this, I want to remind you that the word of God is a real weapon, and you can trust it to get the job done! Reach for it. Use it.
It is that same sword of the Spirit that we are told to arm ourselves with in Eph. 6:17. The reason we need to be armed is found in verses 10-13. It is so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil, so that we can withstand in the evil day; because we will have to wrestle with principalities, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.
Power Executed: The Applied Word of God
Power left dormant is just wasted potential. Something must be put into action! Something must be activated for power to affect a situation. Your electricity company can run one trillion volts of energy through the cables on your street, but if you go into your home where you have access to power and never flip the switch, there is no light coming to dispel the darkness.
A nation leader could write up 10,000 executive orders, but if no one moves to put those words into action, absolutely nothing will change. For some of us, the word of God is only powerful in theory. We say we know what it is good for, but it is still waiting to be made active in our lives. So how do we activate the word of God?
By speaking it in faith.
Isa. 49:2 declares, “And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;” it says He has made my mouth like a cutting instrument. The sword of the Spirit – the word of God – is a weapon of spiritual warfare. Jer. 23:29 reads, “Is not my word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Context aside, this verse helps us to understand the power of God’s Word. When we look at the usage of these words in Strong’s Lexicon, we see that fire – as a weapon – is used to destroy, and the hammer “symbolizes strength, authority, and the ability to break or shape.”
Whatever you are facing, find comfort in knowing that the word of God has power and authority to shape your reality! I can testify to this.
Personal Testimony
I experienced a season of life where I was depressed in spirit and very heavy laden. I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. During that time, I would wake up, lay in bed and cry. Sit on the edge of the bed and cry. Drive to work and cry. Return home and cry.
Then, at some point during this season, the Lord caused me to fall in love with His Word again. I began to search out the promises of God. I began a close examination of God’s character. What I found brought healing. The word of God rescued me. Jesus – the living Word – reminded me that He is the proof that I could get up again.
I know the enemy probably would have liked to use that time – when I felt that I had exhausted all the faith I had – as an opportunity to finish me off. He would have loved if the hardships of life would have discouraged me unto death. But when the enemy told me that there was nothing left worth living for, God’s Word over my life gave the verdict of life and life more abundantly. Now, I can stand in the manifested word of God and declare as the psalmist did, that: “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord (Psa. 118:17).”
The enemy may have come at you with his legions and his tools of war; nevertheless, let your war cry be: “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).” Just when the enemy thinks we’re down for good, we can look up and see that Jehovah Nissi, our banner, remains as a sign of a sure victory!
This blog post is your sign to get up again!
Self-Reflection
Today, I encourage you to have an honest look at yourself. Identify the areas where you struggle with doubt and find it hard to believe that God will deliver on what He promised in His word. He already knows. Now you need only confess and ask for forgiveness, ask Him to help your unbelief, and choose to walk in faith. There is no shame in asking God for help, it is His will to help us.
I am convinced that God urging us to build up our most holy faith (Jude 1:20) in this season. Ask the Lord to make your faith unshakable and steadfast. The one thing that separates followers of Jesus from the world is our faith in Him. Everything about our relationship with Him is based on faith. Ultimately, His promises to us are manifested by faith. Nothing else.
Therefore, we must earnestly believe that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. We must decide for ourselves whether God’s word is true or if He is a liar. Either he leans down to hear us pray or He doesn’t. Either He answers sincere prayers or doesn’t. He is a healer, or He isn’t. Either He is will provide or He will not.
He is the miracle working God who does not change – and therefore can still perform miracles, or He isn’t. Either the Bible is 100% true or it is utterly useless. God is able to all things, or He is able to do nothing. Either Christ is the living word of God who defeated death and rose from the grave, or He is already dead himself.
The question is: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?
Certainly, there are some situations that do not have the result we wish simply because it’s not it God’s will or plan; but, I believe there are many more circumstances where our lack of faith causes us to miss out on miracles. God is willing to do something miraculous in our lives of we only believe. If God’s answer is ‘no,’ then blessed be the name of the Lord; but, don’t let the absence of a miracle be because you failed to truly believe in God and in the power of His word.
Wrap-up: A Call to Restored Faith in the Word of God
If there’s a situation or area in your life where you find it difficult to let go — to truly trust God, I encourage you to place that burden on the altar. Rest it at the feet of the cross, truly let go, and trust God to carry it for you.
It is not our job to know how God will provide for the mortgage payment. None of our business just how He will heal our diseases. None of the details of God’s saving work – of God doing God things – is for us to hurt our heads about.
Even if He told us, it would be foolishness to us. We cannot understand His thoughts and ways. He need not reveal everything to us. It’s above our pay grade, and helping God to work it out is not a part of our job description. This is what hinders faith. We’re always busy trying to solve a God problem, trying to understand just how He will get things done. But God’s instructions to us are plain: only believe.
So, if we are followers of Christ, as we claim to be, and living in righteousness, then we can cast every single burden on Jesus and know that it is handled. The Bible shows us that our faith must be like that of a very small child (Matt. 18:3). They tend not to question anything their parents say regarding their reality. Imagine a toddler falls and scrapes His knee, blood comes pouring out, and he runs to his parents crying. If the parents say, “Hey, you’re okay.” The child may still cry a bit but will soon simmer down, because the parents’ words are trusted to be true.
In that same way God speaks to us through His word. He tells us what His truth is concerning us, but instead of taking Him at His word we just keep crying about how much it hurts. Well, how long are we going to sit in the dirt after God told us to get up and walk? Do you intend to spend the rest of your life crying about what tripped you up, or will you brace yourself on the word of God and rely on His power to get back up again?
This is the perfect time to trust God again. May faith grow here.
God bless~
The analogy of the medieval warrior was such a powerful way to illustrate how many of us neglect the power of God’s Word. It’s easy to forget that Scripture isn’t just something to read but a weapon to wield! This post was a great reminder to be intentional about applying God’s truth in our daily battles.