Truth Number Five:

The Word of God is Life Support

When you are dead to yourself and the Lord speaks to you, there is usually no problem hearing His voice.  If your flesh is dead, the ideas will be His and not your own.  Now that I am out of the way, how do I know what I am hearing is coming from God and not an enemy setup?  First of all, when our hearts are sold out to God and we are abiding with Him we need to trust in His ability to lead us more than Satan’s ability to trick us.  Is there a way we can prove that what we are hearing is from God?  Is there a sure-fire way to know?  Absolutely!  Check your Holy Spirit owner’s manual!  The Bible is the measuring stick for all truth.   God will never ask you to do anything that contradicts His Word.   Through prayer, the Lord will not only help you discern what to do, but when to do it.  God understands perfect timing very well.

The Word of God is our all-sufficient source for faith and conduct.  It is truly our life-support whether it is confirmation of an action we are about to take or the comfort we need to make it through a tough season.  The Word of God encourages, exhorts, rebukes, refreshes, revives and on and on (2 Timothy 3:16).  The Bible contains the Words of Life.  Psalm 107:20 says, “He sent forth His Word and healed them.”  Jesus is the healer and He is that Word sent to heal (John 1:14).  There is healing power in the spoken Word of God.  Meditating on it brings strength to our spirit, soul, and body.

During my seven-hour battle for my life when I was birthing my daughter, I started speaking out loud to the Lord.  I was exhausted. I had been suffering from pneumonia for a month prior to delivery, it was hard to breathe, and I had not eaten in three days.  I needed something strong to make up for my many weaknesses, so I began to encourage myself in the Lord.  I sang songs and I quoted Scriptures.  With all that singing, scriptures, and talking to Jesus out loud, I think the doctors must have thought I was slipping into that unexplainable realm where you start seeing angels.  They decided to take me to surgery to try something, anything to fix the problem.  Thankfully, my physician was a Spirit-filled Christian and he was praying. David was laying in the hallway praying in tongues to the top of his voice, my mom was by my side praying and my dad, David’s family and about twenty-six visitors were in the chapel praying.  I am sure they were busy reminding the Lord of His Word.

As I went to surgery, I just kept quoting scriptures to myself and asking the Lord for His grace to make it through.  I had prayed through to peace by that time.  I knew I was going to live.  The Word had already come to heal me.

Anytime I struggled physically beyond what I could handle, I have leaned on God’s Word.  I also pray in the Spirit.  I told David and my family, that [God forbid] if I ever were to be in that situation again, please come and read the Word over me or play the Bible on audio cassette for me.  “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).  I’m thankful that the power of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, prophesied life to me.

When you are dead to the flesh, nothing else matters but the Word.  If I am hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3) 

then I am hidden in the words of that Book.  My knowledge of it, understanding of it, and obedience to it are imperative for survival.