The Word of God Endures Forever

Beloved, God’s Word is truth, and it does not change. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). God’s Word will never change nor pass away. God does not change. (see Malachi 3:6). Whatever He is, He is permanently. He is the same yesterday, and today and forevermore. (see Hebrews 13:8). So whatever He said yesterday is true today, tomorrow, and forevermore. In the beginning, He was the Word, and He is still the Word. He (the Word) became flesh (a Man), and He is still a Man in Heaven today. (see John 1:14; 1 Timothy 3:16, with 1 Timothy 2:5). He is a Spirit, and He is still a Spirit today. (see John 4:24). And He is forever a triune God. Godliness is a mystery. (see 1 Timothy 3:16). God is unchanging. He is His Word. Hence, His Word is unchanging; it endures forever. (see Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:25). The Psalmist says God has exalted or magnified His Word above His name (see Psalm 138:2), and it's all because He is His Word. God and His Word are one. Believing in His Word (which you can see and read or hear) is how you believe in God (whom you cannot see). This is why you should always believe that you are what God's Word says you are; you have what God's Word says you have; and you can do what God’s Word says you can do. Believing the Word and doing the Word is how you walk in the truth; it is how you walk in the Spirit. The Bible says God’s Word is alive and active (see Hebrews 4:12). That is why we call it the living Word. It is always alive. And whenever we lift a Word from the pages of the Bible and place it on our lips, that Word is sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts through every darkness — every problem, every difficulty, every hopelessness, and it sheds its light abroad. This is why the Bible is also called Good News. When words from the Bible are spoken in faith and with love, news begins to happen — sinners get saved, the sick get healed, the lame leap onto their feet, the dead come to life; and news is made: good news! And this is all because, God watches over His Word to perform it. (see Jeremiah 1:12). The Bible says, "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11).

Beloved, trust God's word, because it does exactly what it promises, when mixed with faith. God's word happens when believers act on it in faith; it is always a “Now” Word; it accomplishes whatever it is meant to accomplish, "For no word from God will ever fail.” (Luke 1:37 NIV). God's word is always potent; It is always alive, and it always causes the thing for which it is sent to happen. It prospers in the thing for which God sent it. For example, if it is a word for healing, the healing happens once the word is received or acted upon in faith. Therefore, make the Bible your closest companion and your final authority on all matters: read it, believe it, meditate on it, and act on it. Know the Scriptures and speak its promises over your life; be a doer of the Word. Let your zeal for the things of God be according to knowledge, so that you will not err. Walk in the truth.

The Bible says that on a certain occasion, Jesus was responding to a question raised by the Sadducees. "And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?" (Mark 12:24 KJV). Jesus spoke these words to the Sadducees — men who felt in their own estimation that they were learned men and gatekeepers of the Law — and yet, how accurately it applies to us today. How accurately it applies especially to many of these man-ordained, self-proclaimed gatekeepers of the doctrines of the Church. And how relevant and timeless it is as a caution to everyone of us against not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. We err or go wrong and wander from the truth when we don't know the Scriptures. And when we don't know the Scriptures, then we also are not able to get a deep revelation and an experiential knowledge of the power of God. The apostle Paul also made such an observation of Israel and said, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that THEY HAVE A ZEAL FOR GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE. For they being IGNORANT OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, and SEEKING TO ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, have NOT SUBMITTED to the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:1-3). Clearly, zeal for God without right believing based on knowledge of the truth of God’s Word, cannot save anyone. But unfortunately this is also the problem we have among professed Christians today. I bear many professed Christians witness that they have a zeal for God and for the things of God, but not according to knowledge, and so they err. This same doctrine of righteousness by faith that Paul preached about is being rejected by many professed Christians today who seek to establish their own righteousness rather than submitting to or accepting the righteousness of God which is being offered as a gift to all who believe in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:21 with Romans 5:17). And this is just one of many areas where otherwise zealous Christians are erring because of a lack of knowledge of the Scriptures and of the power of God. Today there are so many false doctrines and teachings that have been wrapped around a thin layer of truth — I call it the false doctrine burrito — and are being fed to believers who know no better, because they themselves are not reading the Scriptures and verifying things for themselves. These so-called believers are so unlike the Berean Jews in the early Church, whose zeal for God was according to knowledge. These Berean Jews were more fair-minded and would not buy into just any doctrine without going into the Scriptures and verifying things for themselves. The Bible says, "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES DAILY TO  FIND OUT WHETHER THESE THINGS WERE SO." (Acts 17:11). You see, the Bible describes people who receive the Word with all readiness and search the Scriptures to verify things for themselves as more fair-minded or noble people. I wonder what the opposite of that is.

Beloved, don't just accept my teaching because it's coming from me. Make sure you verify everything I say by searching the Scriptures for yourself. This is also the reason why I provide a Biblical reference for everything I say. In fact, I cannot emphasize this enough. Don't just accept any teaching you hear (as truth) without verifying the Scriptures for yourself. And don't allow anybody to convince you that they have their own private interpretation of the Scriptures, and that they are the only people who have the credentials and the right to tell you what the Scriptures mean. Learn from Elihu when he says, “I said, ‘Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.’ But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, Nor do the aged always understand justice.” (Job 32:7-9). The Scriptures mean one and the same thing even when read by a child. The Bible says, we all should know "this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (II Peter 1:20-21). Read the Scriptures for yourself. It is the Holy Spirit who inspired the writers of the Scriptures, and you also have the Holy Spirit to help you understand the Scriptures. The apostle John, assuring believers that we have the promise of eternal life, said, "These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing (that is, the Holy Spirit) which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him." (I John 2:26-27). Don't allow yourself to be deceived, beloved, and do not be self-deceived either, because you will err if you don't study the Scriptures yourself and come to know the power of God. The blame is squarely on you if you allow anyone to deceive you and lead you to hell with false doctrines and philosophies of men. From my experience, those who clamor for the biggest religious titles are often the ones who have no revelation knowledge of the Scriptures; they are often the ones who try to comprehend the Scriptures by human reasoning, and they often preach or teach sense knowledge, and not revelation knowledge. Nothing is true or makes sense to them (spiritually), unless they can logically explain it. One time Jesus asked a group of such people — who were called the Pharisees — some questions about what the parentage of the Christ is according to the Scriptures, but they couldn't answer Him. (see Matthew 22:41-46). The Bible says, “And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.” (Matthew 22:46). Ironically these men saw themselves as the learned men and teachers of Israel. Prior to this, they even had the nerve to ask Jesus by what authority He was teaching and conducting His ministry. (see Matthew 21:23). On another occasion Jesus also questioned another Pharisee whose name was Nicodemus; He asked, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?” (see John 3:10). Indeed, it is baffling!

If I could only tell you one thing in conclusion, I would echo the inspired words of the apostle Paul, that "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom..." (Colossians 3:16). And I can promise you that the Word will build your faith (see Romans 10:17), reveal and multiply grace to you (see 2 Peter 1:2), and give you an assurance of salvation (see 1 John 5:13). Indeed, the Word will “build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32).

But how can God's Word dwell in you richly in all wisdom? Paul again gives us the answer in his second letter to a young pastor named Timothy. He said, “STUDY to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.” (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV). This is right in line with what God told Joshua in the Old Testament. He said, “This Book of the Law SHALL NOT DEPART FROM YOUR MOUTH, but you shall MEDITATE IN IT DAY AND NIGHT, that you may OBSERVE TO DO ACCORDING TO ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN IT. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8). In other words, Joshua was being asked to study the Word of God and meditate on it until the Word becomes his consciousness, until everything he spoke and did was right in line with the Word of God. Joshua was to make his home in the Word of God. God is telling all of us the same thing. In fact, Jesus said to His disciples that we are to abide or make our home in Him (and of course, He is the Word, just as John 1:1, 14 says, and Revelation 19:13 affirms); we are also to allow His words to abide or make their home in us. (see John 15:7). We are all to STUDY the Word of truth or the Word of God to understand it so that we can rightly divide it in a way that is approved by God. We are never to speak anything that is not in agreement with the Word of God, but are to meditate on God’s Word day and night, that we may be doers of the Word. (see Joshua 1:8, with James 1:22). And we have the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish this. Thus, if you truly desire to walk in truth, you need to STUDY the Word of God with the help of your Teacher — the Anointing or the Holy Spirit — who abides or remains in you. You have to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.

When the Word of Christ dwells in you richly in all wisdom, it will show in your speech and your actions: you will be a transformed man; you will not speak like the rest of the world do; your speech and actions will not conform to the speech and actions of unbelievers or those who are of the world. (see  Romans 12:1-2). You will be unique and distinct from the world, because you will be a man sanctified (or set apart) by the truth, which is the Word of God. (see John 17:17). You will have the mindset of the righteous. You will be as separated from the world as light is separated from darkness. (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-15). Your light will so shine before men, that they will see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. (see Matthew 5:16). This is the reason Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14). You will SHINE in this world and STAND OUT as a city on a hill, when you walk according to the truth of God's Word. When Jesus walked on this earth, He stood out as Light in this dark world, because not only was He the truth, He also walked in the truth. To the Jews who did not believe in Jesus and sought to kill Him, Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and DOES NOT STAND IN THE TRUTH, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44). Here, Jesus gave us a very important revelation about Satan (the devil), and the revelation is that the devil DOES NOT STAND IN THE TRUTH. This means that when you stand in the truth (of God’s Word), Satan will not stand with you. When you walk in the truth (of God's Word), Satan will not walk with you. In other words, Satan is afraid of the truth. This is why every believer must stand and walk in the truth. The only safe ground in this world is the truth, and the Truth is Jesus Christ (see John 14:6); the Truth is the Word of God (see John 17:17). James says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7). Submit to the truth.

Many people often quote the last part of James 4:7 and ignore the first part. But the point is that you cannot resist the devil without first submitting to God, without first submitting to the Truth. To resist anything, you must first be leaning on something stronger. For instance, in order for you to successfully resist a strong wind, you must be holding on to and allowing yourself to be held by a rock or an object which cannot be moved by the wind. Similarly, God and for that matter, our Lord Jesus Christ, is our Rock (see 1 Peter 2:6-8; Isaiah 26:4), He is the truth (see John 14:6), and we have to submit to and lean on Him in order to successfully resist the devil. Submitting to God and to the Lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ is accomplished by submitting to the Word of God, which is the Truth. We have to submit to or agree with and walk according to what God’s Word says about who we are in Christ, what we have in Christ, and what we can do through Christ and with the power and authority that we have in Christ. When we believe God's Word and do (or act on) God's Word, then have we submitted to God, then are we leaning on the immovable Rock, then are we walking in the truth or standing in the truth; and Satan will not stand with us, because he does not stand in the truth. Satan flees when we resist him with the truth of God's Word. When we walk in the truth, we can successfully resist the devil, we can successfully resist every attack and every temptation of the devil. Indeed we know we have truly submitted to God when we have full assurance in our heart that the Bible is in truth the Word of God, and thus renew our minds with what the Bible says. We have to make God’s thoughts our thoughts and His opinions our opinions. After all, the Bible says we (i.e in our spirit) have the mind of Christ. (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). We should make this truth manifest in our body through the renewal of the mind of our body with the Word of God. When Jesus walked here on earth, He was able to resist the devil by leaning on the truth of God's Word when the devil tempted Him in the wilderness. (see Luke 4:1-13). Because the devil does not stand in the truth, he fled when Jesus continually confessed and did what the Word of Truth says, as opposed to what Satan wanted Him to do. Confessing and doing the truth (which is God's Word) is how we resist the devil. Satan may also know the written Word of God and may even quote it sometimes, but the truth is that he does not have the revelation and an understanding of the Word, so he cannot rightly divide the Word of truth; nor does he stand in the truth or do the Word. This is why the ministers of Satan who have infiltrated Christian churches today are not able to preach the truth and do the Word. Yes, they can quote the Scriptures alright, but because they themselves don't understand it and cannot rightly divide it, they deceive their followers with their teachings. On a certain occasion, when the disciples of Jesus asked Him why He spoke the way He did (and in that particular context, why He spoke in parables) to the people, “He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, BUT TO THEM IT HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, NOR DO THEY UNDERSTAND.” (Matthew 13:11, 13). Indeed it has been given to every believer to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God and  to understand the Word of God, and by submitting to it, resist the devil, and he will flee from us. May you submit to the truth of God’s Word, for the Word of God endures forever. Remain blessed.

I share this message, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16 KJV).

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