“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not” (Ezek 33:31-32; KJV).

I love how the word of God gets right to the basic issues of life. How often we ask ourselves, why am I not growing in my walk with God as I would like to, why don’t I experience God as I should?

Are we like the people God spoke about to Ezekiel? Do we hear and read God's word and enjoy it but don’t do it, don’t allow it to change us but go about doing our own thing? As we hear and read God's word, we need to ask ourselves, what does this word say to me, what does it mean, what is God trying to tell me?

The parable of the sower shows us so clearly how satan can steal the word from us or prevent it from bearing fruit in our lives through the pressures and busyness of life (Matt 13:3-9; 18-23). The word has the power (Heb 4:12; James 1:21) to change us, to bring good fruit into our lives (Matt 13:23; Gal 5:22-23) and make us doers of the word. (James 1:22) We just need to prayerfully apply ourselves to read, study and meditate it. (1 Tim 4:13;15).

We need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us what God is saying to us in his word, to open his word to us (John 14:26). Then we will not need to tell people we are Christians, they will see it in our lives (1 Tim 4:15).

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"......Upholding all things by the word of his power…..." (Heb 1:3b; KJV). It is God's powerful word that upholds everything. We are told in John 1:1 and Col 1:16 that this world was created by his word. God literally spoke the world into being: “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” (Gen 1:3). That's how powerful God's word is.

 In Hebrews 4:12 it says that: "the word of God is quick, and powerful......". The centurion certainly believed that when he told Jesus to just speak the word trusting that his servant would be healed as a result (Luke 7:7). This reminds us of Psalm 107:20 that says God sent his word and healed them. Words in our mouths can be equally powerful if we speak them in faith because Prov 18:21 tells us that "death and life are in the power of the tongue." 

When faced with negative situations we can speak life into them by speaking the word and allowing it to energize and effect our situations; God watches over his word to bring it to pass (Jer 1:12).

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"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31; KJV). The word: “continue”, is often translated: “abide” and also means to cleave to, dwell and remain. There is the sense of sticking with it and being affected and obedient.   According to this verse, in order to be good followers of Jesus we must not only spend time reading the word but obey what we learn. There are advantages of doing this. In 1 John 2:5, the Apostle tells us that if we obey the word God's love is matured in us, and in his gospel the apostle John says that we will be loved by God and Jesus will reveal himself to us (John 14:21).

The parable of the sower in Luke 8:5-8 teaches us that the word in us bears fruit and in Colossians 3:16 we read that the word in us will give us wisdom. There is so much to be gained by being a student of the word (2 Tim 2:15) but the main thing is that the more time we spend fellowshipping with God in this way the more we get to know him and the more sensitive we are to his voice; after all the word is God speaking to us.

So, read the word slowly and listen as you do so; pray and ask God to open your spiritual ears to understand his word. Remember that no time doing this is ever wasted because God's word does not return void, it will always achieve its purpose (Isa 55:11). It will always bring wisdom (Col 3:16), guide and direct us (Ps 119:105), open our spirituals eyes to God’s promises (2 Tim 3:16) and build up our faith (Rom 10:17).

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The Apostle Peter denied Jesus 3 times at Jesus' greatest time of need (John 18:15-27). After his resurrection Jesus took time to specifically let Peter know that he loved him and forgave him (John 21:15-17). It is interesting that Jesus told Peter, who would become a leader in the early church, to feed his lambs, tend his sheep and feed his sheep.

Feed means to feed or keep, while tend can also mean to feed but also to shepherd or pastor. Peter exhorted the elders (shepherds) of the church to oversee, care for, shepherd and feed the flock, or church (1 Peter 5:2). The shepherd leads, protects, feeds and pastures his flock (Ps 23, John 10:1-30).

We have shepherds, our pastors and elders, who provide spiritual food from the Bible. When Jesus charged Peter there was such a clear emphasis on feeding the flock. We should heed this emphasis in our own lives.

God's word is truth (John 17:17) and this truth sets us free (John 8:32). God's word is life (Psalm 119:50); it is vibrant, alive and full of power (Heb 4:12). This power will change us (Rom 12:2), make us all God wants us to be, bring God's blessings and grow our faith (Rom 10:17).

No wonder the psalmist said "thy word have I hid in mine heart" (Psalm 119:11; KJV). We would do well to heed this advice.

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