8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. 2 Timothy 2:8-9 (NIV)

How does God's word become our reality? How do we move from a place where the word becomes alive? Only by doing what the word of God says. Each time we put God's word to practice, we make God's word come alive. God's word is always searching and has an assignment to make us what it talks about.

2 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Acts 20:32 (NIV)

God's word has the power to build us up and to make us what it talks about. God's word is God's authority. His word has power and if we believe in it, it can work. Everything to do with Christianity has to do with our believing. God wants us to get to a place where we can choose to believe in Him.

One of the challenges we can have is trouble in our belief system. And, it makes a lot of sense if we have been through uncommon difficulties. While we have every reason to feel bad and go through whatever we have to go through, we still need to believe in God's word.

And our faith in God depends on how much of God's word we are exposed to.

Faith comes from hearing

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

Faith comes by listening and listening attentively to the word of God. Each time we start to doubt, we just have to ask ourselves what we have been consuming. Faith is not the only thing that comes through hearing. The same means by which faith comes can be used to receive anything else.

Fear also comes by hearing. Before we are afraid, we would have spent some time listening to people who told us we wouldn't be able to make it in life. And I know, a lot of times, they mean well. It's absolutely up to us to purposefully choose faith over fear. The more we expose ourselves to God's word, the more our faith muscles build up.

Our capacity to receive things from God totally depends on how much of the word of God we have in our hearts. The more of God's word we have within us, the greater our capacity to believe for impossible things.

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7 (NIV)

There's always a condition. I don't believe that living for God is set on Do's and Don'ts. But I do believe that the way we live is an expression of our love for Jesus. Like in a marriage. I think what makes it work is commitment to each other regardless of the circumstances.

There are many ways we can choose to live. And each time we choose to live for God, it shows Him that we are committed to Him. We are married to God. And marriage to God is marriage to His word.

19 I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
20 I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the LORD. Hosea 2:19-20 (NIV)

All through the bible, we see how much God loves us and how much He is committed to us. And we receive assurance from His word each time we read it. Living according to God's word is the only appropriate way to be grateful to God for all that He does for us. Again, it's not mandatory. It's never compulsory. If we do it, it should be because we want to honor God with our lives.

When should we listen to God's word?

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NIV)

We should listen to God's word all the time. I know that we many not always have the time to sit and study God's word. Life can be busy. That's why, if we are ever going to live by God's word, we have to make a conscious effort to study His word. Sometimes, we'd have to make a sacrifice in order to spend time with God in His word. How did Jesus do it?

5 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Mark 1:35 (NIV)

I know that the scripture above shows us Jesus' prayer life. I wanted us to see the kind of sacrifices Jesus had to make to do everything that He needed to do on earth. He had to rise early in the morning to spend time with God. Christianity is practical. Being a Christian is always about being practical. What good is it to receive God's word and not act on it?

If we want to become everything God promised us to become, we need to do what God tells us to do. There's never a good time to pray. There's never a good time to spend time with God through His word. We have to make time for God. And we can set up a system that works for us. Everyone's relationship with God is going to be different. God's mission for everyone in general is the same. He wants us to obey Him.

7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. – Deuteronomy 6:7 (NIV)

We need to consciously choose God's word. What works for me, may not work for you. I love spending time with God early in the morning and in the evening. I am not saying I cannot read my bible in the afternoon. But, sometimes the busyness of the day makes it challenging to spend time with God at that time.

I know some people who spend their time with God in the afternoon. And that seems to work out for them. We should never say we are too busy to spend time with God. God's word in our hearts is what makes us become everything that God speaks about us.

God's word should be received in faith

38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38 (NIV)

There are many things God says to us. And for those things to come to pass, we need to receive God's word in faith. It doesn't matter what kind of life we have had in the past. It doesn't matter the kind of troubles we have had in the past. It doesn't matter what we've been called. What matters is what God's word is saying about us.

Do you know what God says about you? Have you had personal revelations from God? God doesn't only speak to pastors. He seeks to speak to everyone of us. There are some things that we'll need to do it alone before anyone else comes on board.

Mary received this word before Joseph did. I am sure she would have told him. But she chose to receive it before another person got on board. We don't always have to wait for other people to believe what God is calling us to do in the different seasons of our lives. God's word should be personal to us.

The word of God makes us free. Free from anxiety. Free from depression. Free from addictions. Free from anything that has the power to bind us. God's word can never be bound. But we have to receive His word. And choose to act on it.

The past year was a bit challenging for my family. I remember having conversations with my dad about him losing his job. He hadn't lost it yet. But it was going to be his last few months serving the company he worked for over 15 years.

For any family, getting news that you are going to lose your job is not exciting. It makes you fear. Your faith can get a little shaken. Having a job provides a lot of security. It reduces how many things you have to worry about. I had known for a while and my mom and I had been in prayer for a while about the situation. I remember agreeing with my mom to seek God's will.

God's will for us is good. It may not always look like that. During those couple of months, my mom and I faithfully sought God in prayer. Sometimes we'd pray about my dad getting a contract renewal. And it looked like the more we prayed, the harder it was for my dad to get that renewal of a contract.

My dad went to the extent of having meetings with his superiors, just to have an extension to his contract. Despite putting in all that effort, nothing materialized. And while all that went on, God never forsook us.

Then one day, I was reading my bible and I felt the need to give a sacrificial seed offering. And I told my mom about it. I told her and assured that my dad would get a job elsewhere in good time.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. Genesis 26:12 (NKJV)

Did you know that Isaac sowed when there was a famine? It's in his worst circumstance that he managed to sow. And, the money I had on me was the last I had. In faith, I acted on God's word. And God was able to give both my mom and dad new jobs only a month after my dad was let go. I don't believe in luck. I believe in God's grace and I believe in God's faithfulness to us. We only have to believe God's word and have faith that is stronger than the pressures of our current circumstances.

Prayer

Lord, we want to thank you and acknowledge you. Father, we are grateful for our lives. We are grateful for what we have. We are thankful for who you are to us. Lord, help our unbelief and increase our faith. We refuse to doubt your word. We refuse to waver at your promise in unbelief. Like Abraham, may we be strengthened in faith. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen

Note: Hi Readers. Thank you for reading again. I am sorry again for taking long to update. I have been slightly occupied. And, I needed some time to study. God bless you so much. Shalom.