4. CONFESS THE WORD CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURES
Confession in this context does not mean that if something is said over and over, even God’s Word, that automatically what is being repeated will come to pass, and that every fantasy of will must be fulfilled by the Lord. The truth of God’s Word will set a person free, but only if they abide in or continue in His Word. “If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” (John 8:31)
Further, confession is not just talking without action. It is imperative to be doers as well as hearers. (James 1:22)
What is the importance of confession or speaking the Word? Firstly, confession and believing the Word bring salvation (Romans 10:9) “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”.
Second, Christians are to confess Christ if they are truly His disciples. “Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8)
Third, believers are to confess the Lordship of Jesus, His preeminence over all things. “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”(Phil. 2:11)
Fourth, sin in the life of the Christian must be confessed for God’s forgiveness to be released on their behalf. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Fifth, praying the Word is a form of confession, and brings the believer into intimate relationship with the Lord. Further, through the praying of the Word of God, when understood in proper context can bring us into agreement with the will and purpose of the Lord and bring into reality the focus of our prayers.
Finally, Christians must confess or speak the truth of God’s Word to overcome the lies of the flesh or the enemy. “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrew 4:12)
Also, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Cor. 10:4-6)
Through confessing the Word of God and abiding in His Word, one will see:
*Salvation and Deliverance
*Healing and Restoration
*Strength and Power
*Comfort and Assurance
All that the Christian needs to grow in God’s grace and knowledge of the Lord is to be found in God’s Word.
5. BIND SATAN FROM INTERFERING AND ASK THE FATHER TO LOOSE THE HOLY SPIRIT TO MINISTER
The fact is, once a person is “in Christ”, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
The Christian has been translated from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of His own dear Son, becoming bathed in the light of God’s love. However, there is still a need to live in the physical realm, and all Christians are subject to trials and temptations, and have strengths and weaknesses. Satan knows that he cannot possess the Christian’s spirit and that the Christian is lost to the kingdom of darkness. Therefore, Satan’s strategy in the believer’s life is to render him powerless, leaving him feeling condemned and defeated, and inhibiting him from reaching his potential in Christ. Satan may have lost the Christian to the Kingdom of God, but he continues to fight to keep him from bringing others into Christ’ Kingdom.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
An ignorant Christian is a powerless one. One who neither prays nor studies God’s precious Word will be ineffective. Therefore, when a believer purposes in his/her heart to study the Word and pray, Satan dispatches evil spirits to interfere with this grand purpose.
We know that Satan and all of his foes were defeated by Christ through His death on the cross, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he (Christ) also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him (Satan) that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Heb. 2:14)
The Christian has been given the authority to command Satan in Christ’s name “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. God ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:'” (Matt. 28:18-19). Note also, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; and they shall speak with new tongues.” (Mark 16:17)
Christians are further commanded to resist the devil after they have submitted themselves totally to the Lord. “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil. (Eph. 4:26, 27).
Also, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11).
And, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
Finally, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5: 8)
A careful study of the above scripture will show that even though the devil has been bound and defeated by Christ, the Christian must daily recognize his strategies and prepare himself for the attacks. The believer must exercise his God given authority whenever preparing to study the Word of God.
In Matthew 18:18 it is recorded that whatever a Christian binds on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever the believer looses on earth is also loosed in heaven. The Christian believer must take his authority, submit to the Lord and openly resist the devil in his attempts to hinder the study of God’s Word and the believer’s growth in God.
Satan will use many different forms of distraction, he will:
*Cause the mind to wander
*Create false emergencies
*Get the children into trouble
*Cause a weariness (fatigue)
The Christian must ask the Holy Spirit to minister to him through the Word. It is the Holy Spirit who comforts, leads into truth, convicts of sin, fills the believer, brings fruit into the believer’s life, and ultimately is the teacher and guide. Christians need the Holy Spirit to be loosed in their lives, that they might continue to grow in God.
6. DON’T GET SIDE-TRACKED
As mentioned in point 5 above, the devil would like to distract the child of God from the important task of studying God’s Word. The Christian must resist Satan in the Spirit, and become a good steward of time and circumstances. One way to learn stewardship of God’s time is by keeping oneself on track, moving in a specific direction for a primary purpose.
One of the things that the Army tries to teach its officers is the importance of paying attention to detail. Officers are taught to focus their mental energies on seeing a task through to completion. In spite of any possible obstacles, the main mission (in the case of the Christian, studying God’s Word systematically) is always what matters.
In this present age, when the average attention span of an adult is less than 15 minutes, attention to detail or staying on task is virtually a lost art. Yet, when a person considers that the reading of God’s word is part of communion with the God of the universe, those who truly love God and realize how much He loves them will find it less difficult to attend to the task (or rather joy) of studying the Words of the Father.
Some practical hints might be helpful to the student in his studies:
1. Stay consistent with a schedule. Where possible, study at the same time and place every day.
2. Remove as many distractions as possible to include taking the phone off the hook or leaving the answering machine on.
3. Should the mind begin to wander, it is best not to condemn oneself but to simply return to the task.
4. The quality of relationship is much more important than the quantity of study. It is important to read the Word and pray until the Lord ministers the truth to the heart. It is much like eating several small meals instead of one very large one.
5. The wise student of the Word does not skip around in his reading but remains steadfast in the resolve to systematically learn of the Lord.
6. As the student learns to trust the Lord, he will realize that the Lord will help him study more effectively and thoroughly. God has invested His best in each Christian and He will guard over His investment.
Blessings until next time…
Dr. Stan
(Please leave Dr. Stan your questions and comments…. )
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