I love the words of Pastor Jack Hayford, extolling the truth and value of the Scriptures:
“THE WORD OF GOD God’s Word has been unscrolled in both the Scriptures and in His incarnate Son-- Jesus Christ. Jesus, in describing the importance of the of the eternal Scriptures said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ (Matt. 4:4). He also commended the steadfast inquiry into the Word of God: ‘Search the Scriptures … they … testify of Me.’ There is no such thing as health or growth in Christian living apart from a clear priority on the place of the Bible in the life of the individual or the group. The Scriptures are the conclusive standard for our faith, morals, and practical living and are the nourishment for our rising to strength in faith, holiness in living, and effectiveness in service. The Holy Spirit who comes to fill us is the same Person who has given us the Book to guide and sustain us. The writer of this study has demonstrated the balance the Bible brings to living in his life, in his teaching ministry, and in his leadership.”
Hayford continues:
“THE SOURCE AND NATURE OF GOD’S WORD
1. The Divine Inspiration of the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16)
The Bible is ‘God-breathed’ and the words planned by God’s creative design.
2. The Complete Trustworthiness of the Bible (Ps. 19:7)
The Word of God is ‘perfect’ in its accuracy and ‘sure’ in its dependability.
3. The Content of God’s Word is Complete (Prov. 30:5,6)
The Bible is complete, completely trustworthy, and sufficient to completely answer anything we need to know about eternal salvation or practical wisdom concerning relationships, morality, character, and conduct.
4. Jesus and the Holy Scriptures (Luke 16:17)
Jesus confirms that every word of Scripture is given by God, every truth is to be held inviolable, that
the Scriptures are indissoluble and credible.
5. The Way God’s Word Is to Be (2 Cor. 3:5-8)
The Word of God is to be ministered literally and life-givingly in the Spirit of Truth and Spirit of Life.
THE ESSENTIAL PLACE AND POWER OF GOD’S WORD
6. The Regenerating Power of God’s Word (1 Pet. 1:23)
The Word of God regenerates new spiritual life where man has, by nature, died spiritually.
7. The Authority of God’s Word over Our Lives (Ps. 119:89-91)
As ‘spiritual’ people we are to refuse the ‘natural’ inclinations of fallen man, giving place instead to
hearing and yielding to the authority of God’s own Word.
8. God’s Word and Our Soul’s Nourishment (Deut 8:3)
Spiritual survival is not possible for long without feeding upon the Word of God.
9. God’s Word and Practical, Fruitful Living (Ps. 119:105)
The regular application of the Word of God is the pathway to success and prosperity in living.
10. True Spiritual Growth Requires God’s Word (1 Cor. 3: 1-5)
True spiritual growth requires the Word of God, which makes spiritual maturity genuine.
11. Loving God’s Word As Jesus Follower (John 14:21)
(In order) To follow Jesus and to know God a continuing requirement of steadfast commitment to
hearing, heeding, and studying the Bible is necessary.
12. God’s Word: Purifier unto Holy Living (James 1:23-25)
The Bible shows us Christ’s likeness so that we can be ordered and shaped into that image.
13. God’s Word, Evangelism, and Expansion (Is. 55:10, 11)
The spreading of God’s Word and the fulfillment of our personal potential come by the Word of God.
14. God’s Word: Read It! Study it! Memorize it! (2 Tim. 2:15) God’s Word is the only conclusive source of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding concerning ultimate realities waiting to liberate and enrich those who will pursue its wealth.” (Spirit Filled Life Bible, Page xii)
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Continue Part 1: My Plan for You -- Your Heart’s Desire
Consider the words of Oral Roberts, on this subject of abundant life, spoken of in John 10:10:
“God Desires Biblical Abundance for You, SEED FAITH. As you give your total self to God, God gives His total self to you. That is the supreme message of the Bible. Inherent in God’s ‘total self’ of His own Person is true, Bible-based prosperity – the real possibility of health for your total being (body, mind, emotions, relationships), of your material needs being met. Above all, His prosperity brings eternal life. Stop to think about it. What else is there worth having?”
“ Jesus said that He came to give life – not just ordinary existence, but life in fullness, abundance, and prosperity (3 John 2). On the other hand, the Enemy (Satan) comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. The line is clearly drawn. On one side is God with goodness, life, and “plenty” of all that is necessary for life (see Joel 2:26 and 2 Peter 1:3), and on the other side is the Enemy of our souls, who comes to rob us of God’s blessings, to oppress our bodies through disease and accidents, and to destroy everything that we love and hold dear.”
“Your first step toward experiencing full biblical prosperity is to believe that it is God’s highest desire for you. The next step is to line up your highest desire with His.” (From Spirit Filled Life Bible, “Kingdom Dynamics,” page 1593.)
In order to line up our highest desire with His highest desire for us, we must get to know Him, and His nature, through His Word. Yes, He speaks to us in other ways such as by His Spirit to our own born again spirit. But the only way to prove that “Word from God” and be certain that it really came from God is to see that it lines up with His written Word. Many people take action on what they thought was a “word” from God, to simply later find themselves disillusioned and confused.
We must never forget that Satan, too, does indeed have a plan for each of us and that one of the best ways to begin to walk out Satan’s plan is to walk in our own plan. The road of my own plan will eventually merge right into his road. So many blindly choose this route and then wonder how their life turned out so disappointing. Often they will attribute it simply to “bad luck.” Well, luck has nothing to do with it and the word “luck” is not in my Bible. “Bad luck” is just a commonly used excuse for the consequences of not walking in God’s Truth.
So how can one know this “Truth,” in order to walk in it? Since “Truth” and God’s Word are synonymous, the answers are waiting in the pages of His Scriptures.
“God Desires Biblical Abundance for You, SEED FAITH. As you give your total self to God, God gives His total self to you. That is the supreme message of the Bible. Inherent in God’s ‘total self’ of His own Person is true, Bible-based prosperity – the real possibility of health for your total being (body, mind, emotions, relationships), of your material needs being met. Above all, His prosperity brings eternal life. Stop to think about it. What else is there worth having?”
“ Jesus said that He came to give life – not just ordinary existence, but life in fullness, abundance, and prosperity (3 John 2). On the other hand, the Enemy (Satan) comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. The line is clearly drawn. On one side is God with goodness, life, and “plenty” of all that is necessary for life (see Joel 2:26 and 2 Peter 1:3), and on the other side is the Enemy of our souls, who comes to rob us of God’s blessings, to oppress our bodies through disease and accidents, and to destroy everything that we love and hold dear.”
“Your first step toward experiencing full biblical prosperity is to believe that it is God’s highest desire for you. The next step is to line up your highest desire with His.” (From Spirit Filled Life Bible, “Kingdom Dynamics,” page 1593.)
In order to line up our highest desire with His highest desire for us, we must get to know Him, and His nature, through His Word. Yes, He speaks to us in other ways such as by His Spirit to our own born again spirit. But the only way to prove that “Word from God” and be certain that it really came from God is to see that it lines up with His written Word. Many people take action on what they thought was a “word” from God, to simply later find themselves disillusioned and confused.
We must never forget that Satan, too, does indeed have a plan for each of us and that one of the best ways to begin to walk out Satan’s plan is to walk in our own plan. The road of my own plan will eventually merge right into his road. So many blindly choose this route and then wonder how their life turned out so disappointing. Often they will attribute it simply to “bad luck.” Well, luck has nothing to do with it and the word “luck” is not in my Bible. “Bad luck” is just a commonly used excuse for the consequences of not walking in God’s Truth.
So how can one know this “Truth,” in order to walk in it? Since “Truth” and God’s Word are synonymous, the answers are waiting in the pages of His Scriptures.
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