My last article was about “Stay The Course”, and I’d like to expand somewhat on it today. Some people think that confessing the Word of God over your life daily is just too much trouble, and though they may do it for a while, many get weary of it and stop. Back in 1993 I was dealing with terminal cancer, and immediately started using the Word of God against the cancer and stayed with it, and the cancer left my body. So, did I quit confessing the Word? Nope, I stayed with it, and still do so yet today 22 years later. When will it be “enough” and I can quit doing it? When I die, perhaps.
Why is it some seem to get immediate or quick relief, while others just keep struggling on? I really don’t have a “thus saith the LORD” answer, BUT, twenty two years has taught me a thing or two, both from my own experience, and from that of others: you don’t give up speaking the Word of God EVER! Some have confessed to me that they were faithful confessing the Word for a while. That “for a while” differs from person to person, perhaps a day or two, or a week or two, or a month or two, or a year or two. But “for a while” doesn’t get the job done, for the most part. Just like spraying for bugs “for a while”, you think you’ve beat them, but just when you stop spraying, one day in the not-so-distant future, you see one, then another, and then pretty soon, they’re all back with all their extended family. So it is when you stop confessing God’s Word.
You may “coast” for a while with seemingly no ill effects, but while you’re “coasting”, the enemy is building their attack against you, and you may find yourself up to your armpits in alligators, so to speak, and wonder, “How did THAT happen?” I’ll tell you how it happened: while you were holding up your shield of faith, hiding behind it, you failed to yank those fiery darts out of your shield and start hurling them back at the enemy. Therefore, the enemy decided he was safe in mounting another attack on you, for you were not giving him any opposition whatsoever, and he called in his buddies to join the party against you. Now he’s winning and you’re fighting for your life again, wondering, “Why is God letting this happen to me?”
First off, God is not letting it happen to you. YOU ARE! God has given you His Word to win the battle with, but He won’t make you use it. Remember something, my friend, no war has ever been won with a good “DEFENSE”. Wars are won by going on the offense, and if you’re going to “overcome”, then you won’t do it hiding behind a shield, or being spiritually lazy. God will stand by sadly and watch you go down with your ship if you fail to use the resources He has given you. Oh, He won’t be happy about you losing, but hey, He gave you everything you need to win, what are YOU going to do with it?
Nobody wants to hear that, but if I’m going to really help you, I must always tell you the truth. God cannot lie, He cannot deny His Word, nor will He ever leave or forsake you. BUT…He expects YOU to do YOUR part, and use His Word to change your thinking, your speech, and your actions. God will NOT “possess” your mouth and make you speak His Words. No, He gives you the opportunity to overcome, just like the Lord Jesus overcame, and sits by His heavenly Father. And if YOU want that badly enough, you will do likewise.
Last night at a meeting I overheard a friend talking about “his diabetes” and it saddened me. Before I could speak out, another told him, “You don’t have diabetes, Jesus bore all your sicknesses and diseases”. But the man replied, “Yes, BUT….” But WHAT? Either Jesus did so, or He didn’t, which is it? The truth is, He did, but is it that man’s truth, or is it just truth for “someone else”? That man evidently had given up confessing his healing, so it wasn’t manifest for him. Yet, another with the same condition can stay on the Word, and be delivered from his condition, while others who give up, are not.
What then is the problem? Is it the Word of God? No, the problem is failure to stay with the Word until you prevail. How long does that take? Till you prevail.
That’s where many fail. They fail to enter the race to WIN. Many enter races, all enter hoping to win, but ultimately the winner will be the one who trained hard and ran no matter how tired they were or how sore they got. They entered to WIN, period. There was no other option, no “almost won” or second place for them. For them, “second place” is first place LOSER. And that’s the way I feel, too. I’m going to win, or it isn’t worth the bother.
I’m training winners. There is no “second place”: either you enter the Kingdom of God, or you don’t. I’ll do everything in my power to help you win, to help you overcome everything that stands between you and victory, to teach you from God’s Word, pray for you, encourage you, exhort and correct you, BUT I CAN’T RUN YOUR RACE FOR YOU! That’s YOUR job.
Everybody says, “I just want to hear about Jesus.” No you don’t! You need to know your enemy if you’re going to win. The devil is relentless; he never calls in sick, never takes a vacation or a day off. He is bent on your destruction, and while you are “resting in Jesus”, he is mounting his next attack on you. That means you cannot let your guard down for even a second if you don’t want to be blindsided. Worshipping and praising God, giving Him thanks, and confessing the Word of God is your most powerful weapon, and the devil has no defense against it whatsoever. As long as you are using your weapon, you win. Set it down though, and before long you’ll wish you hadn’t.
Whether you’re fighting for your health, or your finances, or your family, or whatever, the strategy remains the same, DON’T GIVE UP! Keep at it however long it takes until you win. God will back His Word, but it’s up to YOU to use it, and not sparingly. That brings me to the “sowing and reaping” part. A farmer doesn’t go out in the middle of his field and plant one seed and realistically expect an overabundant harvest, does he? No, he sows GOOD SEED abundantly and expects an abundant harvest. Too many preachers use “sowing and reaping” tactics to “fleece their flocks” out of their money, while doing nothing to prepare them to be overcomers for the Kingdom of God. This isn’t about you “getting rich”. This is about you becoming a better servant of Christ Jesus so you may hear the words “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your LORD!” That’s what it means to overcome.
But by diligently using the Word of God as the center of your life, you also partake of the “benefits” that you are admonished not to forget about in Psalm 103:2-3. You can be disease free, whole, forgiven of all your sin, and actually experience the peace and joy of the LORD in your life, right here, right now in the present time. That’s why it’s called “the present”. God’s Word is His gift to you, so that you may have life, and have it more abundantly. But it won’t happen like berries falling off the tree on you. You will have to put your diligent effort into it. But hey, isn’t the Kingdom of God worth it? All the overcomers will be there, and you’re cordially invited, that is, if you don’t give up.