It is not enough to hear what God has said; you must believe it enough to live by it.
“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. ”
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NKJV)
Have you ever watched a little child who has been promised something by their father? That trusting child is confident that his father will, most definitely and without fail, do as he has said. He might even go as far as bragging to his friends.
Now, imagine that same father tells the child, "Jump, I'll catch you!" The child jumps simply because he trusts his father.
If a child can have such confidence in the word of a human, you should trust much more in the Word of the eternal God, and allow His Word to shape how you live.
If a believer hears that God is their provider but continues to live in constant anxiety about money, what does that tell you? Has that believer truly believed what they heard?
You must understand that belief goes beyond hearing the Word and agreeing that it is true. It goes further to a place of trust that produces a response. In other words, you believe the Word enough to live by it, regardless of how things may look.
1 Thessalonians 2:13
New King James Version
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
Paul commends the Thessalonian believers because they received the message taught to them, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God. He goes further to explain that this Word effectively works in those who believe.
Yes, God's Word is active, vibrant with life and capable of producing intended results, but it must be received with faith. It is not enough to hear what God has said; you must believe it enough to live by it.
Hebrews 11:1
New King James Version
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The writer of Hebrews shows us that belief is not a passive thing. It is an active conviction that produces a response. In fact, Hebrews 11 gives us several examples of people whose faith was substantiated by their actions.
The writer speaks of Abraham, whom God instructed to leave his country, his family and his father's house and go to a land that He would show him. What did Abraham do? He believed God and acted on His instruction.
God also promised him that he would become the father of many nations, even when he and Sarah were already advanced in age. Years passed, and the promise had not yet materialised. Yet, this is what the bible says about Abraham:
Romans 4:19-21
New King James Version
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Abraham's testimony came approximately 25 years after God first made the promise concerning his descendants. Yet, Scripture tells us that he did not waver through unbelief but remained fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised. Let this encourage you, at whatever stage you currently are with the word of God spoken to you. Don't allow your present circumstances or the passage of time to weaken your confidence in the One who spoke the word. In your life, you must believe that no word He has spoken will return to Him void.
When you read the book of Acts and see the great work the early apostles did in the Church, you may wonder how they could do such things. You must understand that they fully believed that Jesus was who He said He was. Therefore, they took His instructions and promises concerning them as incontrovertible truth. That's what believing looks like. It is more than hearing words and agreeing that they are true. It is trusting the person who has spoken enough to respond accordingly.
Make the Word a constant part of your everyday life. You can write out scriptures or prophecies you have received and place them where you can see them. Speak them to yourself consistently. Trust God’s word and believe it with all your heart. When anything around you contradicts what God has said, stand on the truth of God's word.
Be mindful, too, of the voices you allow to influence you. You are more impressionable than you may realise. Guard your heart against words and conversations that feed doubt and weaken your confidence in God's Word.
Don't just hear the Word. Believe it. Act on it. Let it work effectively in you.
Prayer
Father, help me to not just receive Your words but believe them so much that they birth results in me. Let it be evident that I rest solely on your Word.
