Have you ever received a word from the Lord—maybe through someone else or through a song or a download in your spirit?
Maybe you’ve heard the audible voice of God. Whichever the case, if you’ve been given a word, what do you do with it?
I believe God speaks in many different ways. He releases His Word however and whenever He wants to. There are many examples, throughout Scripture, of God using His Word to change hearts, change history and bring things into existence. He’s a talker, and His willingness to partner with us is evidence that He truly desires to establish His ways and His kingdom here on earth.
Whether it was God audibly speaking to Paul on the road to Damascus, giving Noah specific instructions on how his family could escape a devastating flood or His simple, powerful words “Let there be light” rattling the nothingness and setting into motion the creation of the universe. God has always used His Word to bring His will to life.
God’s Word is a gift to humanity. What we do with the word we receive will decide what results we see from its existence in our lives. The very fact that the word was given means there is a purpose for it. In Isaiah 55:11, God says that His Word will not return empty, but will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which it was sent.
Now let’s not pretend that we are robots just programmed to receive data and accomplish a task. We have a choice. We can believe a word and have faith in it. We can reject it. We can doubt it. We can even not recognize a word was even spoken. What if we treated God’s Word like a seed? We receive it, plant it in our hearts, water it and watch it grow into the fruit bearing tree that He intended for it to be.
In a recent episode of the Next Level Podcast with Michael McIntyre, I had a discussion with Harmony Klingenmeyer about this very thing. She had received a word from Holy Spirit that defied her current situation. Her response to the word was beautiful. “I put that [word] in my prophetic pocket. I held it close to my chest. I meditated on that word,” she said. “And I continued to prophesy … even through fear and unbelief.”
If we want God’s words to be alive in our lives, we need to plant the word in the ground through faith. We need to water that word through patience. And we need to prophecy into that word with great expectancy that His Word will hit its target with purpose and power.
Remember, God’s Word became flesh through Jesus’ life lived. His Word is still being spoken today. And through Christ in us, His Word becomes flesh as we receive, obey and believe what He is saying. {eoa}