Comp. 11/88

"Heaven & Earth Shall Pass Away, But My Words Shall Not Pass Away!"—Mat.24:35DFO 2484

1. The Word of God is the most powerful Truth on Earth!—Words that contain the very SPIRIT & LIFE of God Himself!—Jn.4:24. The Word is the spiritual SPARK of God that ignites us with His life, light & power!

2. Reading, absorbing & following the Word of God is the most important thing you can do! It's the WORD that keeps you in tune with God & helps you to keep going God's way. It was only when Adam & Eve quit listening to God's Word that they got in trouble. (See Gen.3.) When you listen to God & His Word, He always tells you the TRUTH, & if you obey His truth, you'll be happy & fruitful. (See Jn.15:11; 13:17.)

3. FAITH in the Word of God is such a vitally important principle!—That's what this entire era & Age of Grace is built on, FAITH in the WORD! "For without FAITH, it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God", & "faith cometh by hearing the WORD of God!"—Heb.11:6; Rom.10:17.

4. This is the way the Lord & His Angels & Saints have chosen to operate through the ages, this is how He deals with Man. Although He is a "very present help in trouble" Who will "never leave nor forsake us" (Psa.46:1; Heb.13:5)‚ He deliberately remains largely HIDDEN & UNSEEN behind the veil of the Spirit Realm. Therefore He expects us, His children, to "walk by FAITH, not by sight" (2Cor.5:7), except for occasional prophets or those with certain gifts of the Spirit to whom He may give glimpses of Himself & His unseen operations.

5. But most of the time the Lord seems to let us more or less fend for ourselves with very little direct, visible or audible intervention from Himself or His angelic agents. He doesn't give us a whole lot of too–easy help of openly visible supernatural assistance from the Spirit World. Instead‚ He leaves a lot up to US, & He expects us to gain the spiritual strength & faith that we need from His WORD.

6. He wants us to eagerly absorb His Word for ourselves, & thereby gain the FAITH that we need to meet the needs & confront the situations which we continually face.—Which is why the Word is SO important! It is the primary means by which we receive God's communication & are made aware of His Will, & thereby receive the faith & strength to carry on for Him in this life!

7. Where is the first place we look to find the Will of God?—The WORD! His Word is the known, sure, absolute, revealed Will of God! So even if you never receive a revelation, you never hear a voice, you never receive a prophecy, you never have the gift of knowledge or the gift of wisdom‚ you never have discernment, you never have healing, you never have miracles or any other gifts of the Spirit (1Cor.12:8-10), if you'll just heed & follow His WORD, you'll accomplish a whole LOT for the Lord!

8. The Bible is the most wonderful, supernatural, miraculous, amazing, marvellous book in the whole World!—It tells you where we CAME from, how we GOT here, WHY we're here, how to SURVIVE while here, how to be HAPPY while here, & how to love & have happiness, joy & peace FOREVER!

9. Regardless of all the criticism, skepticism & lies that its opponents may hurl at it, we KNOW without a doubt that the Bible is true because we know its AUTHOR!-That's something nobody can disprove! Perhaps before you were introduced to the Author‚ before you met the Lord, you didn't care much about the Bible & didn't know whether it was true or not, maybe you never read it or didn't even believe in it. But now that you have found JESUS & have received Him into your own heart, you KNOW His Word is true, because you know He wouldn't lie to you or tell you anything that wasn't right! PTL!

"TREASURES NEW & OLD!"—MAT.13:52

10. God has given His people the major basic information that they've needed from the very beginning. Then He's given more & more as history went on, until by & by‚ a few hundred years before Jesus came, He began to really tell the Prophets what was going to happen. And then when JESUS came, with His Apostles & the Early Church, He really gave more details. All the time God has been giving more information & more details needed by Man!

11. But what we have in the Bible today doesn't tell us EVERYTHING. It does tell us the basics of what we really NEED to know.-And in fact‚ it tells us a whole lot MORE than we really NEED to know for our SALVATION! It also contains a lot of very interesting & important lessons, showing how God deals with men.—And how we should profit by their examples, & learn not to fall prey to their sins & frailties! Yet it also teaches us that even if we DO fall, we can look forward with hope to God's MERCY, PTL!

12. There are a lot of churchy folks who think, "Well, the Bible's ENOUGH‚ that's ALL we need! God hasn't spoken since then‚ He doesn't speak any more, He doesn't talk any more! He just turned His back & shut up after He gave the Book of Revelation to John, & we're not SUPPOSED to get anything else from God any more!" Well, a God Who can't talk & can't do anything any more would be a pretty DEAD God!

13. Thank God, He's NOT a silent God Who shut up when the Bible was finished 2,000 years ago! He's a LIVING God, a TALKING God, & He STILL speaks & has been speaking ever since then!—Talking to His people & His prophets & His children down through the ages‚ ever since the days of Jesus & His Apostles & the Early Church.

14. He's still alive & He still talks TODAY! Hallelujah!—And He's given us His Words for TODAY because He wants you, His children‚ to know that He loves you, & He wants you to be PREPARED for His soon return!—And He wants you to be able to SURVIVE these Last Days as His witnesses to this last generation!

15. The Bible is not His ONLY Word, Beloved. He has also given us His Word for TODAY, for His modern Church of today, His Endtime Children, His people of these Last Days of Man's history! He didn't forsake you! He hasn't gone off & quit talking right now when you need to hear from Him the most of all!

16. We need the Word of God in every form possible, treasures both new & old! The BIBLE was the one to BEGIN with, the already recorded & established Word down through the centuries‚ which has worked. It WORKS, which is the greatest proof of its veracity. But we also need to have His PRESENT Word-dreams, visions, spirit trips, as well as direct answers to prayer, direct revelations, messages, prophecy, tongues & interpretation—information straight from Heaven to show us exactly what He wants us to do right NOW!

17. Some people need the Bible & some people need MO, & frankly, I think the Family needs BOTH! My Letters are in a sense a commentary, an extension or an enlargement on the Bible, & they were given more or less with the understanding that you ALREADY knew or were at least familiar with the Word of God in the Bible. So if you've neglected the Bible, you've really missed something!—The FOUNDATION!

18. The original recorded Word as found in the Bible is a wonderful, wonderful book, & is an absolutely inexhaustible source of wisdom & knowledge.—So I hate to think that you would neglect the beauties‚ riches, treasures & power of the original Word of God!

19. Of course, a lot of things have changed since the Bible days, so if you want & need some LATER information, for TODAY, then you need to faithfully read & study the MO LETTERS! In fact, you'll learn a lot more about the PRESENT as well as even about the past, & certainly about the FUTURE, by reading the Letters!

20. If you are a faithful student of both the Bible & the Letters, you will see that the Letters are BASED on the Bible, & are in CONFORMITY with the Word of God in the Bible. You won't find anything in my writings that is contrary to the basic principles of the Bible—of faith in God & His Love & His Salvation. There will be nothing contrary in the revelations God has given today to what He's already shown, except that He's filled in a lot more of the picture, a lot more pieces of the puzzle, & He's given us a lot of details to fill up the gaps & spaces that were not filled in before!

SOUL FOOD!

21. JESUS SAID, "THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK UNTO YOU, THEY ARE SPIRIT & THEY ARE LIFE!"—JOHN 6:63. His Word is the very Life of God! That's what gives us spiritual LIFE & FOOD & NOURISHMENT & STRENGTH & HEALTH!-Which is why a good wholesome balanced diet of His Word is ESSENTIAL if you wish to GROW & stay close to Him!

22. Jesus Himself is called "The Word of God" in the Bible.—Rev.19:13; Jn.1:1‚14. Jesus IS the Word, He IS the Spirit & the Life‚ & you have to have a dose of Him EVERY DAY, a good feeding & feasting & drinking, if you're going to grow & stay healthy spiritually! Just like you have to EAT in order to have PHYSICAL strength, you have to FEED from the WORD, drink of the Word, to have SPIRITUAL strength.

23. "As newborn babes, DESIRE the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby."—1Pet.2:2. That's a picture of a baby who must have its mother's milk in order to LIVE. Without receiving nourishment from the good, wholesome, nourishing, encouraging & feeding Truth of God's Word, you will STARVE & eventually DIE spiritually!

24. You've got to feed your SOUL or your soul is going to DIE! You have got to be fed spiritually, or you will never grow up spiritually, you will never fully MATURE, & you will stay a spiritual infant or babe because you haven't properly fed from the milk of His Word. That's what's wrong with most CHURCH Christians: They've neglected the Word & have grown weaker & weaker until they're defeated by the World. They've neglected their only hope of victory‚ the Life‚ light, strength & power of the Word!

25. Even with our own people, when they're spiritually weak, it's usually because they're weak in the WORD!—They haven't really been strengthened by the Word & really indoctrinated with the Word & filled up with the Word, baptised with the Word. They haven't lived on the Word, drunk the Word, feasted on the Word. The Word has not been their life & strength & health like it should have been.

26. Just like a baby has a natural‚ instinctive & irrepressible God-given desire to SUCK & draw the milk from its mother's breast‚ so WE should hunger & thirst for the pure milk of the Word. IF we are HEALTHY spiritually, we should DEVOUR it, drink it in & cry out to God for it just like a baby does for the milk of its mother!

27. The great Prophet Jeremiah said, "I found Thy Words & did eat them, & Thy Word was unto me the joy & rejoicing of my heart!"—Jer.15:16. Job said, "I have esteemed the Words of His mouth MORE than my NECESSARY FOOD!"—Job 23:12.—Do YOU?

28. There's nothing more important to your spiritual life than the Word!—Because the Word is Love, the Word is God, the Word is Jesus‚ the Word is everything!—His Word is just that important!

WORD TIME!

29. Jesus said, "One thing is needful, & Mary hath chosen that good part which shall NEVER be taken away from her!"—Luk.10:42. What is the "good part" that Mary chose?-The WORD! She sat at Jesus' feet & listened to His Words! This is something that is so needful, so necessary, you've simply GOT to do it!—To rest in the Lord & sit at His feet & hear from Him & His Word.

30. If you put the Word first, the Lord will always give you time somehow to take care of the other things. But you say, "I've got so many other things to do now & so much work to do, how am I EVER going to find time to read the Word every day?"

31. Well, if you haven't got time to read the WORD, I don't see how you've got time to watch VIDEOS! Videos are just pure pleasure, relaxation, entertainment & recreation, which is fine, & you're supposed to have that some time. But I'll tell you, from the time that I was a young child, I never came home from school & ran directly out to play, I always made sure I did my homework first, & then I didn't have to worry about it. I got it done, & THEN I went out to play!—And YOU should do YOUR homework first!—Take time for the WORD!

32. If you get so busy with a little here & a little there that you don't even have time for the Word of God, I'll tell you, you'll CRACK UP that way! It's DANGEROUS to neglect the Word! The minute you start crowding the Word out of your life you are getting TOO BUSY!

33. You can't just let things slide & get so busy with other things that you neglect your inspiration, the spiritual food & nourishment that you need from the Word. I know lots of times I would really get down if I didn't feed on God's Word!

34. Of course, once you have a good feeding, a good meal‚ you can get pretty full & be satisfied for quite awhile. But pretty soon you need ANOTHER one.—And it's the same way with your spiritual food, you need to REGULARLY take time with the Lord & His Word to make sure you get your spiritual food & inspiration. Try to set aside at least an hour each day in which you can quietly commune with the Lord through His Word. When you see the difference it makes in your walk with the Lord, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it!

35. You ARE what you READ & what you're HUNGRY for!—So make sure you're getting the right spiritual food! If you like to read the Word of God best, that shows you love the Word of God & you would rather hear from the Lord than anybody.

"OPEN THOU MINE EYES!"—PSA.119:18

36. Did you know that you can read the Word‚ but hardly get anything out of it? People can sometimes read passages over & over & it just doesn't sink in. The Bible says‚ "The NATURAL man receiveth NOT the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned."—1Cor.2:14. Unless we read the Word in a PRAYERFUL & RECEPTIVE attitude, looking to the Lord & His Holy Spirit for guidance, it can be very difficult for us to understand some things.

37. In fact, unless the Holy Spirit reveals some things to you, enlightens your mind‚ you can be totally BLIND to certain truths that have been right there in front of you all the time! But if you earnestly pray, as David did, "OPEN THOU MINE EYES that I may behold WONDROUS things out of Thy Law" (Psa.119:18), the Lord is faithful & will answer your sincere petition. Ask the Lord to "give unto you the spirit of WISDOM & REVELATION in knowledge of Him, so that the eyes of your understanding will be ENLIGHTENED," & you won't be disappointed!-You will indeed behold WONDERFUL things from His wonderful Words! PTL!—Eph.1:17‚18.

38. A lot has to do with your own DESIRE to hear from the Lord & your own personal HUNGER & RECEPTIVITY. "BLESSED are they which do HUNGER & THIRST after righteousness, for THEY shall be filled. For He hath filled the HUNGRY with good things, but the rich (full) He hath sent empty away!"—Mat.5:6; Luk.1:53. If you read His Word prayerfully, & sincerely ask God to guide you, He always answers the hungry heart!

39. So much has to do with your ATTITUDE. The Scribes & the Pharisees of Jesus' day were fluent in Scripture, they knew it by heart, they copied it all the time by hand. But because they were so SELF-SATISFIED & SELF-RIGHTEOUS, they were anything BUT "hungering & thirsting after righteousness", & their hearts were HARDENED & their spiritual ears were DEAF & they were DEVOID of understanding! They RESISTED the truth of the Word that they read, & truth resisted loses its power over the mind, & they didn't even realise how spiritually alienated they were from the Lord!

40. But if you sincerely seek the Lord as you hungrily read His Word‚ He WILL speak to you through it. And the more dearly you begin to LOVE His Word & the more you study it & feed from it, the more you will grow spiritually & the more you will find that God can speak to you just as loudly & clearly & directly through His written Word as if He spoke to you out loud in a prophecy during a prayer meeting!

41. When the Holy Spirit quickens a passage or verse to you‚ applying it to your own personal situation, it brings the Word to LIFE! The Lord will bring His Word to life & give you things personally, answers to your problems & prayers, as you read His Word. When He applies it to a situation‚ it suddenly becomes ALIVE! It's no longer just mere words any more, or words that just run through your HEAD, but all of a sudden it hits your HEART & you really get the POINT! "The ENTRANCE of Thy Word giveth LIGHT, it giveth UNDERSTANDING to the simple!"-Psa.119:130.

"STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD!"—2TIM.2:15

42. THE MORE YOU STUDY THE WORD & REALLY DIG INTO THE WORD, THE MORE IT WILL BECOME A CONSTANT SOURCE OF PLEASURE TO YOU!—A source of enjoyment, inspiration, encouragement, edification, information & continuous guidance!

43. Real study time is not only reading time, but LISTENING TO GOD TIME also. The minute you begin to stop, look & listen to the Lord's recorded WRITTEN Word, you are immediately putting yourself in the position of being willing to LISTEN, so then the Lord can begin to speak to you & give you His LIVING Word!

44. To feed from the Word & hear from the Lord like this‚ to spiritually graze in the green pastures by the beautiful still waters of His Word that He has for you (Psa.23), you need to bear in mind what my teacher used to tell me in typing class, that the most important thing is not speed, but ACCURACY. When you're reading the Word of God, it's ACCURACY that's important.

45. So read the Word carefully, prayerfully & thoughtfully. If every time you sat down to eat a meal, you gobbled & gulped it down as fast as you possibly could, you wouldn't digest or absorb it nearly as well as if you had eaten it a little more slowly.—Nor would you ENJOY it as much! This same principle applies to your SPIRITUAL food as well.—To fully DIGEST, ABSORB & BENEFIT from the Word, don't let the Devil speed you up or trip you up or sideline or distract you! Of course‚ an excellent way to really ABSORB the Word is to MEMORISE key portions & verses! (See "The Memorisation Revolution!")

46. You can miss a lot of the meaning, the real depth of what the Lord's talking about‚ unless you STOP to really THINK about it sometimes & APPLY the Word to your personal situation, & ask, "How is that true & how is that so?"—Not with a questioning or a doubtful attitude, but one full of FAITH, knowing that you can learn even more lessons if you search further & dig deeper.

47. Remember also‚ the Lord loves a mystery! He likes for you to learn to DIG things out! To find the real precious jewels, you sometimes have to do a little MINING‚ a little DIGGING, & put a little EFFORT into it.

48. As with the most precious metals & jewels, gold & silver & diamonds etc., you have to HUNT for them & DIG them up & find them. He purposely doesn't make it too easy for you. He says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a WORKMAN that needeth not to be ashamed‚ rightly dividing the Word of Truth!"—2Tim.2:15. If you will diligently & prayerfully labour in His Word, He will greatly reward you, & you will agree with David, who exclaimed‚ "Thy Word is BETTER unto me than THOUSANDS of gold & silver!"—Psa.119:72.

EFFECTS OF THE WORD OF GOD!

49. The Word of God always has an EFFECT! No one can hear or read the Word of God without being somehow INFLUENCED. Everyone who hears the Word is affected one way or another. Here are some of the dramatic effects that reading & living in the Word will have on YOU! ...

GIVES LIFE & VICTORY!—"HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD, & IN HIS LAW DOTH HE MEDITATE DAY & NIGHT. AND HE SHALL BE LIKE A TREE, PLANTED BY THE RIVERS OF WATER, THAT BRINGETH FORTH HIS FRUIT IN HIS SEASON."—PSA.1:1,2.

50. The wonderful Water of God's Word can revive you even if you seem to be spiritually dead. Even if you've neglected it for a long time, if you'll only drink it in again, you can again become BEAUTIFUL & FRUITFUL! Just as we've seen seemingly "dead" trees, shrubs, plants & gardens which were utterly barren & lifeless & leafless spring to life & become productive again when properly WATERED, so the Water of His Word can bring you, though SPIRITUALLY withered‚ new LIFE & virtual RESURRECTION if you will soak in His Word!

51. No matter WHAT'S wrong with you, if you'll just read the Word with an open & receptive heart, it will get you straightened out! It's reading the Word that kindles the DESIRE to change in your heart—because you will be inspired, envisioned, revitalized, renewed, invigorated‚ challenged, enthused & filled with faith from His Words!

52. His Word Seeds excite you, & they invite you, & they EXORCISE you, & they RIGHT you, & they PLIGHT you, & sometimes they BITE you, or INDITE you, or FIGHT you, or ENLIGHT you (make you glow), & ENHEIGHT you, & ENMIGHT you (make you strong), & requite you, or right you, or sight you, or tight you (make you up tight), or invite you & delight you!

53. The Word is the secret of victory or of defeat! It's the secret of success or failure! It all depends on how you treat the Word‚ & how you live IN it & live ON it, or try to go on WITHOUT it!—THAT'S the secret! The secret of POWER & VICTORY & OVERCOMING & FRUITFULNESS & FIRE & LIFE & WARMTH & LIGHT & LEADERSHIP is the WORD!—And the LACK of the Word is the secret of BACKSLIDING & failure & coldness & darkness & weakness & DYING spiritually!—So for GOD'S sake‚ live IN the WORD—Amen?

CAUSES GROWTH & GIVES STRENGTH!

54. If you keep close to the Word & really let it change you, you will grow steadily, & mature into what the Lord wants you to be. A lot of your spiritual growth is up to YOU & how much NOURISHMENT you receive!

55. Jesus told us that His Words should ABIDE in us, & that "as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in Me."—Jn.15:4,7. So in order to have the STRENGTH to do our important job for the Lord, we have to spend time getting filled up with His WORD. As the old saying goes, "You cannot do the Master's work without the Master's power."—And to get it, you must spend time with the Master feeding from His Words.

56. Even getting OUT the Word to others is not as important as getting INTO the Word yourself first! We need to get the Words IN as well as out! Otherwise, you'll never have the spiritual strength & stamina or the spirit that will sustain your BODILY strength & stamina to keep going to get out the Word, unless you yourself are drinking IN the Word & being spiritually nourished & strengthened by it yourself first.

GIVES FAITH!—"FAITH COMETH BY HEARING, & HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD!"—ROM.10:17.

57. You get faith from reading the Word! Every word you read gives you more faith, strengthens your faith‚ & drives away your doubts & fears!

58. Faith is not something you can TRY to have! It is something that is BUILT by faithful study of God's Word! You have it because you're full of the Word of God. If you're WEAK in faith, it's because you're weak in the WORD, you're OUT of the Word!-And if you are‚ it's your OWN fault, because you're either not taking TIME to read the Word, or you're not RECEIVING the Word that you are reading!

59. If you're having battles with doubts, the best cure is the Word! Prayerfully read the Bible & the Letters, & they should cure any doubts you have, if you're sincerely WILLING to receive the Truth & you really want to know! Of course, if your mind is already made up & you don't WANT to hear the facts, then there's not much hope for you! But if you really want to know, the Lord & His Word will show you!

60. The best way to encourage your faith is to bury yourself in the Word of God! Encourage your faith with His Word & hang on to the Lord & you won't have to try to hang on to your faith, because it will come AUTOMATICALLY. "Faith comes by hearing the Word of God‚" it's an automatic thing. Just read His Word & you will believe, PTL!

LIBERATES!—"IF YE CONTINUE IN MY WORD, THEN ARE YE MY DISCIPLES INDEED, & YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH‚ & THE TRUTH SHALL MAKE YOU FREE!"—JN.8:31,32.

61. The ONLY way on God's Earth to find true freedom is to continue in God's Word! There's no other way to be truly free! His Word IS His Truth, & His Word is what makes us free, nothing else! So if you want FREEDOM, it comes from LIVING in the Word, KNOWING the Word & FOLLOWING the Lord & His Truth!

CLEANSES!—"NOW YE ARE CLEAN THROUGH THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU."—JN.15:3.

62. The only way to be thoroughly CLEANSED from the spiritual stench of the old stinking soiled filthy dirty clothes of your old past life & your old sinful self‚ is a good BATH in the PURE WATER OF THE WORD to thoroughly wash away all the old pollutions & any further desire or taste for them!

63. So if you need cleansing, go to the washing of the pure Water of the Word, & let His Truth cleanse you & rid you of all the filth & hogwash of this rotten old World & your own sinful heart!—Jer.17:9; Rom:12:2. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy WORD ...Cleansed with the washing of water by the Word."—Psa.119:9; Eph.5:26.

SEPARATES FROM THE WORLD!—"I HAVE GIVEN THEM THY WORD, & THE WORLD HATH HATED THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT OF THE WORLD. SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH: THY WORD IS TRUTH!"—JN.17:14,17.

64. As you absorb the Word, that's what really draws the line that separates you from the World & from the Worldlings. "He that is of God, heareth God's Words...They are of the World, therefore speak they of the World, & the World heareth them. We are of God: He that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth & the spirit of error."—Jn.8:47; 1Jn.4:5,6.

KEEPS YOU!—"THE LAW OF HIS GOD IS IN HIS HEART, NONE OF HIS STEPS SHALL SLIDE!"—PSA.37:31.

65. Years & years of study of God's Word have given me a solid rock foundation of faith so that I don't get led astray or blown away by every little breeze of the Devil!—And YOU need to have that kind of a solid foundation too! He says‚ "Henceforth ye should no more be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine!—But be ye STEADFAST, UNMOVABLE, always abounding in the work of the Lord!"—Eph.4:14, 1Cor.15:58.

66. If your faith is founded on God's Word, it doesn't even matter how you FEEL, you know the WORD is still the same. God's Word is still just as effective & unchanging REGARDLESS of your feelings. And it is your faith in the Word that counts & will pull you through in times of severe trials or tests!—"For this is the victory that overcometh the World, even our FAITH!"—1Jn.5:4.

67. The Word of God is your spiritual BALLAST‚ your only hope of salvation, the only thing that will keep you STEADY & on the firm foundation of Truth! If you retain the Words in your heart, & your faith is founded on the Words, they will preserve you no matter WHAT you may go through! Even though you may sometimes be weakened, you will still stand if you keep on God's firm foundation of faith‚ balanced firmly with His Words. (See "Builders Beware!", ML 309B.)

OUR WEAPON!—"THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD!"—EPH.6:17.

68. The Word of God is our spiritual sword that drives away & defeats the Devil every time we use it! When Jesus Himself was tempted by the Devil, He fought back with the Word! (See Mat.4:1-10.) So when the Enemy comes around, take out your sword & whack away! He can't take it! He'll RUN every time! Sock it to him with the Sword of the Spirit!—The WORD! That's the stuff!—That VICTORIES are made of!

69. Nothing scares the Devil like the Word of God! He just can't take it, he can't stand the Word! The best way to put the Enemy out of action is with the Word! Just bury him in a flood of Truth!—And he & all of his doubts & fears will flee!

70. The Word is also a LIGHT that drives away & defeats the Enemy's darkness! "Thy Word is a LAMP unto my feet & a LIGHT unto my path!"—Psa.119:105. When you fill your mind with the WORD of God you don't have room for the darkness. So fill your mind with the light of God's Word & the darkness will FLEE! When the Devil attacks you with his doubts & his fears & his discouragement & his temptations & all the rest, turn on the light of God's Word & the shadows will flee! Read it, quote it, sing it, claim it!—It never fails!

SURGICAL SCALPEL!—"THE WORD OF GOD IS QUICK & POWERFUL‚ & SHARPER THAN ANY TWO-EDGED SWORD, PIERCING EVEN TO THE DIVIDING ASUNDER OF SOUL & SPIRIT‚ AND OF THE JOINTS & MARROW, & IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS & INTENTS OF THE HEART!"—HEB.4:12.

71. When WITNESSING to others, never underestimate the power of the Word! There is absolute POWER in the Words of God. It is only the Sword of His Spirit which is sharp enough to pierce the HARDEST armour, so that the warmth of His Spirit of Love can flow into their empty hearts.

72. The Word of God is always quick & sharp & powerful, & frequently divides asunder! As a skilled witness for the Lord‚ you can wield His Word to cut & remove the cancers of evil that afflict so many today.

73. His Word is the most powerful weapon in the World, sharper than any two-edged sword, sharper than any other weapon on Earth. It can do more than split atoms, it has greater power even than the hydrogen bomb!—For it can even divide asunder the SOUL & the SPIRIT of MAN!—And can change HEARTS & change MINDS & win followers to Christ & His cause!—So USE it! PTL!

KISSES!

74. The Lord's Words are like KISSES to our spirits, amen? His Words encourage & feed our souls, like the kisses of a lover! Of course, some people might say, "Well, we're married, we live together, she knows I love her‚ & I know she loves me, so why should we KISS?"

75. Well, Mama & I kiss CONTINUALLY! We kiss many times each day, every time we're near each other. We kiss each other at every opportunity, & it gives us that constant feeling of ASSURANCE & REASSURANCE that we're really LOVED. Well, GOD is continually kissing & encouraging us with His WORDS to reassure us that HE still loves us! PTL!

IN CONCLUSION:

76. There's so much MORE that we could say about this marvellous subject of God's wonderful Word, but suffice it to say, the more you live in the WORD, the closer you'll be to the LORD, & the more blessed & fruitful your life will be! PTL! So let's keep the CONNECTION STRONG with His WORD & His SPIRIT, His TRUTH & His LOVE, in humility & obedience, amen?

77. "Oh that you would hear the Words of the Lord, as streams that never run dry!—That thine ears should be FILLED with their flowing‚ & thy heart should be ever NIGH!"

78. Help us, Lord Jesus, to remember that Thy WORD comes FIRST, that Thy Love comes first, & that Thy Love is primarily manifested in Thy Word, Thy loving Word from Thee & Thy loving Word to others, on which our entire Work stands. This is our whole duty & our whole obligation & our whole job, to love THEE & to love OTHERS, to love Thy WORD, & love THEM with Thy Word, & anything else is not really essential‚ not really necessary.

79. Help us, Lord Jesus, to FILL our hearts & our minds with Thee & Thy Word so that we really get CLOSE to Thee & get to KNOW Thee & to really DEPEND on Thee! Help us to SATURATE ourselves with the Word! Inspire our hearts by Thy wonderful Word!

80. Help us, Jesus, to read & put into practice all the things Your King David said about Thy Word in that marvellous Psalm 119. He talks so much about Thy WORDS, & that's where he got his strength & his life & his wisdom & his power & his victory. David lived in Thy Word night & day, as we do also‚ in trying to teach it to others. TYJ!

81. "KISS the Words that He gives through the mouth of Thy Father!" Hallelujah! TYJ! That means you should be so THANKFUL when He speaks to you! We should be so THANKFUL to hear His WORD, we should KISS every one of them, they're so precious, we should be so thankful, amen? TYJ! TYL!

82. Do YOU kiss His wonderful Words?—ABSORBING the Word, LIVING the Word & PREACHING the Word & PRACTICING the Word & TEACHING others the Word?—If so, God will mightily bless you & you'll be eternally thankful & rewarded! PTL!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family