Balanced Diet // Chapter 1 - The Word

Balanced Diet - The Word

This message is part of the 3-a-day balanced diet guide/ series. As believers in Christ, we are meant to be feeding our spirit a 3-a-day balanced diet which is made up worship, prayer and the Word. You can find the introduction down below. It’s chapter 1 of the Balanced Diet guide.

What is the Word of God? The Word of God is power! The Word of God is Protection! The Word of God is life! The Word of God is light! It is a living Word that has always been there even before it was written. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

John‬ ‭1:1-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Word was God!

In order to have a relationship with God you need to know who He is and the best way to do that is by knowing His Word, because He is the Word. You can not be in relationship with someone who you have no knowledge of, let alone give your life to someone who you do not know. Once you give your life to Jesus you are called into His light. The Hebrew definition of light is knowledge. God is an all knowing God. The more you know about Him the more you start to understand who you are and who God has called you to be. (We will delve more into calling and identity in Christ later in this series). The opposite of light is darkness which in Hebrew means ignorance. The devil is called the prince of darkness, because his main aim is to keep people away from the knowledge of God, because in that knowledge is freedom and eternal life. If you don’t educate yourself with the things of God you are easy to be misled and to manipulate. The devil is the master of deception from the time of the garden of Eden: “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Genesis‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ In this verse the serpent who is the devil is described as “cunning” which means deceptive and devious. He knew what was said unto Adam and Eve and how God forbid them from eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil yet he manipulated her with what she already knew to encourage her to disobey God and her sin caused both Adam and Eve to fall out of alignment and favour with God. As a follower of Christ your portion is not to be ignorant, as you were brought into Christ’s divine light therefore, you must have knowledge.

The Word of God is Power! “Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” Mark‬ ‭12:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ One of the biggest mistakes one could make as a believer is not knowing the Scriptures. By knowing the Word of God we start to understand not just who he is but we also get to know His Power. Many people underestimate the power of God. Some don’t believe that God still performs miracles, or that God has a perfect plan for your life or that God has the power to work in your life and save your soul simply due to the lack of knowledge. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will].” Hosea‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭AMP‬‬ Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to the word. It is in His word that God reveals His will for us. It teaches you everything The Bible is basically a cheat book to winning in life.

The Word of God is a Protection! “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians‬ ‭6:13-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The Word of God is a weapon that can fight any battle that you could find yourself in. It is an armour and a weapon of God that will allow you to not only survive through battles, but to have victory and to ”still be standing firm” after the battle. Whatever it is that you may be going through, the Word of God will enable you to come out on the other side even stronger than you ever were before. What does it mean to wear the Word as an armour? It means that you are immersed in the word every single day, you believe in it and you trust it to work in your life. It’s when you feel like the world is against you but you’re still able to proclaim that ”No weapon formed against me shall prosper” Isaiah 54:17 NKJV and you believe it with your heart because the word of God says so and “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” Numbers‬ ‭23:19‬ ‭NLT

You use the Word of God as a weapon when you speak it over your situation and you trust God to fulfil His word because He is not a man that he shall lie.

The Word of God is Life! “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.” James‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ The power of salvation is in the Word. When you accept that Word you allow God to come into your life. He has already placed the Word that can save you on the inside of you, but you can only tap into it once you surrender everything you know that is not of God and accept that Word of God as truth – then it can save your soul. “He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” James‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ We are birthed out of His Word. The Word is a seed within us and the way to water it is by getting to know the Word everyday. That’s how we can now show up in the fullness of who he has created us to be - that is if we align ourselves with His Word.

The Word of God Brings You Closer To The Kingdom! “Realizing how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.”

Mark‬ ‭12:34‬ NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Due to the mans understanding of the word, Jesus declared that he was “not far from the kingdom of God”. It wasn’t his prayers that made him to not be far from the Kingdom. It is when you understand the word of God, that’s when you’re able to understand the things of Heaven, the expectations God has of you and the God that you worship. It is exactly that which will bring you closer to the Kingdom of God.

The Word of God Sanctifies and Reveals Purpose! “Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy]; Your word is truth. Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world. For their sake I sanctify Myself [to do Your will], so that they also may be sanctified [set apart, dedicated, made holy] in [Your] truth.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17:17-19‬ ‭AMP‬‬

The word of God has the power to make you holy and cleanse you from your sins. The word sets us apart to do God’s will for His purpos. If you don’t know your purpose on this earth and you would like to know, start by reading the word, praying and worshiping (on a daily basis as part of your 3-a-day; balanced) and coming in alignment with God. From there your relationship with God will reach the point where you’ll be to not only know and understand Him but also know and understand who He has created and called you to be. It starts from the Word.

The Word of God is Freedom and Blessing! “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” ‭‭James‬ ‭1:22, 25‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Knowing and understanding God’s word is amazing, but what is the purpose of it if you don’t put it to practice everyday. Once you’re able to accept the word as truth in your life it is then time to follow and do God’s word. Why should you be a doer of the Word? Because it is the “perfect law that sets you free”. Unlike ignorance that leads to captivity, the perfect law of God sets you free. Free from the lies of the enemy spoken into your life. Free from not knowing your purpose. Free from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts. Free from wondering on the earth aimless and purposeless. Free from the enslavement to sin that births death. God will bless you for being a doer of His word. The Word is the Holy Bible!

Summary:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:105‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Prayer:

Father in the name of Jesus,

Lord I thank you for sending me Your Word. Lord I pray that as I shall be going into Your word, it shall be a light to my feet and a light to my path. I shall no longer live in fear and in ignorance, but in the boldness that comes from the knowledge of God. Let your word sanctify me and set me free from the bondage of sin. Father give me the power to understand Your word, let it give me revelation and wisdom so it can bring me in alignment with you and draw me closer to Your Kingdom and my purpose on this earth.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen!