DOING THE WORD: THE AUTHENTIC PATH TO GOD’S BLESSING & APPROVAL

James by the Holy Spirit in James 1:25 (talking about hearing and doing God’s word) said But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty (God’s word) and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer; but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in all his deed. 

Here you see the bible call doing the word of God, 'work'. Just saying “amen” to the “prophecies” being spoken on you does not work it, you must be a doer of the word for the word to work in your life therefore junk presumptions and/or laziness and get to work.

Now, if the doer of the work (word) is blessed, it follows that the non-doer of the work (word) will not be blessed (at least, not of or by God). Take notice that if this is not so, James here will not warn and encourage us to be doers of the word. 

The blessing of God only follows the doer of the word. Do not forget that the book of James was written to the church, believers, you and I. 

Someone may say “I know believers that are not doing the word like that and they are blessed”. I assure you that this assertion can only be based on a lack of understanding of what God’s blessing is. We need to understand what being blessed by God means in His kingdom. 

A blessed man in God’s kingdom is that man through whom God expresses Himself to bring the purpose of redemption to pass in his life as well as the lives of others viz-a-viz salvation, deliverance and victory over sin and Satan, the world and so forth. 

The measure or indication of God’s blessing in a man’s life therefore is in how much God (after having worked in the man’s own life), is able to reach out (by His life and power) through the man’s life to other men to save, deliver them from and give them victory over the powers of darkness.

God’s blessing or the blessing of the kingdom should not be measured through carnal indices or material things, e.g how much physical possession you have or how much money or how much control over men you have in this world. These may be what is referred to as being blessed in the world but not so in God’s eyes or in His kingdom.

Carnal and material things have their places but they do not serve as indices or measurement of God’s blessing or fruitfulness in the kingdom of God. 

Whatever can satisfy the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life should never be a measure or indication of the blessing of or approval of God in His kingdom.

The blessing of the kingdom is measured only through things of eternal value. How much God’s life is being expressed through your life for your benefit and the benefit of others unto the fulfillment of the purpose of redemption.

The purpose of redemption is the fulfillment of destiny for everyone that believes and destiny is conforming to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). 

After you got born again, how many people are getting born again through your life? How many people are receiving the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit through your life? How many lukewarm and backslidden Christians are becoming restored and serious with their relationship with God through your life? How many believers are growing spiritually through your life? 

How many people are receiving encouragement to move on and be who God wants them to be through your life? Are you delivered from trouble, sicknesses, diseases, spiritual attacks, bondage and oppression through your prayers and faith?  How many people have been saved from trouble, sicknesses, diseases, spiritual attacks, bondage and oppression through your prayers, faith and counsel?

Make no mistakes, God’s blessing which comes by doing the word is not measured by carnal things or indices, they are not measured by material possessions but by how much the life of God in you is being expressed both for your benefit and then through you for the benefit of others (to know God and to do His will). These only come by being a doer of God's word.

I know this may upend your theology but it is true. Nowhere in the entire New Testament will you see the term “blessing” in relating to God and His Kingdom referring to material or carnal things.

God said in Isaiah 55:8 that my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. The ninth verse says for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. You must understand that the judgment of God is not fashioned after the judgment of man.

So take these away, that:  

• The blessing of God (result of the working of God’s power in a believer’s life) comes by doing God’s word, by being a disciple indeed
• Material possessions (things of this world) are no indices for measuring God’s blessing in a believer’s life but rather the life and power of God working in the believer’s life and through the believer’s life to bring the purpose of redemption to pass in the lives of others also
• Nowhere in the New Testament is the term “blessing” (in relation to God or His Kingdom) used in reference to material or carnal things. 

We will see more of why carnal things are not an indication or measure of God’s blessing in a believer’s life in the next part. 

Meditate on these things, give yourself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all (1 Timothy 4:15).

Pastor Gboye Omolayo is the Resident Pastor of Church@Allen, Allen TX, USA. He is a prolific writer and preacher who believes the efficacy of the word of God and the potency of the works of the Holy Spirit are still available to the Church today, as were at the Church’s infancy. He is the publisher of this blog.

CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH - PART 1

  

This is going to be the first in the series of a very long discourse we will be having on the word of God. 

We will be looking at God’s mind as revealed in His word by His Spirit on a lot of issues that have to do with this life, contemporary issues and otherwise.

We will deal with some issues in series (like this first) and each of the series will be broken down into parts, for ease of reading, meditating and imbibing. 

By way of title we will call this first Contending For The Faith and this will be the first part. 

It is pertinent to note that the purpose of this and others to come after it is for us believers (those who have been born again) to know exactly what the mind or will of God is on the issues of this life and then judge ourselves on whether we are doing the will of God in our lives or not.

Jesus said in John 8:31 that if you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed.

To be disciples indeed (that is, disciples in doing, true followers), we must do what the word of God says to do as it covers every area of our lives. We must be doers of the word.

There are three identifiable steps to being a doer of God’s word: i. HEARING OR READING IT – which brings you in contact with it ii. KNOWING OR UNDERSTANDING IT (THROUGH MEDITATION & PRAYER) – which puts it in your spirit, causing you to believe it iii. ACTING ON IT OR DOING IT –which brings out the results or if you will, the fruits in a believer’s life.

We must keep in mind that knowing and understanding God’s word come by the workings of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:17, 1 Corinthians 2:12, John 16:13a), when we seek them. 

To get knowledge and understanding of God’s word therefore, there must be conscious and deliberate effort, the work must be done and there must be submission to God. 

Revelation knowledge is not acquired by laying on of hands or waiving or throwing of a minister’s “coat”. It cannot be acquired by proxy or any other way that may be bandied around today.

It has always and will always come by the Holy Spirit ministering it to you as you spend time meditating in the word. He must therefore be reverenced, given the time, attention, submission and the seriousness He deserves in our lives personally for Him to freely deliver to us those things that God has freely given unto us.

Now, being a doer of the word of God is very critical for the believer because the establishment and growth of God’s kingdom here on earth are embedded within all individual believers knowing and doing God’s will. 

We must know that the kingdom of God here on earth is made of all believers (only). It is important to know additionally that the degree of success of any believer in this life is the degree to which he or she continues in God’s word. 

James 1:22 says be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. It is not enough to be a disciple by name or in words only, the expectation of God is that we be disciples indeed, to be followers of Christ by doing what Christ says. 

Being a disciple by words or by name only is an exercise in self-deception and Ephesians 5:6 warns us not to be so deceived that we may escape the wrath of God.

So take these away firstly, that:

• We are required and expected to be doers of God’s word if at all we are Christ’s.
• Knowledge and understanding of God’s word come only through revelation by the Holy Spirit and thus to have these you must consciously devote time and attention to Him in all reverence and readiness to obey. 
• The process of being a doer of the word involves a) hearing or reading it b) prayerfully meditating on it to bring its revelation and understanding to your spirit c) acting on God’s word you have now understood.

Like apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit said in 1 Timothy 4:15, meditate on these things, give yourself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all, I encourage that you do these on what is discussed thus far and we will continue from there in the second part.  

Pastor Gboye Omolayo is the Resident Pastor of Church@Allen, Allen TX, USA. He is a prolific writer and preacher who believes the efficacy of the word of God and the potency of the works of the Holy Spirit are still available to the Church today, as were at the Church’s infancy. He is the publisher of this blog.

Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth.... (John 17:17)

I love to refer to the seventeenth chapter of the book of John as a key valedictory prayer of The Lord Jesus for believers before the conclusion of the His earthly ministry. He prayed to God for those who have come to believe in Him at that time as well as those that will believe thereafter (John 17:20).

Something featured prominently in this prayer and that is the word of God. In the sixth verse He said the believers had kept God’s word (which was how come they were believers).  

In the eight verse He said He had given the believers God’s word and they received and believed it. 

In the fourteenth verse He said  He had given the believers God’s word and because of this the world hated them (and this because the world hates Him). 

The world hated Jesus and the believers because of who controlled the world and those who are in it, Satan, the god of this world (1 Corinthians 2:3-4)

From the ninth through to the thirteenth verse, The Lord Jesus prayed earnestly for God to keep those that believe in Him (who He kept while He was still on earth) because He was leaving the earth, He was about finishing the work He came to do. This culminated in the seventeenth verse where He asked God to sanctify the believers through His truth, stating that God’s word is this truth. 

The word sanctify here is from the greek word "hagiazo" which means to separate from profane things and dedicate unto God or to consecrate or dedicate people to God.

It is only through the revelation knowledge the word of God (the truth) and acting on that knowledge that those who have come to believe in Jesus can optimize their lives in and relationship with God. 

A major reason why the Holy Spirit was given to every believer is for Him to continue to reveal this truth to us (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:12). Jesus also instituted the five-fold ministry secondarily to bring these truths to believer’s attention (Ephesians 4:8-13) through time until He returns.

Satan being aware that what would protect the believer in this world and guarantee their well being is God’s word, has put himself to work ever since to ensure that believers do not get to know the truth. 

The words of Jesus however remains true till this day, and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32). Whether or not you as a believer optimizes your walk and relationship with God here on earth depends on the extent to which you seek, embrace and act on God’s truth (His word).

Let us for a moment discount the fact that by Satan’s manipulations, believers have been deceived and sold lies rather than the liberating truth of God (even in our churches) and ask ourselves personally how passionately we are seeking the truth because of our love for God and desire to serve Him. 

Jesus said he that seeketh findeth (Luke 11:10). For those who would rather stand with the Lord and stay true to God no matter what it takes to get His will done in their lives His way, this blog is one of the resources/tools by which that objective can be achieved.

We will here present God’s truth, His word, under the auspices of His Spirit as it relates to issues of this life so that the seekers might find the truth and pointers to it, which they will meditate on (till believing) and act on to see the result of Jesus’ prayers for them in this seventeenth book of John. God answered Jesus’ prayers, you must appropriate the answer for yourself.

You can live in victory over Satan, the world and sin in the twenty first century. Lay hold on the truth of God and you are just about started. No one can do it for you so get to work, that is God’s expectation.

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all (1 Timothy 4:15).​



Pastor Gboye Omolayo is the Resident Pastor of Church@Allen, Allen TX, USA. He is a prolific writer and preacher who believes the efficacy of the word of God and the potency of the works of the Holy Spirit are still available to the Church today, as were at the Church’s infancy. He is the publisher of this blog.