The Fire of God’s Word

Every summer since I was a small boy, I attended the Vacation Bible School held by our church. I loved it so much! It was one of the highlights of my summertime. One of my favorite memories was when all of us children marched like soldiers into the main church auditorium and took our seats for the opening morning session each day. Once we got into our places, the pastor stood in the pulpit, commanded us to stand, and led us in the morning Bible pledge. At the beginning of each day of VBS, we lifted our voices and boldly proclaimed: 

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

Since then, I can admit that I regularly have to renew my commitment to make God’s Word the center of my life. Although I am a pastor, Christian educator, author of Christian books, and a visible Christian leader, I must conquer the same struggles that others face — including the temptation to become so busy that I unintentionally neglect reading my Bible daily. Time and time again, I have spoken to my flesh — commanding it to get back in line — and deliberately renewed my commitment to make God’s Word the center of my existence. What about you?

 

Have you made a commitment to God to read your Bible every day? Is this an area in which you have struggled to maintain consistency? Would you like to regularly read God’s Word? If you allow the Holy Spirit to help you, you can make this commitment and win this victory in your life! Even if you unintentionally skip your Bible reading for a few days, don’t let the devil condemn you. Ask for forgiveness and get back on schedule. 

 

There is nothing more powerful than the Word of God! It holds the answers to every question you could ever ask and contains the power to meet every need in your life. The Word promises that if you obey it, it will produce health in your body. It is truly the answer to every human need. 

When you neglect God’s Word and fail to include it in your daily routine, that neglect will eventually affect every part of your life. The regular absence of God’s Word from your life will jeopardize your faith, steal your joy, produce intolerance of others, and create putrid attitudes that disgust not only God and others but you! Ignoring daily Bible reading affects your ability to be spiritually productive and eventually makes you spiritually infertile. 

But when you understand all the benefits of God’s Word, it’s incredible to think you would ever skip a day of Bible reading! There is no other book in the world like the Bible! It has the power to change your life and put you on the path toward success. 

The Bible is like fire when you allow it to work inside your heart. For instance, such as fire purifies metal, God’s Word purifies our consciences, renews our minds, illuminates our spirits, and drives away darkness. Its light exposes areas in our lives that need to be changed. 

The Bible also brings warmth and comfort in times of difficulty. Like the warmth and comfort, I feel when I draw near to the glowing warmth of a burning fireplace, the Word of God warms my heart when I sit down with it and allow its life-giving truths to permeate my being. 

The fiery impact of God’s Word awakens us to areas in our lives that need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. When a believer hears the scriptures expounded by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, or when he reads the Bible to take it by faith into his heart, its supernatural power is unleashed. When that happens, that person’s heart, will, thoughts, emotions, and memories are all touched by God’s power as if by fire. 

The living power in God’s Word also awakens the recipient to receive a greater measure of God’s presence in his life during the divine process of transformation. As any Christian taps into the divine power and presence contained in the Holy Spirit-inspired words of the Bible by faith, the spiritual force that is released can change anything!

This fire also ignites new life in areas that have grown indifferent or resistant to God’s will. If you keep taking the Bible into your heart, the fire of God’s Word will continue to burn brilliantly — spreading throughout your entire system as you surrender to its transforming work.