USE THE WORD SKILLFULLY- Daily devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Nah 1-3
USE THE WORD SKILLFULLY Saturday, November 20, 2010
MEMORIZE: “For precept must be upon precept, precept, upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” (Isaiah 28:10) READ: Isaiah 28:9-13 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). Another veritable tool of a shepherd is his staff.  Ordinarily, this is just a piece of wood but in the hands of a skillful shepherd, it is a dangerous weapon which can be used against intruders and attackers like wolves. In spiritual parlance, this refers to the skillful application of God’s Word.  2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. It is one thing to have or know the Word of God: it is another thing to know how to effectively apply it to situations.  Depending on the skillfulness of the user, the Word of God can be a sword or empty words.  If the devil knows that you know how to use the Word as a weapon, he will approach you with caution.  Every time you resist the enemy using the appropriate scripture, a spiritual sword pierces his heart and much injury and distress can be inflicted. Do you know how to skillfully use the Word? “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Many people have a knowledge of the truth yet, they still remain in bondage. Knowing the Word is not enough: you need wisdom to correctly apply  it so that you can receive the benefits it should deliver to you. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). The wise Bible scholar would know that there are several conditions attached to each promise of God’s Word.  If you fail to search through the Bible to fish them out and connect them to fit as in a jigsaw puzzle, that promise might remain a mirage. For instance, many quote and claim healing scriptures such as ‘I am healed by his stripes’ (Is. 53:5) but fail to fulfill necessary conditions such as returning to God in true repentance and humility (2 Chron. 7:14); receiving God’s Word with faith (Psalm 107:20; Heb. 4:2); living a life of service (Exo. 23:25) a good dose of exercises (1 Tim 4:8); eating balanced diet; living in holiness, etc. Do not stop at holding on to a promise: take time to search for all the necessary conditions for them to be fulfilled. It takes hardwork to search the Scriptures. How often do you do this? ACTION POINT: The believer who knows how to effectively divide (use) God’s Word is a very dangerous and highly dreaded individual. He is noted in hell. (N.B Have you supported www.10millionexercisebooks.com project yet? Join us today).