Faith in His Word
Would you like to hear the Lord say this to you? I know I would. The Lord's proclamation of the great faith of the centurion was a result of the centurion relying solely upon the word of Jesus. Although a Gentile, and at the time was considered unworthy to receive anything from God, the centurion clearly understood the principles of faith and the authority of Jesus Christ. In other words, the centurion trusted God's word completely. He said, ...but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. (v. 8)
The power of God is manifested in His word. The heavens and earth were created when God spoke them into existence. All the covenants, laws, promises, and judgments have come through the word of God. If one wanted to see a mirror image of God, you can simply look at His word. God, in essence, is His word. The apostle John wrote: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [John 1:1] As Jesus Christ is God's revelation in the flesh, His word is His revelation written in the hearts of men. As God is eternal, so is His word. Jesus said, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. [Mark 13:31]
Because God is a Spirit, the most important tool we possess is His living word--the Bible. For the lost, the Bible is just another book, but for the Spirit-filled Christian, it is spiritual food and the weapon of our warfare. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He replied, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. [Matthew 4:4] For Christians, the Bible is our life--our owner's manual and roadmap to blessing and health. Our faith lies in His word--the word that was spoken by the prophets, and also the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the divinely inspired writings contained in the Bible.
Christians need to begin perceiving the Bible as if God was speaking to them directly. When the centurion relied completely on the word of Jesus, he was demonstrating the faith that God has given us by which we are to live. We hear the word and by faith, we live by it. The Bible says: So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. [Isaiah 55:11]
The Bible is God's will and testament to His children, and fortunately, it is a living will and testament. As a will, we, as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) we are entitled to whatever promises, covenants, and inheritance contained therein. The problem with many Christians is that they have yet to receive all their inheritance. It's waiting for the taking if one is willing to operate in the faith to receive it. Faith in His word is the same as holding out your hand waiting for God to fill it with His love. Let us devote our lives to those things that are eternal instead of natural things. Walk in the faith of the centurion and stand upon the word of the Lord despite what the world says. While we look not at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:18]
Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven. Thank You for giving us Your word and for the faith to live by it. In the name of Jesus, I promise to focus on renewing my mind by reading the Bible every day, so that I may know the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Amen.
