Standing Firm with the Sword of the Spirit

Jan 16 – Jan 23

The Power of the Word

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  01/16/21

The Bible gives us strength and power like no other book. It has the power to change people’s lives, the power to help us overcome temptation, and the power to overcome our circumstances.

Perhaps one of the reasons so many people avoid the Bible is because it is like a mirror. Often, we do not want to be confronted with the Truth about ourselves. The Scripture tells us, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:23-24).

The Bible doesn’t merely show us our sins; it also cleanses us. It shows us the problem, and then gives us the solution, just as Ephesians declares: “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (5:25-27). If we look in the mirror and see resentment and bitterness, the cleansing power of the Bible will pour love into our hearts. If the mirror reflects envy or discontentment, the Bible can give us joy and peace. Where we find immorality, the Bible will wash us with purity.

But only by reading the Bible daily will we reap its benefits as it was intended. We cannot simply skim through our favorite passages whenever we need a pick-me-up. We must devour every page and glean every Truth we can. We need to understand the Bible and its history. We need to look at the background and context of each passage we read and meditate on the passage in prayer. We need to ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance each time we pick up God’s Book.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for not spending enough time in Your Word. Help me to grow in this area of my walk with You. I pray that Your Spirit would guide me as I read Your Word and that the power of the Word would change me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31).