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Script: Yvette l Narrator: Josh l Mix: Yujie
Hi friends! Welcome to the fourth part of the topic under the Power Source of the Leader.
How do we develop a strong Word-life and what is the need?
Revelation, meditation and confession are three basic principles that help us to fit in the Word into our lives. Psalm 39:3 says, “My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue.”
For sure, the words of Scripture must enlighten and burn within us so that our hearts are on fire. This comes when we have the Spirit’s revelation. Once we receive that, then we meditate on the revelation: “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15: 16). Through our continued reflection on the revelation that causes it to burn brighter with increasing clarity. Then, we speak out with power eventually.
Revelation: Receiving the Word
We place ourselves to receive revelation from God.
RT Kendall in his book Word, Spirit and Power, clearly reminds us of the outcome when there is revelation from the Word and the Spirit: “If we have the Word without the Spirit, we tend to ‘dry up’, if we have the Spirit without the Word, we tend to ‘blow up’, if we have both the Spirit and the Word, we tend to ‘grow up’ and ‘fire up’.”
Meditation: Writing the Word on the Heart
The purpose of meditation is to lay the Word on our hearts. When reading and memorising the Word, we are getting the Word “written” on the tablets of our hearts (Proverbs 3: 3 and 7: 3). Biblical meditation, unlike Eastern traditions meditation, fills and enlarges the mind and heart by focusing them on the Word.
“Meditate” literally means “to chew the cud”. When a cow eats grass, the whole process takes almost eight hours every day as she regurgitates the contents of her stomach back into her mouth and chews it again and again. Likewise, in meditation we are to “bring up” the Word of God from our minds, making it the subject of careful thought, musing and pondering. Sometimes we ask questions of the text and extract truths for clarity and relevance.
On this point, Pastor Daniel Foo detailed some tips which help us to meditate on the Word. Take Nehemiah 8: 10, “The joy of the Lord is my strength” for example. Meditating on this Scripture could involve asking the following questions:
● Where do I find my strength? The answer is found in Nehemiah 8: 10b, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”
● Why do I need joy? The answer is found in Isaiah 26: 3, “To free myself from stress, anxieties and fears, and keep myself in the perfect peace that comes from Him.”
We cannot rush through meditating on the Word because divine illumination is a process of continual, day-by-day insight. It is like any other skill that required constant practice and sharpening. Prophet Isaiah pointed out how God teaches us in Isaiah 28: 10 that: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”
Confession: Declaring the Word
To confess is to speak out the Word that has been deposited in us. It can be in the form of thanksgiving, teaching and sharing in small groups or chatting over a cup of coffee. It can also be in singing spiritual songs or speaking the Word in worship.
We can speak the Word by quoting it, recalling our meditation or we can simply confess: “I am precious to God”, “I am always protected in Christ” or “I am surrounded by His favour.” We can also shout it out and proclaim His goodness and faithfulness.
Why do we need to confess the Word, and how does it release the power of God in our lives?
The book of Hebrews declares that Christ is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Hebrews 3: 1) and in Him we can hold firmly to the faith we profess (4: 14), without wavering (10: 23). As we confess the Word over our situation, things happen!
Are we still hurting or angry over the behaviour of a family member or friend? Take it to the Lord in prayer and confess the promises of God over the situation. Declare that our family and friends will always be protected and guided in the name of the Lord Jesus. We can declare over our homes daily that we will always have peace and restful sleep, and whenever we travel, we take authority over our bodies and minds.
Our lives are shaped by our words and declarations. “You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; so light will shine on your ways” (Job 22: 28). Numbers 14: 28 also states, “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you’.”
Confession involves the alignment of our hearts and mouths. The mouth effects what the heart has settled on. Paul writes in Romans 10: 8-10, “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Confessing the Word brings our whole being into the scene. When our hearts and mouths align, we develop a spirit of faith because we say what we believe. As we praise and rejoice in Him with our hearts and lips, we come into a connection with Him. We sense that what we do is ordered by the Lord, and we position ourselves to receive power and guidance from Him.
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you,” promised the Lord Jesus (John 15: 7). This applies to us as individuals, and our families and churches as well.
As we pray, proclaim and declare the Word individually and corporately, we bring to pass his command for the Word to dwell in us richly.
GROWING IN THE WORD
So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground (1 Samuel 3: 19)
Some plants, for example, the giant Sequoia trees in the United States grow so tall and wide where ten people joining hands cannot encircle the trunk of a fully-grown tree. Some Sequoia trees have car-sized holes cut into their trunks and people can drive through them, yet the trees have survived over hundreds of years.
Each of these trees begins life from a single seed that we can hold in our hands. Our words to others are indeed like those seeds. As we soak ourselves in the Word of God and open ourselves to His leading, He can use us to sow godliness and power into the lives of others. Like the words of Samuel, God can cause our speech and encouragement to be effective, powerful and persuasive.
We should be like the prophet Samuel whose words were the oracles of God and accomplished his desires. A strong Word-life is not for ourselves only. Rather, it shapes us as God’s kings and priests, ready to enact His kingdom purposes in the world. He will use men and women, whose foundations stand upon the Word of God, to ensure that His will is done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
However, this will not happen overnight. It will take time to build a strong Word-life. Yet, we are not alone. We have the indwelling Spirit of God to instruct, teach and guide us in this journey. We need to draw on the life of the Spirit.
We shall touch on the fifth and final part under The Power Source of the Leader next Wednesday. Please stay tuned for another powerful sharing. Have a present week!
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Excerpted from outstanding Leader by Pastor Daniel Foo; first published by Armour Publishing Singapore and the book can be purchased from