Finding God’s Word

Want to know how to find the word of God? Well, I’ll tell you this: You cannot read the word of God, and you cannot write the word of God. The word of God is something that has to be RECEIVED from heaven, by true revelation of the holy Ghost. The word of God is not the Bible, but rather the word of God is what comes out of God’s mouth. Jesus stated repeatedly in the book of Revelation; “He that hath an ear to HEAR, let him HEAR what the Spirit SAITH unto the [congregations]" (Rev. 2:7; etc.). The word of God is what the Spirit SAYS as Jesus said, and we must be able to HEAR what God is SAYING. What God SAYS is his word. We can write ABOUT the word of God, if we have received it; and we can read about the word of God that the writers of the Bible received; but in order to know the word of God for ourselves, we must receive it from heaven like those who have gone before have received it. Amos prophesied of a great famine of the word of God in the latter days, saying: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it" (Amos 8:11,12). You might note that Amos did not say that those who would run to and fro to find the word of God, would REALIZE that they were not finding it. He merely stated that they would seek it and would NOT find it. And that is where we are today my friend. Everyone and his brother think they have the word of God. Everyone thinks the Bible is the word of God, and that they are "reading the word” whenever they read the Bible. If that were true, then the body of Christ would absolutely be in one mind and one accord, doing the marvelous works of God everywhere. But the truth is, God’s people are fractured into thousands of pieces, being separated from one another, and from God; by reason of MISUNDERSTANDING the scriptures. And why is this? Because the word of God has not been found, even as Amos said that it would not be found; regardless of how many believe that they have the word of the Lord.

So then, how DO we find the word of God? The same way those who have gone before us in the faith have found it. Solomon gives us the only recipe there is for finding the word of the Lord: “Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; THEN shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: OUT OF HIS MOUTH cometh knowledge and understanding " (Prov. 2:3-66). That is correct; we must seek God diligently with humble, honest perseverance in prayer, in study, and by "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, [and living] soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Tit. 2:12). Job defined divine understanding as "departing from evil,” so no one can receive or understand God’s word while in sin (Job 28:28). The scripture says that God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. 11:6). And as Solomon, who was well acquainted with the real word of God, noted; that is exactly what it will take for ANYONE who hopes to attain unto the knowledge of God’s word. The complacent, coasting mentality of Christianity’s sin-friendly doctrines and traditions have produced a spiritually sluggish condition which has prevented God’s people from attaining unto the true word of the Lord. But as Jesus said in his message to the messenger of the congregation of Laodicea of old, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:19,20). My friend, if we really care to sup with Jesus, then we must stop calling the religious traditions of men, and misunderstandings of the scriptures, the word of God. And we must come to grips with the reality that we truly must "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many… will seek to enter in, and shall not be able" (Lk. 13:24). We also are going to have to understand that we must "work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philip. 2:12). And we must acknowledge first that the word of God cannot be found or understood by any passive, casual means. Amen.