Obey the Word

But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].

— James 1:22 (AMPC)

A woman who attended one of my seminars had a lot of emotional wounds that left her insecure and fearful. She desperately wanted to be free, but nothing seemed to work. At the conclusion of the seminar, she told me that she now understood why she had never experienced any progress.

She said, "Joyce, I sat with a group of ladies who all had a lot of the same problems that I did. Step-by-step, God had been delivering them. As I listened to them, I heard them say, 'God led me to do this, and I did it. Then He led me to another thing, and I did it.' I realized that God had also told me to do the same things. The only difference was they did what He said to do, and I didn't."

Read More: Harmony with God

To receive from God what He’s promised us in His Word, we must obey the Word. There will be times when doing what the Word says is not easy. Obeying the Word requires consistency and diligence. There must be a dedication and commitment to do the Word whatever the outcome. "Yes," you may say, "but I’ve been doing the Word for a long time, and I still don't have the victory!" Then do it some more. Nobody knows exactly how long it’s going to take for the Word to begin to work, but if you keep at it, sooner or later it will work.

I know it's a fight. I know Satan does everything in his power to keep you out of the Word and to keep you from putting the Word into practice. I also know that once you start putting the Word into practice, he does everything he can to make you think it won't work. That's why it’s so important to keep at it. Ask God to give you a desire to get into His Word, and the ability to do it no matter how long it takes to produce results in your life, and He will come through for you.

Prayer Starter: Father, please give me the desire to stay in Your Word, and give me the power to keep at it until I see the breakthrough You have for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.