Faith's Divine Order #5
Today were to continue teaching on the divine order of faith. So far we’ve covered STEP 1 which is to IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM: STEP 2 Make A QUALITY DECISION: STEP 3 FIND THE EVIDENCE or FIND THE PROMISE IN THE WORD OF GOD. STEP No. 4 is twofold 1st of all you need to understand the importance of hearing the Word of God. (Romans 4:17) says, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” And the 2nd part of No. 4 used to make a conscious effort to hear the Word of God.
I) One spiritual truth that we have seen so far in our study of “GOD’S DIVINE ORDER OF FAITH” is that God’s Word is spiritual “SEED.”
A) In that seed contains the fruit to whatever it is.
1) For example: if you have a radish seed that seed has the ability to produce a radish. If you have a carrot seed that seed has the ability to produce a carrot.
a) It’s the same thing with the Word of God. That promise in the Word of God is a seed and it has the ability to produce that promise in your life.
(i) The promise (1Pet 2:24) that says, “By Jesus stripes you are healed” is a seed but that seed has the ability to produce healing for your body.
2) Hearing the Word of God and hearing it again is like water to the seed, it is a necessary part for that seed to grow and then produce.
B) Step 5 is an essential part to getting that seed to grow and produce a harvest.
1) Step 5, which is “MEDITATION”, is an essential part to receiving the promises of God.
a) Let me say this about meditation before we get into it any further.
(i) Many times when we hear the word meditation we confuse it with eastern occult practice or with Buddhism.
(ii) But meditation is a very scriptural word found in the Bible many times.
(a) But the problem is that there is a counterfeit meditation. God created meditation for his people to use, but Satan has tried to twist what God has created.
(b) We’re not trying to take a tool from the Devil’s kingdom and used for God, but rather apply a scriptural principal for getting his Word deep into our hearts.
b) Very simply the Word “MEDITATION” means “to dwell on something in thought”, to turnover in your mind or to ponder.
(i) But Bible meditation also involves the use of the imagination.
(a) When you imagine something you see it in your “MIND’S EYE.”
(b) Your imagination is something that God created in every one of us.
(c) It can be used for the Glory of God to bring about God’s promises, but it can be used in a perverted way to bring about wicked results.
(d) But if we study the Word of God we’ll find out the reason why God created the imagination and what he intended it for, once we do we’ll find astonishing results.
C) All right let’s go to the Word of God to see what the Bible says about the imagination. Turn with me to the Genesis 11:4-6
1) Here we have a group of ungodly people. But because they were unified in purpose God said they could accomplish anything they could IMAGINE. Nothing could hold them back.
a) Because of their UNITY and IMAGINATION God said, “I’ve got to put stop to this.”
(i) Of course they used their imagination in a wrong way but if we learn to use it Gods way it will become a valuable weapon in your spiritual artillery.
(a) Your imagination can bring you to a place of overcoming, but we need to use it God’s way.
II) Turn with a to Joshua 1:8
A) All right, let’s break his verse down to get some understanding of God’s purpose for the imagination.
1) 1st, it says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of my mount.”
a) One thing you need to know is that “THIS BOOK OF THE LAW” that Joshua refers to is the 5 first books of the Bible; it is the Word of God.
b) In this verse Joshua also confirms something we ministered on last week and that is the importance of hearing the Word of God. Joshua said that this book of a law will not depart out of my mouth, he would speak it and he would hear it.
2) The next part of this verse says “But thou shalt meditate therein day and night.”
a) In other words take God’s Word and ponder it, dwell on it. Take it and turn over and over again in your mind.
b) This word “MEDITATE” in the Hebrew can also mean, “TO IMAGINE.”
(i) Use your imagination to see yourself doing the Word.
c) What does meditating the Word day and night empower you to do?
(i) You meditate so “Thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.”
(a) In other words, it empowers you to live what you see in your Bible.
d) Let me give you an example, many times when Christians read (Malachi 3:10) and they realize they are supposed to tithe, but because of the limited resources they are griped with fear, and say, “I can’t afford to tithe.”
(i) They can’t see themselves tithing and prospering as a result of it.
(ii) But when they began to meditate on (Malachi 3:10) which says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
(iii) Eventually they began to see themselves giving their tithe and the windows of heaven being opened and the blessings of God being poured out upon them.
(iv) Soon all fear is gone and it is replaced with faith. They start tithing and reaping God’s blessings of financial prosperity.
3) The last part of (Joshua 1:8) says, “For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.”
a) Prosperity and success is inevitable for the person that is a meditator and doer of God’s Word.
B) The Bible is full of scriptures that promise blessings and increased for those who will meditate on the Word.
C) Turn with me to Psalm 1:1-3
1) Who is the one that is prospering in this verse? It’s the one who meditates Gods Word day and night.
III) Turn with me to Matthew 5:27-28
A) When Jesus uses the Word “HEART” at the end of verse 28, the Word “HEART” refers to the “SPIRIT”.
1) But when Jesus said, “When man looks on a woman to lust after her” what is the man doing? He’s using his imagination to see something or do something in his minds eye.
2) But what I wanted you see in this verse is that when we use our imagination to see ourselves doing something bad or good according to Jesus it’s already done in the heart or IT’S ALREADY DONE IN THE SPIRIT. kardia kardia
3) Mark 11:23-24
a) The same Greek word kardia kardia
b) Now he says, “and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”
c) Where does the believing come from? The heart. How do you get it in the heart? By meditating on it and imagining it.
4) Can you see the importance and the power in meditation?
5) Sometimes Christians confuse reading the Word of God or memorizing scripture with meditation.
a) Remember meditation is continuously pondering the Word of God, letting it go over and over in your mind.
B) All right, I want to look at some of the scriptural definitions to the Word “MEDITATE”.
1) We already gave you one definition to the Word “MEDITATE” and that was “IMAGINATION”, but another definition to the Word MEDITATE is “MUTTER”.
a) A simple definition to the Word “MUTTER” is “TO SPEAK TO ONESELF.”
(i) A very effective method of meditation involves speaking a verse or 2 to yourself.
(a) “Won’t people think of crazy when I start speaking to myself?” They won’t when they see the change in your life.
(ii) Besides that, speaking to yourself is biblical. (Ephesians 5:19) says, “Speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
(iii) Speaking or singing the Word to yourself is an excellent way to meditate on the things of God.
2) Another definition to the word “MEDITATE” is similar to “MUTTER OR SPEAKING TO YOURSELF” and that is “TALK IT.”
3) That means to speak it out loud or to speak it loudly.
C) Look at Psalms 77:12; Psalms 19:14; Psalms 49:3
1) When you begin to speak God’s Word out of your mouth, weather it’s in your own house by yourself or speaking it to a friend, when you speak about God’s faithfulness to meet all your needs it begins to stir you up and causes you to stand in faith.
II) But that also works in the negative too.
A) If you go around talking about how big a failure you are, then it won’t be long until you start expecting failure, because seeds of failure have been sown in your heart. Failure has become your meditation.
1) That’s why God is so opposed to sins of the tongue, things a gossiping, backbiting, and slander.
a) Those are forms of meditation that sink into a heart like deadly poison.
b) (Proverbs 18:8) says, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the inner most parts of the belly (spirit).”
2) Another definition to the Word “MEDITATE” is “PONDER” which I have made reference to before.
a) “TO PONDER” means “TO THINK ON SOMETHING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.”
(i) In other words if you’re sick, you need to take (1st Peter 2:24) which says, “By Jesus stripes ye were healed” and go over and over it in your mind.”
(ii) You need to keep on thinking on that and pondering on that until it becomes absolute reality on the inside of you.
B) If your still not sure you understand how to meditate or what to meditate on let me make it very practical.
1) Go to the Word of God and find a verse of scripture that promises an answer to your current need. Spend about 15 minutes meditating on it. Say it quietly to yourself. Ponder it. Consider it. Close your eyes and see yourself doing or experiencing that scripture.
a) Then throughout the day turn to your spouse, a friend or to God and make a declaration based on that scripture. (Like, my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory.)
(i) Even when you go to bed continued to ponder that verse. The next morning when you wake up take that same verse and start the process all over again. Say it to yourself. Say it to others. Ponder on it every opportunity you get.
(a) As you do, that truth will become increasingly alive in your spirit, and that seed will be planted more deeply in your heart.
C) If you will really give this approach a try, you’ll find that it’s one of the most powerful things you’ve ever done.
1) It’s unfortunate that only handful of Christians will really put this to practice in their daily lives. Sure there’ll be some that will put this to practice when they get into trouble, but many will never take this step to overcome.
a) To do what we’ve talked about will take some self-discipline and it does require concentration and something we all need, commitment.
(i) But the rewards are the abundant life, victory, health, prosperity, success, and one of the greatest rewards of all a closer relationship with our heavenly Father.
2) Meditation is an important fifth step to walking in God’s divine order of faith.
WOLCC Sunday, November 02, 1997 & WOLCC Sunday, January 26, 2003