Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Proclaiming the Word of God

 

Tremendous power is released through proclaiming the Word of God.  Many believers are unaware of this amazing potential that is available to all Christians.  Whether it is a situation of personal need or an international crisis that needs to be resolved, learning how to proclaim the Word of God into that situation releases God’s creative power, which can utterly transform the circumstances.  Every believer has both the privilege and responsibility to proclaim God’s Word.

Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

What It Means to Proclaim

The word proclaim is a strong work.  It comes from a Latin word that means “to shout forth.”  A related word in the language of the New Testament is one that means “to confess.” Confess means “to say the same as.”  For us, as believers in the Bible, confession involves saying the same thing with our mouths as God has already said in His Word.  When we make the words of our mouths agree with the Word of God, we position ourselves to receive the full backing and authority of Jesus.

In Hebrews 3:1, the writer said that Jesus is the “High Priest of our confessions.”  This is very important statement.  If we have no confession, we have no High Priest.  Jesus is the High Priest of what we confess.  In other words, whenever we say with our mouths what the Bible says about us as believers in Christ, then we have Jesus as our High Priest in heaven, releasing His authority and His blessing over our confession here on earth.

A proclamation is a confession that is made aggressive.  It is a word that speaks of spiritual warfare.  It is releasing the authority of God’s Word into a situation, into your won life, your family, the life of your church, political situations, or whatever it may be. There are countless situations that need to have the power of God released into them, and there is no more effective way to release the power of God than by proclamation. 

We are challenged to go beyond teaching His Word and to begin proclaiming it.  Essentially, it is a ministry of proclamation.  A key verse is found in Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  This age cannot close without having done our job as the church of Jesus Christ – as His witnesses on the earth.  Our task is to proclaim the gospel “in all the world.”  We can experience the tremendous power of the Word of God simply by proclaiming the Word in faith.

Taking Hold of God’s Word

Moses was commissioned to deliver Israel from the Egypt. Despite God’s commission, Moses felt he was not equipped for the task.  Moses had lost all of the self-confidence he had had at the age of forty.  He was now eighty. Ultimately, God used the rod Moses had in his hand as an instrument of power to carry out His will.

We have a rod as well in the form of His Word.   If you can understand its unlimited potential, you can use it as Moses used his rod to extend God’s authority into any situation where Satan opposes the people and the purposes of God.  We must take hold of the Bible as our rod and extend God’s authority through it into every area where Satan is opposing us.

We must rely on the Helper (Holy Spirit) to systematically use Scripture after Scripture to show us how to direct us in each area of attack. 

The strategy is to: First, proclaim the appropriate Scripture with bold, unwavering confidence.  Second, we must accept the Scripture we proclaim as true, even before you see the outworking in any situation.  The third, loud and jubilant praise.

In order to receive the maximum benefit from these Scriptures, here are three simple steps to follow:

1.      Ask the Holy Spirit to make “alive” to you any Scriptures that are appropriate to your particular situation.

2.      Read these Scriptures many times out loud.

3.      Gradually proceed form reading aloud to memorization.

The Word and the Spirit Together

As noted, before about Moses, if you are a Bible believing, committed Christian, you also have a rod in your hand.  It is the Word of God.  Think of your Bible as the only instrument you need in your hand to be able to do everything God calls you to do.

The most important thing we need to realize is the power of God’s Word.  It is a supernatural book.  The Bible contains power that isn’t obvious when you first look at it.  But, when you begin to understand it, its power is limitless.

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. Psalm 33:6

The Hebrew word for “breath” is ruach, which is also the word for “spirit.” So, all of creation came about through two things: the Word of God and the Spirit of God.  Everything that exists, has existed, or will exist owns its origin to these two forces working together.  The Word must work with the Spirit.

Think about the tremendous power our words, and yet how simple they can be.  This is a picture of how God speaks, too.  Every time He speaks a word, it is carried by His breath – His Spirit.  The Word and the Spirit of God always go together.  The Word and Spirit brought the universe into being, and they must continue working together to sustain it.

2 Peter tells three powerful facts: the Word creates, the Word maintains, and Word abolishes.

For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:5-7

By the Word of God, the earth and heavens were brought into being; by the Word of God, they are maintained in being; and by the Word of God, they will pass away.  The Word of God creates, maintains, and abolishes. 

In 2 Corinthians 3:6, Paul said, “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  In other words, the Word by itself, without the breath, does not bring life.  It has to be the Word and the Spirit together.  You may have a sermon that has a lot of Scripture in it, but if it does not have the breath of the Spirit, then it is dry.  It does not produce life; it produces death.  The two must always operate together. 

By proclaiming the Word of God, means releasing it into a particular situation.  It takes confidence and boldness.  It’s not for timid.  You must make up your mind that you believe it.

It is God’s Word, and if you say it with a believing heart through believing lips, it is just as effective when His Spirit says it through you as it is when God Himself says it.  If the Spirit of God propels the Word of God through your mouth, it is as effective as when God spoke the universe into being.

After Moses got back to Egypt, he stretched out the rod.  By doing so, he exercised the authority that was in the rod.  We as believers need to do the same.  Our rod is the written Word of God.  God requires us to take the written Word of God and proclaim His Word over any situation where the authority of God is needed.

One of the most effective ways to release the power of God into a situation is by proclaiming it in faith and under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Remember, that the Word must go with the breath. When the breath or Spirit of God propels His Word from our mouths, we can release it into any situation.  Our prayers and proclamations have all the authority of almighty God in that situation.

God did not step down off His throne, take the rod from Moses, and say, “I’ll do it for you.” This is what most of us expect to happen.  God give us all the power and authority in His word, Luke 10:9 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  God equips with everything we need to fight Satan and win the battle.  We win by proclaiming God’s Word in the name of Jesus.   

Healing comes from prayer, confessing you sin to God and asking God to forgive us.  James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  This is God’s proclamation in His Word.  It’s our proclamation as believers in Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came in the flesh.

Folks, we are losing the battle because we have not been taught how to pray effectively.  Sicknesses and diseases are overcoming the Body of Christ and nonbelievers. We must change our ways as we wait for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.                                                                  Blessings, Tony Sanchez 10/30/2022

 

References:

NKJV

Derek Prince – Prayers and Proclamations

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