“There are no problems, only challenges for us to overcome” – Pastor Kwame Mensa
These words have been haunting me since they were released. Reoccurring every time I want to make a valid complaint or tell myself something is too difficult. That’s the thing about truth, it’s not afraid to get in your face and confront you.
However hard they may be I believe that challenges are tools that God uses to provoke us into action. To form our character and reveal the treasure He has placed within us.
I wonder if Samson would have known his strength without encountering the lion? (Judges 14). Would David have been so bold and expectant that the Lord would deliver Goliath into his hand without facing the lion and bear? Would Hannah have given Samuel to the Lord had she not been barren and earnestly praying for a child?
The father is faithful to prepare us for what is to come and for what we must conquer, but we must do our part. Smith Wigglesworth said, “You must consume the word until it consumes you”. Jesus says to us in reference to his body; take eat, take drink. To the Old Testament prophets eat the scrolls. He gives us a picture that the Word must be inside of you to transform you. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).
The Word gives us a blueprint, a framework for us to grow within. It builds, strengthens, feeds, directs and enlightens, to sum it up it is LIFE to our spirit, soul and flesh. When faced with a challenge one of our greatest weapons is the Word of God. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). It is critical to our success and advancement of the kingdom. It is also essential in building our relationship with God. Jesus said behold I come in the volume of the book…search the scriptures do they not speak of me? The Word reveals His nature, His heart, His person.
The Lord said to Joshua mediate on the law day and night, why? So it would fortify Him to face what he would encounter on his journey. The Bible records Mary as pondering her prophetic word in her heart. They are both examples of believing, mediating and rehearsing the Word until it became part of their identity. Jesus said, “Blessed are those that hear the Word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
God showed me a practical example of this with my cousins a few years back. It was raining and the sound of the rain on the conservatory roof made a loud and unusual noise. My 3 or 4-year-old cousin looked at his mom and said, “What’s that noise?” She replied, “It’s your face.” He touched his face, shocked but completely convinced. Then another little cousin copied his question and said, “What’s that noise?” This time he responded full of conviction and certainty and said, “It’s my face”.
I love this because its childlike faith in the word of whom you trust most. In his eyes his mother represents authority, love, trust, support, and guidance. So when she spoke there was no need to question or doubt that her words were false (even though in this case they were). So how much more us? Who is the person you trust most? I hope you answered the Father. The one who cannot lie, who has no shadow of turning and who honours His Word above His name, even when it costs him dearly (oh my Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not my will but yours be done).
In Rick Joyner’s book ‘The Final Quest,’ he records an encounter in which Jesus says, “My word is the power that upholds all things. To the degree you believe that my word is true, you can do all things. It is my nature to be true, and the creation trusts my words because I am faithful to it”.
To the degree you believe. Sometimes it is hard hearing that the balls in our court, that we prolonged our breakthrough through unbelief. I mean poor Joshua and Caleb who had to tarry another 40 years in the wilderness waiting for another generation to rise who would believe the promise.
When we cultivate the Word in our lives it positions us to move forward. We can now play offensive instead of defensive. We learn to wield the sword, to prophesy, decree and declare (Ephesians 6:17). No longer just trying to maintain our ground, we pioneer into new territories and systems. We develop a mind-set of kingdom dominion.
I was moved by the following scripture when I read it: The lord swore by himself (for there is no one greater to swear by) that Abrahams seed shall possess the gate of his enemies (Genesis 22:16-18). To me this means not merely defending his own gate but taking back ownership of what the enemy has acquired. We stand confident in knowing what words have gone before us, believing that all the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.
I’ll leave you with this little gem also from ‘The Final Quest’:
“In all your endeavours, remember that the importance of a single word from God to man is of more value than all of the treasures on earth. You must understand and teach my brethren to respect the value of my word. As one who is called to carry my words, you must also respect the value of your own words. Those who will carry the truth must be true.”
BY: LARISSA MATTHEWS
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Book: The Final Quest by Rick Joyner