“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
Foundation Scriptures: Mark 16:15-20
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:15-20 NKJV
After Jesus rose from the dead, and before He ascended to His seat at the right hand of the Father, He sent the disciples out to do His work. He commissioned them to preach the gospel to every person, to get them filled with the Spirit and to heal and deliver them. The key to the signs and wonders and miracles was the preaching of the Word. The signs followed the Word of God! God will not confirm your opinion – He will only confirm the Word.
Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter]. 12 Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. Jeremiah 1:11-12 AMP
The Lord is not fast asleep – He is active and alert. He is ever watching over His Word to perform it. God’s Word is not like the words of man, which fall to the ground. God’s Word is active, alive and full of power.
For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 AMP
The power of God is in the Word of God!
For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 AMP
God’s Word is like the rain, which comes down to water the earth and produce food and seed, bringing life and blessing everywhere it falls. You never see land that is well watered, that does not have grass and trees and food growing, supporting and sustaining life. The desert areas of the world are that way because they have no rain to bring life to the ground. In the same way, wherever God’s Word goes, life is produced. God’s Word does not just fall to the ground – it is never useless or ineffective. Whatever God pleases, will be accomplished through and by His powerful Word and whatever He sent it to do it will do. Not only will His Word produce exactly what He sent it out to do, but it will prosper and be multiplied!
The Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord’s hand (His ability and power) become short (thwarted and inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word shall come to pass for you or not. Numbers 11:23 AMP
For all these things My hand has made, and so all these things have come into being [by and for Me], says the Lord. But this is the man to whom I will look and have regard: he who is humble and of a broken or wounded spirit, and who trembles at My word and reveres My commands. Isaiah 66:2 AMP
Moses got into trouble with God because he asked too many questions after God had already answered him and told him everything he needed to know. He doubted God’s ability to use him for His purposes. If God tells you to do something, it is because something is going to happen as you obey His Word. It doesn’t matter if it makes no sense to the natural mind; it doesn’t matter if you feel worthy or not; God’s Word will produce and prosper when you act on it. Remember, God will not confirm your opinion or your own idea – He will confirm His Word!
We need to have a much greater respect and regard for God’s Word. We should tremble at God’s Word – not in fear, but in utmost respect. We should surrender ourselves – our will and our destiny – to His Word. God’s Word is worthy of our full attention and complete obedience at all times. Only then will we be blessed and prosperous in all that we do.