1 8 : B V O V
Mark 4:23-25 in the Amplifi ed Bible, Classic
Edition, reads: "If any man has ears to hear,
let him be listening and let him perceive
and comprehend. And He said to them, Be
careful what you are hearing. The measure [of
thought and study] you give [to the truth you
hear] will be the measure [of virtue (power)
and knowledge] that comes back to you—and
more [besides] will be given to you who hear.
For to him who has (ears to hear) will more
be given; and from him who has nothing, even
what he has will be taken away [by force]."
We are the ones who determine how much
power and knowledge fl ows in our lives—not
God. The greater the place we give the Word,
the greater the degree of power that will
fl ow. In other words, how we treat the Word
will determine how much we receive from
God. How we treat the Word will determine
whether or not we will receive our answer and
our miracle.
No matter what belongs to us in Christ, we
will only partake of it to the measure we are
interested in it. None of us want to fail simply
because we aren't interested enough to give
the Word fi rst place in our lives.
Neglecting the Spiritual
For example, Esau wasn't interested in
the birthright that belonged to him and
traded it for a bowl of soup—something
natural. Sometimes, we are robbed simply
due to our lack of interest in that area. We
get distracted by the natural things of life
and neglect the spiritual inheritance that is
ours to possess. We must stir ourselves up
toward what is ours in Christ and focus on
the plan God has for our life.
Caleb was interested in what God had for
him and his nation. His interest showed in
that he was wholehearted toward God and
His Word. In other words, he was "all-in."
When his whole generation died prematurely
he didn't die because he was wholehearted
toward God's Word.
The Word is not a common book. When
people treat the Word as a common book,
their lives will break down and the adversary
will have no trouble overthrowing them in a
crisis. If people treat the Word as common,
they don't receive what they need—healing,
prosperity, victory, etc. Lightly esteeming the
Word is dangerous because God meets our
needs and delivers us by the Word.
First Samuel 2:30 says, "For those who
honor Me I will honor, and those who despise
Me shall be lightly esteemed" (AMPC). God
and His Word are one. How we treat the Word
is how we treat God. When we show honor for
the Word, we are honored by it.
Some are su ering today because they don't
give the Word fi rst place in their lives. When
by Nancy Dufresne
Be 'All-In'
With the
Word
