Is The Word Working in You?
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (AMP) And we also thank God continually for this, that when you received the word of God [concerning salvation] which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its inherent, supernatural power in those of faith].
1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NLT) Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.
When I first read this Scripture, the last part stood out to me: “And this word continues to work in you who believe”. This lead me to the fact that you have to allow The Word to work in you.
Let’s go back to the Scripture. The beginning uplifts the Thessolonians for receiving the message of salvation as not words from mere humans but the word of God. They accepted what Paul brought forth, understanding that it was not spoken from him, a mere man, but from the authority of God because it was His message.
See, we live in a day in time where flesh is always front and center in people’s lives. Scripture says that the natural man, driven by flesh, can never understand the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:13-14). For example, when someone comes with a message from The Lord and it's convicting, now all of a sudden, the person sent from God is speaking on their own volition. Here’s an example:
1 Kings 22:7-18
7 And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?”
8 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”
And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”
9 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!”
10 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 11 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ” 12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”
13 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”
14 And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
15 Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?”
And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king!”
16 So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
17 Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”
18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
Just for context, King Ahab was wicked and was outside of the will of God. He and Jehoshaphat teamed up together to recover Ramoth-Gilead from the King of Aram. Jehoshaphat wanted to consult a prophet from The Lord to ensure that the battle was in The Lord’s will (1 Kings 22:5). I should note that Jehosphat was singing a different tune once he found out the Word of The Lord. He stood idly and let Micaiah be wrongfully imprisoned and beaten for simply sharing The Word of The Lord. By verse 29, Ahab and Jehoshaphat were locked and loaded to go, despite being warned by The Lord that Ahab would not return safely from the battle (1 Kings 22:26-28).
Saints, don’t be like these two kings. The Word they received from The Lord, through Micaiah, they did not accept. If they had accepted what The Lord said, the Word would have worked in them, and they would have been convicted to not go on a mission that was a literal death trap. If they would have accepted Micaiah’s words as not words from his own self, but from The Lord, they would have been like the Thessolonians, and were saved.
The Lord showed me recently why He is hard-pressed when He corrects us.
Matthew 7:13-14 says 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Because of the broad gate that leads to destruction, it is so easy to get off-track. There are so many ways to sin and be outside of The Will of God, but literally one narrow way to stay in fellowship with Him. This is why He corrects us! Because He knows that one little wrong move can truly be your last; remember He is a Holy God and we are called to be holy as He is, nothing impure can be where He is (1 Peter 1:16, Revelation 21:27).
Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”
2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
Correction and chastisement are very much included in the love story that so many people get wrong about Christianity. Love is an action, not a feeling. God’s love for us should provoke us to repentance and never give us an excuse to continue walking in sin! If you want to talk about His grace and His mercy, you must understand that it is given to help us meet the standard and not abandon it (John 3:6).
Isaiah 55:11 says “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” You have to allow the Word to do in you what it was supposed to do. You have to let it work.
Hebrews 4:12 – “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
2 Timothy 3:16 – “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
I’ll leave you with this. Job 28:28 says “And to man He said, ‘‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding”.
Remember nothing good lies in your flesh (Romans 7). Do not rely on it to understand The Word, lest you be like King Ahab and miss The Lord speaking to you and reject the Word working in you.