The Spirit Behind The Word

Friend, a lot of believers at some point in their Christian walk find it difficult to obey the instructions of God. I don't know about you, but I have had times where I disobeyed the instructions of God in His word. But as I mature spiritually, I discovered that you cannot obey God in the energy of the flesh nor through your will and determination. Because it is not by physical might, nor by willpower, but by the Spirit, saith the Lord.

Ezekiel 2:1-2 graphically explains this; God gave an instruction to Ezekiel and said, "Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee." Notice what Ezekiel said: "And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet." You see, he didn't try to stand by himself; he only yielded to the Spirit of God, and the Spirit set him upon his feet. The Bible in Ezekiel 36:27 says, "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

Friend, there is a Spirit that causes you to do the will of God. It sets you upon your feet in every instruction that comes your way. This Spirit is what we refer to as the Spirit behind the word. Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). There is a Spirit behind every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

See, it is not normal for any man to carry his only son, moving for three days to find the place of sacrifice to kill the child. Abraham must have tapped into the Spirit behind the word that caused him to obey. Anytime you tap into the Spirit behind the word, it causes you to obey the word that was spoken to you. Obedience becomes easy when you tap into the Spirit behind the word.

"[22] But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

[23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

[24] For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."

James 1:22-24

You see, the man who hears the word of God and straightway forgets what manner of man he saw in the word is the man who did not encounter the Spirit behind the word. Notice, that the word ‘forget’ there talks about the mind, while the phrase "manner of man" talks about the spirit of man. I once said that you cannot live above your thoughts in life, for as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

It may interest you to know that the mind is like a computer, and it can be programmed to obey word codes. When you hear the word, it tries to update and upgrade your mind to reprogram your thought patterns and ideologies. The man mentioned in the book of James listens to the word, and it influences and improves his thinking. However, he is unable to internalize it fully, so his mind isn't transformed by it. As a result, he doesn't act on the word because his thoughts remain unchanged.

But James 1:25 also speaks of another man:

"[25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

You see, this man heard the word, it updated and upgraded his mind, and it reprogrammed his mind with the new codes he received. So automatically, without trying to obey the word, these new word commands programmed into this man caused him to be a doer of the word. This is what happens whenever you encounter the Spirit behind the word. It not only upgrades and updates your mind; it renews the spirit of your mind with a new program. Paul the Apostle said, "Be renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Ephesians 4:23).

This is why a lot of people go to church, listen to a lot of messages, read a lot of books, and yet only become a doer of less than ten percent of all the information they receive. You might be wondering how to connect with the Spirit behind the word to become someone who acts on what they hear;

1. Let your eyes be single.

"[22] The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." - Matthew 6:22

There was a time I listened to one of Dr. Kenneth Copeland's messages about speaking life and not death. I had a series of messages that related to this topic, and I began to study the same topic with the scriptures he taught. By focusing my mind on this topic, I encountered the Spirit behind the word, and it renewed the spirit of my mind. I don't force myself to speak right; this program in me causes me to speak life and not death.

Friend, I believe my words are powerful. I often correct believers who speak death unknowingly about their life and future. You see, I wasn't like this before; my program changed all because I was focused on one topic for weeks, and I encountered the Spirit behind the word. My advice for you is to settle with the word you need to solve that area of challenge in your life. Listen only to messages relating to it, get books, and study your Bible along that same topic. Just stay with it, and you will be reprogrammed by the Spirit behind the word.

There is one more thing I know you should do while you have your eyes singled on the word, and this brings us to the second point.

2. Speak and Meditate on the Word

"[8] This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do..." - Joshua 1:8

Notice, He said, speak and meditate on the word, "that thou mayest observe to do it." He didn't say obey the word; He said just keep on speaking and meditating on that particular word, and you will find yourself becoming a doer of the word. Speaking and meditating on the word makes you encounter the Spirit behind the word, which reprograms you to obey the word.

Friend, be given to speaking and meditating on a particular message of the word that answers the areas of concern in your life, and you will encounter the Spirit behind the word that will liberate you. Remain Blessed.

Jesus is Lord!

Min Roi