Why What You Believe Matters

Mark 4:24 says, “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”
In other words, God is telling us that we’re not given the privilege to just say the word means this or that. This is where watered down religions come from. The politically correct bible removes the need for forgiveness because it declares there is no such thing as sin because we all make mistakes. It declares there is no need for Jesus.
 
Let me ask you, is that sound doctrine? Would you dare base your eternal existence and earthly life morals and principals off of this? It matters what you hear and how you understand it. It matters how you believe God. In our verse up there in Mark chapter 4, note this is red letters here, Jesus is telling us that the degree to which we believe anything is the degree to which it will be established in our lives. And this verse finishes off by saying that those who “hear” God will be handsomely rewarded with more revelation.
 
I’d rather trade that garbage of the politically correct bible for the Coca Cola – the real thing. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” 
 
We can learn so much from the creation story in Genesis chapters one and two. We see that God does everything by his word and by his Spirit. We should never expect God to do something for us that is not in his word. I’ve often used the example that we cannot believe God for a field of drugs if it’s not in his word. If it doesn’t line up or come into agreement with his plans for you as Jer 29:11 says, don’t get mad at God if it doesn’t happen. Amen? Amen!
 
What we believe matters and our attitude towards his word matters. How we respond to God and his word determines what God accomplishes in our life. Do you believe God’s word? Do you believe that when God said in Jeremiah 29: 11, that he’ll make it come to pass when you trust him?
Hebrews 11:3 says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Our lives are not just the breath we breathe and the things we do. Though many will live this way, they will answer for it if they don’t repent. We have a very important role in God’s kingdom. How we live this out is by God’s design and our willingness to work with God.
 
There is power in the Word of God. Life outside the Word of God is a disaster. Let me tell you, I’ve been in the power of God and I’ve been outside of it. It’s easier and cheaper to stay on the inside of things. Jesus likened hearing His word and not obeying it to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on the house, and it fell with a mighty crash Matthew 7:26-27 & Luke 6:47-49 records this also. We should see the value in God’s word like someone who just found a pot of gold, Psalm 119:162.
 
I have here a few reasons why we should highly value God’s word and this underscores why we should believe it.

1. It brings revelation of who our God is. It helps us to understand his character and his plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11 – God is a good God, even when he corrects us. What kind of a god doesn’t discipline his kids?
2. God’s word guides us into all truth through the power of the Holy Spirit. God helps us to understand his thoughts and his ways and this, in turn, will help us navigate tough things we go through in life, John 16:13.
3. It brings us salvation through the repentance of a sinful nature and this brings us hope of an eternity spent with our God and our loved ones who are in heaven. John 3:16.
4. We’re transformed by the word. We’re not the same old people we once were. We have been translated into the kingdom of God’s dear light. Now, we have the power to be more like Jesus, Romans 12:2 and Col 1:13.
5. God’s word brings us protection from sin if we’ll read it, think about it, let our spirit absorb it’s truths and power, Psa 119:11. It gives us power over sin and death.
6. God’s word has the power to heal us and bring deliverance, Psa 107:20. If we stager not at the promises of God – like Abraham – we will obtain the victory we need.
7. We’re given permission to create things in our lives as long as it is in agreement with God’s word.
   This one is really important. Let’s look at Romans 4:17 which says, “(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.”
   We’re given permission to speak life to dry bones. Have a little arthritis – speak the health of God’s word. Make sure you believe this otherwise, your words are empty. It’s like a cloud floating by, looking like it’s going to promise us some rain and can’t empty rain on us because it is empty.
8. God’s word brings us the victory we need. Eph 6:10-18 gives us spiritual weapons to help us do our part in obtaining this victory. Understanding what God has done for us, what Jesus has done for us and the role the Holy Spirit plays in our lives is crucial. They may be one but they don’t lay off their responsibilities to each other – they work together.

 
Conclusion: God wants us to take his word and cultivate a positive attitude, a victorious mindset, and not be downtrodden. We give God due respect when we take him at his word and act on it. It should be second skin for us to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths from a heart that believes in God and the power of his word. We should never despise or disrespect God.
It was once told to me that I may be the only way someone sees God. That’s true for any believer. What we say, the things we let come out of our mouth can damage our witness – our ability to confess Jesus is real and God is truly a God of love, and that he cares. Finally, James 1:25 encourages us to not be hearers only, but to be “doers” of the word of God and Isaiah 1:19 reminds us that only the willing and obedient get to eat the good of the land.

I pray this holiday season that you let go of everything holding you back from believing that God is REAL, that God is still ALIVE, and that he loves YOU so very much. Get to know Jesus so you can start off with a wonderful and more powerful new year than you ever dreamed possible.

Merry Christmas to you and your family,
​La Donna Holstine