Don't Debate The Word, Heed The Word

I felt the that Lord spoke to me recently and said, "Don't debate My Word, heed My Word." Wow! Simple, but very powerful. We all have our opinions of God's Word, based on our knowledge of it, its impact on us, and other's influence on us. (Someone we respect has an opinion, so we adopt theirs.)

We live in a day and time when we must heed God's Word, not debate it. Debate is a form of defending our personal interpretation of the Word. But God's Word says we must contend for the faith, not the Word. (See 1 Peter 3:15) God's Word is powerful, and needs no help from us to make it powerful. However, we are the ones who become more powerful in the Kingdom as we heed His Word. "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) 

Honestly, not all debate is bad. It can possibly open the eyes of one who has an open heart and mind. However, when the heart and mind are closed it usually leads to division which produces factions in the body of Christ. Jesus didn't commission us to debate God's Word among ourselves. He commissioned us to obey His Word as we live it and share it in our world. When the gospel is heard, faith rises. (See Romans 10:17)

Expressing your personal take on the Word is easy. But are you obeying the Word of God? As you defend your take, are you doing what it says to do? Because, you see, debating within the body of Christ, destroys the witness of the church. You might say, "But they are wrong!" But are you heeding the Word of God yourself? Obedience to God's Word is the most powerful witness. Debating God's Word is not!

As I said earlier, God's Word is more powerful than your and my opinion of it. This is because God is more powerful than you and me. (No one can debate that!) So when we simply heed (obey) the Word, our powerful and awesome God works through us! I love what the Apostle Paul says. "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God." (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Obedience to His Word brings the demonstration of His Word, by the Holy Spirit. No debate is needed when there is demonstration. So let me encourage you. Learn God's Word. Do what it says. Let the Holy Spirit confirm God's Word in and through you as you heed it. Demonstrate the power of God's Word through the Holy Spirit. No debate will ever be necessary.