Last week, we began by looking at this subject matter: Understanding the Correct Response to The Word of God. We started by looking at what the word of God is and we said that the word of God is the whole counsel of God (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, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Acts 20:26-27), we also said the word of God is the creative power of God (Hebrews 11:3: By 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 are visible), and we also said that the word of God is spirit and life (John 6:63, Matthew 4:4).

 

We also looked at four things that could make the word of God of no effect in a man’s life: Traditions of men (Mark 7:9-13; Jesus told the Pharisees that they rejected the commandments of God in order to give room for their traditions and through this, the word of God could not do so much in the lives of the people), Insincerity with the word of God (2 Corinthians 2:17), Deceptions (2 Corinthians 4:2) and not discerning the word of God correctly (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Paul thanked God on behalf of the Thessalonians because they were able to discern the word of God correctly).

 

Lastly, we looked at how to make the word of God work for you and we said: Accept the word of God as your final authority (you cannot add to it, you cannot subtract from it, then you should take it as your final authority) and secondly, meditate on the word of God (every effective meditation has five stages: reading the word of God, thinking on the word of God, saying the word of God to yourself, act on that word and then use that word to meet your needs).

 

So, based on all that have been said so far, what is the correct response to the word of God? The correct response to the word of God is – FAITH! Faith is what moves God, faith is what pleases God and with faith, we respond to the word of God – not with logic or human calculations, not with our academic backgrounds and prowess. Now, logic in itself is not entirely evil. In order for you to be able to win an argument sometimes, you may need to apply the principles of logic. There are certain environments in which the application of logic is good and all human calculations are acceptable. But when it comes to the environment where the word of God is preached, we respond to the word of God with faith. In Luke 1:26-38, the Bible says:

 

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” ²⁹ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³ And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

 

In other words, this was not a common experience that a woman would get pregnant without a man facilitating the process. Mary didn’t argue it out with the angel, neither did she logically discarded the idea as something not possible. She simply asked the angel: how possibly can this happen? And there is nothing absolutely wrong in asking God question. God would be more than willing to supply the answers to us.

 

³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing will be impossible.” ³⁸ Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

 

Mary’s final response was that of faith and that is where we are going to really. Since it is the word of God, she believed God and knew God would watch over His words to perform it. It is FAITH that would propel us into the place of obeying the word of God. God called Abram in Genesis 12 to leave his father’s land unto a place He was going to show us. And we read in verse 4 of Genesis that he obeyed God. But a quick inquiry into Hebrews 11:8-10 showed us how that obedience was facilitated. It was through FAITH. The Bible says: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

 

Our correct response to the word of God is always FAITH. We cannot miss it when we walk with God by faith and not by sight. Faith is what pleases God. Faith is what causes God to move on our behalf.

 

Categorizations of Faith

 

The very first thing we must understand here is that the knowledge of the word of God is the foundation of faith. In Romans 10:17, the Bible says: “so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” There are three categorizations of faith and how you respond to the word of God and what you do with the word of God eventually would be determined by the category you belong to. They are: Little faith, Weak faith and Great faith. What you do with the word of God and how you respond to it, is a great pointer to whether your faith is Little, Weak or Strong, and we are going to to see different case studies in the Bible.

 

Little Faith

 

Little faith is the smallest level of faith and this kind of faith, according to the words of Jesus, is used for things that pertain to man’s life and existence. In Matthew 6:25-30, the Bible says: “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body mmore than clothing?” Now in this place, Jesus addressed two things out of the basic necessities for human survival: food and clothing. Don’t forget that the three basic needs for human survial are food, clothing and shelter and here, Jesus was speaking about food and clothing already.

 

Verse 26:

 

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁸ “So, why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lillies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰Now if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the ove, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

 

This was where the phrase ”little faith” comes from and it is that kind of faith that is domicile within the sphere of logic or human reasoning and calculations. Also in Matthew 8:23-26, the Bible also showed us another manifestation of little faith. The Bible says:

 

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. ²⁵ Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” ²⁶ But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”

 

Weak Faith

 

What is weak faith and what is the main cause of weak faith? Romans 4:17-20 shows us. The Bible says:

 

(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God...”

 

The main reason for weakness in faith is simple: not doing something about the word God that you have received, not considering the word of God or acting on it. The Bible says Abraham did not consider the deadness of his own body, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, but his consideration was the word of God that was spoken to him. If you are not going to be weak in faith, it means your consideration must then shift from your situations and circumstance, your consideration must be on the word of God and what He has said to you. When you act on God’s word, your faith is strenghtened, and if you use your faith consistently, it becomes strenghtened, but if you don’t use your faith, it becomes weak.

 

Great Faith

 

Great faith is the ability to believe God for the seemingly impossible things. Matthew 8:5-10

“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, ⁶ saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” Now, this man was not a Jew, he was a Roman, a centurion, and by virtue of that, Jesus was not sent to him at that material time because Jesus Himself said in Matthew 15:24 to another woman who was not a Jew: “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But because the Jewish folks persuaded Jesus to honor the man because he was a man that loved the Jewish nation and as a matter of fact, built a synagogue for them, in verse 7, Jesus said:

 

 ⁷ And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

 

What Happens when You respond to the word of God Correctly?

 

#1. Faith is built up in your life

#2. You have what you are believing God for

 

I believe you have been blessed!

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!