DAY FOURTEEN

If you are anything like me, when you read about the concept of abiding in Christ and letting His rhema words abide in you, you might be skeptical about a new approach. Getting your heart settled on abiding is critical to the process of receiving assignments from God and seeing the full power of the kingdom of God unleashed as you walk into His assignments. God often gives us assignments that are specific in nature and, therefore, infused with His power. In many situations, I have found that these assignments are directly tied to the place God has me abiding in Scripture. The two work hand in hand.

So, to get this settled, I want to share four additional places in the Bible where the idea of rhema and abiding is supported. There are many other places where this idea is reinforced. But for now, we will look at two today and two tomorrow. Remember, this is spiritual truth, often only revealed by the Spirit of God in us. Pause for a moment to ask Him to guide you through the teaching today.

Let the Word of Christ Dwell Richly in You

Let’s start in Colossians 3:16, where the Bible says…

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

The command here is to let God’s word dwell richly in you. The word “dwell” means literally to live in or to make your home within a dwelling. “Richly” has to do with abundance and carries with it the idea of overflowing. Consider how this might apply to receiving rhema from God. When He brings life to a passage, He also brings it to life in you.

This is not something that happens instantly. Life happens as we take time to understand the passage, work through it to a point of belief, and have it engraved on our hearts in a way that it can never be taken away from us. The written word comes alive in us. Our heart becomes its home. It becomes a part of us so that it overflows into every area of our lives. When this happens, it is so exciting that we can no longer contain it.

How does it overflow? Once it becomes a part of us, it overflows into wisdom, teaching, and instruction. How does this happen? Consider this. When God gives us rhema, it is always relevant to our lives. God knows more about our life and needs than we ourselves know. When we process God’s rhema words, we let them sink deeply into our lives. When His words have done the work they were meant to do, we are transformed. We come out the other side as different people. God’s words come to life in us because they are now fully connected to the circumstances of our life.

When this transformation occurs, it changes the way we share wisdom, teach about God’s word, and admonish or instruct others. Every sharing of wisdom includes part of our life story. When we teach the rhema that has become a part of us, we do so by telling the story of how our lives were changed. When we warn someone, we warn them in humility, after having received the same exact warning from God through His word. When we speak, we now speak from what is in our hearts, not just what is on a page.

But there is more. When God’s word is embedded in our life story, it spills out in the most creative ways. Simple prose is no longer enough to express the deep changes in our lives. We become poets and song writers. We write deep, meaningful, spirit-filled songs that guide people into the presence of God. This is the fruit of abiding. This is what happens when God’s rhema words come to life in us and overflow with richness.

Receive the Word Implanted

Next, take a look at James 1:21, where James writes…

“…in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

James begins with some instructions on the attitude of our heart when we approach the word of God. It is always in humility. Remember, we are coming to hear a special word from the King of Kings, the creator and ruler of heaven and earth. We always approach God’s word, saying, “Father, what do you have to say to me?” We come ready to hear from Him, process His truth, and let it radically change our lives.

Next, James talks about welcoming the word of God as we would receive a precious gift. The idea of “receive” is not passive. It is active. The word means to receive something with your hands, to hold onto it tightly, to embrace it with your heart, and to make it your own.

To further strengthen the idea of welcoming God’s word, James says we are to receive it in a way that it becomes implanted in us. More than just receiving something as an idea in our mind, “implanted” indicates that we receive it in our hearts. It grows roots and takes hold in way that it cannot be taken from us. It can never be uprooted. And ultimately, it produces fruit.

When God’s word is implanted in us, James also says, it “…is able to save your souls.” We often think of being saved primarily as the reception of salvation when we believe in Christ. But, this word, sozo, can mean to heal, to make well again, to deliver, to deliver from evil, or to keep safe from destruction. It is much more than just salvation. It is something that touches us deep inside, in our souls.

The “soul” is the seat of our feelings, desires, affections, and aversions. It is our inner self. It is the part of us that wages war with the Spirit and needs transformation. The idea here is that when we welcome God’s word and it becomes implanted in us, growing and producing fruit, it brings healing to the deepest part of our soul. It transforms our feelings, desires, and affections by aligning them with God’s truth in the Kingdom.

This is deep soul work that takes time. It doesn’t happen instantly when we read something in God’s word and get excited about it. It doesn’t happen on a Sunday, listening to a sermon. Sure, God could choose to do a miracle and change you in an instant. But, more realistically, this deep work happens when we abide in Jesus daily and God’s words abide in us. It is a process. This happens over weeks or months as we understand God’s word, process through to belief, and walk into the promises and healing of God.

WORSHIP: God spoke the world into existence, and He has never stopped speaking. He will never stop speaking. It is in His character to speak, especially to His children. Worship God as the God who speaks and focus on this until He gives you a beautiful expectation hearing His voice.

PRACTICE: Do not worry about where you start the process of looking for rhema from God. Just commit yourself to spend at least 20 minutes a day in God’s word. Start by asking Him to speak to you, or by asking Him what He has to say. God will guide you. Be on the alert. God will confirm it to you.

MEDITATION: Take a few minutes to mediate on the two verses from today. But instead of focusing on the meaning, focus on the application of these truths. Ask the Spirit of God to teach you about the two verses. Then imagine what it would be like to have God’s words come to life in you, to overflow in you, to be implanted in you, or bring healing to the deepest part of your soul.

ABIDING: Go back and read through this teaching one more time. Ask the Father if there is anything in these passages specifically for you. Write down anything you hear from Him. Spend some extra time listening to see if He has anything more to say to you or if there is a deeper teaching for you today. Write down whatever you hear. Ask the Father if there is someone, He wants you to share this with and follow through with His assignment.