Hey youths, have you ever read the Bible and found it boring? Or have you ever felt like it is difficult to understand? Let’s talk about it…Truth is, it’s actually quite the contrary! God’s Word is life-giving! And His intention is that we understand it; otherwise, it would be useless, and He would be unjust. Even when Jesus spoke parables, His intent was to make His message more relatable to the hearers. Our heart posture, however, can cause a barrier to understanding His Word.
There are two keys to understanding and accessing the life of the Word of God. Firstly, you need the Holy Spirit, as the things of God are spiritually discerned and human perspective is flawed and limited.
The other key is humility. If you have already received the Holy Spirit, then approaching the Word of God without any biases or presumptions makes way for the spirit of revelation and understanding to flow. With these in order, you will find that the Word of God is awesome! He graciously sends His Word to us as a complete guideline to help us be successful in every moment of our walk with Him. As newborns desire milk, when you are born again, your appetite for reading the Word or hearing God’s voice is awakened. The more you feed on His Word, the more your love for it increases.
“But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
Similar to the natural principle of dying from starvation, you will die spiritually in the absence of God’s word; it is food or nourishment for our inner man (the spirit). To receive the life of Christ but then choose to ignore or live contrary to the Word, is what I call “spiritual suicide.” Jesus is life, and He is also the Word made flesh (manifest) in us by His Holy Spirit. Therefore, going against what God says equates to separating yourself from the Holy Spirit, Who is your lifeline.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” – John 6:63
In other words, living separate from the Spirit of God within you by not allowing Him to do as He pleases in you is plain disobedience. Disobedience equates to sin in God’s eyes, and He has declared that the wages or reward of living in such a manner is death. It may not be physical death, but you will be cut off from experiencing the abundant life that God promises to His sons.
Sounds serious, doesn’t it? It is! Spiritual suicide results in a dimming or putting out of the light of Christ in us, which we received at salvation. In this state, we also prevent others from seeing Christ in us, which, by extension, hinders them from receiving spiritual life as well.
TESTIMONY
I remember when I was a victim of spiritual suicide. I chose not to partake in the Word of God as I should have, and I found myself easily falling into temptation. That was such an awful season in my life! I’ll never forget how spiritually dry and ineffective I was!
We need to realise that, as children of God, we are literally married to the Word of God. Just as a husband and wife look lovingly into each other’s eyes and vow never to separate, we need to look into the Word of God and be even more committed in our resolve to never depart from it. It gives us power to obey Him continually instead of growing weak and living a defeated Christian life. It’s the oxygen that ensures spiritual survival!
Today, if you are not saved, I have good news for you…God wants to give you His life, don’t harden your heart, just receive it.
If you’ve already received this gift, avoid spiritual suicide by living in or by the Word of God.
Living in a state of spiritual suicide? The Word of God endures forever, but your opportunity for resuscitation is temporary. Turn to God and experience the resurrection power of His Word before it’s too late.
Stephanie Parkes is a member of Passion and Purity, a school-based Christian ministry.