“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframe of your houses and on your gates.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9

In order for the Word to produce true fruit, the believer must give it first place in every area of his life. The Apostle Paul, when writing to the Church in Colossae said, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16). The Word of God illuminates and brings light: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105). When we are full of the Word of God, we shine on the inside and the darkness that comes from every insecurity and every fear that used to blind us begins to fade away.

Deuteronomy says, “These words are to be on your hearts…” This means that these are the most important words above all else. “Impress them on your children’s mind…” signifies that we should be continually be teaching them. With our children it is important to emphasize the Word and remind them what the Bible teaches. Do not be afraid to speak about the Word of God to your children. Often, conversations in families revolve around trivial things like the characters and story lines of soap operas. Our conversations, however, should be aimed at instilling the instruction of God that we find in the Word. This way we will be passing on significant and Godly principles to our families, with conversations that build them up.

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he said, “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). The church in Thessalonica did not receive these words as if they were Peter’s words, or Paul’s words or John’s words. Rather, they received them as the Word of God that is alive, that is truth, and that works mightily on behalf of every believer. When God’s word saturates our lives, it inspires the way we speak. Likewise, when someone is full of bitterness, they speak with anger; they are full of complaints, and they moan and groan. Everybody speaks out of the things they have stored up in their hearts.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
One of the greatest businessmen in North America used to go to the beach and think for days, long before he became well known. One time, while he was there at the beach, a revolutionary idea came to him. During that time, all of the United States faced an economic depression, which in turn affected the entire world. His idea was to build forty thousand hotel rooms at an inexpensive price in order to flood the market. After writing down the idea, he was then faced with how to fund it, and so he set out to acquire enough loans for the task. It took a total of four years before he saw his dream come true. This dream that came out of that man is now known as the Hotel chain, ‘Days Inn’. His dream came true and now there is a Days Inn Hotel in almost every region of the United States. He believed that this idea was inspired by God because this great businessman was a believer.

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I have determined to remain in the Word of God, to obey it and to be able to disciple many others.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Two.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: Judges 17-18; Psalms 89:19-52
• New Testament: Mark 8:1-13; 1 Corinthians 13