The Bible: Our Foundation For Change

God makes healing deliverance available to us through His Word. But how does that work? Think of how milk of magnesia coats the stomach; that his how His Word coats the soul. I think "milk of mag' is some of the nastiest stuff I've ever tasted, but if it will make me well, I will gladly swallow it. That is how God's Word works inside of us- His healing balm seeps into every nook and cranny of our souls. Our Creator breathed forth the Scriptures. He wants us not only to read His Word but study, memorize, meditate, pray, and obey His Word. Lest you think I'm going to the extreme, I have to ask why God said to Joshua, " This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8)

Second Timothy 3:16 states that every word, jot and tittle in the Word of God is inspired by His Spirit. It all came the mind of God. If we want to get to know Him, we must read the words that were written from the heart the God to the heart of man. Matthew Henry says it well: " It (The Word of God) is profitable for all purposes of the Christian life. It is to be taught, corrected, and reproved. There is something in the Scriptures suitable for every case. Oh that we may love our Bibles more, and keep closer to them! Then shall we find benefit, and at last gain the happiness therein promised by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the main subject of both Testaments" ( comment of II Timothy 3).

Some say the Bible was written too long ago to be of specific help to today's modern problems. We acknowledge there are problems today that were not widely discussed in the past: however, the Bible tells us there is nothing new under the sun. Issues and hurts have always been with us and always will be. If we hold to the premise that the Bible is insufficient fro today's ills, then we are in effect telling God that He is lacking , that He is unable to tell the ending from the beginning.

I teach apostolic counseling, and one of the objectives of the course is learning how to extract the Biblical principles that apply to any problem. My Students often stand in awe when they discover these truths, since many of them had previously believed professionals were the only ones who had the answers- especially for the "hard cases" to God, not the other way around. I was called in once to counsel a sister who had decided she needed a divorce. We began to examine the Scriptures. At first she was dubious, having already made up her mind. But something about the Word grabbed hold of her. She left that day determined to give her marriage another chance. That was twenty-three years ago, and today the marriage is still alive and working very well.

Several years later, a distraught sister called from four hundred miles away. She and her husband wanted to drive down and counsel with my husband and me. They had set aside a whole week for counseling. My husband began with prayer, and the Holy Ghost fell like a velvet cloth in the room. We ministered to them from the Word, the Holy Ghost ministering alongside. After an hour, everything had changed; all thoughts of divorce dissipated. It was surreal. When they left that day, they had a week ahead of them to spend as they wished. They drove to Myrtle Beach for a second honeymoon!

Hebrews 4: 12-13 tells us, "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whome we have to do." Jeremiah 17:9 asks, " The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

The Word of God is powerful! We humans debate the soul and spirit- where does one begin and the other end? We really don't know. But where our limited knowledge falls short, the Word zeroes in. No human being can know the heart of man. Counselors use a host of methods to try to discern what is in someone's "unconscious," but only the Word has that knowledge. I have been told: " I tried it; it didn't work" the problem is no that God's Word failed, but that it wasn't followed completely. We need to take every thought captive to obedience to Christ (II Corinthians 10:5). We must examine ourselves and judge wrong attitudes, thoughts, and motives by God's truth (II Corinthians 13:5; I Corinthians 11:28-31; I John 1:5-10). We are to seek God with all our hearts and not lean on our own or the world's understanding (Psalm 63; Proverbs 3:5-7; Isaiah 55:6-11). We are to seek first His kingdom and righteousness, not the things the world seeks (Matthew 6:19-33). That's a strong prescription and not everyone is willing to put forth that king of effort. But those who do will find it life-changing!

Written by: Lynda Doty