by Julia M. Bruce, MSPC, Mental Health Coach,
Keynote Speaker, CEO, Wellspring Christian Ministries

Where can we find the Word of the Lord?

John opens his book saying, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” So clearly, the “Word” is Jesus. However, the phrase, “Word of the Lord” has a number of different meanings in Scripture. We are talking about God speaking. It can refer to something God has decreed, something God has said when speaking to people, words God spoke through the prophets or His Son, Jesus, or it can refer to God’s written Word, the Bible. If you want to find the Word of the Lord, you simply must open your Bible. However, the Bible does not contain the Word of the Lord; it is the Word of the Lord.

We find in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” And in 2 Peter 1:20-21, we find, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” And in 1 Peter 1:23-25, we find Peter’s explicit statement: ” through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.”

Where is the “Word of the Lord” today?

Not many people today care to hear the Word of the Lord. In fact the world is more excited over the sinfulness of the world. Rather than turning to the Word of the Lord, they will reject it because it cramps their lifestyle. They will deny it, scoff at it, and dismiss it never realizing or believing that it is the Word of the Lord that will one day judge their sins and the sins of all mankind.

So where is the Word of the Lord today? Luke 21:33 says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” God’s Word is in the same place it was in the day of Abraham where we find in Genesis 15:1, After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” The Word of the Lord was true when He spoke the universe into being and it is true for us today.

The Word of the Lord is our shield

Did you notice that the Lord said to Abram, I am your shield? That’s right! He is our shield against sin and sorrow

The Word of the Lord is our shield against sin

In Ephesians 6:16, we are told “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” We are protected by the shield of faith. Paul wrote in Romans 8:30, “If God be for us, who can be against us.” Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church that Christ built.

The Word of the Lord is our shield against sorrow

He is also our shield against sorrow. When we face trials, heartaches or persecution, God is our shield. James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 2 Peter 2:9 says, “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials.”

Isaiah 54:5 tells us, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” And in John 16:20 Jesus told us, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”

Paul told us in Romans 8:35, 37-39, ” Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Word of the Lord is our Reward

All of us are guilty of sin. There is not one person who is righteous. And because we are all sinners, it is important to know that the wages we have earned for our sin is death. However, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. God loved us so much that he chose his Son to pay the wages for our sin. Jesus became our sacrifice on the cross. John the Baptist understood this about Jesus. When he saw Jesus coming towards him, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

It is by placing our faith in Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection that He becomes our sacrificial Lamb who takes away our sin. John 3:18, says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

There is nothing that we can do on our own to be saved from our sins. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” That’s right! Salvation is God’s gift to you when you place your faith in Him. When we do then we can know that when we stand in the presence of God, he will see the blood of the lamb, Jesus, covering our sins. He calls us his children and as such, He sees us as spotless and unblemished because we have been covered with the righteousness of Jesus.

Have you ever wished God would speak to you?

Moses got a burning bush, the Ten Commandments, and the design plans for the tabernacle. Noah got blueprints to build the ark. Abram entertained the Lord at dinner. So many people in the Bible heard God speak. Have you ever wished God would speak to you? Then open the Bible and read it. It is the Word of the Lord and when you read it, you can trust He is speaking to you.

One of the most important things God says to you is found in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of Salvation.” So, if you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus, now is the time. Do not wait. The Word of the Lord and His salvation is still extended to us today. Will you accept the Word of the Lord or will you reject it?

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7 FREE Downloadable Resources

Now you can enhance your Bible Reading with the Verse Mapping Template

Our Verse Mapping download is FREE and includes 6 pages: 3 pages of instructions for using the template and the 2 page template, plus the cover page. If you’re looking to go deeper into God’s Word, learn more about God and develop a stronger spiritual life, Verse Mapping will help you dig into the scriptures. As you apply God’s Word to your life, you will develop a more intimate knowledge and relationship with God.

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What Satan Does Not Want You To know

This trifold document includes Scripture verses that Satan does not want you to know about. As you hide these verses in your heart, you’ll be able to defeat the lies of Satan when he tries his wiles and schemes on you.

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Stress Journal

We all face stress. How we handle stress, however, has many variables. Learning how to recognize stress, coping with stress, and creating a self-care plan during times of stress can begin by journaling. Taken from our series on Biblical self-care for people in ministry, we’ve created this free download to help you through the things that cause you stress.

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2021 Bible Memory Verse Plan

We’ve put together 52 memory verses for you to hide God’s Word in your heart! You can download the full document for free and then print a new verse each week and as many copies as you’d like. Each verse prints four times on a page so that you can then cut them into index size cards and place them in prominent places where you will see them frequently throughout the day to help you remember to memorize them. Just because you visited our site, they’re yours for free! Download today.

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The Path to Sin

Satan is constantly trying to trip us up and he doesn’t even play fair because he uses our own desires as bait to get us to sin. James tells us the five steps that lead us down the path to sin in James 1:14-15, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” This download helps you identify your desires so that you can better recognize when Satan is baiting you and you can avoid falling into sin. When used along with prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to identify the desires that Satan baits you with, you can then ask the Holy Spirit to help you not become a victim to the bait of your desires. Download the worksheet today.

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One Year Bible Reading Plan

With just 30-40 minutes per day, you can read the entire Bible in one year. The One-Year Bible Reading Plan consists of both Old Testament and New Testament readings for each day of the year. The Bible is God’s personal Word to you. What is He saying to you today? Open your Bible and find out!

One Year Bible Reading Plan

Self-Care Wheel

The Self-Care Wheel provides ideas for practicing self-care in six dimensions of yourself: Spiritual, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Sensory, and Social. NOTE: You will need 11X14 paper to print the wheel.

Want to know more about self-care? Our Self-Care blog series targets people who serve in any ministry position (paid staff or volunteer) and takes a Biblical approach to self-care.

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Need some music to get you through the day? Check out one of our Playlists on YouTube

You can also watch our animated devotionals on the YouTube Channel

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God, Love and Marshmallow Wars by Julia M. Bruce

What’s Inside God, Love and Marshmallow Wars?

God, Love and Marshmallow Wars is a book that includes 365 daily activities and takes you on a guided journey through Biblical principles about Godly marriage that you can then apply to your marriage, as well as helping you talk through concepts that can help you develop a solid relationship. Inside you will find simple, quick activities that include:

• Scripture to memorize and meditate on.
• Conversation Starters.
• Concepts from the Bible on Godly marriages.
• Romance Builders.
• Relationship Builders.
• Personal reflections.
• Date ideas.
• Group date ideas for you and other Christian couples.

Available in hardback, paperback and ebook from Westbow Press Bookstore, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Click the icons below to purchase from your preferred bookstore. Now also available at WalMart online.

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Bible Studies, Bibles, Books & More

Looking for a Bible Study, Bible, book or Christian gift? We are an affiliate with Christianbook Distributors and receive an 8% commission on any item purchased through one of our links. However, the commission never increases your cost of any item. View some of our favorite items by clicking on the logo and thank you for supporting our ministry.

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