4 LEVELS OF THE WORD
Bless God for another beautiful day to drop a thought in your heart. Today, I want to quickly discuss the different experiences you can have with the Word of God. Many Christians have really only experienced the first level of encounter with God’s Word, which is why their faith in the Word is not very strong. The level of experience we have with God’s Word determines how much confidence we can place in it, and that is why we, as Christians, need to seek after climbing to higher levels of experience with God’s Word. Nevertheless, we must first understand these different levels to do so; that is what this discussion is meant to enlighten us about.
Now, there are four levels of encounter we can ever have with God’s Word according to the Scripture, which says:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1 John 1:1).
Enumerating this, we have:
1. Hearing God’s Word (Which we have heard)
2. Seeing God’s Word Work (Which we have seen with our eyes)
3. Observing the Dynamics of God’s Word (Which we have looked upon)
4. Exercising God’s Word by Use (Which our hands have handled)
Let me expand on each individually. Today, I will talk on hearing God’s Word.
1. Hearing God’s Word
There is hearing and then there is hearing. A person can hear something and not pay any attention to it. When someone walks down the street, they hear different kinds of sounds at the same time—car horns, people talking, and vehicles driving by—yet they might not give serious attention to them. Because they do not pay attention, these sounds quickly fade away. Likewise, when we hear God’s Word like a fading sound, it quickly escapes our minds, preventing us from experiencing the next level of the Word.
Paul once preached to a set of believers whose lives were not changing, so he exclaimed:
“Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.” (Hebrews 5:11).
So, hearing in this context means hearing attentively to understand.
Words might look like mere words, but we must see them as much more than that—especially when it comes to the Word of God. Jesus once said, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).
Words are so important that Jesus came all the way from Heaven to give us the right words, which is the truth, before He gave His life, so that we are not only saved by His sacrifice on the cross but also by hearing His Word. However, no matter how important and powerful the Word of God is, it cannot help us if we do not value it. Unfortunately, it is at the level of merely hearing the Word that many Christians get stuck. I pray we move further to greater heights in our experience with the Word.
Today’s Reading:
James 1, Psalms 1, Proverbs 7
Nevertheless, if you are not born again, you can accept Christ today by saying this simple prayer out loud in faith, believing that Jesus Christ died and rose again for your sins:
Prayer for Salvation:
“Dear Lord, I believe Jesus died and rose again for me. Forgive me my sins and come into my life. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Wash me with your precious blood and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Father, for doing this for me. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
Congratulations! Your status has changed to that of a child of God if you said this prayer in faith.