Did God really say…?

I entered into 2023 with a strong reminder that this is going to be a year of the Word and deeper intimacy with Holy Spirt. I just knew I had to prioritize the things of God even more – praying, tarrying at His feet, studying my Bible, and meditating.

And it’s something I am taking very seriously. Knowing the challenges I’ve faced with having a consistent Bible study routine, I decided to try a different approach this year. I’m soaking myself in the Word through multiple channels. Youversion, listening to the Bible Experience Audio Bible on YouTube, subscribing to engaging Bible study content and of course, reading my physical Bible.

So far, I’m loving it – most especially having the audio Bible play overnight. I can’t quite explain it but I find myself speaking some of the scriptures, even in the middle of my sleep. Like I said, I am soaking in the Word.

On the first of January, I started the Bible in one year challenge on Youversion (Amen…I will complete the entire challenge this year!) and it started with the book of Genesis. I’ve been reading Genesis 2 and 3 over and over again and I’ve been ruminating on the events that happened in that portion of Scripture.

If you’re familiar with Genesis 3, you’ll know this is where Adam and Eve yielded to temptation and things changed. Sigh. I always have to ask why they couldn’t keep it together so we won’t be living in a broken world but I digress.

God created a perfect world. Everything He created had a purpose. Nothing and no one was an afterthought. The male and female were instrumental to His plan and they enjoyed such an intimate relationship with the Father in a perfect environment filled with His presence.

But the serpent came and with one question, he threw a spanner in the works. “Did God really say?”

Four simple words yet they have the power to bring a distorted reality. Isn’t that what the enemy does when he wants to get us off track? Aren’t those the words he uses to make us feel afraid or doubt what we know God has said?

Did God really say? Are you sure you heard Him correctly? Are you even sure it was God speaking to you? And instead of standing on what we know God has said, we begin to rationalise and entertain the lies of the enemy.

I’ve been there. Too many times to count. I have doubted what I knew God said to me. I have thought I heard wrongly. I have also questioned God’s ability to bring the thing to pass because it seemed absolutely out of my league. But God doesn’t speak in vain. He doesn’t waste words.

I have come to understand that God is a very intentional God. Strategic. Consistent. Yet, you cannot predict how He will move, just like the wind. And He has this thing where He tells us things that look bigger than us. I mean, Gideon was cowering in the winepress and an angel comes and refers to him as a mighty man of valour. If you were Gideon, how would you have responded? I would have laughed! Like Sarah. Because ‘mighty’…how?

But God knew the Gideon He created. That was the most important thing. All Gideon had to do was to align with God’s vision – whether he could ‘see’ it or not; whether he understood how it will become a reality.

And this is what God expects of you too. He sees you. He created you and formed you for His purpose. He knows all that you are capable of. You don’t. He knows the potential hidden within. So when He calls you to partner with Him on an assignment, He knows you can do it because He has equipped you for it.

You know God is speaking to you but somehow you still hear the enemy say, “Did God really say?” Why you? Can you? Should you?

Want to know the best way to silence the enemy? Jesus taught us. To say what God has said. Indeed, you will do exploits in the name of the Lord. You will be used as a vessel to deliver the oppressed. Yes, I know you’re scared. You feel unqualified. But it really isn’t about you but the God who has created and called you.

This is a great time to dig into Scriptures to discover what God has said about you. Know the Word for yourself. Prioritise fellowship with the Lord. Fill your heart with His word. As Proverbs 6 says “Bind them continually upon your heart; tie them around your neck.”

Has God spoken? Stand on what He has said to you. Has He given you an instruction? Run with it with great urgency. This is not a good time to waste time or walk in delayed obedience.

I pray that we will remain in the place of faith, trusting in the character of our loving Father who sees us and has good thoughts towards us. And I pray that our posture will be like that of Mary, “Be it unto me according to your word, dear Lord.”