What if we took God at His Word? What would happen if we chose to trust and believe the Word of God over what we see in the natural? How many miracles have we forfeited in our lives simply by second-guessing God’s promises to us?

These are just some of the questions I’ve been grappling with lately. You see, at the beginning of the summer, a strange lump appeared on my forearm. At first, I figured that it wasn’t anything and that it would just go away on its own until the lump got larger. At this point, I started to consider what it could be and how I might treat the lump at home with over-the-counter medicine. Everything I tried only made matters worse. It was a question from a well-intentioned friend that started a shift in my thinking. 

This friend said to me, “Are you sure it isn’t cancer?” A seemingly innocuous question, designed to help, carried with it a weight of uncertainty. Thankfully, around the same time, I read a story about a person with a serious illness who chose to stand on the Word of God, and over time, they saw what started as a serious, life-threatening illness begin to turn around and their health return. By standing on the promises of God, this person was able to avoid some of the mental stress and worry that a diagnosis can produce, and their faith was strengthened.

After reading this story, I decided to do the same. I would stand on the Word of God and speak God’s promises over my life. Each day, I would repeat the words “by His stripes I am healed,” and I would apply some tea tree oil, or a combination of tea tree and vitamin E oils, to the lump on my forearm. In fact, when another person said to me, “Are you sure it isn’t cancer?” My immediate response was, “By His stripes I am healed!”

He [Jesus] personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds [stripes] you are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

While I had peace in my heart and mind, I didn’t notice any physical changes to the lump. After a few weeks of declaring God’s promises (“by His stripes I am healed!”) and continuing to apply the oils, I noticed that the lump started to fall off in small pieces. The process was definitely not pretty to behold, but it brought with it even more hope and a resolve to continue to take God at His Word. And, I’m happy to report that, by the end of the summer, the lump was completely gone! God had healed me! 

Now, this is in no way meant to indicate that you shouldn’t consult a health professional or that you should apply tea tree oil, vitamin E, and prayer to lumps on your own body, but it is meant to provoke a change in your thoughts and perspective. To challenge you, as that story did for me, to shift to a Heavenly perspective and to take God at His Word.

I’ll take You at Your word
If You said it, I’ll believe it
I’ve seen how good it works
If You start it You’ll complete it
I’ll take You at Your word

Lyrics from Take You At Your Word by Cody Carnes and Benjamin William Hastings

To take God at His Word, you have to know His Word. The act of taking Him at His Word begins with reading, meditating on, and memorizing scripture. There are many ways you can interact with God’s Word, and there is tremendous power in interacting with content through multiple means. 

As a teacher, I provided my students with multiple means of engaging with new content. I would give them opportunities to use their senses to interact with the information. For example, students might read the textbook, watch an instructional video, participate in a class discussion, take notes, engage in a hands-on activity, and even teach another student what they had learned. Providing multiple means to engage with the content increased the likelihood they would remember it. In fact, it didn’t just help them remember the content; it deepened their understanding of it and supported them in making connections between what they already knew and what they were learning. 

This same process, of using multiple means to engage with new content, can be applied to reading the Word of God. And one reason I like to include songs in my blog posts is to help you remember important details. When you can anchor a scripture or a word from God in a song, you can get that song stuck in your head (heart) and be reminded of the word from God all day long.

In Psalm 119:11, we are admonished to hide God’s Word in our hearts.

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)

To hide God’s Word in our hearts, we need to read, listen to, speak, reflect (meditate) on, study, memorize, and teach it. Interacting with the Word of God through multiple means will increase the likelihood that you will remember it and understand it. It also provides you with an opportunity to make stronger connections between what you know and what you are learning. These connections are essential when navigating this life. 

Recently, I was feeling overwhelmed by all that needed to be done and all that was on my schedule when I was reminded of the words, “lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” It was a gentle reminder from the Holy Spirit of a verse I had read before, so I opened my Bible and looked for the passage of scripture where these words were found. I was surprised to see that the passage of scripture was connected to feelings of overwhelm.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2 (NKJV)

This verse was a reminder from the Holy Spirit to look up and to ask Father God for help. It was a reminder that God sees me and knows what I’m going through, and that He is an ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1-5). 

I’m sure that the Holy Spirit could have brought the words of Psalm 61:2 to my memory even if I hadn’t read the scripture before, but would I have known it was a verse in the Bible, and would I have recognized the tremendous help this promise from God contained? I’m not sure, but I do know that because I had read this verse and am making an effort to hide God’s Word in my heart, I was able to access and stand on this promise. 

So I’ll ask this question again: what if we took God at His Word? 

I’m challenging you (and me) to hide God’s Word in your heart through reading and memorizing passages of scripture. You might decide to memorize the verse and reference, just the verse, or even a shortened version of the verse. In fact, there are times when I like to turn Bible verses into declarations to speak over my life. Declarations are similar to positive affirmations but carry much more weight when they are promises from God found in the Bible. 

This week, I challenge you to memorize the verse below and to purpose in your heart to make scripture memory a regular part of your pursuit of righteousness. 

Memory Verse: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear… Psalm 46:1-2a (ESV)

Sample Declaration: God is my refuge and strength; I will not fear!

Song: Psalm 46 (Live) by Shane & Shane