Did you know that there is a chapter in the Bible which described, many centuries in advance, everything that was to happen to the Jewish nation? How many disastrous things could have been avoided if they had only heeded the warnings God gave them.
God oftentimes gives a Word telling His people what will happen to them in the future. He gives them the keys and the secrets of the way things can go, one way or the other. Consequently, they hold their destiny in their own hands. They can speak God into any situation. They have the potentials, the keys to change the world, to change themselves, to change anything that comes against them.
The book of Deuteronomy, being a reiteration of the Law, is often considered as being rather unimportant; however, it is one of the miracle books of the Bible. Chapter 27 tells of a project that God commanded the Israelites to perform. After crossing the Jordan, they were to set up large stones on Mount Ebal, coat them with plaster, and write on them all the words of the Law of God. This project was carried out under Joshua’s direction (Joshua 8). He was very careful to do exactly what he had been told, and so he saw to it that the Law of God was placed upon Mount Ebal. We do not know how large the letters were, but no doubt they were visible for quite a distance. Imagine traveling through Canaan and seeing the Word of God clearly written on the side of the mountain. It is interesting to note that God’s instructions for the project were given by revelation long before the Israelites reached the land of Canaan.
In Deuteronomy 28 the entire future of the Jewish nation is outlined. The Jews were warned about what would happen to them if they were disobedient to the Lord and did not serve Him. Jehovah will bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth (the Roman standard had the eagle on it); a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young (this is definitely Roman thinking), and shall eat the fruit of thy cattle… Deuteronomy 28:49–51. Even the destruction of Jerusalem and the cannibalism under the siege of Titus is described in fantastic prophecies (verses 52–57).
In the morning thou shalt say, Would it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would it were morning! for the fear of thy heart which thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. And Jehovah will bring thee into Egypt again with ships… Deuteronomy 28:67–68. This tragic story is history which was written in advance. The copper mines of Egypt were the destination of the Jews who remained after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Chapters 29 and 30 of Deuteronomy reveal that God again made a covenant with the Israelites in which He repeated the warnings, and told them what they should do. In chapter 30, verse 11, we discover an important key which the Israelites did not take advantage of. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. After God had made His covenants with His people, and after He had reviewed what would happen if they were disobedient, He reinforced it by saying, “Now listen to Me; this is not too difficult for you. This Word that I give is not too hard to fulfill.” He emphasized the fact that it could be accomplished by the hearing of faith alone.
God did things in the past which might seem foolish today. For instance, He required that the Law, encased in a leather pouch, be tied around the wrists of His people or on their foreheads, and that they constantly speak the Word as they were together in their houses (Deuteronomy 6:6–8). Perhaps that practice sounds foolish, but they had been warned over and over, as seen in the first chapters of Deuteronomy, that their release would come only by the Word of God. He said, “I am going to test you and show you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Some believers say, “Oh yes, I know what that means. Just go ahead and preach to us, Pastor; and as we hear the Word of God, our souls will be fed.” If that is all the Word does, it will never accomplish its prime purpose. When God said that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, He was not comparing food with something elusive; He was comparing food with food. You do not live by bread alone; you live by what you partake of in God and are able to assimilate.
Many people have a shelf filled with vitamins, but they do not take them. Perhaps they feel healthier when they see them there, but they know that vitamins do no good until they are broken down and assimilated in the body. This is also true of a Word from the Lord. It will not do any good until something in your heart takes that Word and transforms it into a living, creative expression of God in your life.
You do not live by bread alone; you live by the things of God that are released within you. The Word takes the buried potentials, the commissions, the prophecies—whether revealed or unrevealed—and explodes them into the perfect will of God for your life. But that will come about only after you learn what the Word of the Lord is to be to your heart. The Word that you receive must be exploded into action. It must not be put on the shelf like vitamins. You must eat and assimilate the Word until it becomes the mighty power of God. Passive believers sit and listen to sermon after sermon; yet they never overcome much or prevail over their problems effectively. When they hear the Word, they realize that it is the answer they need; yet they waver in applying it. The Word is not really the answer until it is exploded into action. Live out every Word from God. Live it!
For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? Deuteronomy 30:11–12.
When you have a Word from God, you do not have to ask and intercede in order to reach God and receive another Word from Him. A kind of subtle unbelief keeps people praying for another Word from God; they do not believe what He has already said. Get your eyes on one Word from God, and explode that Word into action. It is good to read the whole of the Scriptures; but even more is gained when God quickens one Word to your heart and you stay with it until its potential is released in your life. Your meditation upon that Word turns it loose.
Believe in the Word of God. Believe in its power. The Word of God is not like the word of man. It does not merely lay out guidelines for you to work at, so that after a while you will have conditioned yourself philosophically to another life-style. You must take hold of a Word that can create earth and heaven and all that is in them, a Word that can loose you into the greatest life you have ever lived, a life beyond your expectations.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (it is true—He is able to do that; but remember the rest of the verse), according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20. The power that makes it work is within you. If you open your heart to Christ, and if you open your heart to the Word, you will not wonder who will go up and get another Word from God for you, because you already have one. You do not need another Word—you need to walk in what you have.
After Moses brought the Word of the Lord to the people, he said, For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven.… Neither is it beyond the sea.… Where is it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. Deuteronomy 30:11–14. Paul quoted this Scripture in Romans 10. The Word is not far away. It is in your heart. It is in your mouth. All you have to do is believe it.
It is interesting to note how the Old and New Testaments explain each other. As a Christian, not only should you know the New Testament, you should also know the Old Testament. And to be a part of the true Israel of God, you must allow the Holy Spirit to expound and explain the Old Testament through the New Testament. Romans 9 through 11 deals with Jewish unbelief, and should be read in connection with Deuteronomy 27. The things set before Israel in Deuteronomy were the same as those that Paul was concerned about in writing to the Romans, for the people of natural Israel had turned away from the Word. Today their hearts are still darkened in unbelief, but hope is found in the New Testament. Every Jewish Christian, as well as every Gentile Christian should read it. Every Christian should understand that the distinction between Jew and Gentile is not caused by God’s partiality. In speaking about the Gentiles, God said, “I am found by a people who sought Me not” (Isaiah 65:1). However, He also revealed that He is able to graft the Jewish nation back into the flow of His favor and His dealings (Romans 11:23–24). He told Israel that even though He would deal with them drastically for their disobedience, if they turned to Him, He would gather them out of every nation and bring them back (Deuteronomy 30:3).
As Christians, we are a spiritual Israel, and the principal fulfillment of that Scripture belongs to us; yet we must realize that there will also be a fulfillment on a natural plane. God has many things in process, and this often confuses people. They try to limit Him to just one or two areas; but He is very complicated. Who can really understand the marvelous ways of the Lord?
In Romans 10 Paul reached back and quoted out of Deuteronomy 30:12–14, telling the believer, “This is the key: you can activate this Word; it is not too hard for you! It is not way up in heaven; it is not down under the sea or in the abyss—it is right here with you.” This is how Paul repeated it in Romans 10:6–13: But the righteousness which is of faith saith thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down.) Notice that Paul did not speak about “bringing a Word down”; he interpreted it as “bringing Christ down,” because Christ is the Word. John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach: because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord (that is the way it should be translated: “confess Jesus as Lord”; not merely “confess the Lord Jesus,” which is the King James translation), and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame.
Even though Paul quoted out of Deuteronomy, he made a definite application for his day: For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him: for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
There is a coexistence of many things in a believer’s life because the heart is very deep and very deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). However, it is when those things come forth out of your mouth that the problems arise. Do you believe that the Word is in your heart? Then activate it! Your mouth activates more in your life than you know. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. But it is when the things in your heart are spoken that they have force. You may be troubled with much unbelief, but if you do not voice it, you will never activate that unbelief; and it will never become a strong force.
When food is eaten, it goes into the stomach. Because of this, the Jews were concerned about the washing of hands, about purification and other precautions of cleanliness. However, the Lord says that it is not what you eat that defiles you, but what comes out of your mouth (Matthew 15:11). That defiles you. The physical process is reversed in the spirit realm. The moment you voice it, you turn loose in the earth and within your own being whatever is in your heart. When you voice it with conviction, it becomes a force. Learn to speak God into every situation in your life. Learn to believe God’s promises with such faith that when you voice them, they overcome anything.
When Jesus said to Satan, “It is written,” He was not just quoting a Scripture. He was voicing something that was in His heart; and He was voicing it with great faith. For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Matthew 4:10b. When He spoke those words, He defeated Satan. When Satan came against Christ on a human level, Satan was not able to upset Him because God’s Word came forth from Christ: “It is written. It is written. It is written.” In a moment of testing, He turned loose what He believed.
Satan always comes to God’s people saying, “Has God said?” All testing begins with Satan challenging the Word. All testing ends and perfect victory begins when in faith we answer, “Yes, God has said!” When we believe it and we voice it, we speak faith into the situation. The righteousness which is by faith comes because you believe and you speak. Proclaim it. Carry God into every situation!
What about murmuring, complaining, backbiting, and criticism? When you do those things you turn loose negative forces. Solomon said, Keep thy heart with all diligence. Proverbs 4:23a. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21a. Why did James say that the tongue is a fire and the world of iniquity (James 3:6)? It sets on fire the course of nature. If a man with a seducing spirit can get a woman to listen to him, he will be able to seduce her. That is how powerful the satanic forces are that are turned loose when such a man speaks.
Whatever is in your spirit or in your heart is turned loose and given force when you speak it with faith. That is why murmurers and complainers—men like Korah in the Old Testament—can destroy authority. They speak evil of dominion and lead people into error. Be careful what you listen to, and be careful what you speak. Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (James 1:19).
In Matthew 15:7–8 we read that Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees: Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. Whatever you speak is turned loose—but only if you believe in your heart. When your heart is far from God, you can speak the right words all day, but God will judge you for it because you are being a hypocrite. You must believe in your heart and then speak with your mouth.
Jesus continued quoting Isaiah’s prophecy: But in vain do they worship me… Matthew 15:9. If you merely go through the motions of worshiping, and there is no worship in your heart, you will not meet God. To believe in your heart involves a deep inner soulish and spiritual faith in what God has said; yet that faith remains dormant until you speak it. When you speak, it is turned loose.
And he called to him the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which entereth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which proceedeth out of the mouth, this defileth the man. Then came the disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, when they heard this saying? That is the mark of a Pharisee—he is easily offended.
But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit. And Peter answered and said unto him, Declare unto us the parable. And he said, Are ye also even yet without understanding? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever goeth into the mouth passeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But the things which proceed out of the mouth come forth out of the heart; and they defile the man. (In other words, defilement comes by activating the elements within you that are wrong.) For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: these are the things which defile the man, but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not the man. Matthew 15:10–20.
Another passage from the Gospels that sheds light on this subject is found in Luke 6:43–45: For there is no good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit; nor again a corrupt tree that bringeth forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. The fruitfulness of your life does not come just by what you say or what you do; it comes by the faith of your heart which is behind your words and your actions.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17). If you do it with your whole heart, it turns God loose into everything you do and everything you say. Otherwise, action is just action. Working for the Lord is often just work; but when your heart is full of faith and you turn faith loose, you cannot even imagine how much of God will be put in the work you do for Him.
If you believe in your heart, then you can pray effectively. Whenever you speak something which is thoroughly initiated by faith in your heart, you will most certainly turn things loose. But remember one thing when you pray. The Word says, “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” But it goes on to say, “Let him be without wavering in his heart, for a double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. Let not that man think he will receive anything from the Lord” (James 1:5–7). In other words, no matter what you pray for, you will not receive anything unless your heart is unwavering in faith, unless you are determined to believe God and to speak with an assurance that what you speak will come to pass.
Just one sentence can turn God loose into any situation. If you believe His Word, but it is imprisoned within you, then turn it loose. Activate it! All energy originates from something that God has said. Your faith is like a fuse that is attached to the greatest source of energy there is. His Word is in your heart, your faith is the fuse, and your mouth is the fire. Light the fuse! Explode His Word into action.
The Word is in your heart. You can speak it forth to minister a blessing, or you can speak it forth to receive a blessing. You can do anything that you feel you can do according to the Scriptures, anything that enters the imagination of your heart. You can do it! You can have it! All things are possible to him who believes. When you abide in Him and His Word abides in you, creative force is released. There is no limit to it.