The Word Is Your Guide
God's commands and teaching are alive and personal, guiding and protecting us when we live in and meditate on His Word.
Derek Prince emphasizes the importance of God's commands and teachings as something alive and personal, not mere words on paper. He shares a personal experience from his time in the British army, highlighting how immersing himself in God's Word provided guidance, protection, and communion with God. Prince encourages the listeners to cling to God's Word, allowing it to guide, watch over, and speak to them in every aspect of their lives.
Text
Proverbs 6:20-22
My son, keep your father's commands and do not forsake your mother's teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. NIV
God, there, is speaking to us as His children. He's telling us that His commands and His teaching are something that is alive. They are not just words on paper. They are not just abstract ideas or concepts, but something that will keep us company, if we will cling to them, if we will absorb them.
I found that so true when I first came to know the Lord as a soldier in the British army in the deserts of North Africa on the battlefield. I would carry my pocket Bible with me. Every spare moment that I had, I would pull it out and begin to read it. And then I decided how true it was: When I walked, it guided me. When I slept, it watched over me. And when I awoke, it was there to speak with me. I had communion with God. And, in a certain sense, I was literally protected by the presence of God around me.
And that presence was around me because of my attitude to His Word, because I lived in His Word, I meditated in His Word, I kept His teaching and His commandments. God's Word is something alive, something personal. Don't let it just become a religion or an abstraction for you. But learn to live with it and walk with it and let it talk to you.
Sermon Outline
- God's Commands and Teaching are Alive
- God speaks to us through His commands and teaching
- They are not just words, but a living presence
Key Quotes
“When I walked, it guided me. When I slept, it watched over me. And when I awoke, it was there to speak with me.” — Derek Prince
“God's Word is something alive, something personal.” — Derek Prince
“Don't let it just become a religion or an abstraction for you.” — Derek Prince
Application Points
- Make time to meditate on God's Word and internalize His teaching and commandments.
- Learn to live with God's Word and walk with Him in daily life.
- Avoid making God's Word just a religion or abstraction by keeping it alive and personal.