The established heart trusts in the Word of God. It is not moved by contradictory evidence. It is moved only by what it believes and it believes the Word. When circumstances are contrary to the Word – when common sense is contrary to the Word – the established heart always leans to the Word and refuses to be troubled.
We have all heard the importance of meditating the Word. Now I want us to turn our attention to the necessity of being a doer of the Word. God told Joshua to meditate in the Word day and night so that he would do according to all that is written therein.
It is through meditation in the Word that we become doers of the Word. James 1:25 says that a doer of the Word will be blessed in his deed. The first chapter of James warns us about hearing the Word, but not doing it. It says that such a man has deceived himself. If you fail to act on the Word, then you really do not believe it. If you believe a man’s word, you will act on it. Believing demands action.
Let’s look at an example of this from Jesus’ ministry. In Luke 17:12-19 we see the account of 10 lepers who asked Jesus to cleanse them. Verse 12 says that these lepers stood afar off. Under Levitical law, it was unlawful for a leper to enter the village. If they did, they could be stoned. As they stood afar off, they called to Jesus and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. Jesus answered them with something which in the natural was impossible. He said, Go shew yourselves unto the priest. If they went to the temple with leprosy, they would be stoned.
However, I want you to realize what Jesus was doing here. Under Levitical law, there was provision for a leper to be cleansed. Once he was clean, he had a legal right to enter the temple and show himself to the priest. The priest would then declare him clean and he was free to return to his village. Jesus knew the Levitical Law and He was speaking the end result to these lepers.
He saw them completely healed and cleansed so He told them to act like it. If they had been only hearers of the Word, they would have said, “But, Jesus, you don’t understand. We can’t go to the priests. We have leprosy!” Apparently, these men did not argue with Jesus. They believed His Word and acted accordingly. The Bible says, “As they went, they were cleansed.”
Those 10 lepers relied on the integrity and the power of Jesus’ words. They believed it to the point that they would act on it without question. They acted on the Word without hesitation. James wrote that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). One translation reads, faith without corresponding actions is void and destitute of power. If you really believe, you will act. Once you get your actions corresponding with what you believe, then as James said, your faith will be made perfect.
Once you have spent time meditating God’s Word and acting on what that Word says, there will come a time when you must hold fast to the Word. Many times we miss out on the blessings of God simply because we let go too soon. Circumstances may indicate that there is no way for you to overcome a particular situation; but you must not let go of the Word. Keep talking the Word. Keep holding fast to the confession of your faith.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised)… Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise (Heb. 10:23, 35-36).
Holding fast to the Word of God is literally the same as being patient. Patience means TO BE constant, consistant, never changing regardless of the circumstances. When you are exercising patience, you will talk and act the same regardless of the situation.
Cast not away, therefore, your confidence. Don’t cast aside your faith just because it looks as if it is not working in your particular situation. Hold fast to the confession of your faith. Hold fast to the Word
You see, when it looks as if nothing is working, your faith is being tried. As James 1:3 says, “… the trying of your faith worketh patience.” In other words, when your faith is being tried, it puts to work the force of patience. Faith and patience work hand in hand. They always work together.
Patience is the spiritual force that supports and undergirds your faith, so that it will not be cast from one side to the other. When your faith is being tested, the force of patience comes into motion. Then instead of casting away your faith and talking contrary to what the Word says, you will be strengthened end reinforced by the force of patience so that you remain constant and stable.
Put God’s Word First
Psalm 112 is God’s picture of the Believer. The established heart becomes established and fixed as a result of putting God’s Word first place and allowing the Word to be first in importance, above all else.
Once we get full of God’s Word and allow the Word to establish our hearts, then our image and God’s image will match. We will begin to see ourselves as God sees us.
God believes in the substitutionary sacrifice at Calvary. Because He believes it, He is not moved by what He sees and has seen through the last 2,000 years. He sees us through the redemptive work at Calvary. He sees us through the Blood of Jesus. I am convinced that the Father God sees us as a people with our hearts established and fixed, immovable.
It is time for the Body of Christ to match that image. It is time for Christians to leave the spiritual milk and get on the strong meat of the Word of God.
In this day and time, you cannot afford the luxury of not putting God’s Word first place. The things happening these days will divide the men from the boys where the Gospel is concerned. It is our responsibility as Believers to become so established in God’s Word that nothing shakes us, that we can stand boldly in the face of every situation and confess without a doubt, we are more than conquerors!
When you become established on God’s Word, you become extremely dangerous to Satan. Through the Word, you can completely stop his operation in your own life, in your family, in your business, in your town, in your nation, and in the world! A person who is full of God’s Word is a vehicle or a carrier of the power of the Almighty God. The creative ability of God is in His Word. No wonder Satan works so hard to get that Word out of your heart. You must be on guard and not allow him to be successful in his attempts to steal that Word. James wrote, Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jesus was our example of how to resist Satan. He took the Word of God and said, It is written…. Jesus was combating Satan with the two-edged sword of the Spirit – the Word of God. When Satan comes to steal the Word from you, take the Word and resist him with it. He must flee from you!
Make a quality decision to become established in the Word of God, to become strong in the power of the Lord. The moment you make that decision, there is nothing Satan and all of hell can do to stop it from coming to pass in your life!
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Publications
Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
Since 1969, Dr. Savelle traveled the world teaching people how to win in life. Dr. Savelle ministered in more than three thousand churches and in twenty-six nations, and has overseas offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
God used Dr. Savelle to impact people who are burned out on religion and who have backslidden in their walk with God, as well as Christians who have a need to hear the Word of God presented in terms applicable to their lives, dreams, and destinies. He hosted the Jerry Savelle Ministries television broadcast which airs in two hundred countries worldwide.
Dr. Savelle authored more than forty books, including his bestsellers, If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy, He Can't Keep Your Goods and You're Somebody Special to God. He served as one of the founding Pastors of Heritage of Faith Christian Center in Crowley, Texas.
Jerry J. Savelle, 77, went home to be with the Lord on April 15, 2024. He spent his last day on earth fulfilling his purpose teaching people the Word of God