The Comfort of the Scriptures (1 of 3)

Mike Connell

Page 7 of 8
That's what the Bible says - you have to put it in your mouth and use it. What will happen is, your soul will start to shift, and your spirit starts to ‘YEAH! YEAH!’ and your emotions start to subside a bit. That's why you speak it out strongly.

It's not trying to make something happen. The core of it is not just speaking - a parrot can speak, but they don't get into faith. As I speak, I am choosing to hold that God's word is true.

“My words will not pass away, my word will not pass away, my word will not pass away. What you say to me, you will do.”

You've got to actually engage the person of God through the word. This is not anyone's word. The Holy Ghost is a comforter, but He comforts us directly by touching us in meetings and so on. He touches us by: quickening the word; and by comforting us through prophetic words, or encouragement from someone else. We'll get to prophesy - that's another part, but I want to get the word - the word is there to comfort you.

So number one: mark out scriptures that are great scriptures - and learn to pray them. Learn to speak them out, and repeat them over and over - and get them around and in your heart, so when adversity comes: “though he slay me, yet will I trust him, for at the scent of water, the tree shall rise again!”

There's a whole range of verses. You'll find of them in Psalms, in Proverbs, everywhere - and you mark them out. If you don't know how to find them, just get on the computer, and search for: words from the Bible to help me, comfort me - you will be amazed how many sites will come up. They'll give scriptures on Grief, Death, scriptures on this and that. They're all saying: the Bible, go back to the Bible, go back to the word of God.

Use the word to build and strengthen your inward man. You'll find, as you do that, you become conscious of the presence of God. Even if you don't become conscious of the presence of God, what will happen is: emotions subside somewhat, and your head clears. You start to think differently for a little while - faith can grow, and come, and arise in your heart.

Don't turn it into a works thing, where you're striving to make God's word work. It's His business to make the word work - our business is just to believe it, and respond to it. Don't get into the thing where you're trying to ‘make it work’, and your faith is in ‘your confession’, or in the word. Your faith is in God - trusting Him.

He says: “I exalt My word above My name. No word shall drop” - so that's one of the ways. There's a whole heap of scriptures like that, so you read it, read it aloud, personalise it, speak it out over your life, and embrace it in your heart as you feel it.

2) Expect the Holy Ghost to quicken a scripture to you. How many of you have found, as you’re reading through the Bible, you just suddenly spot a verse, and it comes alive, and it just touched your heart? What did you feel? God is near! What were you feeling before that? God is far! I'm isolated! Now God is near. Oh man, that cheers me up. There's hope, because God and me can do this thing.

Ask the Holy Spirit to quicken a scripture. It's His job, He wrote the Bible. Start to just read with expectation. Don't try and make something happen, just read with expectation. It's His job to open your eyes up and see something you never noticed before, and He can do it.

How many have looked at scriptures, you read whole sections, and suddenly one day as you're reading: oh, that stood out. I didn't even know that thing was there? It was the Holy Ghost quickening a scripture - and now you've got that scripture, you do what I just shared - begin to personalise that, pray that, and declare it over your life. Why? Now you've got a quickened word to hold onto. Before you just had the scripture - and prayer, and meditation, and confession helped quicken it. Now you've got the quickening - now you begin to hold it, and choose to believe it, and then stand. What does God want you to do in that? You've got to stand and continue to do that.