(NKJV) 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”
(CEV) 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn’t something made up by humans. You accepted it as God’s message, and now he is working in you.”
There is nothing like; “the Word of God did not Work”, the Word Works Always, if you apply WORD properly. The Word Works anywhere & by anybody only if they put WORD to work. – the Word Works if you work it – you cannot just believe the Word – Believing is the beginning but after believing the Word, you also have to do The Word. the Word of God Works when you do the WORD. Do not listen to anything somebody tells you that is negative The Word of God that He has Given to you. The Word Works if you work It, but you need to have Faith to keep on working The Word. God’s Word is True, not because The Word written is down, but it is because God Spoke the Word. The Word of God Works all the time but if you have doubt in your heart, you will lose The Miracle Working Power of the Word. When you hear the Word of God be a doer of the Word – the Word Works so do not give up, keep on believing the Word.
When you read God’s Word and you believe it and act on it, it’s like seeds Growing inside you. Seeds have life! In the natural world, you don’t have to understand the process by which seeds grow; you just have to water, nurture, and protect them. And it’s the same with Scripture. Paul writes, ‘You welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe’ (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV). Note the phrase ‘effectively works in you’.
God’s Word is Self-Sustaining; it doesn’t require others to validate it. When Jesus was Walking on the water towards His disciples, Peter said, ‘Lord, if it’s you…tell me to come’ (Matthew 14:28 NIV). Jesus Gave him one word, ‘Come’ (Matthew 14:29 NIV), and Peter started walking. The other disciples probably didn’t believe Peter could do it. That’s because they didn’t understand Who was Speaking to Peter. ‘They thought [Jesus] was a ghost’ (Mark 6:49 NIV)!
There’s a lesson here. When God Speaks to you through His Word, don’t expect everybody to understand, agree, or support you. It’s only human to want certain people to see what you see and believe what you do. But in this Scripture, God Prepares us for rejection by those who don’t understand what God has Told us. Be careful, people’s opinions can make you doubt what God has Said. Sometimes He confirms what He told you through others, and sometimes he doesn’t. But as long as you feed on His Word and believe it, it will ‘effectively works in you’.
So here is the truth that I draw out of this for living the Christian life: by the Work of the Holy Spirit, God defeats temptation (like the temptation to be angry and depressed that you are suffering) by awakening joy through belief in the Word of God which is at Work in us. And that Word is most centrally the Good News that Christ Died for us so that all the Promises of God are Yes in him (2 Corinthians 1:20).
We live the Christian life, we walk by the Spirit, when the Holy Spirit overcomes our temptations to sin by Awaking Joy through Faith in the Blood-Bought Promises of God that are at Work in us. You see the dynamics at work here: the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, Faith, and Joy. By the Spirit, we trust the Promises which bring Joy which defeats temptation. And all the while we are praying!
Finally, now let me illustrate how this works. It helps me to have an acronym called APTAT.
A — I ADMIT I can’t in myself do what needs to be done.
P — I PRAY for God’s Help.
T — I TRUST a particular Promise He Has Given.
A — I ACT to do whatever God is Calling me to do.
T — I THANK Him for His Help when I am done.
