God’s Word is full of examples of believers like you and me receiving the promises of God into manifestation when they acted on God’s Word. A common thread in these records is how these men, women, and young people built the believing habit of acting on the Word. They saw that as they acted on God’s Word, they received God’s deliverance and blessings. Then, as further situations arose where they had the opportunity to believe the Word of God, they acted on it boldly and received the promise of God they were seeking.
Our habit patterns of acting on the Word help us to build confidence and boldness to carry out God’s Word in any situation of life. As we take believing action, God brings His Word to pass, and this gives us confidence for walking even more dynamically for Him.
We do not have to wait until we reach a certain age of maturity to see God work. In the Book of Psalms, we can read about the profit of believing and acting on God’s Word from a young age.
Psalms 119:9 and 32:
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
As we run the way of God’s commandments, our heart—the part of our minds where believing proceeds from—is enlarged and grows in its ability to trust God’s promises.
Psalms 119:59 and 60:
I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
Biblically, the word “feet” can be used to represent the action center of the will. These verses illustrate a simple and effective way to see God’s promises come to pass: we can stay focused and act on God’s Word without delay, not giving doubt or other distractions time to hinder us from claiming God’s promises.
God’s Word records David as an example of someone who built believing habit patterns of acting on the Word from a youth. This helped him to receive the promises of God even in challenging situations. Ever since he was a youth, David built the habit of trusting God, and it is because of this that he saw deliverance.
When David was a young man, the armies of the children of Israel were faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge. The Philistine army had gathered to make war against Israel. The two armies faced each other; each was situated on a mountain opposite the other with a valley in between. A Philistine giant, Goliath, measuring over nine feet tall and arrayed heavily in armor, came out each day, mocking the Israelites and challenging them to fight. All the armies of Israel were greatly afraid of him.
One day, David was sent by his father to bring supplies to his older brothers who were serving in the armies of Israel and to return with news of them. David normally watched over his father’s sheep at Bethlehem, which was several miles away. While visiting his brothers, David heard Goliath shout his disdain for Israel and his challenge for anyone to come and fight him. Goliath stirred great fear within the men of Israel, but David had a different mind-set.
David looked at this challenge through his mind-set of thinking and acting on God’s Word. He did not need much time to deliberate on his course of action because his thoughts were already settled that God would bring him the victory. David’s habit was to keep the Word in his mind. Then, when face-to-face with an obstacle, David was already convinced that God would help him see the deliverance.
I Samuel 17:26:
And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
David’s confidence came from trusting God. This may have sounded like a bold statement to those around him, but he was simply stating a response of someone who has confidence in God. David volunteered to fight Goliath, but before doing so, he had to convince Saul, the king of Israel, to let him fight against Goliath. David’s habit of acting on the Word had brought God’s deliverance in his life already. He responded to Saul’s questions with confidence, knowing that God would do the same for him that day, as He had done previously.
I Samuel 17:32-37:
And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
David carried his shepherd’s staff, a sling, and a pouch of five smooth stones and approached Goliath. The giant disdained him because he was but a youth and cursed him by his gods. David responded, saying that the God of the armies of Israel would deliver Goliath into his hand and that he would prevail in the battle.…
This is an excerpt from the January/February 2013 issue of The Way Magazine.
Copyright© 2013 by The Way International. All rights reserved.
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