My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 4:20-22
The word health in these verses is the Hebrew word ‘marpe‘ and it stands for health, healing and cure or medicine. So we can read it this way, for they are life to those who find them and medicine to all their flesh.
The Word of God is God’s medicine for all your flesh. The Word of God has curative powers. The Word of God has the power to heal you, cure you and keep you in divine health.
For the word of God is living and powerful…
Hebrews 4.12
… The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
John 6:63
The Word of God is full of the life and the power of God. It is a container of divine substance. It is a carrier of divine life and divine power. The Word of God has the power to heal you from any and all sicknesses. No matter what kind and type of sickness it is, no matter where the sickness is and no matter how many years you have had it, the Word of God will destroy it and empower you to live and walk in divine health.
The medicine works only when it is released into the system.
For the medicine to do it’s work, you must deposit it in your system. Similarly for the Word to do its curative work, it must be deposited in your spirit. You can keep the Bible on your head and it won’t work. You can keep the Bible in your drawer and it won’t work. You can carry it around in your pocket and it won’t work. You can even use it as a pillow and still it won’t work.
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, 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.
I Thessalonians 2:13
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
Hebrews 4:2
The way you receive the Word in your spirit is by believing what it says. When you take the Word of God as THE TRUTH of your life, it enters your spirit. However this is the first step.
Take the medicine as per the prescription of the Physician
In Proverbs 4, verses 20 and 21 we find the prescription of the Great Physician. If followed, the Word will work powerfully in our bodies from the crown of our heads to the soles of our feets. His medicine has to be taken according to His prescription.
Proverbs 4.20 – My son pay attention to my words
The first step is ATTENTION. Give attention to what God is saying. Many a times believers are not paying attention to the Word of God. Mostly it is because they are preoccupied with other things. The Lord asked Philip, Where shall we buy bread so these people can eat?. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them… ‘ What did Jesus ask and what did Philip answer. He wasn’t paying attention because he was overwhelmed with the challenge of feeding such a huge crowd. In another instance, the Lord asked Peter to launch into the deep and to let down the nets for a catch. Peter replied, ‘Master we have toiled all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.’ Jesus didn’t talk about a net, He spoke about nets. Peter wasn’t paying attention.
You must give attention to what God is saying through His Word, His Spirit and His anointed servants. What does the Word say about healing? What has Jesus done for your healing? Are you paying more attention to what the doctors or the reports are saying instead of the words of God? Give attention – careful and close attention to what God is saying. Every one has something to say. But be more interested about what God says and only take Him seriously. The only thing that matters is What does God say!
Proverbs 4.20… Incline your ears to my sayings.
The second step is INTEREST. Not only are we to give attention to the Word but we are to delight in His Word. The Word cannot work in and for a person who has a passive attitude towards the Word of the Almighty God.
To incline means to stretch out. This means you will go after the Word and pursue it. People stretch out their ears to hear gossips about other folks. But we don’t do that because we don’t have time for all that, we are too busy with the Word of God. We make ourselves available for hearing the teaching of God’s written Word from God’s anointed servants. You will go that extra mile to grow more in God’s written Word.
Don’t be so busy that you have no time for God’s Word. When Jesus was teaching from a boat, Peter was busy washing the nets. No wonder He toiled all night. Jesus was in Martha’s house teaching the Word but she was busy in preparing a meal. No wonder she was troubled and worried about many things. Stretch your ear towards the Word of God. Make it your priority. Give it first place – the place of prominence in your life. This will put a big full stop to all your struggles. Make the Word your delight! Stretch!
Proverbs 4.21 Let them not depart from your eyes…
The third step is PERSPECTIVE. As you meditate on God’s word, the Word will build in you a new perspective. Whatever you choose to meditate on, you will magnify. Keep the Word in front of your eyes and meditate on it till you see yourself becoming strong, whole and healthy again.
The Lord asked Abraham to look at the stars of the sky. Why would He do that? He wanted to change Abraham’s perspective. There is no better picture of health and wholeness than the written Word of God. As you meditate on the Word of God, the Word will become a reality in you. Fear will leave. The shadows of death will scare you no more. The image of the Word will develop in you. The Word perspective will dominate you. You will see differently. You will respond from a higher place. Keep your eyes on the Word. See nothing else. Nothing else matters!
Proverbs 4.21 Keep them in the midst of your heart
The fourth step in the prescription of the Great Physician is POSSESSION. This happens by confession of the Word. As you declare the Word day and night, the Word will capture you. As you confess the Word of God day and night, the Word will possess you.
I am sure you might have heard of a demon possessed man. Well, here I am talking about a Word possessed person where the Word controls you, overwhelms you, overtakes you and dominates you. You see from the Word. You talk from the Word. You live from the Word. The Word becomes your life.
He whom God has sent speaks the words of God for God gives Him the Spirit without measure. As you fill your mouth with God’s written Word, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and you will find yourself under the influence of the Word and the Spirit. Speak the Word. Declare what God has said. Agree and Confess it. Confess the Word while coming in and while going out. Confess the Word while travelling and while on vacation. Let the Word be in your mouth in abundance. This is how you become Word possessed.
Proverbs 4.22 For they are life to those who find them and medicine to all their flesh.
As you faithfully and consistently do these steps, you will find yourself becoming strong. The Word will work mightily in you. No sickness can bind you. No disease can trap you and hold you down. You have God’s medicine. Take the medicine. Follow the prescription. Take your healing. Live in divine health all the days of your life.
Your Victorious Life 