Use His Exact Words!

While I was unloading my dishwasher one day, I observed Mikea (my middle child) helping my youngest child (Gracie) through her schoolwork assignments. Gracie was having problems grasping a concept. Neither one of the girls knew I was watching them. As I silently processed what was going on, the thing that impacted me most was that Mikea was helping Gracie through the problems by using my exact words.

I immediately thought of my Father, and how He must feel when He sees us helping others using His Words. “For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

One way to use His Words and help others is to speak faith into their lives by applying the concept we read about in Romans 4:17- “...(As it is written “I have made you a father of many nations.”) He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." 

I was privileged, honored and blessed to sit under the teaching of Dr. Larry Ollison while we lived in Missouri. He taught us how to practically apply scripture. In this passage in particular, he taught us that if we have a dog who is outside and we want the dog inside, we go to the door and we say, “Here Spot!” We call those things that are not as though they were. Spot is currently running around the yard. We don’t say what we see. We say what we want. We don’t watch the dog run around the yard and say, “There Spot, there!” or “Oh, now Spot is over there.” 

No, we call Spot to the place where we want him to be.

Gracie wasn’t willing to do what she was being told. Mikea, with great patience, repeatedly instructed her to write the question down on paper and work the problem out. She said, “Once you work it out, you will clearly see the correct answer.” Gracie wanted a short cut. She knew Mikea had the answer and that’s all she was after. Yet Mikea knew if she just gave Gracie the answer, the next time she was faced with a problem, she wouldn’t be able to work it out. At times, rebellion sets in, and I observe my children struggle with a school assignment simply because they didn’t follow my instruction.

We cannot operate under the desire to take short cuts and expect God to always just give us the answer, now. God is a good Father. He knows if He just continually gives us the answer, we won’t mature and grow in to the full stature of what He intends us to be. 

He loves us too much to “diaper” us.

Dr. Terry Mize, one of my fathers in the faith, and a great man of God, says “I know God is good and I know His Word is Truth. Truth always trumps true.” If we are faced with a situation, for example, where a child or a spouse receives a negative doctor’s report we can take Truth, which is the Word of God, which is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12) and change true! Psalm 30:50 also tells us that if there is no joy…it’s not morning yet! The “facts” or circumstances may be true; however, we will apply (2 Corinthians 5:7) and walk by faith, not by sight! 

We can and will work out any problem that arises by using His exact words!