BAPTIZED INTO THE WORD
I have been in a season of transition recently, having lost my full-time job and finding my days filled with plenty of time on my hands (of course looking for another job). I did not want to flounder around and simply enter into employment just because that was the right thing to do. So, I determined to seek the Lord for His direction — His perfect will for right now. Having walked with Him for awhile I know His leading comes — primarily — as revelation, or an illumination from the heart (spirit, inner man) to the head. The Bible says “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple” (Psalm 119:130), plus “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105), and “In Your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9b). In other words, when we look into the Word of God (His light) we can expect to see light (revelation/illumination of what we are in the dark about).
With these Scriptures in mind I started saturating myself in the Word of God. I’ve heard Brother Copeland speak of the benefits of becoming totally immersed in the Word of God.
- It is the most anointed Book that exists! The anointing is where the “light” comes from.
- The Source of anointing, the Holy Spirit, authored it, and He lives inside every believer — His indwelling will bear witness to the leading of God — “In Your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9b). [See also Romans 8:16 and 1John 5:10.]
So, I concluded that exposure to the Word of God would result in the revelations I need from the Lord to lead me into His will for my life.
LAST DAYS
Let me further explain this decision. Deep within my heart — and rising up daily — I have a sense of urgency that we are in the very last of the last days, and there is a dire need to be accurate in God; accurate in decisions we make that affect the directions of life we head in, like:
- Marriage — who we join ourselves with in covenant.
- Church we attend — it’s important to sit under an anointed ministry that preaches the uncompromised Word of God!
- Associations — friends in our inner-circle, “Be not deceived: Evil companionships corrupt good morals” (1Corinthians 15:33, ASV). Notice I said ‘inner-circle’. These are people we open our hearts to and receive from their hearts as well.
- Job — this is the one that hits home for me right now. With the understanding (revelation) I have of God’s grace, I know I can only expect the fullness of His grace in my life as I’m positioned in His Will — doing what He wants (and needs) me to do.
Our precious Heavenly Father knows of everything we have need of and has promised in His Word that He would supply all of them, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). That is a promise of God that is yes and amen, in Him. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2Corinthians 1:20). Furthermore, we become partakers of His divine nature through the promises He has made in His Word.
- “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Peter 1:2-4).
Did you catch that? Grace is multiplied and peace is multiplied through the knowledge of God and His Son Jesus (knowledge comes from His Word); His divine nature is available to partake of through the knowledge of His Word, which spells out the “exceedingly great and precious promises.” These promises become a ‘covering’ for us that shield us from the darkness around us.
SUPERNATURAL PROTECTION
Throughout the entire Bible we see accounts of God protecting His people from the surrounding dangers that threaten their existence. My favorite is the 91st Psalm. It begins with “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). Notice this person dwells in the secret place, it doesn’t say they visit occasionally. Going to church once, or twice a week won’t qualify anyone for the subsequent protection. Let’s continue (I’ll just point out a few things), “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence” (Psalm 91:3). Pestilence can be termed plague, or sickness. This ‘dweller’ can expect deliverance (protection) from any plague or sickness that may be making its rounds in the neighborhood.
“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day” (Psalm 91:5). We could say “You shall not be afraid of terrorism!” Another promise that spells this out is found in Isaiah 54, “In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you” (Isaiah 54:14, underline mine for emphasis). So the righteous one, who dwells in the Most High can expect to be protected from terror. But, remember, this provision is only available to the one who chooses to make the Most High their refuge and fortress!
This ‘dweller’ can expect angelic intervention, “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (v.11). Paul tells us in the book of Hebrews that angels are “all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Yet, Psalm 103:20 reveals that angels are “mighty ones who carry out his orders and obey his word” (NIrV). Other versions of the Bible say it like this: “angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word” (NKJV), and “angels, that are mighty in strength, that fulfill his word, hearkening unto the voice of his word” (ASV). The point is the angelic hosts are activated (put into motion, or are motivated) by God’s Word. The conclusion would be if the Word of God is not spoken they have nothing to ‘hearken unto’ (obey its commands).
TO SUMMARIZE
We could conclude this supernatural protection belongs to, and is available for the one who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. Let’s say the same thing in a different way. Supernatural protection (any provision granted in the Word of God we call ‘promises’) is available to the one who dwells in the Word of God, since God and His Word are One! “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). Who is this talking about? Jesus! Jesus took on flesh. To dwell in the Word is to dwell in Jesus! Now for the revelation that hit me this morning during the worship portion of our church service. When we are born-again we get baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free–and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1Corinthians 12:13); He is the Head, we are the Body.
The Holy Spirit, at the new birth, makes us new creatures (2Corinthians 5:17) and places us in the Body of Christ where the Father pleases. This ‘placement’ is the act of being ‘baptized’ into Christ’s Body. Well, if it’s Christ Jesus’ Body, and He’s the Word made flesh, then we could say that we have been baptized into the Word!! Everything God has promised is His Word, and we have been baptized into! Let that sink in! You and I have been baptized into:
- “by whose stripes you were healed” (1Peter 2:24)!
- “heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29)!
- “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37)!
- “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17)!
We could go on, but the point is we have become partakers of God Himself at the time we called on the name of the Lord to be saved (if you’ve not made that choice, all you have to do is invite Him in, and ask Him to be your Lord!).
Scripture says when we were made new creatures the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2Corinthians 1:21-22). We’ve been sealed by the Holy Spirit, Who is also our “guarantee”! Dictionary.com’s second definition of guarantee is, “an assurance that another’s obligation will be fulfilled.” The Weymouth New Testament renders this verse: (God) “has put His Spirit into our hearts as a pledge and foretaste of future blessing.” I like that, the Holy Spirit is our foretaste of future blessing — that’s the blessings that belong to us! “Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2Corinthians 5:5). In the same letter Paul tells us a second time that the Spirit of God is our guarantee (foretaste of Heaven’s blessings). If these two references aren’t enough, Paul writes much the same thing to the Ephesian church:
- “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
I hope you are hearing this with your heart! We who have been born into the Family of God have been baptized into His Word of promise — they all belong to us! We are united in the Word, and the Word in us!
If you’re not shouting yet, read on! Talking about the Priesthood of Jesus, Paul writes in Hebrews “by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). Did you see that word “surety”? That’s the same thing the Holy Spirit is–guarantee! Surety is a guarantor of a promise, or obligation. The NIV puts it that way, “Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.” In plain English, He’s going to see to it that we become partakers of everything He shed His blood for!! He watches over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12, ASV); He’s not a man that He should lie! Has He not said, and shall He not make it good? [See Numbers 23:19.] “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips” (Psalm 89:34).
CONCLUSION
Someone reading this might ask, “Well, if we have been baptized into His Word, and He watches over His Word to perform it, then why…..” And a myriad of questions could fall into place here. Just like, “If God is so good, then why is there so much bad happening in the world?” I will have to answer, as I have in so many of my other writings with this one word: choices. In the beginning God gave dominion of the entire planet to His son, Adam. He and his wife Eve were the parent-set that would produce the entire human race. Their choice to give Satan entrance into this world, then relinquishing their ruler-ship to him made him the god of this world (2Corinthians 4:4)–that’s how evil and corruption took over.
Jesus became a Man to pay the penalty for that sin, and got it all back for us, but it only comes by the choice to make Him Lord of your life. That choice is only the beginning, however. Everything He paid for we have to take possession of by faith — just like the children of Israel had to take possession of the land of promise God had given them. But, hey, it’s His faith! He’s the author and finisher (perfecter) of it! In Mark 11:22 Jesus said to have the faith of God (margin rendering), then He gave it to them by speaking the Word! So, we have everything we need to be completely successful in life! We’ve been baptized into the Word; the Word (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit are our guarantee of the blessings of Heaven; the angels, who have been assigned to us heirs of salvation, listen for and act on the spoken Word — the Word we have been saturated in and with!! Hallelujah! The choice is ours! “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
READ IT — LOVE IT — LIVE IT!