Your Word-Level Is Low
REAL ISSUE: ‘”I’m frustrated, broke, and confused. What’s the problem?”
RESEARCH AND STUDY
Matthew 25:8, ‘And the foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.”
Here we have five foolish women running low on oil who then ask five wise women for some of theirs. Ordinarily you would think the wise women would share; I mean it is the Christian thing to do right? Not this time! But why? Because these women knew they needed oil. We know this because each of them said ‘our lamps are running out.’ The words, ARE RUNNING, are present-tense words; which means they were fully aware they were tapping their oil reserves. These were women! That means they knew the precise moment the oil began to run out.
So why did their oil level get low? I like to refer to it as their Word-level was low.
What does that mean? For me, it meant I hadn’t spent quality time paying attention to, listening, watching, or reading the Word of God.
But how do you know when you’re running low? I usually could tell because my attitude got bad (excuse my English). I wasn’t as positive or optimistic about life. I didn’t want to talk. If I did, I didn’t have anything nice to say. I ate more. Listened to gossip and watched huge amounts of reality television. Sound familiar? Not yet? Okay well maybe you smoke more. Go out for drinks more than usual. Frequently participate in premarital sex? Snap at your children. Use blankety-blank-blanks. Or maybe you’re just experiencing lack, frustration, or confusion? Bottom-line, your Word-level is low!
These are just a few examples of what people do when they haven’t spent quality time feeding on the Word of God. When the Spirit of the Lord first revealed that my Word-level was low, I thought it meant I needed to just spend more time reading the Word. It did then; but as I’ve matured, I understand now that it’s much more than just reading the Word – its reading and studying the Word specifically about what you’re experiencing.
If I want chicken, I can’t roll up to Taco Bell® and ask for a two-piece and a pepper. If I’m confused, I can’t watch Basketball Wives®, listen to Lil Wayne’s ‘How To Love You©’ or read Sports Illustrated®. I need to get in the Word and study wisdom. You’ve got to study, read, listen to, watch and feed on exactly what you are dealing with. That means getting your concordance and reading scriptures specifically targeting what you’re facing. If you have a King James Version® of the Bible and it’s just too much for you, consider purchasing the New King James Version® or the New Living Translation Bible®. If you’re not in the mood to read, this has been my rule of thumb. If you can’t read the Word, listen to the Word. If you can’t listen to the Word, watch the Word. If you can’t watch the Word, then speak the Word out of your mouth – but do something!
Anytime you notice yourself depressed, stressed, overindulging in food, drugs, premarital sex, or social media, – you’re Word-level is low and know immediately you need the Word of God.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Purchase a concordance or another translation of the Bible. Get the television schedule of the minister that teaches and preaches the Word of Faith. Go to their website and purchase CD’s and DVD’s that specifically teach about what you’re dealing with.
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RESOURCES
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