DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Dearly Beloved, I bring you greetings in the name that is above every other name, Jesus Christ the Son of the living God and our soon coming King. I believe your week was fruitful, filled with the grace and glory of God; Hallelujah. This week, I want to share with you on something that I believe will help you in your faith walk. I want to ask you do you understand what the scriptures are saying?
“So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”” Acts 8:30 (NKJV)
Beloved, our text makes it very clear that it’s one thing to read the scriptures, listen to a wonderful sermon, and it’s another thing to understand it. Understanding of the scriptures is what brings about a corresponding action. If I understand that life and death are in the power of the tongue, and I will reap the fruits of what I say, then I will be careful about what I say. If I also understand that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and I understand that my mouth is connected to my heart, then it begs the question of ‘what exactly am I allowing into my heart?’ Do you see how everything is connected? So my question remains do you really understand? Proverbs 4:7 (KJV) says, “…therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (emphasis mine) to tell us how important understanding is because without it, you cannot make progress. Therefore how do I get understanding?
You cannot understand what you do not focus on, or give attention to. Imagine you are preparing to write an exam. The preparation process involves going to class and paying attention to your instructor, sitting down with your books afterwards to read through what you have been taught, doing practice tests etc. The aim of this entire process is to ensure that you understand what you are learning. You pay attention in class, you pay attention while you are studying your books and all. If you have to do all of this in the natural in order to understand, what makes you think you don’t have to do this to understand spiritual things. Child of God, in order for you to understand the scriptures, you must give your attention to the Word of God. There’s no getting round this. Learn to study your bible, get materials that can assist you, listen to messages, get into the Word.
In these last days, you cannot afford to not be a student of the bible, because the devil is let loose on the earth, looking for who he will devour, but he can never devour a believer who has understanding of his/her rights and privileges. You must also learn to engage the help of the Holy Spirit while you are studying. The Holy Spirit is there to teach you about all things including Word of God. In our text, the Eunuch was reading his bible, but he did not have an understanding of what he was reading. And so Philip had to explain it to him. This is the job of the Holy Spirit, He is there to reveal to you what God is saying. You see when you read the scriptures with the help of the Holy Spirit, it comes alive. I want to encourage you, before you read your bible, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand.
The importance of prayer in getting understanding cannot be overemphasized. James 1:5 (NIV) says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Child of God, learn to pray about what it is that you are reading. Pray that the promises of God will be a reality in your life. Sometimes just burst into tongues as you read, pray also in your understanding. God will just begin to open your eyes, and drop things in your heart that you have never imagined or thought about. Beloved, these are not the days to just go about being a surface level believer with no depth, because the devil is not playing any games, he means business. Therefore we believers must get serious. If we must overcome, then we must be ready to pursue understanding. It’s beyond head knowledge, it’s heart knowledge, it is about revelation.
I declare that this week, the Holy Spirit will give you revelation concerning different areas of your life. You will have understanding. I bless you in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maranatha!
In His Royal Service
Dr. Mike Okonkwo
The Presiding Bishop of TREM
