The Word of God and Making Resolutions
As believers meditate on the Word of God, it is beneficial to follow a structured approach:
First, believers should make resolutions based on the Word they read. A believer should prayerfully read the Bible, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal its truths and writing down Spirit-inspired resolutions that will help him draw life from God's Word. In fact, God has declared that His Word is the very life of His people, and that man shall not live by bread alone (Matt.4:4). A believer must seek to glean life from God’s Holy Word.
Second, through the Spirit, we need to define what it looks like to walk in these resolutions—essentially creating a resolution action plan. As a believer walks in step with the Holy Spirit, his meditation on the Word becomes an active, “working relationship with both the Word of God and the Holy Spirit”. I am grateful to use that phrase I received from a dear sister and friend, Tracy, on the same day the Holy Spirit gave me this teaching—a clear confirmation of its truth.
Third, we must revisit our resolutions as often as needed, following the Spirit’s leading to ensure their application. Through repeated practice, we become progressively established in applying these resolutions in real life. Eventually, we begin to live by them, leading to transformation within us. The key is to remain in step with the Holy Spirit, who guides us in hearing and obeying the Word. He enables us to return to our resolution action plan and apply it consistently, renewing our minds and bearing fruit in Christ. This is what it means to walk in God’s Word.
Let us remember that the most important aspect of this process is maintaining constant fellowship with the Holy Spiritthrough continuous prayer and worship, for without Christ we can do nothing (see Jn.15:5 below). This is how a believer engages with the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit in a way that brings fruitfulness.
Jn.15-5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
We worship God by surrendering our spirit, soul, and body to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit. Surrendering our soul means fully yielding our intellect, emotions, and will to the Lord. We worship God with all that we are, all that we have, and all that we do—through the Holy Spirit.
Summary
Through fellowship with the Holy Spirit, believers learn to take resolutions from God’s Word as they meditate on it and work with them to reach a place of transformation (Rom. 12:2) and fruitfulness. This transformation occurs when a believer remains steadfast in prayer and seeks to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who inspires, motivates, and empowers the entire process until these resolutions become a natural part of the believer’s life.
God is at work within the believer, both to will and to act, and the believer is called to "work out his salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12-13). This sanctification process requires diligence (intentionality and effort) through the power of the Holy Spirit, as the believer trusts and obeys God’s Word.
The Christian life entails work (Eph. 2:10), which is a work of faith (Rom. 1:17). This work is empowered by the Holy Spirit yet requires the believer’s diligence, intentionality, surrender, and obedience. The Holy Spirit initiates, motivates, and empowers the believer in this work. Apostle Paul spoke of toiling with God’s energy (Col.1:29).
This process leads to transformation, as the believer is renewed in his mind through the Word by the Spirit of God, and Christ is being formed in him (Gal. 4:19).
Another key lesson from this teaching is that a believer who does not know God’s Word will not prosper or be transformed because he is not walking by faith—faith in God and His Word through the Holy Spirit. Likewise, a believer who does not engage with God’s Word in a way that brings transformation will not bear fruit. The Word is not for our information only, but for our transformation.