Episode 189, 1 hr 54 min
Walk on the Word, Not the Water: God Is Looking for a Receiver
Open in SpotifyWalk on the Word, Not the Water: God Is Looking for a Receiver
Dr RJ Sing, 1 hr 54 min, Part 1 of How to Get Answers to Your Prayer (2008)
Originally recorded as “He Sent His Word and Healed Them”
Sermon outline
God has already sent His Word to heal and deliver; His Spirit is present and waiting for a believing heart that will receive the Word and speak 'let there be'.
Main text
- Psalm 107:20
Opening
He arrives late, having slept two hours after an urgent meeting in Johannesburg, and explains why the church's buses to the stadium crusade there had to be turned back: the hired luxury buses did not arrive, and the stadium was so overcrowded that their people could not have got in. He thanks the church and Pastor Wesley's team for their patience, sees the Lord's protection in it, and announces the church's own miracle crusade at Durban City Hall on 20 April. He then gives his subject, how to get answers to your prayer, saying there are seven steps.
He sent His Word and healed them
God's Word is quick and powerful, heavily weighted with the anointing, and spoken by a believer under the unction of the Holy Ghost it accomplishes results. In Genesis the Spirit hovered and brooded over the chaos, waiting for a word, and then 'God said, and there was'. God had an image inside of what He wanted outside, and so must every child of God.
“God's Word is not void of power.”
- Psalm 107:20
- Genesis 1:2-3
- Hebrews 4:12
Supercharge your spirit with the Word
It is good to groom yourself on the outside, but better to groom the spirit man. Some spirits are charged, some weak, dry or malnourished, and the only way to grow your spirit is the Word in your mouth, mind and heart. God told Joshua to meditate on the Word day and night, and then he would make his own way prosperous.
Illustration: That morning, praying in tongues at the airport to charge his spirit, he heard the Spirit say that a child of God can supercharge his spirit.
“You are not healed by magic.”
- Joshua 1:8
God is looking for a receiver
God has sent His Word; the question is where the person is who will receive it. No one can believe for you, so how hungry and desperate are you? The same power and anointing that were in the stadium are in this church, because believers are blessed, anointed temples of the Holy Ghost who carry the quickening Spirit, not people looking for an anointing.
Illustration: On the flight he saw a minister on his way to preach in Durban frantically praying and reading, as if he had to get God's attention before he could bless anyone, not realising what he already carried.
“God is looking for a receiver.”
- Mark 9:23
- Ephesians 1:3
- Romans 8:11
- 1 Corinthians 6:19
Believing is a state of the heart, not emotional hype
You can get emotional and say 'I believe' and still walk in unbelief. Believing is the state of a heart and mind that are receptive to God's Word. Do not ask for prayer that God 'would'; He already has. The catalyst for God's power is a believing heart full of expectation.
“The catalyst for God's power is believing hearts.”
Walk on the Word and you will walk on the water
Peter walked on the water while his gaze was on Jesus, the Word, and sank when he looked at the wind and the waves. Forget about walking on water: walk on the Word, and it will cause you to experience the supernatural.
Illustration: The night before, a severe storm shook the buildings in Johannesburg and Pastor Zubeda told him to pray or they would not fly home. He declared there would be no storm and no delay, ignoring the thunder and lightning that told him it would not work, and they flew back in time for the service.
“If you walk on the Word, it will cause you to walk on the water.”
- Matthew 14:28-31
- John 1:1
The anointing is waiting for the Word: say 'let there be'
Prayer is for fellowship and building up your spirit, but results come when you speak. He demonstrates by speaking 'fall' to one person and 'don't fall' to another: the anointing was present, waiting for a word. The Spirit is also hovering over your home, waiting for you to say 'let there be peace, success, favour and abundance' instead of 'things are tough'.
Illustration: He has a man touch his hand lightly without looking, to show that he is aware of the anointing on his life, and prays for all the sick to stand and receive as he sends the Word.
“Everything you will ever need in life is inside of you.”
Sound doctrine needs the power of the Spirit
Hold fast to sound doctrine, but theology without power is like a powerful car with an empty tank. The Pharisees were doctors of the law who could not understand Jesus because they lacked the Spirit. Jesus was anointed to preach good news to the poor, heal the broken-hearted and set captives free, and He commissioned believers to do the same.
“The Spirit, the anointing of God, is the one that gets your prayers answered.”
- 2 Timothy 1:13
- John 3:34
- Luke 4:18
- 2 Corinthians 8:9
- Mark 16:15-18
Putting it into practice
- Meditate on the Word day and night to charge your spirit.
- Come to church as a receiver, expecting to be healed and blessed now.
- Keep your gaze on the Word, not on the storm.
- Speak 'let there be' over your home instead of describing how hard things are.
- If you were prayed for, believe the Word even before you see the change.
Closing
The sermon flows into more than an hour of ministry: he prays for many sick people, leads people to Christ, ministers the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and uses a cloth as a point of contact, comparing it to Paul's handkerchiefs and warning against starting 'a ministry of cloths'. He teaches that the Spirit is like the wind, seen by its effects, that healings can be instant or gradual, and that the evidence is the Word, not a feeling. He encourages an older man who preaches in prisons, and the service ends in song as he says the teaching will continue the next Sunday.
Declarations he led
- How to get answers to your prayer.
- God is looking for a receiver.
- I have an expecting heart. I'm full of belief. Today my life is changing from one level to another level. I decide from today to walk on the word.
- Thank you, Lord Jesus, I'm healed.
In his words
- “Every child of God, before you see something on the outside, you first have to have an image on the inside.”
- “God is looking for a receiver.”
- “If you walk on the Word, it will cause you to walk on the water.”
- “I can't believe for you. You've got to believe for yourself.”
- “The evidence is the word. He sent his word and healed him.”
Every scripture in this message
- Psalm 107:20
- Genesis 1:2-3
- Hebrews 4:12
- Joshua 1:8
- Mark 9:23
- Ephesians 1:3
- Romans 8:11
- 1 Corinthians 6:19
- Matthew 14:28-31
- John 1:1
- 1 Peter 1:23
- 2 Timothy 1:13
- John 3:34
- Luke 4:18
- 2 Corinthians 8:9
- Mark 16:15-18
- John 3:8
- Acts 19:11-12
- Romans 4:17
- Genesis 2:7