Tonight we’re talking about the Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord. Stand for the reading of the Word.

Verse one through verse ten. It says,

1. And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

2. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

3. And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

4. That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

5. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6. And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

7. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.

8. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.

9. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Let us pray.

Most holy and gracious heavenly Father, we thank You for who You are and for what You do. Father, hide Your son behind the cross, that Your people would see You and hear You and not me. And Father, as I decrease, I ask that You would increase. Dear Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. In Jesus’ holy and blessed Name.

And the people of God said amen. You may be seated. Hallelujah.

Although God had spoken directly audibly to Moses and to Joshua, His Word became rare during the three centuries of rule by the judges. By Eli’s time no prophets were speaking God’s messages to Israel. Why? When we take a look why, we can look at even Eli’s sons.

In First Samuel chapter two... Go there with me. And verse twelve. It said,

12. Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

13. And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;

14. And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

15. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.

16. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.

You see, they either refused to listen to God, or they allowed greed to get in the way of their communication with God.

Not only listening but responding is vital in our relationship to God. The Bible said that the Word of God was scarce. In other words, it was rarely heard.

But when we look at the body of Christ today, we have an abundance, an over abundance of the Word of God. See, we’ve got to count the Word of God as precious. You see, a lot of times we take it for granted, don’t we? We hear the Word, but we’re not doers of the Word. We listen to the Word, but we don’t obey the Word.

You see, they were at a time where the Word of God was scarce. Even in the book of Amos chapter eight and verse eleven, God said that there was even going to be a famine for hearing the word of the Lord. Why? Because they did not have an appetite for the Word of God.

You see, in order to hear the voice of God, the Word of God, we have got to have an appetite for the Word of the Lord. Why should God speak if we don’t want to hear?

The Bible said that they would give themselves over in latter days to preachers that had itching ears. To those that don’t want to hear the Word, God is not speaking the Word to them. He’ll make His Word scarce.

God is looking for somebody. He’s looking for a people that want the Word. He’s looking for a people that don’t just want a prophecy. You don’t hear me. He’s looking for somebody that wants the unadulterated Word of God that’s able to make changes, that’s able to rearrange their lives and to build them into the stature and the image of Christ Jesus.

Come on, give God a handclap of praise tonight.

The Bible said the Word of the Lord was scarce. Why was it scarce? Because He couldn’t find preachers after His own heart. Oh, you don’t want to hear me tonight.

You see, the Bible says in the book of Romans chapter ten and verse fourteen, how can they hear without a preacher? And how can he preach except he be sent?

You see, contrary to what people tell you and what you believe, you have got to have a preacher. And not only do you need a preacher. You need a preacher after God’s own heart. Because a preacher after God’s heart is going to get into the heart of God and hear what the voice of the Lord is saying to bring it back to the people of God.

The Word of God was precious. When we think of something that’s precious, that means that it wasn’t a lot of it. You see, we’ve got to hold the Word of God just like it was back then. Even though we have it in abundance, we’ve got to start holding it as precious.

You see, we’ll take it up every now and then. But when you’ve got something precious, you’ll begin to watch over it. Do you hear what I’m saying? You’ll come to it and look at it and make sure it’s there. You might not do it once. But you’ll do it twice. You’ll do it three times. Because it’s precious to you. Oh, my God. Who am I preaching to in this house tonight?

But see, when something’s not precious, we’ll disregard it, won’t we? We’ll put it on the shelf and save it for later. And if we feel like coming to it, we’ll come to it.

But it was rare. Eli’s sons were supposed to handle the things of God. That’s why the Bible says pray for those that have the rule over you. Pray for those that are in authority. Pray for those that are in the work of the ministry. Paul was telling the church, he said, “I need your prayers. I need you to pray for me.” Why? Because I want to give you what God is giving unto me. I don’t want it mixed with no mess. I want it to be pure. Oh, my God, my God.

That’s why we’ve got to pray for those that bring the Word of the Lord to us. You see, you just can’t come to a house of God and just want to get something.

You’ve got to spend time in prayer and say, “Lord, use that vessel. That vessel is a vessel that’s able to get into a place of error. But I know that You are the truth. And You will bring that thing of error into a place of truth, so that I can get what I need to get from You.”

The Bible said in the book of Second Timothy chapter three and verse sixteen that men of God wrote as they were inspired. You see, even though they were of their own mind... Listen. They were of their own character. They were who they were.

The Word of God is still infallible. Why? Because that supernatural took over their natural, and caused them to write things that they could not have written except they were divinely inspired.

The Word of the Lord has got to be so precious to us, that we desire it above anything else. The Bible tells us to desire wisdom above rubies. The Word of God is wisdom. I got to desire the Word over all the riches in the world. Nothing can be compared to the Word of God.

He said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My Word shall stand for eternity, forever.” The Bible says He’s even exalted His Word above His very Name. My God, my God.

It was precious. The Bible said the Word of the Lord was not yet revealed to Samuel yet.

You see, when we look at Eli, he was in perfect position. And he was the perfect person to receive the Word of God. But how many of you know that God is not looking at somebody’s position? Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. He’s not looking at our age. He’s looking at somebody that’s walking in faith, to reveal His revelations to.

The Word of God has got to be in our hearts. The psalmist said, “Thy Word,” in Psalm 119, “Have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119, verse 11. God was saying that for a reason.

If I get the Word of God in my heart, it will cause me to abstain from sin. Why? Because that Word is going to be God. And though that sin try to captivate me, it won’t be able to stand in the Presence of the Word of God.

The Bible said in Hebrews four and verse twelve that the Word of God is what? Quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It’s able to divide us both in the natural and in the spirit. It will let you know what’s spiritually and morally right. Oh, you don’t hear me tonight.

We’ve got to get into a place that we hold the Word of God like they hold money in a bank. You see, they got cameras all around, don’t they? And they want to watch who comes in and who comes out. See, we’ve got to get to a place where we hold the world, Word of God like that. Not the world. Excuse me. But the Word of God.

You see, without this Word, we would be nothing, and we could do nothing. Psalm 119 verse 105 says, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” What is it going to do? It’s going to light my pathway. So it will keep me from a place of stumbling.

Have you seen saints stumbling? Why? Because they have let their light go out. They have not stayed in their Word the way they need to stay in their Word.

And those of us that operate in the gifts of the Spirit, we’ve got to make sure we stay in the Word. Why? Because Satan desires to make us get into a place of error. There’s a fine line of truth and a fine line of error. And if I’m not in God’s Word, I can fall into a place of witchcraft.

Come on, give God a handclap of praise tonight.

Eli, he was the perfect person for God to bring His Word to. But God went past him. Because He’s hidden it from the wise and the prudent. And He’s revealing it to babes.

You see, He’s revealing revelation knowledge to those that are willing to say, “Lord, I don’t know anything.” When I sit before the Lord and I have my Word in hand, I’ve got to come to Him like a child and say, “Lord, teach me Thy Word. Because Your Word is truth.” I’ve got to maintain a teachable spirit. If I’m going to get anything from the Word of God, I have to maintain a teachable spirit.

You see, many of us in the body of Christ, we’ve come to a place where God has fed us our Juanita Bynams. And He’s fed us our T. D. Jakes. And He’s fed us our McClindons. And we’ve had so much Word (glory to God) that we can’t hear from everybody. Though everybody God may give a word, we can only hear from certain... Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. We can only hear from certain folks.

But He didn’t give a word to Eli. He gave it to Samuel. See, who we looking for Him to come through, He’s coming through somebody else.

The Word of God is so precious. (Tongues.) We’ve got to hold it as such. We’ve got to get the Word in us. The Bible tells us to renew our mind with the Word. And as we know this mind is a battleground. And that’s where the battle is won. If I can have victory in my mind, then the victory is mine.

But see, if I don’t have the peace of God right here, that surpasses all understanding and keeps my heart and my mind through Christ Jesus, then I am going to be in a place where Satan is victorious over me. But if I get the Word in my heart and in my mind, then Satan can’t touch me.

And I can be like Job when he said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Why? Because I know what His Word says. His Word said I’m more than a conqueror. Do you hear what I’m saying tonight? I’m an overcomer by the... Oh, my God. ...by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the words of my testimony. Because I love not my life unto the death.

Come on, give God a handclap of praise in this house tonight.

I know what His Word says. And therefore I... Because I know what His Word says, I have victory over the enemy.

Remember back in Amos chapter eight, when I said that the Bible said in verse eleven, there was going to be a famine for hearing the word of the Lord. Now this is another case. God was sending prophets. But they didn’t want to hear prophets like Amos. They didn’t want to hear it.

You see, there’s a difference in God bringing it, and folks not wanting to hear it, than in God not being able to bring it because the people, the men of God are not right. But this wasn’t the case. The men of God were right, but the folks just didn’t want to hear.

He said, “Okay then.” He said, “I’m going to make it hard on you.” I don’t know about you, but if I didn’t have His Word, I would lose my very mind.

We’ve got to get to a place where we hold the Word of God so dear and so close. The Bible says that the Word is a more sure word of prophecy. In the Word of God, He reveals who He is and the plan that He has.

If I want to know who He is, then I’ve got to read the Word of God. And if I want to know His plan, then I have got to read the Word of God. I’ve got to get the Word. I can’t let nothing stop me from getting the Word. I can’t... Oh, you don’t hear me tonight. I can’t let you stop me from getting the Word. I got to get to the house of God.

Got to have it. It’s a fix for me. I’m an addict. I’m addicted. Got to have it. I fene for it.

The Word. It came with Samuel. God kept calling him, “Samuel, Samuel.” Now Eli had enough experience to realize that even though he didn’t hear the voice of God, he had enough experience in the things of God to realize that it must have been the Lord calling him. But Eli didn’t hear God’s voice. God was doing a new thing. And He was bringing Samuel on.

The Bible says that while Eli’s sons did evil, that Samuel’s grew in favor with God.

The Word of the Lord has got to be what we love. He’s looking for faithful followers that are prepared to hear. The Bible says he that hath an ear, let him hear. That means with the intent to obey.

How many messages to do we hear, and how many of them do we obey?

I love Joyce Meyers, because she is so transparent. She tells you like it is. She doesn’t sugar coat it. And she gives you what you need to live by.

The Bible says that the deep calleth to the deep. Well, sometimes we get a little bit too deep. You see, when we start getting so deep that that Word cannot be practical, then we got a problem.

The Word has got to be practical. Because we’re living in this world. But we’re not of this world. But for the time being we’re here. And while I’m here I need this map so that I can find my way and keep my way.

In Isaiah chapter fifty-five... Go there with me tonight. Isaiah fifty-five. Are you blessed? God is so good to us. Isaiah fifty-five, beginning with verse nine. Say amen. It says,

9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Somebody say, “The Word allows the process.”

You see, even though we speak the Word of God, there’s still a process. He said, “Just like the rain comes down and causes the things to bud...”

Now when the rain comes down, it’s going to take a little while for the stuff to grow, isn’t it? And to come up and bud.

You see, we’ve got to learn to be patient with the Word. You see, we want the Word to be... There it is. But the Word is not like that. The Word is a process. And as I keep applying the process, it works for me.

The Bible says in Hebrews that He’s a rewarder of them that what? Diligently seek Him. We’ve got to diligently speak the Word. As I diligently speak the Word, my body is healed. According to Isaiah fifty-three, five, with His stripes I’m healed. I say it over and over and over and over and over and over and over for my benefit.

Went to the doctor. Told some of you all this. Had a lump. Went there. Got undressed. Had been speaking the Word every day. Over and over and over. Over and over and over. “With the stripes of Jesus Christ I’m healed.” Every time I got a chance, every time it came to my mind, kept saying it over and over and over and over again.

Started taking off my clothes. The Lord said, “You going to be pleased with what you hear today.”

Doctor started checking me out. He said, “Chris, where is it? What are you talking about?”

I said, “It was right here.” I said, “I can’t find it.”

He said, “Well, I can’t find it either.”

His Word will not return unto Him void. My God. Give God a handclap of praise tonight. But it shall accomplish everything that He sent it forth to accomplish. It’s got to. Because God said it would.

The Bible said give. You don’t want to hear this one. And it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. It’s the Word. And no matter how we try to fight it, the Word works. But it’s a matter of being diligent.

What is it that you got need of, or that you have need of? The Word has it. Whatever problem and dilemma you may be facing today, the Word of God has an answer.

You see, we may not like the answer, but there is an answer. And it may not seem right right now. But all things are going to work together for the good, for them that love the Lord and that are called according to His purpose. It’s going to work out for your good.

Saints of God, we’ve got to have the Word. It’s time to get a newness, a rekindling of fire for the Word of God. Not just to sit down and read it like it’s a novel. But to sit down with the intent to understand.

For the Bible says in Proverbs, with all of your getting, get understanding.

The Bible is not blind. You’re not blind to it, if you have Jesus in your heart. But it’s only blind to you, you’re only blind to it if you don’t have Jesus. But if you have Jesus, you can say, “Lord, reveal this to me.”

We look at Daniel. He prayed, “Lord God, about that dream, You are the Revealer of secrets.” And the Bible is a mystery. And God is the Revealer of secrets. Holy Ghost, reveal this to me, that I might serve God in the capacity to which I have been called to serve Him.

That’s how we’ve got to get into the Word. You see, if we go to the Word and just sit there and try to read it, we going to fall asleep. But if I focus and say, “God, reveal it to me...” And as soon as revelation hits, you’ll begin to feel a renewed sense of strength in your spirit. You’ll begin to mount up with wings like eagles when there’s revelation.

Get the Word. Get revelation of the Word. It’ll be health to the navel, and to the marrow and all of your bones. Yes, it will be. It will give you strength that you need, not just to make it another day, but to make it to the end of your course. And not only to make it to the end, but to make it to the end with joy.

Get the Word. Stand on the Word. Hide it inside of you. Be obedient to it. And you and I will be blessed.

Come on, give God a handclap of praise.