As Believers, We Live in a Dual World, Part 2
By: David McFadden
“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…” 2 Peter 1:3-4
Genuine believers “have been given exceedingly great and precious promises…”However, let’s be clear about how we receive these promises. Our text tells us that by knowing God personally, through Jesus, His power works in our lives, giving us the ability to live a godly life. Within the intimacy of that relationship, He calls us higher, ever higher by His glory and virtue. Moreover, as we answer Him in a diligent pursuit, we are given “exceedingly great and precious promises that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.”
We have God’s promise that when we seek Him this way, we will find Him because He will reveal Himself to our spirit. This is where we become “partakers of the divine nature.” This is important because we often seek Him from a human perspective for an “obvious to us” solution to our problems when the truth is that what we really need is God Himself. It is in Him that our answers are “yes and amen”—it is His solution that we really need. His direction, encouragement, and answers are only found in Him through His revealed Word, given to us as we “press-in” to hear His voice through His Word.
When His Word abides in you, He will reveal Himself in the concerns of your prayer need.
When we need direction, encouragement and answers, God speaks to us as we seek Him through His Word. Then, when you take His revealed Word back to Him in faith, His answer to your need is put in motion. God delights in His Word and even asks His children to remind Him of His Word. These moments of exchanging mutual delight in God’s Word are when we enter into His rest. Why? Because God says, “…the battle is Mine.” He is our refuge; our concerns are His concerns and He will do our battles for us as we rest in Him. Psalm 91 assures that as we abide in Him, we are afforded His protective presence as we rest in Him. Even in our rest, we are always cooperating with God through the application of our faith—we step into His provision by faith in His Word, given (revealed) to us as we diligently seek Him.
We have learned here that the workings of the natural realm and the spiritual are interdependent—we honor God’s Word in our believing alongside our doing. This dual approach pleases God because we are pursuing Him and then obeying faithfully. Our partnership is on full display when His love is extended outward through us as we are doers of the Word, and in the process, the spirit realm is put in motion to do His will through our prayers.
When we pray His Word alongside being a doer of His Word, we are a demonstration of God’s Word to the people we know and meet.
Andrew Murray says it this way, “His listening will depend on my listening; the depth His words find with me, will be the measure of the power of my words with Him. What God’s words are to me, is the test of what He Himself is to me, and so of the uprightness of my desire after Him in prayer.” The question is: How do I spiritually cooperate with God for my temporal needs? The answer comes through our spiritual pursuit as described in Luke 12:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”
God designed our bodies, so He is aware of our bodily needs necessary to sustain life. We know from reading Luke 12:22-34 that God delights in meeting our needs. Even knowing this, we are naturally inclined to sustain and preserve our bodies through the pursuit of food, shelter and clothing, sometimes even to selfish extremes.
However, you must determine that your natural, temporal needs are met through the spiritual application of God’s Word—He is your provider.
For example, I need a better job. Typically, employment is the temporal means to meet our ongoing physical requirements to sustain life. Therefore, seeking a good job is an ordinary, natural application where I can cooperate with God by being a doer of the Word. Please keep in mind the point I want to make, which is that the workings of the natural realm and the spiritual are interdependent.
I begin my illustration with being a doer of the Word: With finding a better job in mind, I choose to exemplify Christ in my current workplace, always putting others first. In other words, I go above and beyond my duties and responsibilities as I prepare to leave my current employer. Christ in me gives me the desire, the ability and the strength to depart in the most righteous way possible, even sacrificially. This is what it means to be a doer of the Word. As I am faithful to “live out” and “walk in” God’s Word (spiritual application of His principles), I open doors for God to do the miraculous on my behalf in the temporal realm.
Luke 16:10-12 tells us that as we are faithful in small things, we are given greater responsibilities. Our faithfulness to God’s Word is His measure of promotion. He sees the bigger picture and knows all the complex dynamics behind giving me the best job possible that will glorify Him and extend His kingdom. God is always working behind the scenes in ways that are beyond my comprehension, seeking to work His will and His ways into my life.
When we honor God’s Word in our believing alongside our doing, our partnership is on full display—God honors our words when we honor His Word. The result is that His love is extended outward through us as we are doers of the Word. And in the process, our prayers release God’s promises contained in His principles. God honors our words in prayer because we pursue Him in the interdependent workings of the natural realm and the spiritual realm, truly becoming partakers of the divine nature.
Taking God’s Revealed Word Back to Him in Faith
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your divine direction, encouragement and answers when I diligently seek You. It is in You that my needs are met because You know what I really need. Thank You for the peace, safety and rest I have in You because You declare, “The battle is Mine.” LORD, even in my rest, help me learn to walk in obedience and listen as You speak to me through Your Word. I desire to cooperate with You as a doer of the Word. LORD, help me trust You more-and-more, day-by-day, knowing that You delight in meeting my needs. Help me be faithful to Your principles because Your Word tells me that faithfulness is Your measure of promotion. LORD, help me see beyond my earthly concerns and know that You always are seeing the bigger picture with an eternal outcome in mind. You are always working behind the scenes in ways that are beyond my comprehension, seeking to work Your will and Your ways into my life. Work in me Your divine nature so that Your love is extended outward through me as a doer of Your Word. I ask this in Jesus’ name, Your precious Son, the redeemer of mankind. Amen.
Excerpted and adapted from David McFadden’s “Deeper Life Series”.
For more articles from this series go to: https://www.deeperlifeseries.com/devotional-archive
For more from David McFadden, check out his new book, Man of God - Part 2: The Life and Times of Sir John Francis Taylor
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