God’s Word is effective in a Christian’s life, but there are some guidelines. God’s Word is not something that we “name and claim” as some have supposed. We should not point to a particular Scripture in God’s Word and then expect God to miraculously give it to us at that moment. It is not a book of magical tricks. For example, Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you.” This is not a recipe for asking God for anything we want. However, if we are abiding by God’s Word then over time our will and desire will be aligned with God’s intentions in His Word. The only way we can accomplish God’s work is if our wills are aligned with His.
But this process requires two elements: (1) a complete submission to God’s will, and (2) an increasing knowledge of God’s Word. How can our wills be aligned with His unless we know what His will (Word) is? C.E. Stowe put it this way,
It is the principles of the Bible which must be brought into contact with the soul, which must be interwoven with the very texture of our minds, which must be made a part of our moral nature. This is the way and the only way in which it promises to benefit us, in which it has done any good; and it does not operate by its mere presence like a charm or relic.[1]
Clearly, our goal each day should be to grow in knowledge of God’s Word and to align our souls with His Word so that He can work through us. In only this way will we be endowed with His power and allow Him to work in our lives. Christ aims to work in our lives, but this takes faith on our part. Jesus said that “. . . whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these . . .” (John 14:12). Jesus Christ promised that He will accomplish great works in our lives if we have unwavering faith in Him.
[1] C.E. Stowe, Origin and History of the Books of the Bible, (Hartford, CT: Hartford Publishing Company, 1868), 11.