THE WORD NEVER RETURNS EMPTY
Isaiah 55: 11 (AMP)
So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void (without producing any effect, useless), but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Jeremiah 1: 12 (AMP)
Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.
God’s Word works for those who receive it and believe it.
I can share many testimonies of times when I have declared the Word of God over circumstances in my life and I have seen God come through every time. This is because He is God, His Word is truth and He is faithful to perform His Word.
In 2016, we had returned back to South Africa from the Middle East. It was in December of that year that we moved onto our farm and home which lay in the valley between the Swartberg Mountains. Just days before Christmas, runaway fires had flared up in the mountains which tower so high and majestically above us. At first it didn’t bother us too much as the fire seemed far from us as it raged on the tops of these mountains. We prayed asking God to bring an end to the fire because of all the wild life that live in these mountains. The temperatures were soaring higher each day showing no evidence of any rain on the horizon. The Klein Karoo, where we lived, was dry and running low on water threatening trouble for many farmers in the area because of the drought which was being experienced by all.
We awoke the day before Christmas to black scorched mountains and a fire that had moved down the mountain because of the heavy winds which were blowing in our direction. As my husband and I looked on at the eminent danger that faced us, we felt the urge to pray and speak to the wind commanding that it blow ‘backwards’ – in other words, if it blew ‘backwards’ in the direction in which the fire already burnt the earth, the fire would burn itself out as it would have nothing to burn. Within half an hour we saw the wind completely change direction and blow ‘backwards’ – we rejoiced, thanking God, but unfortunately it didn’t last long. The winds just picked up and got stronger and stronger!
What the rest of the day was about to unfold was an experience I never thought I would ever be testifying to in my life. The next few hours composed of yielding the Sword of the Spirit in the face of the enemy as he was clearly trying to take advantage of natural circumstances to steal, to kill and to destroy our dream that God had long planted in our hearts – our dream, this farm and home, which was no longer just a dream, but had become a reality, standing as large as life before us.
The wind constantly changed direction, blowing one minute away from us and then blowing towards us getting closer and closer to the boundary lines of our farm. Our newly erected greenhouses, our crops as well as our home were all in danger. All that came to my mind at that time was Psalm 91, a Psalm of protection – so it became my declaration, knowing in my heart that Jesus had paid the price in full with His blood for our protection against the schemes and plans of the enemy.
I love this Psalm and I believe the Holy Spirit caused it to rise upon my tongue and declare it in the face of the enemy. I reminded him of the finished work of Jesus Christ and how defeated he was, and I reminded him of the prophecies spoken over our lives knowing that God’s work in our life was not yet complete. God’s Word tells us that He is faithful to complete the good work that He starts in our lives. (Philippians 1:6)
I thanked God in advance for His protection and I thanked Jesus for the finished work of the cross. I stood steadfast believing that this fire would not come anywhere close to the boundary lines of our farm. I then rallied up friends from around the world to pray for us. In the mean time, my husband had met with some of our neighboring farmers to pray as their farms were also facing danger from the growing fires.
It was like a spiritual tug-o-war with the enemy, but we were not going to let him get us down or allow him to make us focus on the circumstances. In the days before the fire raged so close to our home, we as a family had planned to make a trip to the closest city to do our Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve. My husband decided that we were not going to stay home to monitor the fire, but we were going to do as we had planned to do and enjoy our time together as a family. We trusted God in the situation and knew that our land and home were safe in His hands. We had an awesome time together, shopping and enjoying a good meal together at one of our favorite restaurants before making our journey back home again.
As we entered our farm, we noticed the fire raging worse than ever, even closer to the farm boundaries than before. It really didn’t look good at the time, we stood overwhelmed by the threat. In all helplessness, we lifted our hands and voices and commanded the heavens to open and for a downpour of rain to come upon the land – something that people around us said was impossible as there had been no rain forecast and plus we had been in a serious drought situation for a while, but we knew that nothing is impossible for those who believe. We asked God to open the flood gates of heaven and let it rain, we thanked Him once again for His promised protection, deliverance and love.
It was around 7.30 pm in the evening when my husband and I were standing outside watching the orange blaze of the fire rage high into the skies on the other side of the hill which was closest to us, when my husband looked up and noticed dark grey clouds assemble in the heavens above us. He smiled and said, “I believe those are rain clouds!” and I said, “Indeed I believe they are.” Within an hour, a drizzle began so lightly and then it stopped. I went outside and commanded the clouds to release a heavy downpour of rain. There was one peal of thunder and then it came, – the heaviest downpour of rain that had been seen in a while. Not only did it put an end to the fire, but it also provided some much needed water to the entire area around us. It was a time of joy and thankfulness as we saw our amazing God deliver us once again from the plans of the enemy.
As I draw to an end on this testimony, I want to quickly share that one of our neighbors had popped round to visit us not knowing that we were out doing our Christmas shopping. He decided to stay a bit on our farm and watch the fire. He told us that he saw the most miraculous thing. The furtherest boundary of our farm ended in a valley at the point where two hills meet. The fire was blazing upon the one hill moving in the direction of the other when a very strong wind came up, so much so that it forced the fire to literally jump from the one hill to the other ‘jumping’ over our land which lies between these two hills. The awesome thing was that our land was untouched. Praise God!
My message is simple and it is this: When we declare the Word of God over ourselves and our circumstances, believing His Word, it will never return empty. His Word will always accomplish the very purpose for which He sent it. We stood on Psalm 91 trusting in His promise of protection over us as well as our land, declaring that not even the boundaries of our land will be touched and it wasn’t. I believe God caused the fire to jump from one hill to the other because we asked for our land to be protected. We asked for rain and He supplied it at the perfect time. The point is, we prayed and we believed, and once again, like so many other times in our lives, we saw our Father being faithful to perform His Word.
Psalm 91: 1- 16 (KJV)
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God in Him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
I praise You God for You are good!
Read on: AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH.
