When the Word Becomes Revelation
Bob Yandian
Many believers find a verse of Scripture and immediately decide they are going to stand on it, confess it, and watch it come to pass. Although faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, faith involves more than hearing a verse and then acting on it. There is a meditating on the Word of God and a walking in the power of it. Understanding the Word is something more than simply receiving it.
When you were born again, perhaps the word you received was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” You believed and were saved, but there is still more in that verse. The Holy Spirit can bring things out of it that you have never seen before. Before you speak a promise and expect a miracle, pray over that Scripture and meditate on it.
Some people have said, “I stood on a Scripture before and was healed, but now I am confessing the same verse and nothing seems to happen.” The first time they used it, it was a reality to them. Later, it may have become only a Scripture written on a piece of paper, printed on the page of a Bible, or displayed on a computer screen. God wants His Word to get into you and become part of you. That comes mainly through two things, meditating on the Word of God and praying in the Holy Spirit.
More Than Mental Knowledge
Doctrine is the understanding of God’s Word, not just knowing it. A person may say, “I know the Word,” when what he means is that he mentally knows it. The question is whether it has become a real part of him. Is it as real as his marriage, his love for someone, or his love for God, or is it simply something he intends to fall back on when trouble comes?
Reading and even memorizing the Word does not by itself bring understanding of Scripture. Revelation is not merely something the mind does. It happens inside you, in the recreated part of you, and is stored in your soul so it is there when you need it. It is not merely the Word written on a page that delivers you, it is the Word of God revealed to you. One day it explodes on the inside, and you say, “I see that.”
God’s Word must be meditated on and prayed over in the Holy Spirit. Roll it over in your mind, examine the words, possibly one at a time. At times, one word will suddenly stand out, and you will realize that you have never seen it that way before. That is revelation from the Holy Spirit. It gives you understanding of the Word before you speak it or act on it, and that understanding is the power behind what you speak.
Meditate Day and Night
Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do.” This does not mean you should speak the Word idly and then say, “I spoke the Word.” A sinner can quote a verse and remain unsaved, and a Christian can quote a promise while it still means very little to him. God wants the meaning of the Scripture to be inside you.
When you find a promise, begin to think about it. Go to bed thinking about it and wake up thinking about it. Meditation is something you can do while making a meal, working on homework, or doing your job. Let that verse keep rolling around inside you.
Meditating day and night does not necessarily mean waking up in the middle of the night. It means thinking about the Word when you wake up, throughout the day, and as you go to sleep. It may take a few days, a few weeks, or even months, but suddenly a word or phrase will stand out. The Holy Spirit will give you revelation, and the revelation of the Word is what you act on, not merely the Scripture itself.
Psalm 1:2 says that the believer’s delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 63:6 says, “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.” When you go to bed, you can think about many things, but make it a promise of God. This is a good way to go to sleep.
Meditation can be compared to a cow chewing its cud. The cow swallows the grass, brings it back up, and chews on it again and again. In the same way, when you receive a verse of Scripture, bring it back up throughout the day. Think about it and pray over it in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit wrote the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit can reveal the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit Brings Understanding
Praying in tongues brings revelation to your life. One of the major things it does is enlighten the Word of God. The Holy Spirit wrote the Word, and now He interprets it to you and reveals meanings you have not seen before. Isaiah 28:11 says, “With stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people.” Guidance is supernatural, and revelation is supernatural.
You may read a verse and think you know what it means, yet only have a surface understanding. You can read it because Jesus said it, Paul said it, or Luke recorded it, but the Holy Spirit was behind the writers of Scripture. The same anointing that was upon the Word when God gave it can reveal it to you when you read it.
The Word of God is like a diamond. Turn it slightly, and its facets receive the light differently. Another person may see a color or facet you did not see. There is universal understanding in the Word, but there is also individual application. Through revelation, the Lord applies the Word to your life.
Psalm 138:2 says, “You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” God has placed His Word above His reputation. His Word is the highest thing in the universe, and it created the universe. If it created the universe, it can create in you a knowledge, understanding, and revelation of what it says. Understanding God’s Word is the basis of true worship.
God’s Word Is Eternal
Romans 3:3 and 4 asks, “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.” The unbelief of others cannot change God’s faithfulness. He has always come through, and He always will. People can argue against and malign God’s Word, but they cannot destroy it. In the end, God will always be right.
God was true before the earth and mankind were here, and He will remain true throughout eternity. If the whole world stood against Him, He would still be right. When you remain true to God’s Word, you base your confidence on God’s understanding and the revelation you received from Him.
God’s Word is eternal, but your problems are temporary. Temporary problems cannot change eternal Scripture, but eternal Scripture can change temporary problems. Spend more time meditating on God’s Word for an answer than meditating on your problem. The problem will not follow you into heaven, but the revelation you have received from Scripture will remain with you through life, death, and into eternity.
Waiting in Faith
Proverbs 8:33 says, “Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it.” Hearing instruction is not the same as becoming wise. After hearing the Word taught, you need to meditate on it and pray in the Spirit. The passage continues by describing the blessed man as one who listens, watches daily, and waits. When you first discover a promise, do not merely jump on it. Begin to watch, wait, pray, and meditate.
Abraham followed this pattern. Hebrews 11 says that by faith he dwelled in the land of promise and waited for a city with foundations, whose builder and maker is God. He did not see that city during his life on earth, but he had more than a promise, he had revelation of the promise. That revelation caused him to wait in faith.
There may be things in your life for which you are still waiting, but you can wait in faith because you have revelation from the Word. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” This is more than a verse to quote. As God delivered people in the Bible and in the centuries that followed, He will deliver you today. The promise must have the touch of the Holy Spirit upon it, bringing confirmation inside you.
Hebrews 10:35 says, “Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.” Sometimes believers cast away their confidence because time has passed without seeing the answer. Go back to the verse with which you began. Think about it, meditate on it, and continue to depend upon the Holy Spirit for revelation. When He speaks, He puts confidence inside you that the promise will come to pass.
The Mind of Christ
An increasing knowledge of God’s Word produces increasing confidence. It gives you God’s view of faith and life, establishes right priorities in your soul, and enables you to have the mind of Christ. You are born again in your spirit, but your mind must continue to gain knowledge of Him. Trusting God, meditating in His Word, and praying in the Holy Spirit establishes His priorities in your thinking.
Revelation also produces stability of mind. James 1 describes the double minded man as unstable in all his ways. He looks at the answer and then at the problem, continually moving back and forth. Revelation settles the issue inside you. You did not write or anoint the verse, God gave it, and the Holy Spirit makes its answer real within you.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” A renewed mind looks at Scripture differently. Instead of merely saying, “That is interesting,” it recognizes that there is power and life in the verse. You begin to understand that you are a supernatural person placed in this life.
Growing in understanding attains and maintains maturity. Paul said in Philippians 3:13 that he did not count himself to have apprehended, but he forgot the things behind and reached forward to those things ahead. Reaching forward demands faith, an understanding of God’s Word, and the recognition that because God spoke His Word supernaturally, we must understand it supernaturally.
Do not look at your own works and continually say, “But I am doing this.” Trust God, trust the Holy Spirit, and continue meditating on His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit for His help and wait for His revelation. As the Word becomes larger inside you, you will discover again how dependable and powerful God is. Knowledge and understanding of Scripture are the source of true happiness, and through revelation you can stand with confidence until the promise of God is fulfilled in your life.
Previously published as: Ephesians Blueprint for Maturity
Although the city of Ephesus is famous for its reckless living and idol worship, the Ephesian church is deeply spiritual. And so Ephesians, unlike other epistles written to correct doctrinal error, reveals to mature believers the positional truth of who they are in Christ. It also expounds on practical applications of this positional revelation to marriage, family, and everyday life.
By tying together Greek word studies and outside scriptural references, Bob Yandian teaches, verse-by-verse, God’s empowering grace and the believer’s unprecedented authority. Like Paul, Yandian’s focus is not only the revelation, but the application of these amazing truths. Yandian exhorts believers not only to learn but to live as the body of Christ in the earth.
143 Pages
Deepen Your Understanding of Scripture
Unlock fresh insight into God’s Word with the New Testament Commentary Bundle from Pastor Bob Yandian — a comprehensive collection of verse-by-verse commentaries on ten foundational New Testament books. Carefully crafted from years of pastoral teaching and study, this bundle equips believers, students, and church leaders with clear explanation, practical application, and spiritual depth.
Purchase this book bundle and save! This bundle includes one of each of Bob Yandian's New Testament Commentary books listed below.
Acts Commentary
Romans Commentary
Galatians Commentary
Ephesians Commentary
Philippians Commentary
Colossians Commentary
James Commentary
Hebrews Commentary
Epistles of John Commentary
New! Thessalonians Commentary
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Theology Simplified Volume 1
A Practical Guide to Foundational Biblical Truths
Basic doctrines are not difficult but easy to understand. They often come disguised as complicated or deep-sounding words, but the definitions are simple.
Pastor, author, and renowned Bible teacher Bob Yandian explains the deep truths of Scripture in ways anyone can understand. Using straightforward vocabulary and down-to-earth examples, Pastor Bob makes complex theological concepts clear and practical.
Theology Simplified demystifies eight crucial doctrines of the Christian faith:
Redemption Justification Sanctification * Reconciliation
Predestination Election Propitiation * Glorification
These eight precepts, essential for all believers to understand, come to light as you study the pages. Theology Simplified will give you a deeper understanding of the finished work of Jesus Christ, allowing you to walk in maturity and stability in your Christian life.
160 Pages - Paperback
Theology Simplified Volume 2
Uncover the Depths of God's Word with Ease
The Bible is full of misunderstood terms and concepts. Many Christians struggle to understand the deeper meaning behind the scriptures they know and learn. What is God’s plan for mankind? Are you living fully in Jesus’s redemption? Do you understand the Church’s true purpose and God’s perfect timing?
Finding these answers can be simple! You can unearth the profound treasures of your redemption, awaken to the glory of your righteousness, and claim the abundant rewards destined for you.
Drawing from decades of biblical research and practical teaching, renowned Bible scholar and teacher Bob Yandian demystifies eight complex theological concepts, inviting you to discover the profound simplicity of God’s plan for humanity.
In his trademark clear and relatable style, you’ll gain a confident understanding of:
The doctrine of theology: A roadmap for understanding God’s Word
The fall of man: The turning point of human history and God’s plan for restoration
Faith for salvation: Your key to unlocking the kingdom of heaven
Unlimited atonement: The boundless extent of Christ’s reconciling work
Advocacy of Jesus and the Holy Spirit: Your endless support in the court of heaven
The seasons and times of God: Discerning heavenly plans in our chaotic world
The triumphant Church: Your place in God’s victorious plan
The Book of Life and heavenly rewards: The eternal ledger of the redeemed
Shake off the stress of academic doctrine and embrace the confidence that comes from knowing God’s redemptive plan for your life. These eight truths will guide you to a new depth of understanding and fellowship that will forever change you.
180 Pages - Paperback