Derek finishes the teaching from this week by going through the effects God’s Word can have on your life. God’s Word produces faith, it is the seed of the new birth, and it is spiritual nourishment. It produces illumination, provides physical healing, and makes possible victory over sin and Satan. It also provides cleansing and holiness, and is a spiritual mirror.

Today Derek continues teaching how God has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the promises He has made in His Word. He then begins a look at the effects God’s Word can have in your life–what it will do for you as you feed on it.

Derek explains that the authority behind the Scripture is the Holy Spirit, who causes those truths to work in our lives bringing discernment, life, and power. The Word has the ability to separate the soulish from the spiritual, revealing the thoughts and intents of the heart of man.

Derek looks at how Jesus dealt with Satan when he questioned what God had said. It is the same ploy used on Eve and others throughout history. Jesus quoted directly from the Word of God; and He is our example for how we should deal with spiritual warfare in our lives.

In this week’s teaching, Derek addresses the authority of the Word of God and the power behind and in it. Today he explains how the Bible was written by various fallible men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to put down in words what He directed them to write.

Derek finishes this week’s teaching by summarizing what really makes a disciple. Jesus told His disciples that if they loved Him they would keep His words and that He and His Father would come to indwell them. Love is the motivation for obedience to Jesus, His Word, and the Father. Your obedience in love is what draws them.

Derek continues providing three more issues that must be dealt with: preconceptions, unbelief, and rebellion. He then asks, “What is your attitude to the Bible?” Do you realize that Jesus and the Bible are both referred to as “the Word”? Your attitude toward one is your attitude toward the other.

In today’s program, Derek shares two ways in which we can wisely begin to build on our foundation. But first, there are issues in our lives to be dug out of the way—such as traditions and prejudices. No matter what culture you grow up in, there are things that need to be eliminated.

Derek uses a dialogue between Jesus and Peter to give four phases we must all experience when we encounter Jesus: confrontation, revelation, acknowledgement, and public confession. Each of us at some point will come to a critical moment when we openly acknowledge or deny our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this first of a series of teachings on Laying the Foundation, Derek uses the picture of constructing a building to show how important laying a solid foundation is to building the Christian life. There is only one foundation for this structure, and we must be sure our lives are built on Jesus Himself.