Hearing, Believing, and Responding to the Word of God

Pastor Matt Cottrill's message from Wednesday, January 7th 2026

This powerful message confronts us with a fundamental truth that transforms how we approach Scripture: God has never struggled to speak—the struggle has always been whether we will truly listen, believe, and obey. Drawing from Hebrews 4:12, we're reminded that the Word of God is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating beyond our outward behaviors to expose the true condition of our hearts. The central challenge presented here is that we live in an unprecedented age of access to biblical teaching, yet obedience has become increasingly selective. We can sit in services for years, hear countless sermons, and remain fundamentally unchanged if our hearts are closed. The message drives home that transformation doesn't come from mere exposure to truth—it requires receiving, believing, and acting upon what we hear. Using James 1:22 as a cornerstone, we're warned against the dangerous self-deception of being hearers only and not doers. Every time the Word is preached, we stand at a crossroads: our hearts will either soften or stiffen, yield or resist. The convicting reality is that delayed obedience is still disobedience, and if we're the same spiritually as we were ten years ago, something is desperately wrong. This isn't about religious performance—it's about allowing God's Word to have free access to shape, correct, and direct every area of our lives with the urgency of today.