One of the reasons Gloria and I have seen the results we have in our lives and in our ministry is because when we realized what the Word of God would do, we literally immersed ourselves in it. We turned off the radio and television, put down the newspaper, and spent nearly every waking moment of the time available either reading the Word, listening to tapes on the Word, or thinking about the Word.

All that time in the Word eventually had a powerful effect on us. It began to revolutionize everything about us. It began to turn failure into success.

All that didn’t happen overnight, however. It took time. A great many believers don’t realize that. They start out devoting themselves to the Word, but they make the mistake of expecting instant, miraculous results, and when they don’t see them, they get disappointed and fall away.

Don’t do that. Be patient. Give the Word time to do its work.

Jesus once said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). The Word of God feeds the spirit man just as bread feeds the body. Food has to be built into your body. The vitamins and minerals it contains have a cumulative effect on it, don’t they? In fact, almost anything that affects your body instantaneously is considered dangerous.

Much the same thing is true with the Word of God. It has a cumulative effect. Yes, at times God will act instantly and perform a miracle, but only to get things back on track. What He really intends is for you to feed on His Word to grow in strength and in faith and to bear fruit in due season.

So don’t get in such an all-fired hurry. Stay in the Word. Be patient. The results will come!