If You Want to Reign in Life, Do This

Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes.

Deuteronomy 17:18–19 (NKJV)

God required every king who sat on the throne of Israel to copy out the whole law in his own handwriting, and to read it all the days of his life.

This was the commandment God gave to every king, and it would ensure several things. It would produce in him the fear of the Lord and reverence for Him, and a strong relationship with the Word of God. It would give him a greater apprehension of his responsibility and authority, and of how to rule his own kingdom well. And it would imprint the Word of God on his own heart and mind, bringing success and prosperity.

This required commitment, diligence and time, but he had to do it if he was to be a successful king. The principle translates beautifully into the lives of Christians, because by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we have been made kings by God, and to reign effectively in this life and this world we need a healthy relationship with the Word. Unfortunately, ignorance has robbed many of the life God predestined for them. The solution to this problem is clear: a king must write out a copy of the law for himself. If we are going to live the enthroned life, this must be a serious priority.

After I learnt this principle, I spent months writing out not only the Word but meditations from the Scriptures. You need to understand that it is not the Word by itself that guarantees success and prosperity in this life; it is meditation on the Word that brings the results. That is why many have the Word of God readily available, and yet the consistent outcomes are absent. It is not enough to have the Word of God; we must use it if we are to reign successfully in this life. Copying the Word and meditating on it are a great starting point, and after all, it was God Himself who commanded it.

Cultivate the discipline of writing out and meditating on the Word of God for at least one hour in your "busy schedule." It will do wonders for you. If you do not know where to start, you can use my books of meditations, Hagah, Spirit and Life, and the Personalised Meditations on the New Testament. Draw inspiration from them, and then go on to build your own books of meditation. Kings must have a written copy of the law.