Christian Growth only comes from the Combination of the Word and the Spirit

Mark 4:21-23
21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

There are a couple of things here that Jesus is pointing out to us. First, that His word should be prominent in our lives. As other scriptures point out that the word is the most important aspect and should be searched out as if it were gold. Secondly, is that the Word and the Spirit need to be used together? One cannot understand the Word without the Spirit. Here in this parable the candle would be representative of the Word and the Light would be representative of the Spirit.

With this in mind one cannot understand the Word unless Light is shed on it. Light alone cannot burn unless it has an accelerant, oxidation of combustible material. A candle (the Word) is that material illustrated in this parable. We need both a flame and the candle to produce a sustainable light. We cannot have one without the other, and so it is in our Christian walk.

If you’re wondering why the Holy Spirit is not working in your life maybe He does not have the word to produce a sustainable light. In John 14:26 Jesus illustrates the point that the Holy Spirit will illuminate only what Jesus has spoken.

John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Also in John 15:26 and John 16:13-15
John 15:26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

If you really want to change, if you’re tired of not seeing God working in your life, than the word is the missing portion in your life. You see the Holy Spirit always wants to help you grow, wants to help you be transformed into Jesus’ likeness, but He may be lacking the Word in your life that He can use as kindling, as combustible material. The greater part of your life should be spent reading and meditating on the word, when you do so you shall be planted by streams of living water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalms 1)

The Holy Spirit needs a candle (the Word) in order to burn brightly and as the parable in Mark 4 says then it will not be kept a secret anymore but be manifested through your life.