Words Of Life

Recently I’ve been finding myself battling with a somewhat frantic mind again. I know that without a doubt it means that I’m simply not spending enough time in the Word and choosing to renew my mind. So, what I’ve been doing to gather my thoughts and force them to submit to the will of my spirit is reading Scripture aloud. I find that even when I’m doing this, my mind tends to attempt to wander and lose focus. If you don’t have a mind that wants to run a mile a minute and always be analyzing, contemplating and daydreaming, then you’ll likely have a hard time understanding how this is possible, but trust me, it’s valid. But the freeing thing is, that is my “old” mind. I now have the mind of Christ accessible to me at my choosing. I am a new creation and no longer a slave to my old ways and thoughts. I now truly have self-control - not earned. On the other hand, it does take “practice” as I must daily, instance by instance, choose to silence my carnal mind and turn my thoughts heavenward, but it’s God’s grace that has allowed such a metamorphosis to take place.

The other day I was reading Psalms aloud and came across chapter 101. Reading verses aloud with conviction and power behind them can be so encouraging. I’ve found myself time and time again being reminded by the Word just who I am and Who enables me to walk out each day. Some of Psalm 101 reads, 3 “I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten it’s grip on me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil. 8a Every morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land…”. You see, when I read this aloud, proclaiming it as truth for me, it comes alive, it takes root deep within me. This is what I want to dwell on!

This kind of thinking is what I need. These words are what I desire to come out of my mouth. Let me ask you, do you read the Word of God? Do you meditate on what it says when you read it? Would you be OK with reading one or two verses, then stopping, researching word definitions and then asking the Lord to make it come alive in you? My wife and I have recently seen several old friends that openly grumble or whine about how hard life is and how the Lord just isn’t “moving on their behalf”. Of course, the ever present “I’m just not being fed right now” phrase always makes its way into the conversation. We generally ask them, “Are you reading the Word?” and we generally will get a “Well, no” response. So I ask you here, when will we wake up and see? When will we hear? (Please notice I’m saying “we” as I still have bouts with laziness and overlook the power and truth within God’s Word, but I’m getting much better.) Never do I sit down and read or study without words of encouragement, preparation and guidance flying off Its pages.

So my encouragement to you this morning is this. Turn off your TV, log off of your computer, turn off your cell phone… be still. Open your Bible and feed yourself! If I rely on men to supply me with my spiritual food, I will starve. I’m no longer a child sitting on the lap of another asking for sustenance to live. Imagine how crazy you’d look if I came over to your house and you crawled up in a huge high chair. You then placed a jar of baby food in front of you, handed me a spoon and began to cry, saying “Feed me! Feed me!” Of course this is just ridiculous, right? Or is it? Every day millions of “Christians” are doing the exact same thing each and every week. Let’s rise up, feed ourselves with the meat of the Word. As I often say here, it’s spread out on huge table to eat of all day long, with no end. You do what you want, I’m going to go eat!

* Feel free to leave encouraging words here of how the Word has enabled, encouraged or affected your life. Many people just don't know how God truly does speak through it!