Tag Archives: memorize scripture

Awake or asleep?

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We never know exactly when we fall asleep at night. At some point we close our eyes to the world. Our heart rate slows down and our body temperature decreases. Reality fades away as we enter a world of dreams. In a deep sleep we may even get out of bed and not be aware of our activities.

 

Falling asleep spiritually follows a similar pattern. We become tired of living with purpose and close our eyes to our true calling. Apathy sets in and compromising situations start to take on more appeal. We think to ourselves, “It can’t be bad if it makes me so happy.” If we don’t wake up to our senses we will find our spiritual temperature lowering. What used to be a burning passion for God’s ways cools to a lukewarm condition. And this dangerous coolness allows us to slip into a deeper trance-like sleep where reality blurs into a foggy road where we easily lose our way. Like Samson of old, we allow the Delilah’s of our age to lull us to sleep.  From an outsider’s perspective we may look the same, but inside we find ourselves drifting further and further from our purposed path.

 

The good news is that just as living in compromise makes us drowsy to God’s calling, so does His Spirit consistently urge us to wake up. There are numerous practical ways to stay spiritually ‘awake.’

  • Examine yourself as David did. “Search me O God. Know my heart.”
  • Be accountable to someone in whom you can trust to be honest about your struggles.
  • Stay grounded in God’s Word. Beyond rote memorization, earnestly seek to apply wisdom practically to your life.
  • Rest! Really rest. An effective method of not falling asleep at inappropriate times is to rest when you need to. Jesus is calling you: “Come to me all of you who are weary, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)  Cease striving. Be still. Know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10) Remain intently in Jesus. Your accomplishments mean nothing without Him.  (John 15:4)

 

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

 

 

The longest distance in the world

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If you travel from the USA to Australia you discover it is very far away. You fly for hours and hours without stopping.  In fact, if your airplane kept on flying past Australia you would soon be heading back home again from the other direction. But the flight to Australia is not the longest distance in the world. Do you know what is?

 

It is the distance from your head to your heart.

 

In the first 18 years of our lives we are encouraged and conditioned to fill our heads with more and more knowledge. But knowledge, even biblical knowledge, is not the same thing as wisdom, is it? Wisdom is the ability to take what we know and successfully apply it to bring about desired change – in our lives and in the world around us. Our head knows we shouldn’t eat too many fatty foods and should exercise more. Our mind knows that keeping a positive outlook is beneficial. But to invoke a change action, the head and the heart must be engaged together.

 

It is as true in our spiritual life as it is in our eating habits. You can repeat over and over how much you want to be better, live better, or love better. But as long as your heart is persuaded by other motives, you have only gained knowledge, not the wisdom that changes life. You can say, “I should spend more time with God,” but as long as it remains some extra thing you try to work into your mind’s busy schedule, transformational change won’t happen.

 

And so how do we connect the head and the heart? Here are some practical suggestions:

 

1. Reflect on God’s character (His power, love, compassion, patience, etc) as it is revealed in your life.

2. Ask Him to show you ways to intentionally reflect His character in your every day interactions.

3. Commit to memory bible verses that address His character.

4. Picture yourself living out each verse at home, at work, where you shop, etc.

5. Repeat your memory verses throughout the day, every day until it speaks deeply to your heart. Ask others to hold you accountable.

6. Think of the verse as an essential part of who you are and who you are becoming.

7. Personalize the verse. “For it is by grace (I) have been saved, through faith—and this is not from (myself), it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can.

You can shorten the longest distance in the world. Connect your head and your heart in everything you do.

 

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”  Proverbs 28:26

 

 

Swapping lies for Truth

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Ha. Can you associate with this picture of a guy who is proud to consume a diet coke so he can have a piece of regular cake? It’s an illustration of how we rationalize one way of thinking or behaving by another. It all comes down to choice, doesn’t it? We choose one thing to justify another.

We choose to spend money rather than spending time.
We choose apathy over action and action over adoration.
We choose temporary trinkets when we could have eternal treasures.
We treasure possessions more than people.

I choose to eat poorly when I feel down, because “I deserve it.” I don’t exercise because I “need to relax.” I skim through bible passages because “I already know what it says.”

The list goes on. And we have ‘rational’ reasons for each choice we make. But so often our ‘rationality’ is a cover up of a lie.

What other examples would you add to the list of ways we swap the truth for a lie? TODAY is a great time to turn the swap around. NOW is the perfect time to put down the lie and pick up the Truth. The way to put that in practice as a regular habit is to spend time in God’s Word. When a lie presents itself in life, God’s Word will reveal it for what it is compared with the real Truth.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:9,11

Update Thursday

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Thanks for all the prayers – they ARE working to release God’s healing power! After 36 hours of chills, shakes, and spiked 103 degree fever, we are currently in a welcomed quiet lull, a respite from the constant
struggle. They found the source of one of the infections and are treating that specifically. We await lab reports on another possible source. The doctor says the fever and chills could last for days because the White Blood Count is almost entirely wiped out (0.1). It will be 3-4 days before those fighter cells regroup and multiply.
We again request no visitors today.

We are thankful for the encourgagement years ago to memorize scripture so that it would be available in time of need. One of the verses that instantly brought calm to an incident of shakes in the middle of the night was Isaiah 26:3:

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Be blessed trusting in the Lord for all your cares. Be steadfast in your love.