Sadly today, the Church has been lulled into this self-indulgent form of “quasi” Bible Study. We get all comfy on the couch, usually with a cup of coffee…Christian music playing in the background and a personal Journal on our lap and we wait. But what we’re jotting down is just our own thoughts, feelings, and emotions…for no where is found an open Bible. Bible Study is meditating on God’s Word… not on what we think. Sure, there’s a place for journaling what the Holy Spirit is showing you, but it needs to be grounded in the Word first.
Tag: god s word
House Rules – If it rings…Answer it.
The next House Rule deals with listening and then obeying. The Scripture comes from Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.” If you examine the famous painting depicting this verse, you’ll see that there’s no doorknob on the outside. Jesus stands knocking, but can’t open the door Himself…we have to. All throughout our Spiritual journey with the Lord, He’ll knock at certain doors…doors of opportunity…doors of ministry…doors that are so foreign, scary, and frankly, so far-fetched, that we can’t put our heads around what He’s calling us to do. It’s at that point that we must make the decision to obey…to open that door and allow Him and His plan for us to come in.
We’ve got to live: Faithfully in His Word
In James it says to not merely listen to the Word…but do It. In order to put your trust in the Lord, you must take what you hear and apply it to your life. You need to take that head knowledge and internalize it into heart knowledge. The Word of God is powerful and alive, but if it goes in one ear and out the other, it’s of no use to you. For just hearing God’s voice will never cause change within… unless you do something with it.
Nehemiah 8:2-3 ” So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. “
The Israelites had gathered together and asked Ezra to read the Law. Many had never heard the reading of the Word, for they had been born and raised in Babylonian captivity. The Lord had been faithful in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem…He had miraculously aided them in rebuilding the crumbled walls…but now it was time to rebuild His people. The Lord is wanting to rebuild His people again…to reclaim, restore, and re-establish Believers for His glory. Now is the time for you to break off the chains of captivity and allow God to begin a new rebuilding project in you.
Joshua 1:5 ” No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
No matter what, the Lord is there for you. His presence doesn’t hinge on how good you try to be or how many times you read His Word and pray…No, it doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do… God’s always there. Maybe you’ve been abandoned or deserted by someone in the past, so now you feel you can’t trust God. But it’s different with the Lord, for His covenant with you is unbreakable, unchangeable, unshakeable. Realize today…God will never leave or forsake you.
Psalm 33:6 ” By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.”
Have you ever gone out into the dark and looked up into the sky? The vastness of the heavens and the brilliance of the stars are awe-inspiring, and seem to go on forever. This wonder was created by the Lord in His mighty power… His creative activity on display for our enjoyment.
I Corinthians 2:7 ” No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”
The indwelling Holy Spirit reveals to all Believers the sacred mysteries and hidden truths of God’s own revelations. We are then privy to visions, prophesies, and insights that the world can never be part of. The Lord’s glories teachings and principles all afforded to us as Believers, by way of the Holy Spirit.
Joshua 24: 15 “…then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
A simple statement, but with very profound and eternal consequences within it. Has your family made such a commitment to serve God? Have you consciously made a covenant with the Lord to worship Him, and Him only? Then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.
Job 12:12 ” Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding? “
Wisdom and the very ability to obtain it is from God. And the legacy of living a long life dedicated to the Lord is the very personification of that Godly wisdom itself.
Ezekiel 14: 2-3 ” Then the word of the Lord came to me; ‘Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of Me at all ? “
Biblical writers used the term “idol” rather scornfully, denouncing them as “dead beams of wood.” For anytime something is preventing us from seeing the truth and enticing us away from the one true God…it’s all death, decay, and darkness.
Safetypinlove 