Dear Friends

 

Our running theme this year has been the need to train our spirits with God’s word. We started the year by considering the primal importance of reading God’s word for ourselves. The word is the foundation for our spiritual development and training. Just like athletes train their bodies for physical development, as believers, we should nurture and develop our spirits by reading the word daily.

Meditating on and practicing the word shapes our attitudes and reactions to life experiences. By meditating on the word, we allow it to transform our thinking. It also gives us insight into how God thinks. This in part is what it means to have enlightenment in our spirits. If we know and understand God’s perspective and thoughts, we can respond to Him, and to life situations, as He would have us do. By maintaining a habit of reading, meditating and practicing the word daily, it becomes our primary reference point, and the scale by which we measure our life experiences. Here are some more verses emphasizing this point:

"Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part of this." John 6:63 (MSG)

" Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you, and pay attention to all that I have to say. Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit. Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being." Proverbs 4:20-22 (TPT)

Philippians 4:6 says "Don't be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude” (TPT).

 So, what do we do when we are overwhelmed, anxious or stressed out? We put the word (God’s perspective) first, and practice the word. We may be confronted with pressure to make the right decision in a crucial personal, business/career or ministry situation. Putting His word first means we refuse to be pulled in every direction. Standing on His word, we can go to God and say: “Father, you know where I live,  I trust you to get a hold of my attention and help me out here. Until I know what to do, I will thank you and rest in you”.

I like to teach by precept and example, so let’s consider this practical example. A few weeks ago, my family and I were out shopping. Someone acted in a negative manner towards us. Prior to this experience, we had been sharing 1 Cor 13: 4-5 in conversations with our daughter; "Love is large and incredibly patient...; love is gentle and consistently kind to all...; love does not traffic in shame and disrespect..." (MSG). Here we were, confronted with an unpleasant situation that  should have elicited a negative response. Instead, we looked at each other, smiled and let it go. We did not respond to the situation as our natural inclinations would dictate. We chose to act in line with God’s word. Remember, we had God’s perspective on the situation and handled it His way. Later that week, she said to me, "Dad, I am glad we had the opportunity to be kind, patient, and not to be disrespectful."  Glory! She was learning how to respond to life's unpleasant situations by practicing the word. We put God’s word first and that has helped us to grow and mature spiritually.

Friends, an athlete cannot achieve peak conditioning without regular training and discipline. It enables their bodies to handle the pressure of their sport. Likewise, we achieve spiritual maturity by consistent meditation and practice of God’s word.  To deal with the affairs of life in God way, we must give His word preeminence.

Put God's word first in your lives!
 

In Him,