It started several weeks ago in Sunday school class. Our teacher is in 2 Kings, and though I forget which story he was talking about that day, the main theme that I got out of it was that so many times we pray and ask God for something and forget to thank Him later. God pricked my heart when Dave talked about this. I was instantly convicted that I often complain but rarely thank Him for the small things in life. Then for Church that morning, our Pastor's sermon was so closely to related to the same thing he talked about. I knew that the two had to have been in tune with the Holy Spirit. Pastor was speaking out of Col 4:2-9. His outline was on the ministry of speech and that our prayers should be 1. faithful 2. watchful 3. thankful and 4. purposeful.
That same week I met with my MIL for our Beth Moore Bible study. But, that morning (before we met) I was listening to Charles Swindol. He gave a lesson on Timothy. He talked about his godly mother and grandmother and the influence they had on his life. Timothy was a great man of God, and Swindol brought it out that a tremendous amount of that was due to his mother being a woman of GOD'S WORD and taught him the scriptures! Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:5, "For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well." Then in 2 Timothy 3:14 (summarizing) it tells us that Timothy continued in the things that he was taught, knowing whom he learned them from. The next verse says, "and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." At the moment I was just like, "Wow, the result of a woman being a woman of the Word, was a Godly child." Then I prayed to God in my car and asked Him to make me a woman of His Word!
That afternoon was week 6 of our Bible study which was, "Believing God's Word is alive and active in you." I am telling you what, it was amazing. As I closed us in prayer it was all I could do to keep myself from balling my eyes out. The main point she was trying to make was what we put into our hearts is what will come out of our mouths. She said this, "Consider how we can live off the the CPR of God: as we believe, we inhale His Words, and as we speak, we exhale His Words." If we are continually putting, hiding, meditating His words in our hearts and minds then then it what is going to come out of our mouths. She also talked about the power of speaking God's Word out loud as well as praying God's Word back to Him. But where I felt so convicted is that I do not find it hard to do my quiet time each morning, but I have the problem that I read and then go about my day, never again thinking about what I read. She gave a few tips of what helps her that I have begun to incorporate: such as I keep 3x5 cards by my Bible and when a verse speaks to me I write it down. Taking the extra time to write helps me to stick it in my head. A few times I have put a verse on my dashboard and read it every time I got in the car, or placed a verse on my bathroom mirror and different places around the house so that I mindful of it through out the day.
Two treasures God has given me in my regular quiet time since then is 1. Psalm 119:18, "Open my eyes Lord that I may behold wonderful things from thy Law" 2. 1 John 2:5 "but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God has been perfected. BY THIS WE KNOW WE ARE IN HIM."
The following Sunday at church we had a guest speaker. His message was about proclaiming the Word of God to the lost. Again, using our words to proclaim His Words. This theme, I am telling you has been constant over the course of a month. The following Sunday, (Pastor's outline was already written) point 2 of his lesson from Col 4:2-9 was that the 2nd ministry of our speech should proclaim the Word of God and the 3rd ministry of our speech should be witnessing.
Last Sunday, the congregational hymn that was chosen was: "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Through it I was silently asking God to truly make this true of my life that His Word literally would be my lamp and light for my daily life. Pastor concluded his lesson from Colossians. He basically said the same things Beth said in her study. He asked us when we are squeezed or vexed what comes out? Is it something sweet or something sour. What comes out is a direct result of what we have been putting in. The he had this object lesson. He connected red and black jumper cables to the Bible.
"Is your light out? Maybe the battery is low. You need to get a charge!"Isn't that good? What I have shared among many other things such as the book I read by Nancy Demoss, "Quiet Rest" and songs I have heard such as the one by Mercy Me, "Word of God speak" other devotions, and ect. have all pointed me in the same direction almost every day. I have since begun to pray every day that God would make me a woman of prayer and a woman of His Word!"
I know this is long but I desperately wanted to share how God has been richly working in my life. Thanks for reading.
1 comment:
It is always neat when the Lord tries to get a message across to us and uses several different people, studies and/or Bible verses to help us to understand what He wants us to receive. His love for us is amazing!
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