Tag Archives: psalm 119

Why Read The Bible – Day 32 0f 32 – Obedience

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Today’s Scripture:  “ I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.”   Psalm 119:59

Introduction:

How fitting it is that we wrap up this series with Psalm 119, and with one last reminder about “Obedience”.  I don’t have a long-winded introduction, and I don’t believe that this message is going to be very long-winded neither.  It’s been a long journey to get to this 32nd day of this series, and I think we’ve covered a lot of topics, subjects, points, and reasons why reading the Bible is so important…none more important than the one we talked about in our last message…that’s how we encounter and interact with God…every time.

Isn’t that good news?  Every single time we read the Bible we are interacting, and having an encounter with God.  Like I said, I don’t know about you, but for me that’s the best and only reason I need.  It allows me to have a personal interaction and encounter with God every time I read it.  That’s a good enough reason for me.

Today, however, we wrap up this series with one last reminder about:  “Obedience”.

Today’s Message:

As I began to write the introduction I heard the Holy Spirit simply say that this is the last time in this series to remind not only you…the reader, but me the writer that we need to do what we read.  We need to be obedient to the Word of God.  Yes, we all know that none of us are going to get 100% when it comes to following the Word of God, but we should always endeavor to be obedient to the Word of God.

For me, as I think about the ministry that I’m called to the greatest thing that I can do for you is to make sure that I’m preaching the Word.  That to me is the pinnacle of obedience for all who are in ministry.  If you’re preaching anything other than the Word of God…then you aren’t in obedience to the Holy Ghost.  Period.

You can be mad at me all you like, but Paul didn’t write:  “Preach the Purpose Filled Life by Rick Warren” or “Preach Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen” or “It’s Not About Me by Max Lucado” or anything else did he?  No.  Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:2 (KJV):  “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

I don’t know how anyone else feels about that verse right there, but to me that is a commandment not a suggestion.  It’s something that’s a good idea.  It’s not something that might be a good topic for discussion.  No…the Word of God should BE the discussion.  It should BE the idea.  It should BE the message.

I have written:  “No Word of God = No Holy Ghost.  No Holy Ghost + No Word of God = No Power” enough times to realize that if I want to have the power of the Holy Ghost in anything whether it’s in my own personal life, in my marriage, in my finances, or in my ministry…then the Word of God is the only access I have to the power of the Holy Ghost.

Listen, the Holy Ghost doesn’t do anything apart from the Word of God.  We know that from creation that the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the deep until God spoke, and then He performed that which God spoke.  Do you realize that the Holy Ghost is 100% obedient to the Word of God all the time, and that there is never a time that the Holy Ghost does anything of His own free will?

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:13 – 14 KJV

Did you see that?  “He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak:”.  This is Jesus talking about the Holy Ghost.  At no time does the Holy Ghost ever speak and act independently of the Word of God.

Do you know that’s how we are supposed to live our lives?  We are supposed to live our lives in the exact obedience to the Word of God that the Holy Ghost does.  However, unlike the Holy Ghost who is subject and fully submitted to the Word of God…we aren’t.  We have free will.  We have the ability to decide whether we’re going to obey what we read or not.  We have the ability to do like David writes and think upon our ways and turn our feet to His testimonies.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 2 Timothy 4:2 (KJV)

This to me is what I am now held accountable to as a pastor.  I am responsible to be obedient to preaching, teaching, and writing messages that are centered upon the Word of God.  If I write about anything else then I am in disobedience to the Word.  You know, I’ve said this a few times, and it bears repeating…if it wasn’t for the Word of God…I wouldn’t have anything to write about anyways.

I can promise you this.  Without the Word of God I wouldn’t even be able to write like this.  Come on, you saw the messages I wrote in the beginning.  You can see…I can see how much better a writer I am today then I was when I started.  How did this development as a writer come?  By obedience to the Word of God.  The more I was obedient to the Word of God, and the Holy Ghost the better my ability to write has become.

All of this that Christlike Ministries NWA and Pastor Bryan is about today is because I’ve been obedient to the Word, and to the Holy Ghost.  Listen, this isn’t me.  I’m not able to write like this.  Outside of what I do here for the Lord I am an okay writer, but this…these messages I write on a regular basis…this isn’t me…this isn’t my ability…no this is ability, utterance, and unction that comes solely from the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost.

Do you know why I have this ability, why I have this unction and utterance, why I have this anointing, and why I am able to have the power of the Holy Ghost flow through me and my writing?  Because I preach the Word.  That’s it.

Here’s reason number two to read the Word of God:  The Power of the Holy Ghost.  Listen, if you need more than these two reasons as to why we read the Bible…then I don’t believe a 32 day series is going to help you…and I pray that you come to understand that these two reasons here are enough to answer the question Why Read The Bible?

  1. The Word of God is the only guaranteed way to always have personal interaction, and a personal encounter with God.
  2. The Word of God is the only way to have the power of the Holy Ghost in your life.

If you need anymore than those two reasons right there…then I suggest you go back through this entire series, and before you do ask the Holy Ghost to speak to you.  My messages are NOTHING without the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and the ONLY way I get the inspiration of the Holy Ghost is through the Word of God.  I cannot be anymore clear than that.

We read the Word of God because that’s how we encounter God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost on a regular…hopefully daily basis.  We read the Bible because that’s how we find out about Jesus, and come to realize that the Bible is Jesus in book-form.  We read the Bible because that’s how we get the power of the Holy Ghost to flow in and through our lives.

We read the Bible because not reading the Bible is disobedience to the Word of God, and we all know that disobedience to the Word of God in any form is sin.  So…the last and final reason we read the Word of God is because if we don’t read it…it’s sin.

I don’t know about you, but I just named off 4 good reasons why we read the Bible…and I’ll close this series and message by giving you the four reasons:

Four Reasons Why We Read The Bible:

  1. It’s how we have personal interaction and encounters with God
  2. It’s how we learn that the Bible is about Jesus Christ…and how we learn about Jesus.
  3. To turn on the Power of the Holy Ghost in our lives.
  4. Not reading the Bible is a sin.

Points for Pondering:

“ I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” Psalm 119:59

  1. What made David follow God’s laws?
  2. As you reflect upon your life…do you see obedience to the Word of God?

Conclusion & Prayer:

Congratulations! You’ve finished your YouVersion Why Read the Bible? Reading Plan. It’s so fulfilling to complete a worthwhile goal. We trust that you experienced God’s presence in a special way as you engaged with His Word through your plan. Your Friends at YouVersion

Yes.  If you have managed to follow along through all 32 messages in this series I’d like to say two things.

First of all, congratulations.  I know it’s been a long series, but if you’ve made it from beginning to end that means that you’ve at the very least been committed enough to see this series through to the end.  I would like to now encourage you to use the commitment you had to this series…and turn that commitment into a desire for daily reading and studying of the Word of God.  If you need to know why…then I’ll refer you back to the four reasons listed above.

Secondly, thank you.  I want you to know that I appreciate every person who likes us on Facebook, follows us on Twitter, networks with us on LinkedIn, and reads our messages on WordPress.  The whole reason that I’m doing this is because of you, and my desire to help equip you to have a more personal, intimate, and deeper relationship with God.  I am thankful for each one of you who follows along with these messages…even the ones who are quietly following us.

I hope that more of you will like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, network with us on LinkedIn, read our messages on WordPress, and of course visit  The Official Website of Christlike Ministries NWA.  I guess I can post this one last time because it’s so important that you understand the heart of this ministry, and why this series in particular was so important to the foundation of Christlike Ministries NWA.

This ministry is about the integrity & character of Christ…and that means we will stand upon & up for the Word of God.  The Bible will ALWAYS be the ultimate authority over my life, my home, and my ministry…and it’s the foundation upon which this ministry will stand until the day the Lord comes for us.  That is my personal promise & pledge to you. This ministry will Preach the Word & be held accountable to the integrity of the Word of God!
Blessings & Grace to you.
Bryan J. Kizer
Pastor & Founder
Christlike Ministries NWA

Let’s pray and wrap up this series shall we.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for all that You’ve had to say to us through the Why Read The Bible series.  We admit that we all can spend more time in Your Word, we can all make Your Word more of a priority in our lives, and that we need to be reminded that part of being obedient to Your Word…is…well…reading it.  Forgive us, Oh Lord, for taking Your Word for granted, forgive us for not reading Your Word, and forgive us Lord…for not obeying Your Word.  We love You and honor You, and we understand that one of the greatest ways that we can prove that we love and honor You is by being obedient…and making sure that daily Bible reading and study isn’t just a part…but the priority in our lives…because in all reality…that’s how we interact and encounter You.  In Jesus’ name we pray…Amen & Amen

Why Read The Bible – Day 30 of 32- Following the Word

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Today’s Scripture:  “66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”  Psalm 119:66-67

Introduction:

With two messages to go after this one I’m no longer surprised by the fact that we’re once again back to Psalm 119.  I feel like this is going to be a really good message, and I also feel like we may be going on a side journey or two…but that’s all dependent upon the Holy Ghost.  I’m excited to see where the Holy Ghost leads us on this message titled:  “Following The Word”

Today’s Message:

The first point that’s jumping out at me before we even get into the scripture is the title of today’s message…Following The Word.  So…Why Read The Bible?  If you don’t then you are not a true follower of Christ.  Now, I know that you’re going to immediately ask me how I can say that…and the answer is the same as it always is.  If the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…that means the Word isn’t just some book, but it’s Jesus in book form.  Listen, I don’t know how many times we can read that verse…and just so you don’t think I’m making this up here is the verse that I constantly refer to here:  “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14 (KJV)

Listen, The Word became flesh.  So, whenever you hold the Bible in your hands you are holding Jesus in book-form.  How’s that for awesome, and maybe eye-opening for some of you.  One of the main reasons to read the Bible than is because of this reason here:  If Christians are “followers” of Christ…how in the world can you call yourself a Christian if you don’t read your Bible?  The most simplistic of points and reasons for reading the Bible is because the Bible is Jesus in book-form.  Maybe if more people thought about the Bible that way they would be more interested in reading it on a more regular basis.

By the way…this here is for those of you who think that I made up the statistics about Christians and there Bibles.  This is from Dr. James Merritt of Cross Point Church.   This was actually a tweet from him that I read this morning.  “Even though 93% of Americans own a Bible, 50% never read it, including 23% of all followers of Christ.”

23% of all “followers of Christ” never read the Bible.  That means only 27% of the 50% who do read the Bible are actually really followers of Christ.  That’s astonishing to me that 23% of Christians call themselves followers of Christ, and they don’t even do the most basic thing…the don’t even read the Bible they own…and most Christian homes have several Bibles in them.  I know that I own 3 Bibles, I have the YouVersion Bible App on my computer and my phone, and I have the E-Sword Bible software available on my computer as well.

How in the world can you claim to be a follower of Christ…and not read the Bible is beyond me.  It’s beyond my ability to comprehend.  Now I didn’t say that they aren’t believers…but they most certainly are not followers.

Here’s the Holy Ghost right here ready:  “IF YOU DON’T READ THE WORD OF GOD ON A REGULAR BASIS YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BLAME GOD FOR THE FACT THAT THERE’S NO POWER IN YOUR LIFE.  THE POWER FOR YOUR LIFE IS IN THE WORD OF GOD.  NO WORD OF GOD = NO POWER.  THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE POWER OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE IS TO HAVE THE WORD OF GOD AS A PRIORITY IN YOUR LIFE.  I CAN’T MOVE IN YOUR LIFE APART FROM THE WORD OF GOD.  NO WORD OF GOD = NO HOLY GHOST.  NO HOLY GHOST + NO WORD OF GOD = NO POWER.”

Come on people…I don’t even for the life of me understand why we had to take 32 days to talk about why we should be reading our Bibles…and when I say reading our Bibles I mean study them.  I mean really getting into studying the Bible.  Doing like Paul writes and study to show ourselves approved, and searching the scriptures daily.  Doing things like meditating upon this book of the law day and night…and making daily Bible study and reading a part of our lives.

Here’s a truth.  I love what the Lord just said there because you hear Christians all the time talking about how God hasn’t moved in their lives in a long…long time.  You know why?  I’ll bet you it’s because you haven’t seriously sat down to read and study your Bible in a long…long time.

Listen to me here…this is personal honesty right here…ready:   I can look you square in the eye and tell you that the times when God was dormant in my life were the times that I wasn’t reading His Word on a regular basis…the reverse of that is true.  The times when God moved the most in my life were the times…like now…where I am making the Word of God the priority in my life.  When I’m reading the Word, hearing the Word, and responding to the Word of God…God moves.  I don’t know how many times I have to say this…but I’m getting ready to say it again…the Holy Ghost cannot move in my life without the Word of God.  I can pray until I am blue in the face, and until hours and hours have passed, but the Holy Ghost isn’t obligated to do anything according to my words…He is only obligated to respond to God’s Words.

That’s for someone right there.  If you would spend more time praying God’s Words than your own then the Holy Ghost would respond.  The Holy Ghost is under no obligation to respond to our words, but to the Word of God.  When we speak and pray the Word of God…that’s when the Holy Spirit can move and respond.

Well…we’ve gotten all this in just from the title of the message.  How about that?  I told y’all that I was feeling like this was going to be a good message.  Point one of today’s message is really quite simple…if I am not studying my Bible on a daily basis I’m not a follower I am just a believer.  Followers of Christ…well…they follow Christ…and they do that by constantly being in His Word…because the Word of God is Jesus in book-form.

The second point I’m sensing the need to get into and this is going to be one of the side journeys is this thing about judgment.  David writes:  “Teach me good judgment”.  I can almost guarantee you that when He sought the Lord for “good judgment” he wasn’t seeking the ability to judge people, but good judgment for the course and things in his life.  You know, one of the biggest pet peeves or points of irritation in my heart towards the body of Christ is their willingness to judge someone else’s life.  Listen, the only thing Jesus gave us the right to judge people by was the fruit of their lives, and the love that they have for one another.  Yet, we see the body of Christ judge people for being enslaved to certain sins, for having a divorce, and for drinking beer.

Can I tell you that the body of Christ has more to hurt me by their judgmental attitude than the world has?  I have been judged time and time again because of what the religious people believe is right, and what they think a Christian ought to look like.  I have been divorce and re-married.  I’m sure there are people who judge me because of that.  I have a daughter of whom I barely have ever had contact with, and am behind on my child support payments…and I know of people who judge me for that.  I still drink beer…and I know people judge me for that.  I am not licensed or ordained as a pastor…and I know I’m judged for that.

Can I tell you what God says about all that? “Judge not [neither pronouncing judgment nor subjecting to censure], and you will not be judged; do not condemn and pronounce guilty, and you will not be condemned and pronounced guilty; acquit and forgive and release (give up resentment, let it drop), and you will be acquitted and forgiven and released.”  Luke 6:37 (AMP)

I realize that not everything I do in my life is the perfect will of God.  I also realize that not everything I choose to do in my life is God’s best for me.  However, I am perfectly secure in my relationship with God because I know what God has spoken to me, and I also know what God allows and what He doesn’t allow in my life.  I have had people tell me that I’m deceived, but the truth is…I know my Master’s voice, and I know that there are certain things that He’s allowing me to do because they have a purpose in my life.  I know that I’ve gone through certain things in my life so that I can relate to others.  But the biggest thing that I know is that I am forgiven and loved…and one day I am going to stand before God…and be told “Well done.”.  That’s the only thing that matters to me.

You can point your finger, look down your nose, and if you choose not to follow me or my ministry for any reason then that’s fine with me.  The Lord gave this to me one day…and I’m not sure who this is for, but it’s been brought back to my remembrance…so I’m going to add it here:  “ Don’t judge something you don’t understand…when you stand in judgment of God’s call upon someone…you think you know better than Him.”

So, good judgment, friends, isn’t about having good judgment about other people…but having good judgment for our own lives.  Listen, I have a very simply philosophy about being judgmental of other people…it’s not my job.  Even as a pastor it’s not my job to judge someone’s life.  Yes, I can look at things people are doing in their lives and know that it’s not God’s best for them.  However, there isn’t one single solitary sin that Jesus didn’t die on the Cross for.  There isn’t one sin that isn’t covered and washed away by the Blood of the Lamb.  So, who am I to stand in judgment of anyone for anything when my life is just as full of filthy rags as anyone else’s?  Who am I to look at the plank in someone else’s eye when I have a huge log in my own?

Yes, I can suggest and encourage people not to do certain things, but I don’t judge people’s lives because it really isn’t my job.  It’s my job to serve the Word of God.  That’s it.  I’m not here to point fingers at someone’s life because the truth is that person could point their finger right back at mine…and in some cases the things I’ve done in my life are worse than the things they have done…so I really have no right to judge anyone’s life.   Jesus is very clear about being judgmental. Don’t believe me…let Him say it to you Himself: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1 (KJV).

I really believe that when Jesus was standing there with all those who brought that woman who was caught in adultery that when Jesus started writing in the sand…He was writing down the sins of those that were in the crowd with stones in their hands.  One by one they put down their stones, and the only one who had legal and every right to stone the woman was left…and that was Jesus.  He didn’t condemn her, He didn’t judge her, but He forgave her right then and there sending her on her way.  Do we do that?  No…we stone people knowing that we have sin in our own lives that God is dealing with us on.

You know what?  I believe part of the reason people are so willing to look at someone else’s life and judge their lives is because it makes them feel better.  They use phrases like…”I can believe they can call themselves a Christian and do ________.”  Well, my friend.  I can guarantee you that someone is looking at you and your life and thinking the same thing.  So…remember that whatever judgment you give out…that same judgment is being used against you…not only by that person…but by God Himself.

I don’t know about you…but knowing that God is going to judge me the same way I judge someone else helps keep me from judging anyone.  I know that I am alive and well today because of the grace and mercy of God.  I know that I’ve saved, sanctified and redeemed…and going to Heaven.  Not because of anything other than the grace and mercy of God.  I also know that I’ve done worse things in my life than others…so I have no room or right to judge anyone’s life…but my own.  Would you like to know where that is in the Bible?  “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”  1 Corinthians 11:31 (KJV)

Finally, the last point in this message is found here.  “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.”  Anyone else other than me ever been here?  Before I was afflicted I went astray.  I’m sure that I’m not the only one who has ever gone astray from the Lord…am I?  Which leads me back to talking about being judgmental for just a second…we all are like sheep who have gone astray.  All of us were prodigal sons and daughters at one point in our lives.  Remember that when you look at others, and are tempted to judge them for what they do or don’t do.  What is it that you do or don’t do that someone else can judge you for?

“But now, I have kept thy Word.”.  There’s a direct connection to going astray and not keeping the Word of God.  Remember how the other day that there was a question on Facebook posted about the number one issue facing the body of Christ today, and all these people responded with all kinds of different reasons and issues.  Do you know why there are so many reasons and issues…they have not kept the Word of God…and do you know why they haven’t kept the Word of God?  Because 23% of Christians never even read it.

Can I suggest to you that 27% of Christians reading their Bibles isn’t a very good percentage?  Come on, 93% of Americans have at least 1 Bible in their homes…out of that 93% that own Bibles 50% of them never read it, and 23% of the 50% who never read the Bible they have in their homes…are Christians.  That leaves 27% of all Christians in America who own a Bible read it.  Which brings me back to the stats in the very first message where it was discovered out of 2,000 people surveyed 12% read their Bibles on a daily basis…leaving 88% that barely or hardly or never read it at all.

I got some flack for that.  I even had some people question those numbers.  I’m not the only one who has them.  Dr. James Merritt has no idea who I am other than the fact that I follow him on Twitter.  I am sure he has no idea I’m writing this series, and had no idea the statistics I had written in our very first message…but his numbers and the numbers I have are about the same…and the whole point of this is that when you think about the fact that 12% of the 27% who own a Bible read and study it on a daily basis…then you get a really good picture and understanding especially after we’ve been doing this series why the church as a whole has gone a stray…and why the church is so afflicted by so many issues.

Which brings me back to what I’ve been saying throughout this entire series.  If you want to fix the issues the church is afflicted with…then get the Word of God back into the pulpits of America.  Stop preaching from so and so’s latest book…and start “preaching the Word of God.”.

The implication of what David is writing here when he says:   “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept thy Word.” is that once David began to keep the Word of God…than those things that he was afflicted by that led him astray…no longer afflicted him…and no longer lead him astray.  So,  when you put that verse into our lives then it’s possible that we can limit the things that lead us astray by increasing our intake and study of the Word of God…and on a corporate body of Christ level…we can eliminate the things that have led the body of Christ astray by returning the Word of God to the pulpit instead of preaching “The Purpose Filled Life”.

Here’s some personal honesty here from me on this point.  The things that so easily beset me no longer easily beset me now that I’ve been writing these messages because they make me have to be in the Word of God on a daily basis.  The more I am in the Word of God on a daily basis the less the things that held me astray are able to keep me astray because the Word of God is working to remove those things from me and my life.

I’m going to close this message by saying that the way that the things that so easily used to beset me aren’t being removed from my life because of people who stand in judgment pointing a finger at me who wonder how I can call myself a Christian and a pastor…and do those things…but by the Word of God confronting me with the issues and things that have me afflicted…and it’s then as the Word of God shine it’s light upon those things that I can take them to the Lord…and seek His help in overcoming them.

You see…judging someone’s life isn’t going to help them, but hurt them…and we all know what Jesus warned when it came to hurting His little ones.  So…instead of thinking that good judgment involves you being better able to judge what someone else is doing…that’s not what good judgment is for…it’s about being better able to judge what’s going on in your own life…so that you can bring the things that have you afflicted can be brought to the Lord so that by His mercy, grace, and Word…you can overcome.

We overcome how?  By the Blood of the Lamb…and the Word of our testimony.  Stop judging…it’s not your job…Amen!?!

Points for Pondering:

“66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” Psalm 119:66-67

  1. What makes the Psalmist follow God’s Word?
  2. Have you ever felt like God was disciplining you?  When?

Conclusion & Prayer:

So, we covered three points in today’s message “Following The Word”.  I think the point I liked the most was the one we made in the beginning.  I believe that you can be a believer without reading and studying the Word of God on a daily basis, but I don’t believe that you can be a follower of Christ without reading and studying the Word of God on a daily basis.

So…I guess there is a third question for you to consider:  Are you a believer or a follower?

Lord, I know what I want my answer to be.  I want to be a follower which means I have to be rooted and grounded in Your Word.  I think You, Lord for the many afflictions that You have delivered me from through the study and walking out of Your Word.  I pray that Your Word would continue to shine it’s light upon areas and afflictions that beset me so that I can one day like David be able to say “But now, I keep thy Word.”.  I pray for those who are reading this message that You would do the same in their lives, and help them to develop and maintain more of a passion and fire for Your Word…and deliver them of their afflictions as they have more of Your Word shine it’s light upon their lives.  Help us, Lord, to not judge others lives, but to pray for them instead…and love them.  Forgive us for being finger pointers, and judging others lives when we have so many things that we should be judging in our own.  Teach us, like David writes good judgment…and help us, Lord to know that doesn’t mean good judgment of others lives, but our own.  Most of all, Lord…help us to really come to the understanding that Your Word is Jesus in book-form.  Maybe if we understood and looked at the Bible that way instead of being just another book…it might stir something in us to be more diligent to spend time in Your Word knowing that when we read and follow Your Word…then we’re following Christ.  We love You Lord, and ask these things in Jesus’ name…Amen & Amen

Why Read the Bible?–Day 21 of 32 – Understanding of the Word

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Today’s Scripture:  “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.”  Psalm 119:27

Introduction:

So, Psalm 119 seems to be an underwriting chapter for our series on “Why Read The Bible?”.  Today, however, we see something else from this chapter.  It’s talking about understanding the Word of God, and that’s where we get back to constantly studying and meditating upon the Bible.  How in the world is it that we can understand the Bible if we don’t read it, study it, and meditate upon it?  I write messages based upon what I know and understand…how in the world could I write messages if I didn’t have any knowledge, wisdom, or understanding of the Word of God?  I couldn’t.  I’ve found myself saying this a couple of times…if it wasn’t for the Word of God I wouldn’t help, but have anything to write about.

Today’s Message:

Psalm 119 was written by David.  The more that I read from Psalm 119 the more I am able to see, and understand why David’s reputation is a man after the heart of God.  David’s love for God’s Word is something that I only wish that I could duplicate myself.  I can’t even pretend that I’m that saturated and infatuated with the Word of God.  Even as a pastor and someone who has a ministry I can admit that my love of God’s Word pales in comparison to what we read in Psalm 119.

However, what I can tell you is that I understand the heart of David here.  I love God’s Word…don’t get me wrong, but what I’m admitting is that even I can see that I can always stand for more room for the love for God’s Word.

What bothers me about my admission is that I’m one of the 25% or less that reads my Bible on a daily basis.  I have to…especially as a writer.  I must have an understanding and knowledge base of God’s Word in order to deliver good, solid Biblical messages.  Yes, the Holy Spirit inspires, and helps me write…but I also have to be able to draw on my wisdom and understanding at times as well.  The only way I can do that…is to read the Word, study the Word, and ask God to help me to understand what it is I’m reading.

I will also admit that I had a couple of really good teachers.  The first…and best teacher I’ve had was the Holy Spirit who taught me the Word of God Himself during several times in what I would describe as my own personal wilderness.  Part of that wilderness was a couple of stays in the Kenosha County Jail due to horrible decisions I made while being carnal, and not really wanting anything to do with God.  I can testify to the fact that I spent quite a lot of time reading and studying during a couple of extended stays in the iron bar hotel.

The second was Pastor Stephen Robbins who was my pastor from 2001 through 2007.  While under the leadership and shepherdship of this man attending his church services wasn’t like attending a sermon, but Bible college.  I credit him with confirming the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding the Holy Spirit gave me during my times of incarceration.  I was extremely blessed by this man because he helped the Lord to really build and solidify the foundation I now have in God’s Word.  It’s how I learned to have discernment, and now know when someone is preaching a false gospel…and who isn’t.

Under his teaching I established a foundation in things like “Justification by Faith”, “The God Side”, and an overall understanding of the basics of the Christian faith.  I believe he has an anointing similar to Paul’s which was the defense of the true gospel, understanding the mystery, and again the general foundational truths in which are now the foundations upon which Christlike Ministries NWA is built.  I owe so much to Pastor Stephen Robbins, and thank God for him.

I am greatly disturbed by the fact that less than 25% of the body of Christ studies their Bibles on a daily basis.  I admit that I found myself in that place for a while.  I was one of those Christians who was one of those who had the Word of God fall amongst the thorns.  I can admit that I had the cares of the world turn me into a carnal Christian, and I’m certainly not proud of that…but I know what it’s like to live life as a Christian that way.

Not only do they have the cares of the world distracting them, but we tend to kind of live life with one foot in the world, and one foot in the kingdom of God.  We’re also the kind of Christian that Jesus refers to as lukewarm.  Listen, I’ve written several times now that the reason there are so many powerless Christians today is because of a lack of understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and having a foundation in the Word of God.

I can even be honest enough with you all to say that until this year, and until the Lord spoke to me His theme for this year for me…Getting Serious About Being Serious With God is because of my living life among the thorns.  God got hold of me, and my attention through the third person in which I give credit for my growing knowledge and understanding of the Word of God.  New Life Christian Center’s Pastor Cass Hill.

It’s been an awesome year.   Launching Christlike Ministries NWA has helped me to become that good ground that the Lord speaks of during His parable on the four soils.  It’s helped me to take the other foot that I was trying to keep in the world, and cross it over into the kingdom of God.  Getting Serious About Being Serious About God is one of the first messages I wrote, and it’s also kind of the starting point of what’s become a heck of a ministry.

It’s also helped to really get my heart on fire for God’s Word again.  Like I’ve said a few times…without the Word of God I don’t have anything to write about.  So, in all seriousness I’ve turned a major corner over the last six months, and I enjoy what I’m doing now for the Lord.

Understanding the Word of God is of vital importance in these last days…and we are living in the last days.  Proverbs is full of verses that link wisdom and understanding.

  • Proverbs 4:5:  “Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.”
  • Proverbs 4:7:  “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
  • Proverbs 16:16:  “How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”
  • Proverbs 19:8:  “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.”

Wisdom and understanding are always linked together…and do you know what’s also linked with these two things?  The Word of God.  “Through Your precepts I get understanding.”  Psalm 119:104 (NKJV). Through Your precepts I “get understanding”.

Friends, we all need to discover a passion and love for the Word of God like David writes about in Psalm 119.  I know that one of things this series has done in my heart is help me to discover that I need to pray as I have that God will burn a passion and fire for His Word that’s unquenchable.  I hope that this series has given you the same desire.

Points for Pondering:

  1. What is David’s desire?
  2. How would it affect your life if you had a better understanding of God?
  3. How can you get a better understanding of God without reading and hearing the Word of God?

Conclusion & Prayer:

I don’t have much to say today in closing.  I think this has been a pretty good message.  I will repeat something I just wrote.  I hope that above everything that this series has helped to challenge your heart and love for the Word of God.  I hope that this series has helped to burn a passion in your heart for God’s Word.  I hope that it’s sparked a desire to spend more time in God’s Word on your own.  I really hope above everything that what this series has done is get you to dust off that Bible, and start reading it more often.

Oh Lord, I can’t seem to stop with the prayer of desire for more of a burning passion for Your Word.  I just ask for the fire and passion to be such that is unquenchable and unsatisfied by anything, but more time in Your Word.  I love You so much God, I love Your Word, and I ask that You would continue to help me to write and to increase in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  I pray that those who are following along with this series have a passion burning in their hearts for the Word of God, and challenged to be spending more time in Your Word.  I give You glory, honor, and all the praise.  I thank You for the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding You’ve given me…and I thank You for helping me to write good, solid messages…in Jesus’ name I ask this…Amen & Amen

Why Read The Bible – Day 16 of 32 – Meditations of the Word

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Today’s Scripture:  “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14

Introduction:

In today’s message we return to Psalm 119.  If you’ve never done so, I’d recommend taking time to read through Psalm 119.  It’s a well written Psalm about the writer’s love for the Word of God.  If we all had this same passion for God’s Word I wonder how much stronger the Body of Christ would be.  Even I don’t pretend to be as committed to reading and meditating upon the Word of God as this…but I certainly do my best to make sure I’m one of the 25% or less who reads their Bible every day.

Today’s Message:

Do you want to know how to make the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart to be acceptable to the Lord?  Meditate upon the Word of God, and learn to speak that out.  Let the Word of God roll off your tongue when it comes to your situations and circumstances instead of the fear, doubt, and unbelief you normally speak over them.

Instead of speaking that you wonder if God hears you…speak out like Jesus did before Lazarus’ tomb.  “Father, I thank You that You hear me…and You always hear me.”  Imagine walking around believing and speaking out like the Psalmist that He hears my cry.  The Word of God is full of scriptures that verify that God’s ear is inclined and open to His children…but so many doubt even that.  If we read His Word more and spoke that out…I bet we’d have better results.

Instead of walking around defeated…what if we walked around speaking out that we have the favor of God.  Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.  God is for me therefore none can be against me.  I have victory in Jesus.  Those are all in the Word of God.  Where?  Instead of me looking them up for you…why don’t you look them up yourself?

The Word of God is not just to be read, but it’s also to be spoken.  Spoken over our lives, spoken to our circumstances and situations.  I was listening to one of Pastor Joel Stockstill’s messages in which he said:  “Faith speaks”.  But, what does faith speak out?  I would like to suggest that the more Word of God you speak over your life, your family, your finances, and more the more God will move in those areas…because God always responds to His Word.  The Holy Spirit doesn’t do one thing until He hears the Word of God spoken.  The Spirit of the Lord hovered over the face of the deep…and then once God spoke…the Holy Spirit did.  If you want the Holy Spirit to do in your life you have to speak…but you cannot speak just any thing you want…speak the Word of God…and the Holy Spirit will do.

What are you meditating upon?  What are you speaking?  If it’s not the Word of God then I hope you’ll understand that not only is God not obligated to do anything…neither is the Holy Spirit.  God is always obligated to carry out His Word…not ours.

Study Questions:

  1. Why are the mouth and heart mentioned in this verse?
  2. What do you think enables the Psalmist to change in these two areas?

Conclusion & Prayer:

In closing of this message I’d first like to say congratulations.  We have made it half way.  Sixteen messages down, and sixteen are left.  If you’ve been with me all the way then thank you for following along, and congratulations for making it every day.  It is this kind of passion and hunger for the Word of God we all need to have, and I’m including myself in that.  I need to make sure my appetite for the Lord is never fully satisfied…and that my fire for the Word of God never dies.

So, we see the heart and mouth mentioned in this verse, and that means that I can’t help but to link it to salvation.  That’s exactly what we did when we confessed Jesus Christ as Lord.  The familiar passage of Romans 10:9-10 tell us that if we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead for our salvation, and confess with our mouths that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior then we can be saved.  Romans 10:13 says that “whosoever shall call  upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

How many of you know that when we call something out we speak it out, verbally, out-loud.  Do you not know that we can do that in all situations with the Word of God?  We received immediate results when we believed in our hearts and spoke that according to the Word that if we called upon Jesus as Lord we would be saved.  So, is the same with healing.  If we believe in our hearts that the stripes on Jesus’ back were for our healing, and speak that out we receive healing when we continue to speak it out.  By His stripes I am healed.

So, just remember…the rest of the Word of God works the same way.  We must believe in our hearts, and speak it out with our mouths.  Some things happen immediately, and some may not…but the Bible says that God will always respond to His Word…so put Him to the test.  If you’re in the midst of a situation where you need God to move…stop speaking your words over it…and start speaking the Word of God over it…and see what happens.

Lord God, teach us to meditate upon and speak Your Word over situations and circumstances instead of ours.  Help us to remember that it’s Your Word that carries the power and victory that we are seeking.  Move for us in some form or fashion today as we speak Your Word over an area in our lives that You have never moved before.  Make Yourself real to us today in a way You’ve never revealed Yourself to us before…and keep the fire, passion, and hunger for Your Word within us in a way that’s never fully satisfied.  Let us desire the sincere milk and meat of Your Word more than anything else.  In Jesus’ name…Amen & Amen

Why Read the Bible? – Day 12 of 32 – Sweet as Honey

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Today’s Scripture:  “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

Intro:

Here we are today with another verse from Psalm 119.  This book of Psalms is a wonderful read about how important the Word of God is to the writer, and how we all ought to feel about the Bible.  I imagine that there will be many more verse from this book, and rightly so.  Basically, when I read Psalm 119 it seems to me that it’s a love poem about God’s Word.

So, let’s get into today’s message and see what the Holy Spirit would have to say to us today.

Message:

How sweet are thy words…sweeter than honey to my mouth.  I have never really thought about the Bible in this way.  I’ve thought about it as incorruptible seed, manna from Heaven, Rhema (the living word), and I’ve certainly thought of it as alive and powerful.  But, now that I think about it…I can understand how the writer of this Psalm could think of the taste of God’s Word.  After all, aren’t we invited to taste and see that the Lord is good?

I also guess that this makes sense considering we know that the Word of God is good for the nourishment and substance to our souls.  I also can understand how one word from God can be sweet, and I can find myself relating with the writer of this Psalm about the entire Word of God tasting sweeter than honey…and it doesn’t sound all that strange to say anymore.

You know a word from a mother can be soothing.  I know many times in my life something that my mom has said was of great comfort to me.  I find that the encouragement and words from my wife can have many affects…and I mean that in a good way.  So, again, since I can relate to having earthly people speak words that can provoke a feeling…then I again can relate to the Psalmist writing about the sweet tasting Word of God.

I can certainly come into agreement with the Psalmist now, and say that I too find that the Word of God is sweeter than honey to my lips too.  I don’t really have a long-winded message today…sometimes it’s alright to let the Word of God be the message.

So, take some time today…read this passage and then sit back and chew on it for a bit…and see if you too can’t find yourself saying…How sweet are thy words…they are sweeter than honey to my mouth.

Study Questions:

  1. Why would the Psalmist compare God’s Word to honey?
  2. If you had to describe God’s Word…what words would you use?

Conclusion & Prayer:

Hmmm.  I guess my word for God’s Word would be priceless.  I was stunned the other day when I searched on Google to see if I could find out a general dollar amount that American’s spend on self-help books.  One such amount I saw was $11 billion dollars.  That’s a lot of money spent on books that are eventually sat on a book shelf or sold at the next garage sale.

I wrote on the very first day about the Word of God being profitable, and that’s another word that I’d use because the Bible is really a one-stop shop when it comes to self-help books because there are answers in it for every situation and circumstance in our lives.  There isn’t one topic that isn’t covered in some way by the Word of God.

Overall, just as God’s grace is sufficient…I believe then the Word of God is also efficient, sufficient, and magnificent.  It’s a one-of-a-kind.  It’s the only book in the world that is still writing it’s story, and the only book in the world that has many writers…but only one Author.  It’s the only book in the world that has many stories…but in all reality it has one purpose and one subject…Jesus Christ.

I love God’s Word.  That is why this ministry will always stand upon it, and stand up for it.  We will not stray from Preaching the Word, and will always defer to the Word of God.  The Bible is the ultimate authority of this ministry, and that’s why we will maintain our integrity…and will not compromise what we believe or teach because we believe and teach what’s written in the Bible as the inspired Word of God.

Lord, how I love Your Word.  It is like honey upon my lips, and music to my ears.  I love how Your Word speaks to every situation and circumstance in our lives, and has an answer for all of our struggles.  Lord, Your Word is sufficient, efficient, magnificent, profitable, and most of all it’s beautiful.  Thank You for giving us the Bible, and I pray that Christlike Ministries NWA will always be in good standing, and maintain the integrity of the Word of God.  I love You so much Jesus…to You be all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise forever more…Amen & Amen

Why Read the Bible? – Day 7 of 32 – Guide to our Path

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Today’s Scripture:  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  – Psalm 119:105

Introduction:

The last few days, I have barely been able to get through the introduction, and I had the Holy Spirit let me know that we were going to go the way He wanted us to go…and for good reason.  The last few days, I’ve written about how the Bible has lost it’s place in the church as the cornerstone of every pulpit in America.  I wrote about how it used to be the cornerstone of American families, and that if we wanted to stop the moral decay of our nation’s families that we needed to start by bringing the Word of God back into the homes and not as home décor for our cocktail tables, but actually implementing a family devotional time complete with prayer, worship, and Bible study…together.  Let me add that this family devotional time ought to be separate from our own personal devotional time.  Don’t cheat God, and don’t cheat yourselves by thinking that the only time you need to spend in the Word of God apart from church is that half-hour a day devotional time with your family.

No, friends, we need a Word of God revival in our homes and in our churches.  That’s the ONLY way this nation is going to turn around.  It’s not going to be done from the top down.  Almost all the politicians at the state and local level are fools because they have said in their hearts that there is no God, and if they haven’t said that then they are ashamed to proclaim Jesus before men…and you all know what Jesus says about that.  If we are ashamed of Him before the world…He will be ashamed of us before His Father.  If we deny Him before the world…He will deny us before God.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Jesus denying me…so I’m going to be one of those who is unashamed of my relationship with Jesus.

Yesterday, I wrote about how the church has lost it’s passion for the Word of God, and I’ll be darned if Evangelist Josh Radford didn’t preach on that same thing…only he said that the church has turned it’s back upon the Holy Ghost…and the only difference is…none.  The Holy Ghost’s ministry is to confirm the Word of God.  His whole purpose is to lead and guide us into all truth.  Well…what can be more all truth than the Word of the Lord?

So…I am encouraged by that because what that let’s me know is that I was indeed hearing from the Holy Spirit…and I hope that you’ve enjoyed the last couple messages.  Today, however, we bring it back home to front street…and we’re going to talk about the Word of God in how it relates to us.

Today’s Message:

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  Y’all ever tried to find your way around in a dark room?  It can be quite fearful, and maybe a bit comical can’t it?  You feel your way around for stuff…”is that the coffee table”.  Has anyone ever lived in a really dark house like me and counted the steps?  However, have you ever noticed also that the slightest bit of light will guide you?  You may not be able to see everything, but you can see just enough to navigate your way to where your going.

The Word of God is just like that night-light.  You know, as I continue to grow in my relationship with God, and walk with the Lord the one thing I have learned is that it’s not an easily navigated path to walk down.  That’s why we need the light of the Word of God to direct our paths.  How many times do we read that we are to trust the Lord and He will direct our paths, our steps, and our journey?  You see, the Bible, friends is our night-light.

Let’s face it.  I’m sure you’ve found out like I have that just because you’re a Christian it doesn’t mean everything is rosy, and that there’s nothing impeding your pathway to your destiny.  In fact, I’m sure you’ve found just like I have that it’s the exact opposite.  There’s always going to be opposition.   There’s always going to be times where the Lord is going to lead you down a path that’s not very well lit…and the only way that those path’s can be safely navigated is by sticking with the Word of God.

When I started writing these messages they weren’t very good.  There were a lot of spelling errors, grammatical errors, and I can be honest…some of those messages were hard reads.  However, the more I’ve been doing this the better my messages are becoming, and the reason for that is because the Word of God is illuminating the path.  Instead of relying upon my own abilities or anything like that I am relying solely upon the Lord and the Holy Spirit for direction.

When this series is nearing the end I’ll begin to seek the Lord for direction for the next series.  Why?  I don’t want to do anything with this ministry that isn’t ordered by the Lord.  The Bible says the steps of the righteous are ordered of the Lord.  I want every message, every series, and everything I write to be ordered by the Lord.  After all, this ministry is about HIM.

I couldn’t have a ministry with the name “Christlike” Ministries…and not have it be about the Word of God…because Jesus is the Word.  I wouldn’t have anything to write about if it wasn’t for the Word of God.  Sure I could make up a commentary, but I don’t want to do that.  I want to be authentic.  I want God’s Word spoken, I want the name of Jesus to be glorified, and I want God to get the praise for this ministry.

You know, I had a long one-sided discussion with the Lord yesterday morning while I was running my route for Krispy Kreme.  I was talking to Him about how I think sometimes people make ministry too complicated.  There are people who are called to be out on the front-lines God bless them.  There are people who are called to stand up and preach to congregations, auditoriums, and huge crowds.  There are people who are called to have their name on the church signs, and be known.  However, there are people like me who realize that we do our best work behind the scenes…and that’s what this ministry is…this is what we do.

We’re about helping people to develop their own personal relationship and walk with God.  We’re an Ephesians 4 kind of ministry…equipping the saints.  That’s what we’re about.  However, it’s good sometimes to have the path of your life illuminated by the Word of the Lord.  Josh Radford came, and we had a week of Evangelism training…and I was reminded of how important the Great Commission is…and that one of the things Paul taught was that all can evangelize…but not all are evangelists.  All of us can do the work of an evangelist without having the title of an evangelist.

I know I am called to be a pastor, but I’m the pastor of Christlike Ministries NWA.  I still have a role to play in the great commission.  I am still called to share the gospel, and be a soul-winner for Jesus.  Those are just some of the things that the Word of God has been a light to my path about.

What kinds of things do you need the light of God’s Word for in your life?  My friend, you’re not going to turn the light on until you open your Bibles.  Our Bibles are like refrigerator lights.  The light doesn’t come on until you open the door.  The Bible is the same way.  It cannot light our path until we open it up and start reading.  If you need some direction…get out your Bible…and ask the Lord to show you…He will…I promise He will.  I know that because that happened in my life.

Interactive Study Questions:

I don’t have much of an introduction for today’s questions, but here they are.

  1. Why does God want to guide us?
  2. Does a lamp cast light miles ahead?
  3. What does this say about God’s guidance in our lives?

Conclusion & Prayer:

I kind of liked the little illustration that the Lord just dropped in my spirit about the Bible being like a refrigerator light.  I remember as a child I was curious one time.  I remember how I’d open it a little, and close it little by little…but could never figure out why the light would go out or what happened once the door was closed.  Now I know there is a button that causes the light to go out.  Isn’t God awesome…I got more to this illustration.

That’s kind of what we do with the Bible.  As baby and immature believers we are kind of like that curious kid that wants to know what happens to the light in the refrigerator.  Only, with the Bible we sample a little of the light of the Word of God in our lives, and when it goes out we search all around everything else…except in the Bible for the reason the light went out.  Mature believers know that to have the light of God’s Word on their lives all the time…they have to spend time reading the Word all the time.  The Bible has to be an open source for their lives…but so many of us open it and close it…and we never really understand why God’s Word isn’t making our paths more visible.  It’s because we’re walking around in the dark trying to feel our way…instead of letting the light of God’s Word show us the way.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet…and a light unto my path.

Lord, we thank You for the illuminating power of Your Word.  It has the power to lead and guide us in all areas of life.  Help us, Lord God, to not allow the light of Your Word to be shut off, but turn on…and turned on brighter and brighter.  Give us, Lord, the wisdom You offer without limit.  Give us the understanding and knowledge in the revelation of You…most of all Lord…give us a hunger, passion, and fire for Your Word in our lives.  Help us, Father God, to restore the Word of God to it’s rightful place in our personal lives, our families, our churches, and one day…hopefully again this great nation.  Raise up men & women of God who aren’t ashamed of Your Word, who still believe in the Old Paths, and preach with fire like Josh did this morning.

Lord, bless Josh Radford’s ministry.  Continue to give him passion, fire, and an overflowing indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Protect him, Lord God, from those that would seek to bring scandal into his ministry.  Protect him, Jesus, from those who would wrongfully use him, and slander him.  I ask, Father, that You’d raise up more Josh Radford’s and Cass Hill’s and Joel Stockstill’s.

I ask Lord, that You’d help me to be more committed, more separated, more of a servant, more yielded to Your Spirit, and much, much more saturated in Your Spirit, Your Word, and Your presence.  I love You, Jesus…I praise and worship You…Lord God.  I declare that You are my God…and Your Word will be a cornerstone of this ministry…and I ask that should we ever stray away from it…that You’d remove this ministry’s lamp-stand.

I give You all the glory, honor, and praise.  I ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus…Amen & Amen.

Battlefield of the Mind Devotional – Day 10 of 14 – Be Careful What You Think

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Today’s Scriptures:

  • “2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” – Psalm 1:2-3
  • “11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” – Psalm 119:11
  • “ I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.” – Psalm 119:15

Introduction:

We’re almost finished with this series, and today we’re getting into being careful about what we think.  “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” (Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)).

There is a reason studying the Word of God is so important to us as believers, and that’s because the mind is the battlefield where our war between our spirit and our flesh takes place.  That’s why Joyce calls it the Battlefield of the Mind.  How many of you know that you cannot win a battle if you don’t have any weapons?  The Word of God is our weapon for the spiritual battle that’s taking place in our minds.  (Ephesians 6:10 – 18).

Today, we read three scriptures about meditating upon the Word of God.  Paul exhorts Timothy to “study to show thyself approved” (2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)).  David writes in the Psalms “thy word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against thee”.  I could post a dozen or more scriptures just on meditating upon the Word of God.  “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8 (KJV)).

There’s a reason for all this insistence on making sure we have a firm foundational knowledge of the Word of God, and it’s the very reason and mission behind Christlike Ministries Arkansas…we need to know the Word of God because it’s our weapon against the wiles of the devil.  I don’t want you to just read my messages, but get out your Bibles and read the scriptures with it.  That’s why I post the scriptures.  I don’t want you to just take my word for what’s being written…I want you to be an active participant and read the Word of God for self.

This is the mission statement for Christlike Ministries NWA:  “To assist believers in developing their relationship with Christ through Bible study, prayer, and worship. Building quality believers so that they can experience God in a more intimate way.”  I am thankful that there are people reading my messages, but what’s more important to me than anything else is that you are reading your own Bibles.  That you are developing study habits of your own.  That’s the heart of this ministry.  That’s why we offer free copies of the Our Daily Bread Devotional magazine in addition to posting messages with all the scriptures we use to support our messages.

We believe that the Bible is the absolute authority for everything, and we need it, and we must study it, and get it into our hearts.  I was in the United States Marine Corps, and let me tell you that you don’t ever want to go into a battle unarmed because you will not win.  Can you imagine what would happen to our troops if we showed up in Iraq without guns?  So why in the world do we attempt to fight the wiles of the devil with our own will, our own means, and our own wit?  Do you not know that weapons the devil uses to fight with are far superior to ours?  Do you not know that using our intellect and understanding to fight the devil is like bringing a knife to a gun fight, and worse…showing up for a battle unarmed.

No, friends we need to be firmly grounded and rooted in the Word of God.  I guess there are several of you who maybe needed to hear this exhortation to study your Bibles because I haven’t even been able to get into the real message yet.  So, please, friends…take time to study your Bibles.  If you don’t know where to start then email me, message me, call me, or text me your contact information, and I will mail you a copy of the Our Daily Bread Devotional.  It’s my own personal favorite bible study tool.  I’ve used it for over 20 years.  It is of vital…VITAL importance that we spend time each day meditating upon the Word of God…it just is…and I hope that above everything you read in today’s message if you take away anything from today’s message…please take away from it that you and I need to be firmly grounded and rooted in the Word of God…especially in this day and age where the Word of God, Christian values, and Biblical principles are under attack from every direction…studying the Bible is absolutely critical to fighting the good fight of faith.

So…get out your Bibles…dust them off…and if you need help knowing what to start go under the “Where to find us” section, write down our contact information, and get a hold of me so I can send you the Our Daily Bread Devotional.  I have 25 copies to send, and I can get more.  So don’t be afraid to humble yourself, and ask us to send us a very useful bible study resource.

Today’s Message:

I feel like I just gave today’s message, but I know there’s much more that the Lord has to say to us today, and therefore let’s get right into this.  In fact, before I start let’s just take a moment to pray…

Father, I come to You in the name of Jesus, and I ask that You would take over, and allow me to write only by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.  Let Your Word be magnified and glorified.  May You get the glory and honor through this message this day.  I pray that You would make my fingers that of a pen of a ready writer…only writing the oracles of You, writing through the supernatural ability in which You supply by the Holy Ghost.  I pray You give the readers ears to hear what the Holy Spirit would say to them, and that You would again be glorified by this message.  I ask this in Jesus name…Amen.

So, let’s get into today’s message shall we?

If you are going to win the battle of the mind and defeat your enemy, where you focus your attention is crucial. The more you meditate on God’s Word, the stronger you’ll become and the more easily you’ll win the victories.

Too many Christians don’t realize the difference between meditating on the Bible and reading the Bible. They like to think that when they read God’s Word, they’re absorbing the deep things of God. Those who meditate on God’s Word are those who think–and think seriously–about what they’re reading.

Yes, indeed friends there is a huge difference between studying and meditating upon the Word of God, and just reading the Bible like any other book.  I chose to kind of study the Bible like I used to study out of my text books in school.  I have notebooks full of notes from different things I study from.  I have a notebook that’s dedicated to just Our Daily Bread messages that I take notes on.  I have a couple of notebooks for church services one for Wednesday nights and one for Sunday’s.  That way if there’s something I want to study out further from a message I have it.  I always write down the scriptures given in support of the message that’s being preached.  This is what I mean when I talk about studying the Bible.  Just like we had to study in school for answers to tests that were coming up that would grade us based upon the knowledge me retained…in life we are always going to come up against trials, tests, and temptations that will be used to test our knowledge of the Word of God.

How many of you know what it’s like to fail a test in school?  Usually we failed a test in school because we didn’t fully have the knowledge of what the test was on.  Don’t you know that we fail tests in life because we don’t know how to apply scriptures to the tests in our lives…the difference is there aren’t any open book tests in life, and life doesn’t ever grade us on a curve.  If we fail in school there’s opportunities to retake the test sometimes, but when we fail in life sometimes there’s only one opportunity to pass that test…and if we fail it…there are usually major consequences to the failure of that test…isn’t there?

So, it’s great that you read your Bible everyone needs to read it, but it’s vital that we study and meditate upon the Word of God.  Why?  Because when you look at Ephesians 6:10-18…which is about the Armor of God…do you not ever take the time to notice we have one weapon of offense?  The rest of the Armor is designed to protect us in the spiritual battle, but only the Word of God (the Sword of the Spirit) is the offensive weapon.  I know you’re probably going to say:  “Isn’t prayer an offensive weapon?”.  Yes, that’s true it is…but what are you going to pray if you don’t know the Word of God?  Prayer is very much an offensive weapon, but the Word of God is the ammunition for that weapon.

In today’s scripture I quoted from Psalm 1. This psalm begins by defining the person who is blessed, and then points out the right actions of that person. The psalmist wrote that those who meditate–and do it day and night–are like productive trees…and everything they do shall prosper.

The psalmist made it quite clear that meditating on God’s Word brings results. As you ponder who God is and what He’s saying to you, you’ll grow. It’s really that simple. If you read about and allow your mind to focus on God’s love and power, that’s what operates in you.

All of the scriptures we have in today’s message say the same theme.  That is meditating upon God’s Word brings results. Let’s look again at Joshua 1:8; “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Meditating upon God’s Word day and night shall make our way prosperous, and will bring us good success.  Is that not what it says?  As we study God’s Word it leads us to really understand who God is, why Jesus was necessary, who we are in Christ, what we have in Christ, and how we can use this knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to prosper and have good success in our daily walk with God.  I love what Joyce writes here that if we read and allow our mind to focus on God’s love and power…then that’s what is going to operate in our lives.  On the other hand, if we allow our mind to focus on situations, circumstances, and the lies of the devil then that is going to be what operates in us.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of focusing on all the wrong things, and receiving all the wrong results.  I’m tired of having  my life stolen, killed, and destroyed by the lies of the devil.  I’m ready to have my mind totally renewed and transformed by the Word of God (Romans 12:1-2).  I am ready to know what the Bible says so that I can use the Word of God to fight off the lies of the devil, and have better results in my life.  The only way to get to and receive the abundant life is to make sure that God’s Word does not depart from our lives, our mouths, and our thoughts.  I’m not saying we need to take ever waking moment to study God’s Word, but it is important that we do take time everyday to turn off everything around us and focus on reading the Word of God.

One good thing to do…especially when we’re sleeping…is to find away to have an audio version of the Bible read.  Not only does that make the atmosphere more peaceful to aid us in sleeping, but our minds are awake and being fed the Word of God.  I can tell you that there is a difference when I wake up in the morning or after a nap if I haven’t had some kind of worship music, some kind of good biblical teaching, or just the word of God playing while I’m sleeping.  There have been many times I’ve woken up with a song on my mind or in my heart…and that’s what is meant by meditating upon God’s Word.  It’s important to get it into us every opportunity we have available to us.

With listening to it while going to sleep…it may take some getting used to, but eventually it does become background noise.  However, it’s much better than background noise because it really does help to feed your spirit, and it really does help you go to sleep and wake up in a much more peaceful way.

Conclusion & Prayer:

Be careful what you think about. The more you think about good things, the better your life will seem. The more you think about Jesus Christ and the principles He taught, the more you become like Jesus and the stronger you grow. And as you grow, you win the battle for your mind.

I hope you know that I write this to help you, and not to heap condemnation on you.  I agree whole heartedly that it’s of vital importance that we know the Word of God.  Especially in this day and age where…as I’ve said already…the Bible is under attack from all sides.  It’s under attack from our government, it’s under attack from the world, and sadly it’s also under attack from preachers who are supposed to adhere to and preach the principles in it.

We are most definitely living in those perilous times that Paul told Timothy about in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.  We are in the last days, but the key to staying rooted is by getting more passionate and serious about studying our Bibles.  How in the world can we stand up against those who are coming against the Bible if we don’t know what’s in it?

So, I hope that if you get nothing else from today’s message you get the understanding that just reading your bible along with these messages aren’t enough.  Meditating upon something requires time, and really digging into it.  Think back to the days that you were in school like I have, and realize that we need to study the bible the same way we studied from our school books…that’s the only way we are going to know what to pray, what we believe, and how to fight the battle that’s going on not just in our minds…but in the world.

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12 (AMP)

This verse in Hebrews came to mind as I was getting ready to close this message, and I wanted to post it so that you would know just how important to us the Word of God is…and what it does.

So…get out your Bibles, dust them off, and if you haven’t already don’t just read it…study it…and if you need help in knowing where to start please contact us with your mailing address so we can get a copy of the Our Daily Bread to you…it’s free of charge…and it’s one of my own personal favorite bible study tools.

Pray: Lord God, help me to think about the things that honor You. Fill my life with a hunger for more of You and Your Word so that in everything I may prosper. I ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen…fill my life with a hunger for more of You and Your Word so that in everything I may prosper.  Hallelujah!  That’s the cry of my heart.  More of You and more of Your Word.  More of a burning passion for Your Word.  In Jesus’ name…Amen!