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Do You Have 30 Seconds to Spare?

11/16/2020

Do you ever read the Bible and feel like God purposely led you there so He could share His heart for you in a certain situation? Have you ever read a book that was so good you just couldn't put it down? What about a sermon that convicted you deeply and drove you to make resolutions to change? Has a conversation ever stirred you so much that you just want to get up and go do something?

This happens to me pretty often. I often read blog posts that pique my interest or stir up my heart about some biblical truth or experiential reality. Sometimes I read a game-changing sentence about the goodness of God toward His people. Other times I read a moving biographical sketch of a saint that makes me want to imitate them as they imitate Christ. Many weeks at community group, a sister will share how God has been at work in her heart as she meditates in the Word during the chaos of motherhood.

More often than not, the stirring ends there. But why? Why is it so easy to be hot one moment and ice cold the next? How can I have zeal for the Word during the sermon and then be apathetic by the time lunch is over? It's not that I care less about God or His Word when I've just finished my lunch after church. It's not that I know less of the Bible when my belly is full and my kids are winding down for nap time. What is it, then?

We Need To Slow Down and Keep Coming Back

For me, it is a lack of meditation. If that sounds too new-age for you, it’s actually a biblical principle. Meditation is slowing down to think deeply and apply truth to our hearts. Whether it's a rousing quote from a good book, a deeply moving blog post, or a verse that sets my soul on fire, without meditation, it seems to stop as soon as I move on to the next sentence.

It's like getting only a teaspoon of my favorite thanksgiving food--my mom's corn pudding. I'll enjoy every bite of the other food, but I'm showing up for Momma's corn pudding. I need more than a bite to really enjoy it. In fact, I need some leftovers for Black Friday, too! This is how it is with Scripture, sermons, good books, and quotes, too.

James Ussher wrote that meditation is “worth more than a thousand sermons, and this is no debasing of the Word, but an honour to it.” If we want to get the most out of reading the Word, hearing sermons, talking with friends, or reading good books, we will have to slow down and let our minds dwell on what we've just encountered.

30 seconds may be all it takes.

Why 30 seconds? Honestly, it's an arbitrary number. But in 30 seconds, I can pull out my prayer journal and jot down a quick prayer. In 30 seconds, I can jot some thoughts into my notebook about what I've just read or heard. In 30 seconds, I can stop what I'm doing and ponder what I've just heard. In 30 seconds, I can think of at least one way to put into practice what God is revealing. In 30 seconds, I can pray.

God Can Do A Lot With A Little

Tweaking a John Piper quote, God can do more with our 30 seconds of prayerful meditation than we can do in 30 hours of information intake. This article is an example. I was reading Blogging For God's Glory in a Clickbait World when the authors asked if I would be willing to keep writing if my page views were zero and only God read my writing. This resonated with some recent thoughts and struggles I've had about writing and making music.

Normally, I would've just kept reading, but this time I stopped. It might've been 30 seconds. It could've been less. Regardless, I paused. I pondered. I prayed. I wrote a simple, short sentence in my prayer journal: "Lord, give me a desire to write and rap regardless of the applause".

I've never prayed this specific prayer, though the thoughts have crossed my mind plenty of times. This 30 seconds could shape the rest of my life and ministry, whatever God may allow. It could be that God prevents anyone from reading this post or anything else I ever write. It could be that God uses my writing to bless a multitude of saints. Either way, I am hopeful that He will continue to shape my heart to write for the right reasons.

From the Head to the Heart

I share this not to boast in my own piety. The Lord knows how weak I am! Rather, I'm sharing this to show how quickly we can move from information to transformation. When we take our head knowledge and bring it to the Lord in meditation and prayer, He makes it heart knowledge.

The implications for this are boundless. For example, if we read the "one anothers" of Scripture and take them to the Lord in prayer, we will begin to have gospel-centered, biblical unity and reconciliation stamped on our hearts in a time when we desperately need it. We won't be heady, puffed up, theological snobs seeking to devour everyone who disagrees with us.

Paul said it best when writing to the Philippian Church:

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

By grace, our right thinking will lead to right doing. If we want the God of peace to dwell in and among us, we must fight to slow down and meditate on the right things. If we are in the presence of God seeking the power of God, we will know the peace of God that surpasses understanding.

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Why I'm Glad I Read Leviticus Last Month

3/6/2019

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God Can Use Reading Plans

It’s March, and though I recently changed jobs and have been a little under the weather, I've been striving for consistency in my Bible reading plan. This week I finished the book of Hebrews and I’m working my way through Numbers. I’ve been blessed by working my way through the great biblical history of the creation, fall, flood, and the Patriarchs, and it has been great to read of God’s providential work, especially the climactic parting of the Red Sea to rescue His people. I’ve seen (or heard on some days) our Holy God’s plans for dwelling with the sinful people of Israel who are more like me than the Bible superheroes I envisioned growing up. It has been a joy and blessing to follow the old paths and see God’s work among His people in the Old Testament.

In all honesty, at times it was difficult to get through some of it. Living in a world of instant gratification and entertainment doesn’t lend itself very well to 27 chapters of detailed laws, sacrifices, and bloody purification ceremonies that seem so foreign to the world I live in. There were some days that I didn’t fully grasp what I was hearing. On other days, it seemed like I kept hearing the same things over and over again. I was tempted to give up and ask: “What’s the big deal about the priest’s clothing and all these details? It’s not like I need to know or do any of this stuff since I’m not a Jew or a priest.” God knows what I need, though.

Now, I can honestly say I’m glad I read Leviticus last month. More specifically, I’m glad I read Genesis through Leviticus within 60 days of reading the book of Hebrews because I’ve always been told that I needed to know the law in order to grasp Hebrews. Though I don’t fully understand the law or the book of Hebrews, there is so much that I would have glossed over or missed in my reading had I not walked through the first three books of the Bible. In fact, there’s a ton I want to go back and study with greater depth because I can start to trace God’s argument in Hebrews.

God Opened My Eyes

It would be far beyond the scope of this post if I pointed out everything I’ve seen in Hebrews. In a brief reading of the book, you’ll notice angels, Abraham, Moses, Melchizedek, Aaron, the priesthood, Old Testament sacrifices, and much more, but I want to show you a few things I noticed while reading through Hebrews 9:

The tabernacle was only a copy of the heavenly dwelling place of God. The ordinances of the old covenant took place in a tent otherwise known as the tabernacle. Exodus 40 and Leviticus 1 will help to see the background information on this. Basically, the tabernacle was an earthly (and imperfect) shadow of the beauty of God’s presence in heaven. This is not something to take lightly—God gave the Israelites a taste of heaven on earth by dwelling among them! Through Jesus (who “set up tabernacle” or “dwelt” among us according to John 1:14), we also have access to heaven while on earth by “drawing near to God”.

This points us to the value of the prayer, where we draw near to God and experience His presence. It also points us to the local church, the people of God, where Christ dwells by the Spirit. Ultimately, it points us to our heavenly hope in eternity where we will dwell in God’s physical presence with no possibility of sin or death to separate us from Him.

Earthly purification and sacrifices were not enough. The people of God were physically purified from uncleanness through the sprinkling of the blood and ashes of a heifer. There were daily and yearly sacrifices on behalf of God’s people (including the priests) that served as a reminder of their guilt from sin and temporary atonement from that sin. This reminder pointed the Israelites to Jesus because only His blood was enough to justify and make people holy for eternity. His sacrifice was of much greater significance.

We need to remember that God doesn’t desire empty sacrifices of formal worship or our attempts to justify ourselves before Him. The only sacrifice that is good for our souls is Jesus’ payment for sin on the cross.

The high priest entered the holy of holies once a year. The second and most holy area of the tent, where God’s presence dwelt on earth, was the holy of holies. The high priest could only enter it once a year, and it was a fearful place that was not to be entered haphazardly or foolishly. They had to bring blood to purify themselves and the people they represented before God each time. In contrast, Jesus entered into heaven once for all to represent His people before God, and He entered by means of His own blood. This can only happen because Jesus, our great High Priest, is completely pure and free from any sin. He put away sin completely by the sacrifice of Himself and allows us to draw near to God in full confidence. Through Christ, we get to be in a relationship with God that no Israelite or believer prior to Jesus ever experienced.

We shouldn’t take this lightly, but we also should take advantage of the fact that we can approach God, our Father, with the confidence of a child speaking to his loving father. When you feel that you can’t come to God, preach the gospel to yourself! In Christ, your sins are paid for and you’re welcomed to the throne of God!

Keep Pressing

These observations and meditations don’t even scratch the surface of the depth of truth found in Hebrews, but if I had given up on my bible reading plan, three things probably would not have happened:

I would not have finished Leviticus and developed a desire to understand some of the confusing sections.
I likely would not have read through Hebrews anytime soon.
I probably would not have taken the time to behold Christ in Hebrews the way I did this week.

Keep pressing on. Keep reading your Bible, even when you don’t feel like it. Keep reading the Bible even when it seems boring and useless—the Old Testament too! God will work in ways you could never imagine!

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Do You Memorize Scripture?

1/23/2019

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This year I am working on memorizing Hebrews with a close friend. When we discussed it, we thought it would be a monumental task but well worth the effort. We decided that there shouldn't be a focus on a deadline. Instead, the focus would be on each day’s memory work, trusting that God would minister to our hearts and minds.

By Grace, You Can Do It

I’ve read much about the importance of scripture memory and have memorized large sections of scripture in the past. I've seen John Piper recite scripture for 15 minutes, and it was amazing! But it’s a discipline that is easy to leave behind in the busyness of the daily grind.

Seeing the title of this post may have almost turned you away because of guilt or lack of desire for working on scripture memory. I'm here to encourage you and remind you that the point is not quantity but quality. Hiding even small amounts of scripture in our hearts is of eternal value and worth the 5 to 10 minutes per day we could commit to it.

Remember, that the average American watches 5 hours of TV each day. In little more than 3% of that time, you could memorize Titus (46 verses) in less 3 months if you only memorized 5 verses a week. Even at one verse a week you could memorize a book of the Bible in less than a year! Imagine the spiritual encouragement you would have in that year.

The key to scripture memory is reliance on the Holy Spirit. Is that shocking to hear? It shouldn't be. I am guilty of saying, "it just takes 5 minutes a day" or "this method is foolproof". The reality is that no method can replace the work of the Spirit. A method can be a means God uses to show us grace, but if we are to truly benefit from scripture memory, we must look beyond the method.

All believers have the Spirit of Truth who raised Jesus from the dead (John 16:13; Romans 8:11). All means all. Whether you naturally have an amazing memory or a poor memory, God will help you hide His Word in your heart. This means that, by the Spirit, even people who have struggled with memorization their whole lives can memorize books, chapters, verses, or portions of verses from God's Word.

Some Benefits Of Memorization

I’m a list guy, so I just wanted to share some of the benefits of my time in Hebrews so far this year. I plan to do more posts like this to possible spur some people on in the pursuit of grace-powered scripture memory. Though I’ve missed some days and slacked on others, here are some benefits I've seen in memorizing Hebrews 1 during the first 22 days of 2019:

The Spirit has been renewing my mind through focused time in God's Word.
I've beheld the glory of Christ in unique ways for 5 to 10 minutes most days.
I've seen Christ in the Old Testament.
The majesty of Jesus has been at the forefront of my mind.
The Word of God has transformed my thinking during tough situations.
I have used my mind and mouth have recite the glory of God in situation I wouldn’t have otherwise.
Hebrews 1 has been at the center of discussions with my wife and close friends because it is fresh on my mind.
The Trinity and the deity of Christ have been the focus of my study and meditations.
I've been studying the book of Hebrews in depth.
I've seen at least 25 truths about Jesus in one chapter of Scripture.
My prayer life has been improved as I’ve been given additional reasons to adore the Father and the Son.
I have seen themes from Hebrews in the Psalms and other areas of my Bible reading plan.
I have been able to develop biblical arguments against false teaching in regard to the deity of Christ.
I have been able to affirm the historic Christian Creeds through my own time in the Word.
I have given thanks to God for His work of salvation in my life from the vantage point of Hebrews.

This is only the tip of the iceberg of the benefits of memorizing the Word of God on a consistent basis. Simply slowing down and thinking through God’s Word will change your spiritual vocabulary. And you never know when a verse of the day is a truth to preach to yourself or to counsel another with.

For tips on scripture memory, I highly recommend read Andy Davis’ scripture memorization method. Also, check out the Verses app!

What other benefits or tips do you have for memorizing scripture?

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Fighting Temptation Like Jesus

1/18/2019

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Think about the last time you were tempted and fell into sin. What were the thoughts going through your mind? What weapons did you use to wage war against your flesh and against sin? Now think of a time when you defeated sin and rose victorious over the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil? What was different about that situation?

Last week, we looked at the crafty serpent and how he tempted Eve into eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. While it is good to know the anatomy of temptation so we can recognize when we are being tempted, it is essential to know how to actively fight temptation the way scripture commands. Jesus, being our great High Priest, has been tempted in every way like us and yet withstood. Who is better to teach us how to fight temptation?

In Matthew 4:1-11, we can see at least 5 ways Jesus fought temptation. By His grace, we too can fight temptation as Jesus did. It’s a lifelong fight, and much of what we see happened long before Jesus was in the moment of temptation. By implementing these strategies in reliance upon the Holy Spirit, we will be able to overcome the whispers of Satan, the lustful draw of fleshly desires, and the enticements of the world.

1. Know Your Identity

When you see Satan’s attempts to draw Jesus into sin, it is clear that Satan tried to confuse Jesus about His identity as he did Eve in the garden. He begins his tempting words with “If you are the son of God…” (v. 2 and 6). In verse 9, Satan was so bold as to try to subject Jesus to idolatrous worship in exchange for earthly glory.

However, Jesus is so confident in His identity as the Son of God that He isn’t moved by Satan’s attacks. Instead, He launches counter attacks that shift the focus from the Satan’s questioning to the most important matters. Instead of making a stone become bread, Jesus points to something greater than bread—the Word of God. Instead of jumping from a building to test God’s miraculous provision and care, He reminds Satan not to put God to the test. Lastly, instead of bowing down to Satan to receive “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory”, He knew He was the Son of God who is appointed the “heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2, Matthew 28:19).

As Jesus rested in His identity as the Son of God, we need to rest in our identity as adopted children of God who are in Christ. If we are in Christ, we are “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11) and “slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:18). We can consider ourselves crucified and risen with Christ because He has nailed our sin and record of debt to the cross (Colossians 2:12,14). We are no longer “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3) for we are “saints… in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1). We could go on and on about who we are as new creatures in Christ. If you don’t know who you are, the enemy will try to entangle you in a web of lies and accusations. Let the Word untangle that web by taking you directly the cross of Christ.

2. Know the Meaning of the Word

Satan attacked Jesus using the Word of God in Matthew 4:6. He did the same to Eve. The ancient serpent has seen and heard God’s Word far more than any human on this planet. That should humble us! This knowledge allows him to twist and turn it in more ways than we could ever imagine. Having hearsay of biblical concepts will not suffice for us. Christians need to know the Word of God and its true meaning.

This is not to say that God will not also graciously protect those Christians who are weak and feeble in the Word. He surely will! But mature saints must, by grace, imitate the Bereans and the blessed man of Psalm 1 through searching and meditating on the Word day and night. With an enemy so knowledgeable and crafty, knowing the Word is not an option.

Through the Spirit we can know the Word:

In context, because Satan loves to twist God’s Word to the destruction of those who hear them. If he can’t snatch them away, he will use corrupt men to make the scriptures say something other than it says. Flee far from any teaching that leads away from faith in Christ and His redemptive work to bring glory to His Father through His finished work on the cross. Let any other gospel be accursed except the gospel of Jesus Christ!
In its fullness, because Satan will often take half-truths and make half-Christians. A half-Christian is no Christian at all. Men are not saved by half grace and half law. We are not justified by half faith and half works. We can’t worship God with half of our hearts, and we can’t give half of our lives as a living sacrifice. Rather, we are saved by grace alone through faith. We are justified by faith alone, but faith without works is dead. We strive by the grace of God to wholeheartedly worship God, and when we fail we seek the forgiving and transforming grace of God. We give our whole lives as living sacrifices for Christ because we don’t want to gain this world and lose our souls. We need the full gospel and the full scope of God’s redemptive plan.
In obedience because those who are hearers of the Word only are deceived (James 1:22-25). We are called to Spirit-empowered obedience to God’s Word. It bears repeating that faith without works is dead faith. It is no faith at all. To be defined as a disobedient Christian is to make a mockery of the holiness of God and the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating and renewing the hearts of men. May we never be defined more by our disobedience than gospel-fueled obedience!

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3. Hide the Word in your heart

It is clear from Matthew 4:1-11 that Jesus knew the Bible and knew it well. He had the Word hidden in His heart and he didn’t sin against God. We should long to say with the Psalmist, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). Temptation is a major reason to take up the task of memorizing scripture on a regular basis. If you want to use the sword of the Spirit and fight as Jesus did, you’ve got to have it memorized. Jesus didn’t use Google or the Bible app, He used His memory. This is spiritual work even for those who feel that they don’t have a good memory.

Memorization and meditation go hand-in-hand. As you memorize, you can meditate on the meaning, depths, and applications of a passage. As you meditate on the words, phrases, and structures of a passage, you begin to memorize the passage. As you memorize more passages, they begin to come together to bring deeper and fuller meditation than ever before. As you meditate more, your mind is renewed and you become more Christlike because you are beholding Him. The Word begins to slowly move from your mind to your heart. As hot water seeps through coffee grounds picking up the scents, flavors, and characteristics of the beans, we absorb the Word of God and become conformed to it through meditation.

Applying the Word to your life will also hide it deeper in your heart. Think of those times when you made a concerted effort to obey God’s specific teaching in your life. Do you have to go back and open your Bible to remember what it said? Instead, you are able to give yourself counsel directly from the Word of God because you’ve been there before. You may have used directions to get to work the first few times, but by the hundredth time, you recognize the streets, houses, mailboxes, cars, and know exactly where to go. The more you apply the Word of God in everyday life, the more you will be able to use it fight temptation. The Spirit will bring it to remembrance at the perfect time.

4. Walk by the Holy Spirit

It is easy to miss the seemingly insignificant detail that Jesus was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Jesus was not alone! He was walking “full of the Holy Spirit” (Luke 4:1). As believers, we too must be filled with and led by the Spirit, especially during times of intense temptation (Ephesians 5:18). How often do we fail to pray “lead us not into temptation” and then walk aimlessly as though Satan has taken a day off?! We aren’t conscious of our enemy or the Spirit of Christ within us.

If we are going to walk by the Holy Spirit, we need to:

Read in the Spirit because the Word of God is spiritually discerned, and if we are reading in the flesh, we don’t have the ability to understand, believe, or apply God’s Word to our lives. How much less will we be able to use it to fight against sin and temptation?
Pray in the Spirit because we often don’t know how to pray as we ought. How many times have you tried to pray and just felt as dry as a leaf in November? We need the Spirit to give life to our prayers as we seek the Lord. We need His help in humbling us as we approach the throne of grace. We need His cry of “Abba, Father” so we can remember that we indeed approach the Father as beloved children rather than hated enemies.
Obey in the Spirit because apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have no power to do good. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing, and it is through the “Spirit of Christ” abiding in us that we are able to draw from the strength of God to do good (Romans 8:9). It is through the Holy Spirit that God both wills and works in us for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

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5. Fight with the Word as your sword

If it isn’t obvious yet, Jesus’ primary weapon in his war against temptation was the sword of the Spirit—the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Each time He refuted Satan, He used the Word of God powerfully to pierce His enemy. Each deceptive attempt to lead Jesus into sin was met with living and active Word of God. It should bring us great confidence to know that we have access to the same sword used by our Savior to defeat satanic temptation! How great it is to have the heaviest artillery ever wielded against temptation!

The culmination of knowing your identity (through the Word), knowing the Word, hiding the Word in your heart, and walking by the Spirit who inspired the Word of God is found here. When you’ve believed the gospel, you can counter attacks on your faith with the truths of the gospel. When you know the Scriptures, you can use them to dismantle the corrupt arguments crafted to deceive you. By hiding the Word in your heart, you can be armed and ready at any given moment. If Satan is prowling like a lion, we better be ready to defend ourselves! If we are walking by the Spirit, He will guide us in what scriptures to hide, what prayers to pray, and give us the power to walk in obedience.

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The Serpent Is Still Crafty

1/11/2019

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Holy Watchfulness

As you begin the new year, it is wise to look back at last year to see areas of success, failure, and the need for improvement in your spiritual life. Regardless of how great your year was, you have sins that need to be repented of. There are temptations that need more diligence in guarding against.

Being watchful against sin means knowing when temptation arises and having a plan for how to fight. One way is to look closely at the cycle of temptation in order to develop a battle plan. Since temptation is a part of the fabric of life for the believer, it is wise to understand a general pattern for temptation.

5 Steps In The Path of Sin and Temptation

In Genesis 3:1-7, we see Eve faced with temptation from the "crafty" serpent who is later called "the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan" (Rev. 20:2). Taking a closer look at his tactics will reveal a lot about the process of temptation. As you read, consider how you’ve seen this progression in your own life.

1. The Word of God is twisted and contradicted. (Gen. 3:1-4)

Satan asks Eve tricky questions to trip her up and bring confusion: "Did God actually say?", "You will not surely die". Sometimes—because our flesh is weak—Satan doesn't even have to prompt such twisting. Men often twist the scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). This first layer of temptation is especially dangerous for those who are lax in their devotional lives, especially Bible reading and prayer. If we don’t have a steady diet of daily bread, we will be anemic Christians in times of temptation.

2. A convincing argument is made against God and the meaning of His Word. (Gen. 3:5)

Satan offers a convincing argument for his contradiction and paints God as keeping something from Eve. This happens so often and so subtly. For example, "Be angry and do not sin" gets turned into, "you have the right to be angry, so your response can't be sinful! Even Jesus turned over tables and beat people with whips!". See how assumptions turn into facts and allow us to justify sin?

You can also see Satan sneakily throw shade at God: “For God knows that when you eat...you will be like God.” It’s like Satan said, “See Eve! He’s keeping something from you! He doesn’t want you to be happy or live your life to the fullest! Break free from this bondage and really find out what it means to be in the image of God!” Again, craftiness at it’s best.

3. The contradiction and argument are embraced. (Gen. 3:6)

Eve thought enough about Satan's argument to change her mindset about the tree. She set her mind on the flesh (Rom. 8:6). She began to covet what she didn't need rather than appreciate the forest around her, leading her into idolatry (Col 3:5). The fruit appealed to the flesh, eyes, and pride of life (1 John 2:16).

How often are we settled in our convictions about a sin only to conjure up some strange reason for why we might not have to fight it after all. For example: "It's only lust if you look twice, right?". We hear the lie, consider the serpent’s logic, and then embrace the contradiction.

4. The sin is committed. (Gen 3:6)

Eve took of the tree and ate. She embraced the lie of Satan so much that she threw away God's command like yesterday’s trash. When we get to the point of committing sin, it may not always be as conscious and certainly not as willful, but we all still take this step and make this choice. We can never say, “the devil made me do it!”. James 1:14 is clear that when we sin, it is due to being “lured and enticed” by our “desire”. Eve demonstrated this clearly when she saw that the tree was “to be desired to make one wise” (Gen. 3:6).

Sadly, we often sin with that anxious feeling in our stomachs because we've wrestled with it, but ultimately saw fruit that seemed more glorious than God. We must fear this lest we be "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13).

5. Others are invited to partake in, or are supported in, their committing of the sin. (Gen 3:6)

Finally, Eve gave some fruit to Adam (who was with her!), and he ate. Even in our “secret” sins, we often try to convince others that it’s not such a big deal, or we partake in sins that involve others. In turn, we "give approval to those who practice them" (Rom 1:32).

Consider the sin of gossip. You’ve heard more than you should have, or you know about a situation more than others. You know you shouldn’t ask for more details or get into the nitty gritty of what you know. In that moment you could be honest and say, "You know, this is moving into gossip, I’m sorry. Please forgive me." Instead, you give the details with a perceived sense of concern or righteous anger, but you really just enjoy the conversation. Now you’ve brought others into sin with you. Replace with gluttony, along with many other sins, and you can see the same outcome.

A Beam of Hope

While some Bible readers spend much time trying to determine what the fruit was, what it meant for Eve to talk to the serpent, what the nature of her sin was, etc., it is more important to realize that we are weak and need help in the time of temptation. Jesus, our great High Priest, was "in every respect, tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). As we behold the glory of Christ, we are being transformed into His image (2 Cor 3:18). We are only able to fight temptation if we have trusted in Christ as our Savior and are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In your temptation, rely on the Spirit and look to Christ. Before your temptation, behold Christ’s glory by drinking deeply from the rich well of scripture. If you fall into sin, trust that He is interceding for His sheep and has paid for sin once-for-all for those who have placed faith in Him. Christ is the headcrusher of the serpent, and He is our very present help in time of need (Ps. 46:1).

Next time, Lord willing, we will look at fighting temptation the way that Jesus did.

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Do You Want To Keep Reading Your Bible This Year?

1/8/2019

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Life Happens

The new year is underway, and many of you have probably already started your new Bible reading plan. You’re likely working your way through Genesis and Matthew and starting to get into a groove. You’re getting up early or staying up late to read, you’re highlighting and underlining like crazy, and you’re enjoying it.

But as we all know, that dreaded Monday is soon to come. You won’t feel like getting out of bed to read. You’ll be too tired to stay up and read. Your eyes will just gloss over the page or you’ll totally lose focus while you’re listening to your favorite audio Bible.

Life happens, but the blessed man meditates on God’s Word “day and night” (Psalm 1:2). With such busy and hectic lives, we must keep reading our Bibles and seeking the Lord.

5 Tips To Help You Keep Reading

So, how do you abide in Christ (John 15:4) and walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) in the 21st century? Though not even close to an exhaustive list, here are some practical tips that can help you spend more time in God’s Word this year:

1) Acknowledge your dependence on God’s Word.

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 when He was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:4. He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” If we want to live and thrive spiritually, we need to be eating the bread of the Word on a daily basis. Confess this to God and others on a regular basis. Deut. 8:11-14 serve as a good reminder that prosperity can lead to spiritual forgetfulness and carelessness.

2) Pray daily and ask for God to give you delight in His Word.

Not only should you depend on the Word, you should enjoy it! Ask God to give you the heart of David when he said of the word: “more to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).

3) Make Bible reading a part of your daily routine.

Though it should be much more than a mere routine, reading the Bible should be something that you do every day. If you’re a list person, add it to the top of your daily to-do list. Keep a journal or document with your daily readings in it. In Deuteronomy 6:7, God called His people to talk about his Word when they sit in their house, as they walk, etc. The Word can’t go with us in all of life if we are not reading it and knowing it daily.

4) Meditate on something from your daily reading.

Whether it is a journal, text message, or simply sitting in silence, do something to process a portion of your daily reading. It is vital that we “meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2). This is a good time to ask: How does what I’m reading apply to my life?

5) Read the Bible with a spouse, your children, a friend, or an accountability partner.

One way to keep you reading the Word is to read and talk about it with others. We talk to people about what we delight in. If you have children, share your daily reading with them, too! Again, we see in Deuteronomy 6:7 to take the Word everywhere we go and to talk of them with everyone we meet.

Care For Your Soul Like You Do For Your Body

Put simply, Bible reading isn’t a thing you do to mark off your list. It is as vital to the soul as eating and drinking are to the body. Each week, we plan what we are going to eat, we make a grocery list, we shop, we cook, and we eat. Even when we don't do these things, we make sure our bodies are fed. All of this is to take care of body that is perishing (2 Corinthians 4:16). How much more diligence and care should we have for our eternal souls?

What are some practical tips that help you read your Bible day after day?

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Archives

Do You Have 30 Seconds to Spare?

Why I'm Glad I Read Leviticus Last Month

God Can Use Reading Plans

God Opened My Eyes

Keep Pressing

Do You Memorize Scripture?

By Grace, You Can Do It

Some Benefits Of Memorization

Fighting Temptation Like Jesus

1. Know Your Identity

2. Know the Meaning of the Word

3. Hide the Word in your heart

4. Walk by the Holy Spirit

5. Fight with the Word as your sword

The Serpent Is Still Crafty

Holy Watchfulness

5 Steps In The Path of Sin and Temptation

1. The Word of God is twisted and contradicted. (Gen. 3:1-4)

2. A convincing argument is made against God and the meaning of His Word. (Gen. 3:5)

3. The contradiction and argument are embraced. (Gen. 3:6)

4. The sin is committed. (Gen 3:6)

5. Others are invited to partake in, or are supported in, their committing of the sin. (Gen 3:6)

A Beam of Hope

Do You Want To Keep Reading Your Bible This Year?

Life Happens

5 Tips To Help You Keep Reading

Care For Your Soul Like You Do For Your Body

Categories

Archives

Do You Have 30 Seconds to Spare?

Why I'm Glad I Read Leviticus Last Month

​​God Can Use Reading Plans

God Opened My Eyes

Keep Pressing

Do You Memorize Scripture?

By Grace, You Can Do It

Some Benefits Of Memorization

Fighting Temptation Like Jesus

1. Know Your Identity

2. Know the Meaning of the Word

3. Hide the Word in your heart

4. Walk by the Holy Spirit

5. Fight with the Word as your sword

The Serpent Is Still Crafty

Holy Watchfulness

5 Steps In The Path of Sin and Temptation

1. The Word of God is twisted and contradicted. (Gen. 3:1-4)

2. A convincing argument is made against God and the meaning of His Word. (Gen. 3:5)

3. The contradiction and argument are embraced. (Gen. 3:6)

4. The sin is committed. (Gen 3:6)

5. Others are invited to partake in, or are supported in, their committing of the sin. (Gen 3:6)

A Beam of Hope

Do You Want To Keep Reading Your Bible This Year?

Life Happens

5 Tips To Help You Keep Reading

Care For Your Soul Like You Do For Your Body

God Can Use Reading Plans