We now know that God has a plan for your life. We can attain His plan by:
A. Read the word of God daily.
The word of God is your spiritual food. You wouldn’t starve your
body of its required sustenance, so neither should you deprive your
soul of its nourishment. Reading the word sustains us and can bring
the following:
1) Healing
Ps. 107:20 “He sent His word and healed them, and
delivered them from their destructions.”
2) Faith
Rom. 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.”
3) Strength, stability, joy
Ps. 119:162 “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.”
4) Peace
Phil. 4:7, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus.”
God’s word brings even more blessings than are mentioned in this
list.
In the Old Testament, in the book of Joshua, the Lord tells us,
Josh. 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your
mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may
observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you
will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good
success.
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom….”
Jesus says, in John 8:31b and 32 “…if you abide in My word,
you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and
the truth shall make you free.”
As you read the word daily, you will have a deeper relationship with
the Lord. He will speak to you as you abide in His word. The more
of the word you get into your heart, the faster you will grow in your
Christian walk, (the word “walk” is used to express the character of a
person) and in the knowledge of God.
Know the word, know the Lord. Know the word, know His will!
(There is more in-depth information about the Bible in the first course, "Basic Discipleship", Topic One.)
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B. Develop a life of prayer.
Prayer is communication with God. In your Christian walk, prayer is
probably the most difficult challenge you will encounter. In order to
overcome this challenge, the first thing you will have to do is find a
comfortable spot, either in your house or outside, in which you will
not be disturbed or distracted.
Mark 6:46 “And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.”
The second challenge is ridding your mind of any thoughts that will draw your
attention away from God,
2 Cor. 10:5 “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of
Christ…”
One way to begin concentration on the Lord is to sing
praises to Him; another way is to read the word first, that gets your
mind fixed on God.
The best way to concentrate on communication with the Lord is to
get up early, before anyone else rises. If you are an early riser, this
is easy. If it is hard for you to get up in the morning it is quite
difficult.
Matt 26:41 “Watch and pray, lest you enter into
temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
But all things are possible with God.
Matt. 19:26 “….With men this
is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Phil. 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
If you feel that it is hard for you to pray, or if you have a hard time
starting, or maybe you don’t feel you have the proper words to say,
just ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray, and He will! After
all, He is our Teacher and our Helper.
After you have praised Him and thanked Him for His many blessings,
then you can bring your requests before Him. On the top of your list
of requests, always ask God to enhance your spiritual growth. You
will find that God really does answer prayer.
1 John 5:14-15 “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that
He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we have asked of Him.”
You should always be in an attitude of prayer, that is, always being aware of His presence.
1 Thes. 5:17 “pray without ceasing.”
The main reason for prayer is to have an intimate relationship with
God. His heart’s desire is for Him to be our heart’s desire. For
additional information on prayer, see Topic five of "Basic Discipleship".
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C. (1) Meditation
Just what is meditation? Webster’s Dictionary says: to engage in
contemplation or reflection; to focus one’s thoughts on; reflect on or
ponder over. When you take time out to meditate on the Lord, the
following are some examples of topics that you can focus on:
His goodness
Psalm 31:19 “Oh, how great is Your
goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You,
which You have prepared for those who trust in You…”
His mercy
All of Psalm 136 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for
He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
His awesome power
Habakkuk 3:3,4 “….His glory covered
the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His
brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His
hand, and there His power was hidden.”
His love
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him
should not perish but have everlasting life.”
In the book of Joshua it speaks of meditation on God’s word. At that
time, there were only the five Books of the Law; now we have 66 books
from which to choose.
Josh. 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not
depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,
that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.
For then, you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.”
1. How often should you read the Bible?
a) Daily b) Weekly c) Monthly d) By-weekly
2. Which Scripture says there is healing in the Word?
a) Ps. 119:11 b) Ps. 107:20 c) Ps. 119:162 d) Ps. 110:17
3. If you abide in the Word….
a) Jesus will speak to you through it b) You will be His disciple c) You will know the truth d) All of the above
4. Which Scripture says “…the truth shall make you free?”
a) Matt. 5:15 b) Matt. 8:22 c) John 8:32 d) John 10:10
5. In the text, the word “walk” is used to express:
a) Strolling b) A brisk trot c) Meandering d) Character
6. As a Christian, what is the hardest thing you will have to do?
a) Pray b) Go to church c) Attend Sunday School d) Worship
7. According to the text, the best way to concentrate in prayer is to:
a) Get up early b) Sing praises c) Read the Word d) Dance before the Lord
8. Meditation is:
a) Reflection b) Focus c) Contemplation d) All of the above
9. Complete this scripture: Mark 6:46 “And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to ________.”
a) rest b) meditate c) get away d) pray
10. Which Scripture tells of the awesome power of God?
a) Deut. 10:9 b) Hab. 3:3,4 c) Num. 14:6 d) Ex. 3:33
"I was able to use these courses as part of my daily devotions. Thanks for making them so easy to use."
airmoni
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