Constant meditation on scripture feeds faith and strengthens prayer.
In Psalm 1, the psalmist praises the person whose "delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night".
Solomon indicates why this is important in Proverbs 4:23: "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."
When he speaks of our hearts, Solomon is thinking of our minds as well as our emotions. The way we think, as Paul says in Romans 12:2, can change our lives.
Feeding upon the word of God is vital in influencing our thought lives.
I know that my spiritual life suffers when I focus on my injured feelings or critical thoughts or sinful desires.
It suffers, too, when I sink into doubt and disbelief. The more I contemplate my problems and forget my God, the less likely I am to see the problems solved.
I read recently some encouraging thoughts on this by Dave Roberson in his book The Walk of the Spirit: The Walk of Power.
Roberson has made a practice of reading books of the Bible repeatedly until he assimilates them into his very being.
He does not take verses out of context but tries to understand how they fit together and what the basic message is. He ruminates on what he is reading and relies on the Holy Spirit to give him guidance as to the meaning while he is resting or sleeping.
The result of this constant reading and contemplation is a greater understanding of what God wants us to do and a stronger faith.
Neil Anderson gave an example of this in his book Victory over the Darkness where he talks about helping people to see themselves as God sees them.
Anderson, a Christian counsellor and psychologist, found many of the people who came to him had a very negative view of themselves and of God. So he developed a list of Bible passages which describe who we are in Jesus Christ - everything from "I am God's child" to "I am a citizen of heaven".
People who regularly read and meditated on these Bible passages began to change their thinking about themselves and their problems.
Of course, Jesus gave the best example of all. He used scripture to defeat Satan's attempts to tempt him in the desert right after his ministry began.
As we meditate regularly, we come to know God as he is and what he has done. We are better prepared for the trials of life.
In Psalm 1, the psalmist praises the person whose "delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night".
Solomon indicates why this is important in Proverbs 4:23: "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."
When he speaks of our hearts, Solomon is thinking of our minds as well as our emotions. The way we think, as Paul says in Romans 12:2, can change our lives.
Feeding upon the word of God is vital in influencing our thought lives.
I know that my spiritual life suffers when I focus on my injured feelings or critical thoughts or sinful desires.
It suffers, too, when I sink into doubt and disbelief. The more I contemplate my problems and forget my God, the less likely I am to see the problems solved.
I read recently some encouraging thoughts on this by Dave Roberson in his book The Walk of the Spirit: The Walk of Power.
Roberson has made a practice of reading books of the Bible repeatedly until he assimilates them into his very being.
He does not take verses out of context but tries to understand how they fit together and what the basic message is. He ruminates on what he is reading and relies on the Holy Spirit to give him guidance as to the meaning while he is resting or sleeping.
The result of this constant reading and contemplation is a greater understanding of what God wants us to do and a stronger faith.
Neil Anderson gave an example of this in his book Victory over the Darkness where he talks about helping people to see themselves as God sees them.
Anderson, a Christian counsellor and psychologist, found many of the people who came to him had a very negative view of themselves and of God. So he developed a list of Bible passages which describe who we are in Jesus Christ - everything from "I am God's child" to "I am a citizen of heaven".
People who regularly read and meditated on these Bible passages began to change their thinking about themselves and their problems.
Of course, Jesus gave the best example of all. He used scripture to defeat Satan's attempts to tempt him in the desert right after his ministry began.
As we meditate regularly, we come to know God as he is and what he has done. We are better prepared for the trials of life.
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