Did you know that we all come into this world as creations of God yet we are controlled by the Devil? One of the behaviors that we have and develop is to be liars. It was Jesus who said that the Devil is a liar and the father of liars. So it is that when we repent of our sins, receive forgiveness and start living for Christ we have to overcome the lies that we have lived with. The way He has given us to that with is His Word. As we listen to and read the Word of God His Holy Spirit is able to replace those lies and make us be conformed to the likeness of Christ. The more we fill our lives with the Word of god the more we will become like Christ. It is His Word that shapes our lives to do His will for our lives.

God’s Word is Alive. His Words are spirit and life. There is no other book that can make such a claim. It is when God speaks that things change. What brought about creation? “God spoke and it was so.” (Genesis 1) If it were not for the Word of God you would not be alive today. Think with me what the Bible does for us: It causes life, produces faith, makes change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles, makes well the hurting, constructs character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy, triumphs over adversary, crushes temptation, infuses hope, releases power, purifies our minds, assures a future. Without the Word there would be no life. We cannot take a moment for granted. Job 23:12 “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” With no nourishment from God’s Word the purpose of our lives cannot be fulfilled. The words used to tell us what the Word of God is are referred to as Milk, Bread, Solid Food, and fire, Hammer, A light, a lamp and a double edged sword. The Bible cannot be placed on a shelf to be used for a decoration and help us in life. If you desire to be like Christ, God’s Word must become a priority in your life style. Let me suggest three ways in which to have this done:

1. I must accept the Bible’s Authority. The Bible must be my standard of influence. My compass in directing my life’s transactions. It becomes my advice for all the choices I make. It need be the standard for assessing everything that has to do with my life. It is to be the first and last word in all of my life. For many base their decisions by four ways:

--The culture (everybody is doing it.),
--Traditions ((that is the way it has always been done),
--Rationale (what seems most reasonable),
--Emotions (How I feel at the moment).

Not that these are wrong in many areas of what we need to do but they have been distorted by the fall in the garden. We need something that will be a perfect standard. It is the Bible that says in Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure.” and in 2nd Timothy. 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

It was early in the life of Billy Graham when he was preaching that he made the decision to trust in the Bible as the authority for his life. We need to ask first in all our decisions, “What does the Bible say?” When we discover what the Word says we must act on it whether it makes sense to us or if we feel like it.

2. I need to assimilate its truth. I must fill my mind with the Word of God so that the Holy Spirit may transform my life. There are five ways in which I must follow if this is to be done.

* I must accept God’s Word. To have an open and receptive heart when I hear it or read it. It is easy for one to come with a clogged mind, shallow mind, preoccupied mind and miss what God is wanting to speak to us about. If we are not learning from the message we need to recheck our attitude. It is when we come with a humble and approachable mind that God is able to speak to us.

* I must take time to comprehend God’s Word. Many of the years of the Christian Church it was the duty of the priest to bring the truth of God’s Word to the people. So the truth was diluted through man’s mind. Today we have access to the Bible and too many helps. Right now there is no law against reading it. So why do we find those who are believers spending more time in reading the newspaper or listening to news than in the Word of God? We become pretty poor spiritually if we spend three hours watching TV and three minutes in reading the Bible. If you would only spend 15 minutes a day in reading the Bible you would have it completely read through in one year. If you would turn off the TV for a thirty minute program and read your Bible you could have it read through twice in one year. It is as we spend time reading God’s Word that we always find ourselves within the range of God’s voice. What is your plan for Bible reading?

* I must examine the God’s Word. It is of great value as you read the Bible to write down your insights. You will get more out of it if you ask questions such as Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Many find keeping a journal of new truths helps with growth spiritually.

* I need to learn by heart God’s Word. Memory is a gift that God gives to each of us. We are able to remember that which is important to us. We remember telephone numbers, addresses, towns, names, ages, cars we drive, and songs we sing to name a few. We have the ability to remember. Your memory is like a muscle and the more you use it the stronger it gets. To learn Bible verses brings great benefits to our life, such as, make wise decisions, resist temptation, reduce stress, builds confidence, get the best advice and share your faith. There are many times during the day we can exercise our memory muscle. Waiting in lines, eating, during commercial breaks and when you are getting ready for bed are a few times. Write the scripture on a 3 X 5 card and carry it with you so you can pull it out to exercise your memory muscle as you have time. There are three keys to memorizing REVIEW, REVIEW AND REVIEW. Col. 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;”

* I need to reflect on God’s Word. This could be summed up in the word...meditation. This is what I call focused thinking. If you know how to worry you know how to meditate. When you worry your mind dwell over and over on that which is negative. When you meditate you simple make your mind dwell over and over on the positive Word of God. Our focused thinking on the negative now becomes focused thinking on the positive. This habit is the best in transforming our lives to that of Christ likeness. I would also add that meditation is a key to answered prayer and successful living.

3. I must apply the principals in the Bible to my daily living. That means to put the words into practice. As James puts it “Be ye doers of the Word.” The Devil does not care if you read the Word of God and if you know the Word of God as long as it does not become an influence on your way of living. Jesus said that if we put His words in practice we will have a blessed life. The problem I find here in my life and maybe it is in your life also is, I do not like to change. The Word of God is pure and it is able to expose our motives, point out our faults, rebuke our sins and expect us to change. Most of us like to resist change. So the application of God’s word is sometimes painful and just plain hurts the way I want to live. If we are to follow Christ we must be doers of the Word. I want to suggest how to become a doer of the Word. Read the Word. Write down an action step to help you follow through what needs to be done. Write it our as a personal doing. Make it practical that it is something you can do. Make it provable and set a deadline for when you want to have it done. Included in this is one of three goals: to improve my relationship with God, to improve my relationship with others, to improve my personal character.

Let us close with a question you might write down, “What has God already told you in His word that you have not yet done? Will you start doing it today? The Bible was not given to us to increase our knowledge but to change our lives to become more like Christ.

Dennis Selfridge
Harlowton Wesleyan Church
Harlowton, MT 59036