HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOOK :
*Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Sanctification requires revelation.
*The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us like the Son of God. To become like Jesus, we must fill our lives with his Word. The Bible says, “Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”
*God’s Word is unlike any other word. It is alive. Jesus said, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
"When God speaks, things change. Everything around you — all of creation — exists because “God said it.” He spoke it all into existence. Without God’s Word you would not even be alive. James points out, “God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made.”
*God’s Word generates life, creates faith, produces change, frightens the Devil, causes miracles, heals hurts, builds character, transforms circumstances, imparts joy, overcomes adversity, defeats temptation, infuses hope, releases power, cleanses our minds, brings things into being, and guarantees our future forever!
*To be a healthy disciple of Jesus, feeding on God’s Word must be your first priority. Jesus called it “abiding.” He said, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” In day-to-day living, abiding in God’s Word includes three activities.
*I must accept its authority. The Bible must become the authoritative standard for my life: the compass I rely on for direction, the counsel I listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark I use for evaluating everything. The Bible must always have the first and last word in my life.
*The most important decision you can make today is to settle this issue of what will be the ultimate authority for your life.
*I must assimilate its truth. It is not enough just to believe the Bible; I must fill my mind with it so that the Holy Spirit can transform me with the truth. There are five ways to do this: You can receive it, read it, research it, remember it, and reflect on it.
First, you receive God’s Word when you listen and accept it with an open, receptive attitude.
*Jesus identified three unreceptive attitudes — a closed mind (hard soil), a superficial mind (shallow soil), and a distracted mind (soil with weeds) — and then he said, “Consider carefully how you listen.”
*Anytime you feel you are not learning anything from a sermon or a Bible teacher, you should check your attitude, especially for pride, because God can speak through even the most boring teacher when you are humble and receptive. James advises, “In a humble (gentle, modest) spirit, receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted in your hearts contains the power to save your souls.”
Second, for most of the 2,000-year history of the church, only priests got to personally read the Bible, but now billions of us have access to it.
*Bible involves two additional activities: asking questions of the text and writing down your insights. You haven’t really studied the Bible unless you’ve written your thoughts down on paper or computer.
Third, researching, or studying, the Bible is another practical way to abide in the Word.
*The difference between reading and studying the Bible involves two additional activities: asking questions of the text and writing down your insights. You haven’t really studied the Bible unless you’ve written your thoughts down on paper or computer.
Fourth way to abide in God’s Word is by remembering it.
*Your capacity to remember is a God-given gift. You may think you have a poor memory, but the truth is, you have millions of ideas, truths, facts, and figures memorized. You remember what is important to you. If God’s Word is important, you will take the time to remember it.
*There are enormous benefits to memorizing Bible verses. It will help you resist temptation, make wise decisions, reduce stress, build confidence, offer good advice, and share your faith with others.
*The three keys to memorizing Scripture are review, review, and review! The Bible says, “Remember what Christ taught and let his words enrich your lives and make you wise.”
Fifth way to abide in God’s Word is to reflect on it, which the Bible calls “meditation.”
*For many, the idea of meditating conjures up images of putting your mind in neutral and letting it wander. This is the exact opposite of biblical meditation. Meditation is focused thinking. It takes serious effort. You select a verse and reflect on it over and over in your mind.
*As I mentioned in chapter 11, if you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate. Worry is focused thinking on something negative. Meditation is doing the same thing, only focusing on God’s Word instead of your problem.
*No other habit can do more to transform your life and make you more like Jesus than daily reflection on Scripture.
*If you look up all the times God speaks about meditation in the Bible, you will be amazed at the benefits he has promised to those who take the time to reflect on his Word throughout the day. One of the reasons God called David “a man after my own heart”21 is that David loved to reflect on God’s Word. He said, “How I love your teachings! I think about them all day long.”22 Serious reflection on God’s truth is a key to answered prayer and the secret to successful living.
*I must apply its principles. Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word are all useless if we fail to put them into practice. We must become “doers of the word.”
*This is the hardest step of all, because Satan fights it so intensely. He doesn’t mind you going to Bible studies as long as you don’t do anything with what you learn.
*We fool ourselves when we assume that just because we have heard or read or studied a truth, we have internalized it. Actually, you can be so busy going to the next class or seminar or Bible conference that you have no time to implement what you’ve learned. You forget it on the way to your next study. Without implementation, all our Bible studies are worthless.
*Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”25 Jesus also pointed out that God’s blessing comes from obeying the truth, not just knowing it. He said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
*Before reading the next chapter, spend some time thinking about this question: What has God already told you to do in his Word that you haven’t started doing yet? Then write down a few action statements that will help you act on what you know. You might tell a friend who can hold you accountable.
* As D. L. Moody said, “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
POINT TO PONDER: The truth transforms me.
VERSE TO REMEMBER: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” JOHN 8:31–32 (KJV)
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: What has God already told me in his Word that I haven’t started doing yet?
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