Do You Know The Word?

Yes, I know.  The first question is always, do you know Jesus?  If not, now is the perfect time to get to know Him.  Tomorrow is not promised and we all have to make a choice to accept Jesus’s gift of salvation or not.  Remember, waiting is a choice not to get to know Him, even if it doesn’t feel like it.  

Today, I’m asking how much of God’s inspired written Word do you know.  Every so often, this is a question I ask myself without really thinking of the question.  What I mean is I think about how much of the Word I actually know.  The answer comes alive practically every week when I’m writing the blog.  The Word instructs us to hide God’s Word in our hearts so we won’t sin against Him.  So, how much of the Word do you know? 

I know some may be asking, why do I need to know the Word?  I have my bible on me at all times.  I know what you mean.  Before I started writing this, I checked and I have bibles everywhere.  I have bibles in my bedroom, my living room, in my car, on all my devices and yet, if I don’t have some Word hidden in my heart, I can’t pull it out when I need it the most.  When things are happening, I may not have time to find a scripture to help in that situation.  I will say the more time you spend in the Word, more of the Word will get into you.  I’m a witness to that.  I don’t know what scriptures get you through your days, but I wanted to share a few of the one that help me every day.

When I find myself getting distracted by what is going on in the world around me and things seem bleak, I go to Roman 8:28, “All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.”  This scripture reassures me that no matter what happens or what is going on the Lord is working it out for me, because I am His.  He has it all in control. 

When I’m asked to do something that scares me or I feel ill prepared to handle in my own strength, I turn to Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  I remember that I don’t have to operate in my own strength.  Christ is there to strengthen me.  I can be weak and He will be strong because His Holy Spirit lives on the inside of me.

When I get into myself and am feeling selfish, I look to Matt 22, “Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind…..And love your neighbor as yourself.”  This quickly reminds me that this life is not all about me.  If God is Lord of my life, through Jesus, my life should reflect that.  I don’t mean there should not be self-care, because there should.  We all need rest and rejuvenation.  But our wants and desires should not outweigh the needs of others.  Jesus proved that by going to the cross and if He is our example, we must take this seriously. 

When I’m confused or trying to justify my own way, I think to Prov 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing, so get wisdom and with all your getting, get understanding.” Godly wisdom comes from God Himself.  If we live our lives according to His Word, we don’t have to worry about anything else, because He has it in hand.  He will do what He says, we just have to do our part and be obedient.  It might not always be easy and we may not always like it, but if we want our lives to glorify Him, wisdom will help get us there. 

When my faith is weak or things I see make me question or doubt, I go to 2 Cor 5:7, “For we walk by faith and not by sight.”  It reminds me that I don’t know everything…God does.  He created everything that was created and He knew the ending before He created the beginning. Why wouldn’t I trust Him?  Even when we (human beings) betrayed Him and sinned, He still provided a way back for us, a plan He had before the beginning of time.  This leads me to, Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith is it impossible to please God,” and to James 2:17, “Faith without works is dead.”  We can’t please God without faith, and the faith we have in Him, leads us to do good works so that He will be glorified. 

These are just a few of the scriptures I hold close to my chest, when I need to pull something out to get me back on track.  There are many more.  I hope you have some “go to” scriptures that provide support when you need them – the ones I mentioned above have been invaluable to me.  Remember, God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than you can ask or think, but you have to trust Him and know He can.  Knowing His word reminds you of Who He is. 

Be blessed!