GETTING TO KNOW GOD:  WALKING WITH JESUS DAY BY DAY

TEXT:  "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." - James 4:7-8

The past several weeks have been sad & tragic days for our nation.  The uproar over the Confederate flag and controversial Supreme Court decisions has been the main topic of discussion on social media.  I think it is wise for Christians to step back for a moment and reflect upon our calling.  This world is not our home.  We are citizens of a better country.  I fear that the politics of our time can easily distract us from worshiping Christ, as He deserves.  I also fear that Christians have become much more bold and vocal about politics than they ever did about Jesus.  Perhaps God is trying to get the attention of the American church.  Certainly we need to stand for the truth and refuse to compromise with the world.  However, our focus should be on knowing God & making Him known.  In the book of Acts, the Christians did not work to transform the government.  Instead, the early church sought to spread the Gospel.  It would be wonderful if the 21st century church would do the same.

I have dedicated the first six months of my weekly blog to the subject of knowing God.  As we close this theme, I want us to consider a practical side of knowing God.  We know Him better as we walk with Him on a day-by-day basis.

In his short epistle, James gives us practical advise for our Christian journey.  Note four things that we should do day-by-day:

1.         STAY YIELDED

The Bible says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God."  Every day, we face the need to surrender anew and afresh to God.  Every morning, we need to yield our will to His.  Each day, we need to die to self so that Christ may work in and through us.  Like the Apostle Paul, we need to "die daily."  We need to be filled with the Spirit every day.  Surrendering to God during a revival meeting may be good, but you need to surrender to God again the next day ... and the next ... and the next.

2.        RESIST FIERCELY

Secondly, we need to resist the devil.  You will never be able to resist the devil successfully unless you are, first of all, yielded to God.  We need God's power within us to help us resist the devil.  The truth is, surrendered believers CAN resist the devil.  Furthermore, when believers resist the devil, he DOES flee. 

3.         GET CLOSER

Third, James instructs believers to "draw nigh to God..."  Have you ever heard a believer say, "I want to get close to God"?  Leonard Ravenhill was right when he said that we are as close to God as we want to be.  Most believers expect God to draw Himself close to them first --- then they'll draw close to Him.  Notice in our text, that God requires us to draw close first, THEN He will draw near to us.  Why is that?  God wants us to desire Him enough to take a step of faith and seek Him. Do you desire the Lord to the extent that you are seeking Him daily?

4.         REMAIN CLEAN

Finally, James advises us to get clean and stay that way.  James wrote, "Cleanse your hands ... purify your hearts..."  You make the effort to be physically clean before going to work or school every day, don't you?  Well, make sure you get spiritually clean and stay clean daily.  Every day, we need a spiritual bath.  Daily, we need to experience God's cleansing.  Such cleansing is available as we take responsibility for our actions, confess our faults and turn from our sins.  The Bible refers to this as repentance.  Repentance is an on-going activity in the life of a believer.  As we get closer to God, the more our sins are exposed to His glorious light.  Thus, we repent more as we get closer to Him.  Repentance is a vital part of our spiritual growth.

We know God better as we walk with Him day-by-day.  Are you walking close to Him right now?

GETTING TO KNOW GOD:  KEEPING A JOURNAL

TEXT:  "And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." - Habakkuk 2:2

I want to begin by honestly stating that keeping a journal has not been a strong area of my life.  However, recently I have come to realize how important a journal really is.  A properly kept journal can help a believer in his spiritual growth.

Let me clarify something.  A diary and a journal are not the same thing.  A diary is a regular record of events.  A journal, on the other hand, usually focuses on feelings, observations and lessons learned.  A diary is often impersonal but a journal very personal & gives a person the opportunity to record spiritual insights.  Without a journal, many experiences will be forgotten, lessons will be lost and insight will simply drift away.

There are many people who feel uncomfortable about keeping a journal.  That is fine.  Many aren't writers and feel out of place when they must write about personal matters. 

For my own sake, I can see the need to keep a record of special events and lessons learned.  I keep Bible study lessons, sermon content and quotes that I love.  I do this for my benefit.

Let me share a few things about keeping a spiritual journal:

1.              JOURNALING IS NOT FOR EVERYONE

As I mentioned before, this spiritual discipline is beneficial for only certain people.  Nevertheless, there may be certain elements of journaling that you may like to implement.

2.            JOURNALING SHOULD NOT BECOME STALE

Journaling for the sake of journaling is not fruitful.  You should journal when the timing is right.  Just filling out a page is not the goal of journaling.  Don't get legalistic with journaling.

3.            JOURNALING SHOULD INCLUDE GOOD CONTENT

I know that some keep notes as the pastor preaches.  Perhaps they hear a quote, an applicable lesson or a timely word for their need.  There is nothing wrong with this.  Others keep Bible study notes from the classes they attend.  That is great, too.  Most of the content of a journal will come through personal Bible reading and the events of life.  Many people use a spiritual journal to write out prayers to God.  Technically, there is no right or wrong way to keep a spiritual journal.  You shouldn't keep a journal because "everyone else is doing it."  You should keep a journal if you feel comfortable doing so, you feel that it will benefit you spiritually, and you have the means to keep such a journal.

4.         TAKE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR JOURNAL

Occasionally, take time to read from past journal entries.  Depending on how often you write in your journal, you may choose to review your journal once a week, once a month or a few times a year.  It takes time to read through a journal, so give yourself plenty of time to do this.  Reading old journal entries may help you to remember things you may have forgotten.  Reading old journal entries can refresh your spirit!

Practically speaking, a journal may take many forms.  You may use a journal notebook that is sold at most stores (such as Dollar General).  Like me, you may prefer to record your thoughts on a computer word processor (such as Word).  Then again, you may choose to use a three-ring composition notebook.  Regardless of the type of journal you use, be true to yourself as you write in it.

If you're not sure if you should keep a journal or not, give it a try for a few weeks.  It may be just the beginning of something wonderful that will help you greatly as you get to know God better.

GETTING TO KNOW GOD:  FASTING

TEXT:  "But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days." - Luke 5:35

I have a confession to make.  I love food.  Eating is one of my favorite hobbies.  I enjoy sinking my teeth into a juicy steak.  I love homemade fried chicken!  There are so many kinds of food that I love.  I won't go so far as to say that eating is an obsession with me, but it isn't too far away.

With all that I've just written about food and eating, it may seem rather ironic that I am writing about fasting.  Let me clearly define fasting.  Fasting is the deliberate choice to abstain from food.  Let me cut to the chase:  spiritual fasting is not easy!  I have found it to be much easier to experience a medical fast than a spiritual fast.  Although a medical fast may be mandatory prior to a surgical procedure, a spiritual fast is an important activity for the soul. 

In our text, Jesus said that there would come a time when His followers would fast.  The Bible doesn't instruct us how often we should fast.  However, there are times when fasting is needed!  Let me give you five reasons to fast:

1.  FAST TO GET CLOSE TO GOD

One of the best reasons to fast is to get close to God.  For six months, I've been writing about getting to know God.  Fasting helps us to know Him in a greater way.  When we deliberately deprive ourselves of food so that we may get to know Him better, our thoughts are more sensitive to Him.  When we feast upon God's Word rather than feast upon food, we find ourselves receiving spiritual nourishment. 

2.  FAST WHEN YOU FACE PROBLEMS

Fasting helps you get closer to God and make yourself available for His direction.  Regardless of the nature of your problems, fasting helps you get more focused in your prayers.  Problems have a way of distracting us from the Father.  We need to focus on the solution instead of the difficulty.  Fasting helps us to pray more effectively about our problems.

3.  FAST WHEN YOU NEED GUIDANCE

When you face a great decision, it may be a good time to fast and pray.  Do not underestimate what God may do in your life as you fast.  Fasting is not a way to manipulate God.  Instead, fasting is a way for you to be aware of the Lord's will.

4.  FAST WHEN YOU NEED TO REPENT

Times of repentance may include long periods of fasting and prayer.  This was certainly the case during Jonah's day (see Jonah 3).  The Lord had mercy on the wicked city of Nineveh when they fasted and repented.  One of the great needs of our time is for Christians to repent.  Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior.  It is impossible to Biblically repent without humility.  Fasting helps us to humble ourselves.

5.  FAST WHEN YOU NEED A SPIRITUAL BREAKTHROUGH

I make this a separate issue than item #2 because spiritual warfare is an ongoing reality in the life of a believer.  Often, we need a spiritual breakthrough.  There are great spiritual battles that we face.  Yet we cannot fight these battles through natural means (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  Fasting may weaken the body, but it is in this weakened state that we often experience God's power (2 Corinthians 12:10) and experience a great spiritual breakthrough!  

A Jewish day runs from sundown to sundown.  If you intend to fast for one day, I suggest you use the Jewish example and fast from evening to evening.  It may be that fasting one meal may be ideal for some.  Even though there is not a Biblical example of this, you may fast from something other than food.  For instance, you may fast from television or the internet. 

Let me give you a couple of parting ideas.  First, use the time of fasting to read the Bible, pray and reflect.  If possible, keep a notebook handy so you may write down lessons you learn while fasting.  Secondly, there are some who will need medical advise before fasting from food.  There are some who may not be medically able to fast.  Third, keep your attitude and motives pure.  Jesus taught us not to fast "to be seen of men," (Matthew 6:16-18).  Finally, if you've never fasted before, start small.  If you've never fasted before, I don't recommend that you start with a 40 day fast.  Instead, begin with a short fast. 

Fasting is a wonderful experience that helps us know the Father better.  In His Word, He invites us to, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8).

GETTING TO KNOW GOD:  MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE

TEXT:  "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." - Psalm 119:11

I'm amazed at all the useless facts I can recall.  Without using any references, I can recall ballgame scores from decades ago.  I can recall specific details of events that occurred a long time ago.  I can recall certain phone numbers without looking in the phone book.  There are also important facts I can recite.  I can recite my social security number, my birth date, the year I graduated from high school, and other details.  Although I don't have the best memory in the world, I am still grateful to have a workable memory.

You may be surprised how much information you can recall.  It could be that you could recite details of conversations, statistics, names or phone numbers.  It is true that some people have better memory recollection than others.  The real issue is this:  what are you storing in your memory bank?

Personally, I think that the Word of God is best thing we can store in memory.  The Psalmist gives us a great reason to memorize Scripture:  "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."  That's a great motive to memorize Scripture, wouldn't you agree?

The subject of Scripture memorization turns many people off.  Although most Christians will agree that memorizing Scripture is good, most are not actively involved in this wonderful spiritual discipline.  In fact, when the subject of Scripture memorization is mentioned, almost immediately some people decide the subject is not relevant to them. 

Why do many Christians feel that Scripture memorization is just not for them?  I believe there are two reasons why people are not involved in Scripture memorization.  First, most well meaning believers state that their memory is terrible and memorization is a waste of time.  Here's the real issue.  They blame their memory when the real problem is that they focus too much on the product and too little on the process.  Obviously, the product (a memorized verse or passage) is a wonderful thing.  However, the real blessing lies in the process.  The regular process of memorization and review gives you an opportunity to internalize God's Word.  This deliberate process allows you to meditate and spiritually digest the Scripture.  Instead of focusing on the result, focus on the process.

Here's the second reason why Christians feel that Scripture memorization is not relevant to them:  the process of memorizing Scripture requires T-I-M-E.  Most believers feel that they don't have time to memorize and recite Scripture.  It does require time to memorize and review Scripture, but it is time well spent.  Anything worthwhile in life requires an investment of time. 

I believe that the process of Scripture memorization helps us to know God better and draw closer to Him.  Here are just a few short tips to encourage you as you memorize Scripture.

1.  START NOW

The earlier you start on this process, the better.  Young people tend to memorize and retain Scripture better than adults.  There's a lesson to learn from this. Regardless of your age, do not delay any longer.  Get started with the process of Scripture memorization today. 

2. USE INDEX CARDS

Often I use 3 x 5 inch index cards to help me memorize Scripture.  Personally, I get an affordable pack of 100 cards at the local Dollar General Store.  I write out the verse(s) on one side of the card and put the Scripture reference on the other side.  I find it is easy to carry an index card in my shirt pocket wherever I go.  I can't tell you the number of times I've had to sit and wait at the doctor's office.  I learned a while back to take memory cards with me when I go to the doctor.  Those waiting moments are wonderful times of memorization and review.

3.  USE A SIMPLE PROCESS

I was listening to an audio book last year, written by John Piper.  In one chapter, Piper mentioned how he memorized large portions of Scripture.  Although I had memorized verses (and chapters) before, his process turned out to be a great improvement over my old method.  Here's a brief version of the method he shared:

Day 1:  Read the verse slowly ten times.  Then recite the verse ten times.  If necessary, look at the verse on your memory card if you have problems remembering it.

Day 2:  Review the verse from yesterday.  Read the verse slowly ten times. Then recite the verse ten times. If necessary, look at the verse on your memory card if you have problems remembering it.  Continue this process daily until the verse is firmly planted in your memory.

4.  WHEN POSSIBLE, RECITE THE VERSE ALOUD

I have found that I can recite a verse silently much better than I can recite it aloud.  However, if I can't recite the verse aloud, I really don't have the verse firmly established in my memory bank.

5.  HAVE SOMEONE HELP YOU

A friend can help you with the process.  Give them the memory card.  Recite the verse aloud and let them verify your work.  If your friend is an unbeliever, it will expose him to God's Word & show him that you are committed to the Bible.  If your friend is a believer, helping with your memorization may encourage him in his faith and may even inspire him to memorize Scripture, too.

6.  REVIEW, REVIEW

The key to long-term memory retention is found in regular review of the Scripture.  The longer you retain a verse (or passage) the less you need to review it.  Still, it is important to review even the older verses from time to time.

7.  DON'T QUIT

The enemy wants you to give up on Scripture memorization.  He knows that long-term exposure to God's Word will help you think right thoughts, based on the truth.  At the same time, he knows the Scriptures will root out wrong thinking. No wonder the devil tries to keep Christians from memorizing Scripture!

As I mentioned earlier, memorizing verses, passages and chapters of the Word will help you to know God better, draw closer to Him and strengthen you spiritually.  Pick out a verse or two, put them individually on index cards and section off time daily to memorize and review.

Get started today!