Imagine the Bible is a sharp and deadly double-edged sword, and with it you are able to use the word of God to fight wickedness by performing miracles like Jesus did and delegated to us so we could do also.
Matthew 10:7-8 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
But remember it is highly unlikely that you'll be able to inflict a heavy blow on the enemy with your sword like Jesus did by performing miracles without first meditating on the word of God in the Bible.
Can you remember a time as a child when you dreamed of saving the princess by slaying the dragon with your mighty sword? And ladies, have you ever dreamed of being rescued by a valiant and brave knight in shiny armor from a fire breathing dragon?
Meditating on the promises of God in the Bible is like being a fully armored knight who is always training to stay prepared so he can protect the village which is always under attack by terrible fire breathing dragons.
If you meditate on the word of God, you'll already know what to do when you are tested on your faith, or in this case when your village is under attack.
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
But you won't be able to build a shield to protect the village against temptation without first meditating on the Word of God in the Bible.
According to Matthew Henry another reason the Bible is like a double-edged sword is because, "it subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary." (Eph 6:10-18).
When most of us hear the word meditate, we think about some bald headed guy sitting in the middle of a room with his legs crossed, palms in the air, eyes closed while chanting some foreign language in order to get inner peace.
We also thought that meditating had absolutely nothing to do with Christianity.
But boy was I surprised to discover that all it takes to meditate is to reflect deeply on a subject or think intently about something for a long time. Now here comes the good part.
Not only is meditating simply thinking, in which we do all the time, but by using this technique in conjunction with the promises of the Bible you can make your way prosperous by increasing your faith in God and in His Word.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The fact is, if you don't have enough faith in God's word you won't be able to please Him enough to get all of His promises, rewards and blessings.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
What better way is there to diligently seek Him than to meditate on His word?
All you have to do is start believing that you can meditate on the promises from the Bible and that it will be most beneficial to improving your life.
OK, if that's not enough to convince you; God also promised that you would have good success if you meditate on His word.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
In other words, if you want the best for you and your family, then you will meditate on the promises from the Bible. If you call yourself wanting to do God's will, have peace and joy in your life then yes you will meditate on the promises from the Bible.
For example: Lets say you decide to meditate on what Solomon found to be true threw out his years of seeking the lord when he said, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths".(Proverbs 3:6)
You meditate earnestly on that verse by concentrating and reciting it over and over in your mind and getting that promise deep in your heart by keeping it with you always and referring to it from time to time. There's more.
Now, let's say a couple months later your flesh feels weak and the enemy tries to tempt you into doing a sinful thing, something pleasurable like you use to do in the past.
Psalm 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
That's where your diligence in meditating on the word of God comes in to help you resist that temptation.
You already know that the Lord will direct your path if you acknowledge Him. So what do you do, if temptation persists?
You simply get on your knees and call God out on His promise. You say, "Lord you said in your word in proverbs 3:6 that if I acknowledge you in all my ways you will direct my paths. I believe your word and I'm acknowledging you right now and asking you to give me the strength to resist this sin that has been tempting me lately...". Get the picture?
Remember the last time you gave into temptation, how horrible you felt after you realized what a terrible mistake you've made? Well, all of those feelings can be avoided in the future if you meditate on the word of God in your Bible. And that's not all.
This same technique can be used on just about any verse in the Bible and for any situation!
Say you need courage and strength to go on after a family tragedy. Do you need a verse to meditate on? Try...
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Doesn't It sound easy? Well it is, but the hard part is preparing your mind to do the actual meditating on God's words and promises and believing that this is what God wants you to do so that He can bless you like He wants to.
Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is, "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment". (Mark 12:30).
Did you notice how Jesus said; with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength?
All four of these things are referring to the same thing, for if we could pick just one that would best describe the point Jesus was trying to make to us in today's society, we would probably pick all our heart.
Although, if you are the technical type then you might prefer to say all our mind.
But you won't be able to keep the greatest commandment of God; to love God with all your heart or mind if you don't want to meditate on the word of God in your Bible.
Which brings me back to the commandment; you will meditate by reflecting deeply and thinking intently on the promises from the Bible every where you go and keep His word with you at all times for Jesus said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God". (Matthew 4:4)
I would like for you to do good for yourselves because you are my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Now go meditate on the promises from the Bible and win good favor with God like I have done and will continue to do for the rest of my life.
David Hopkins is a "Christian Article Writer" who specializes in helping people remember to glorify God in everything that they do, so they don't miss out on any of His wonderful blessings.
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