Holding on to His Word

Holding on to the message is a key part of Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. If we are not careful, life, media, the beliefs of others and so many other things can not only get in the way but completely distract us from the bible. In this modern world when so many use social media to an extremely effective level in order to promote their life views we must learn to hold on to the truth of God’s teaching. We live in a culture where people choose to follow the things that appeal or are popular no matter how much that may change over time. In contrast, God’s message is one that is constant and consistent, it does not change nor flex to popular opinion. After all the word declares, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” Paul writes to the Galatians because they had been influenced by others and were moving away from the good news message of God’s grace. For them the influence was one that directed them to following religious rules and ordinances, salvation by works, relying on what they did instead of what God has done. Paul reminds them that God has already completed the work of salvation, there is no requirement for religious effort to gain God’s acceptance. This is the message of grace that is so central and so important to us as believers God has given us forgiveness, we must simply accept and receive it by believing. Our works, missions, activities do not earn us any greater forgiveness or favour but instead are a demonstration of our love and gratitude for what God has done. For you and I the temptation may be a very different one. Today there is a tremendous amount of pressure on Christians in the UK to compromise the teaching of God’s word in order to comply with social opinion. For others the shear busyness of daily life distracts from spending quality time reading and meditating upon scripture.

If we are serious about our faith, and committed to this gift of salvation that we find only through Christ Jesus, then we must hold on to God’s word. It is not good just getting the bible out only when we need help in a time of crisis, treating God’s word like a plaster or a bandage. We need to learn to regularly read and trust in the Bible. When we hold on to God’s word we find help, hope and comfort, we discover promise, purpose and relationship with the God of Heaven. It is difficult for us to know what we believe or what the bible teaches on any given matter if we don’t lay hold of it and study. I love talking with our older generation of committed believers because they all quote scripture, they not only know the words but they understand the promises. Through their lives they have proven God’s promises to be true and have developed a habit of holding on to them. We too can discover the same assurance as we not only lay hold but hold on to God’s word.

Thought Filter

The word of God can act as a filter for our lives, but only if we let it. In the same way a filter in an air system or a motor vehicle keeps out debris and pollutants the Bible is able to function in thoughts and lives. Just like we use sun screen or sun glasses to screen out harmful UV rays if we apply scripture it will help to block out toxic thoughts and feelings. How does it work you might ask? It works on the principle of replacement and refocusing. We replace the thoughts that feed our negative emotions by reading and spending time thinking about God’s words to us. As we focus upon what God says about us, His plans, purposes, calling and view of us we change our perspective, we refocus. Over time as we develop these healthy, Godly, habits we find our thoughts turn more to the leading of the Holy Spirit and less to the desire of our flesh. We don’t often acknowledge that negative thoughts and emotions are just as much a part of our flesh as other forms of desire and temptation. However as we get into God’s word we begin to see that both toxic thoughts and unhealthy desires lead us into captivity and bondage. We are born in sin and are by nature children deserving of God’s wrath, Christ has paid that penalty so we might live in God’s forgiveness but we still need to deal with the old sinful nature every day. As Paul the Apostle puts it, if we don’t keep our old man under control (put to death the old nature) we become slaves to our carnal nature. When we allow the word to filter our thoughts it will also impact our emotions and desire so that we long for Godly things. Again Paul compares it to living this new life born of the Spirit of God. So God’s word helps us to filter out the things that would cause us harm.

Another way God’s word does this is by awareness, if I do not know that something is harmful I am far less likely to deal with it. The word of God reveals to us those things that we might refer to as sin (disobedience to God). So either I adjust my life, my thoughts my choices, to no longer continue in sin or I reject the word and carry on sinning. If I reject the word it has still highlighted the wrong but now it shows it up all the more. If I accept the word and reject the sin then the word is now filters this old habit or behaviour from our lives as we do not want to continue in it. The more I allow the word to permeate my thoughts and feelings the greater the affect should be. As I work with the Holy Spirit He reveals more of God’s truth, brings increased conviction and guides me in eternal ways. In this way the word of God acts as a filter to keep the debris and toxic elements of this fallen word out of my thought life. The more time we spend reading and contemplating God’s word the greater it’s impact and benefit upon our lives.

Soaking in the Word

If we not only read but allow the word of God (the Bible) to soak into our thinking then it takes on a far deeper and beneficial aspect in our lives. What do I mean? It is one thing to read and remember the words of the Bible, it is something far deeper to allow those words to shape our thinking, our feelings and by extension our actions. A good way to put it is that we allow the word of God to permeate our being. It all comes down to the importance we place upon the Bible. If we see the Bible as God’s word to us then naturally if we love God we will want to know everything we can about that word. If in our view it is simply a religious writing then it will hold less importance to us. We might say that a man who likes water will drink a glass from time to time or wash his hands and face, but the man who loves water will dive in to bathe and swim as often as he is able. We can be like that when it comes to reading God’s the Bible, so it really does depend upon the value we place on God’s written word. If we are not great readers then at first it may seem like a challenge to read, understand and absorb what God is saying to us. If we are easily distracted by so many other things in life then making the quality time to take in the Bible will require discipline. However the effort is well worth it, the reward for delving deeper into scripture is life changing. Hearing from God and allowing his word to impact our hearts and minds causes us to grow, not only spiritually but also in character. Those who allow God’s word into their hearts will find that it changes how we fell and think about many things. The word encourages us to see everything from God’s perspective and live accordingly. I find that as I allow God’s word to reach deeper into my thoughts and feelings that I have more confidence, more assurance, in Him. I find rest for my soul, peace for my heart and counsel for my decisions. When I apply what I learn and begin to value the benefit that this brings a transformation starts to take place in my life. Like the Apostle Paul said, be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The more I spend time not just reading but contemplating the word of God it is not only my intellect or my heart strings that are affected but my spirit finds refreshing also. As we allow God’s word to work into our hearts and minds it influences the inner (spiritual) man as well. This is what we mean when we speak about allowing God’s words to soak in. There is more sustenance, uplifting and encouragement in God’s word than we might realise. After all this ‘living word’ brings life and faith to the one who reads and accepts it’s message. Hearing and doing has a lot to do with being, as we allow God’s word to soak in we become more like that word, or we certainly ought to. So find a moment of rest, read and meditate upon His word, it will do you good.