May 2024 - "I think, therefore I am."

"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." (Albert Einstein)     "I think, therefore I am." (René Descartes)

This month we are going to challenge God to change our thought process. Everything that is thought, said, or done, begins with what we think. You are your thoughts. So if you want to change something in your life you have to change how you think. God says "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word." (Psalm 119:9) So lets break it down:

1. Taking heed to Thy Word: In order to take heed (listen and do) to something, you first have to know what it is. Therefore, you will need to know your Bible. Read it, study it, meditate on it, and memorize it. The best way to do the first three is to do the last one, so that is where I plan to focus this month. Ephesians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."  I don't know of anything that fits those qualifications better than the Bible. So choose one verse a day or maybe three a week, or if memorizing is really hard for you, just do what you can. The goal is not knowing an entire book of the Bible by the end of the month, but rather using what you know. What is your area of struggle: laziness, money, discipline, excessiveness, purity, etc.? If you struggle with it, the Bible addresses it. So work on memorizing verses that apply to your area.

2. Use it: "The mind is like the stomach. It is not how much you put into it that counts, but how much it digests." (A.J. Nock) No matter how much scripture you know, if you don't apply it, it's useless. God says in Ephesians 6:17b that the Bible is a spiritual sword: "and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God:" A sword is both an offensive and defensive weapon to be used in battle. So each time you are tempted, remember that you have a spiritual weapon. You are not defenseless. Use it. You don't memorize just so you can be the memory verse champion, anymore than the knights of old practiced with a sword just to show off. 

3. Come clean. Prepare to be amazed. I don't know about you, but I have loved seeing God come through these past four months. So throughout this next month let's do our part once again, and watch Him do His. Memorize, apply, cleanse. 

 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word." (Psalm 119:9)