Hi, y'all! Popping onto the blog today to share with you a book I recently read and reviewed. Here we go... In Bloom written by Kayla Aimee encourages the reader to trade their insecurities for God's confidence that cannot waver based on what people think or say about you. First, let me just say that Kayla's writing style is unique to anything I've really read before. She's witty, funny, and sarcastic in a way that makes you laugh alongside every story she shares. She's relatable and does share many encouraging thoughts throughout her funny stories and tales of motherhood and growing up. I personally enjoyed her stories of her little girl the best. Although funny, sometimes her bunny trails of sarcasm could leave me confused simply because I didn't understand some of the people or culture she was referring to. I got the basic gist of what she was saying though so I still enjoyed it. Heads up, there was a reference to Harry Potter two or three times (basically just a quote and then a brief mention of it), which I was not a fan of. I understand that lots of Christians watch Harry Potter (and if you are one of them, please do not think I am judging you in any way at all), but I personally don't agree with it and because of that I wished those parts had been left out of the book. I really wouldn't recommend this book for younger teenagers/kids, simply because of some of the mature things she talked about. However, if you're struggling with insecurity and looking for someone to encourage you in God-confidence, this book really was great overall. I applaud Kayla for sharing her unique voice in her writing and being herself, regardless of how she may be received by her readers. That's unique, as I've said before, and something this world greatly lacks. If you're interested in checking out the book, view it on Amazon below. :) *I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.* "The entirety of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever." Psalm 119:160 Have you ever watched a commercial or seen an ad about a certain product or business and became convinced that it was everything they claimed it to be? Maybe you saw a commercial for a new restaurant opening up in your town and the cheeseburgers looked AMAZING on your TV screen (Let's also be honest here and say, what cheeseburger doesn't look amazing?). Your stomach starts to growl, and so excitedly you head to the restaurant and order the cheeseburger. But when it comes to your table it looks and tastes nothing like you had expected. The advertising had deceived you. Or maybe you saw a magazine in the checkout line that shouted it had all the answers to give you the most flawless complexion you've ever seen. But it definitely did not hold up its end of that bargain. It's easy to look around and see that we live in a world of fake news, deceptions, and lies. Sometimes it can get just a little bit frustrating looking around at all of this and trying to find the truth in a world that disguises falsehood as truth so easily. So tonight I want to encourage you to remember that... The Word of God is truth in a world of lies. God's Word is our anchor of truth when we need direction. The truth that lights our way when we need to know what to do. The world may tell us how to find "true" love or what to do to be accepted by everyone. But God's Word tells us what is really, truly Love and His Name is Jesus. God's Word tells us how to discern truth from lies. His Word instructs us in wisdom when we lack it. Perhaps you are feeling suffocated tonight by the lies you have believed. Maybe lies about God. Lies about yourself. Or lies about your future. Maybe the enemy has whispered lies in your ear like, "God doesn't really care about me," or "I don't have a purpose," or "I can't handle everything weighing on me tonight." These lies can feel so real. Just like that cheeseburger in the commercial looked so real. But they're just a deception. Because the Word of God tells you the truth, that God doesn't just care for you, but He adores you and loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you (John 3:16). You don't just have a purpose, you have a purpose planned by the God of the universe (Jeremiah 29:11). You can handle every weight on your shoulders tonight by placing it on His shoulders, because you can do all things through HIS strength (Philippians 4:13). Rest in the truth of God's Word. You'll never find something more reliable. And when the lies of the world threaten to take you down? Stand on His truth. He won't let you fall. Thank you so much for studying Psalm 119 with me! What was your favorite part of this study? What was something that stood out to you in these Scriptures today? I'm sorry this post didn't get up last night, y'all. I had it scheduled but didn't actually write it because of a headache. So here it is today :) I've talked so much about Scripture memorization this past month, that I wanted to take some time today just to share some verses with you that I think everyone should have hidden in their hearts! Ready? Let's go... "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13 "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7 "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:7-11 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." Ephesians 6:10-18 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-25 "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39 "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." 1 John 3:1 "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you." Isaiah 43:1-2 "Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word." Psalm 119:11-16 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen." Matthew 28:19-20 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 'I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.'" John 15:4-5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 How many of these do you have memorized already or plan to memorize this month? What are some verses you think everyone should memorize? Share in the comments! "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path...The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." Psalm 119:105, 130 Have you ever been afraid of the dark? I remember growing up I would never go into a dark room by myself. Even now I am not a fan of dark places. I much prefer rooms with the lights on or walking outside when the sun is shining. We appreciate the light because in the light we can see. We can see what's around us, we can see where we're going, and we can even see dangers that we might not have seen in the dark when it's sometimes hard to see anything at all. Light is necessary to life. And this week I wanted to talk about how... The Word of God is a light for us. God's Words are light in our spiritual darkness. Here are just a few ways that the Word of God lights our path: 1) By showing us our sin. The Bible shows us our sin and our need for a Savior. Before Christ we were living in a spiritual darkness. Before the knowledge that we needed Him we could not see, we were blinded in the darkness. God's Word is like the light switch that flips on and reveals all of our dirty stains and then illuminates the gift of Jesus on the cross. 2) By helping us understand how He wants us to live. After we accept Jesus into our hearts, how are we supposed to live? What message should our lives be giving to others that shows we are different from the world? God's Word is the light that illuminates the path of godliness we should be walking. 3) By re-kindling our desire for Jesus. Have you ever felt like Bible study was simply a chore or like Jesus was far away? By staying consistent in the Word of God, it becomes a light that points you back to your love story with Jesus and re-kindles that desire to spend time with Him. When we stay in God's Word we don't have to feel like we're walking in spiritual darkness. Through the pages of our Bible we find light for our path and words that give light and understanding to our hearts. Cling to Him. Do you remember a time in your life where the Word of God felt like a lamp shining and giving you wisdom or direction? What did you learn from these verses? Share your thoughts in the comments below! I have talked a lot recently about how important Scripture memorization is and why you should memorize. I've even talked about what a lot of us miss when memorizing. But the big question I'm sure you are all wondering is this: How do I memorize? What are some methods that work for effective Scripture memorization? If these questions are tugging on your mind, do not fear! You have come to the right place. Today I am going to share with you 4 methods that I have used for effective Scripture memorization. And, let's dive in... 1. Rote memorization. Honestly, this is how I memorize best. I used this method for just about every passage I memorized for Bible Bee. This worked best for me and that's why I stuck to it. Now I understand that rote memorization isn't everyone's cup of tea and if it's not for you I totally get that. However, it is proven to be effective and if you're having a hard time with other memorization methods, at least give this one a try. Basically take the first phrase and repeat it over and over until it's memorized, continually adding more of the passage to it. Repeat this until you have the whole verse/passage memorized. And don't forget to begin and end with the Scripture reference! (A learned Bible Bee skill that I think is helpful so that if you are ever asked where a certain verse is located, you can help point people in the right direction ;)) 2. Dramatize your verses. I have used this before and generally this is super helpful for me because I'm a naturally dramatic person (ask anyone). I love to sing and as I believe I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I would memorize verses growing up to the tune of certain songs. Take the verse you're memorizing and sing it to the tune of your current favorite worship song/hymn. Because I have a creative arts ministry where I perform songs in sign language, signing is a big deal to me. During Bible Bee, I learned some of my verses in sign language, which helped me remember the words even better. If you have siblings, act out a certain chapter or story in the Bible. Be creative and have fun with it. 3. Draw pictures to go along with your verses. Let's be clear here. Drama and music I am good at. Drawing and art? Nope. Not. One. Bit. However, one year in Bible Bee we had several verses from the Gospel of John. And the problem was that they all seemed to start the same way or similar. My usual methods for memorizing were not working to help me keep these verses word perfect. To switch things up a bit, I wrote out the verses on index cards and drew pictures to go along with them on the back. Using colored pencils and everything. Totally out of my comfort zone. Anyway, it worked. The pictures helped me distinguish which passage went with which reference. If you're artsy, this could be a method that works best for you. And if your stick figures could use a little bit of help, don't let that discourage you. My stick figures won't be displayed in an art museum anytime soon either. 4. Use an online program. Ever heard of Memverse? I first joined Memverse in 2013 for Bible Bee. (www.memverse.com) Memverse allows you to type in the verse you're memorizing with the whole verse in front of you and slowly they'll drop words out until you're typing the whole verse from memory. It's super fun and easy and really helpful for memorizing. ScriptureTyper (www.scripturetyper.com) is very similar. I didn't use it as much as Memverse but both are good resources. So there you have it. 4 methods I have used and have seen their effectiveness in my memorization. And just a quick bonus memorization tip: don't do it alone. Have friends memorize with you. Quiz each other on passages, discuss the meaning and context, check in to see how memorization is coming along, encourage and support each other. Gather your team and get to memorizing. Hide God's Word in your hearts. It'll be so worth it. I promise. I lay awake in bed, tossing and turning, yet again. Attempting to find a position, where my legs would stop spasming and my back would stop screaming out in pain. My eyes were wet with tears from the shooting sensation coming from my nerves. My pillow soaked sweat and tears as I moaned the only utterance possible, "Please God." Those two words held more weight and meaning than many other prayers I had ever prayed. It was a groan and asking for relief, for rest, for comfort. This has been my reality for many years. Sleepless nights, wondering if God is near. Asking for comfort. Nonetheless, even in those moments of weakness, the Lord has taught me many things on His character within my weakness. Even when I am too weak to pray, He is interceding for me. "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Rom 8:26 (NKJV) In our weakness, He is proven strong "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor. 12: 9-10 (NKJV) You don't have to be the strong one. Christ is the one with the strength. You can be weak. I personally struggle with allowing myself to be weak, rest, and ask for help. I often have the mentality of, "fake it till you make it." However, this thought is not healthy and goes against the way that Christ has created us. Would we all learn to lean on Christ for our strength? There is a purpose behind our pain "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. " (2 Cor 1:3-4, emphasis added) Reader, I know that you might be walking through a difficult season. Your health may be failing you. Your marriage may be down in the dumps. Maybe you hit rock bottom. However, Christ is in the pain with you. He is carrying you. Eliza Downer, a teacher by day and writer by night, can often be found enjoying creation or sipping a cup of coffee. She currently resides in Colorado with her parents and 11 siblings. To read more of her writing, visit her website here: Window Into My World. Yep, I know it's not a typical day I post here. And honestly this isn't really your normal post anyway. This is simply my overflow of praise for my Hero, Jesus. You see, last night I had a book signing. I met several people and had a wonderful time introducing my books and talking passionately about why I write what I do. At one point, after sharing several of the projects I have worked on over the years in writing and where God has me now, someone I was talking to made the comment that I had gotten a young start and looked to be very successful already. The first phrase out of my mouth was, "To God be the glory. I feel very honored to have been given this gift with which I can glorify Christ and inspire other young ladies to glorify Him as well. If I have glorified Him at all, that is my greatest joy." And oh, y'all. I meant that with all of my heart. I post on here so regularly and write so frequently, that sometimes I just feel this need to pause and bow. To step out of the light and let Him shine. Because here's the thing: No success that I have is without Jesus Christ. And any success that I have is pointless if He is not glorified. I tell you this, because I want you to get this and understand this. You may or may not be called "successful" according to the world someday. Maybe you'll be cast into the world's spotlight and hear your name on TV. Or maybe you'll wonder if anyone really knows who you are. I don't care what your "success" is according to the world. I don't care what mine is. The epitome of success is when the spotlight is off of you and it is shining so brightly on Jesus. The epitome of success is lifting Him higher. Will you lift Him up with me? It is not my desire for you to read what I write and remember my name. Please, if you read anything I write and someday years from now you look back and remember the words, I want you to remember His Name. I want you to remember Jesus Christ. And if I have had any honor in leading you closer to Him and making Him famous, I consider it a success. With that being said I wanted to share a song with you (that I claim no rights to at all) that has brought me to my knees as I pray that I would lift Him higher every day. To God be the glory. And finally, it is my desire to serve you in whatever way I can. My schedule is all sorts of crazy at the moment, so if I am slow in responses to emails or comments, please forgive me. However, if there is any way that I can support you in your writing journey or your faith journey, please do not hesitate to reach out. If you think that one of my books would encourage you or is something that you need right now to get you back on your faith track, but you don't have the money to pay for one, please email me. I'd love to send you free digital copies of any book or resource I have created that may point you to Him. With love, Bella "Remember the word to your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life." Psalm 119:49-50 Comfort. The word itself is almost soothing. When going through a rough time, we all long for comfort. When experiencing loss or tragedy, we ache to be comforted. Perhaps, like me, you've been blessed with incredible friends who are quick to comfort you when you are sad, or cheer you up when you are feeling down. But if we're honest, we need more than that. We all crave a comfort that only God can give to us. And that's why this week I want to remind you that... The Word of God is a comfort to our hearts. I can remember specific moments in my life where I was hurting so deeply that nothing anyone said could comfort me. But when I opened the pages of Scripture and read promise after promise from my King, my heart was eased with a comfort that I couldn't even explain. A lot of times when we're sad or hurting, we try to fill that pain or void with other things. We try to avoid the problem or we try to numb the pain. The problem is that we're only adding to the hurt. Nothing else can bring us comfort like Jesus and His words to us in the Bible. The Bible is your direct communication from God and allows you to hear His voice at all times. When you're sad, run to His Scriptures. When you're hurting, go back to the verses that have reminded you of His faithfulness time and time again. Sometimes when I am facing impossible circumstances that have me weighed down, I enjoy reading Exodus and seeing all the miracles that God performed for His people to rescue them because He loved them and had chosen them. This reminds me of His faithfulness to His people in the past, and how He is so faithful to me now today as well. It comforts me. Psalm 119 itself is a huge comfort, reminding us of the matchless treasure of God's Word that we have available to us at all times. We have access to the Bible anywhere, anytime. What a comfort that is! Remember that He comforts. His Word comforts. Run to Him. How have you seen God's comfort in your life? Do you have a favorite verse from this passage in Psalm 119? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join the discussion! "Wait, what was I supposed to do again?" I am pretty much famous for making this comment. I'm one of the most easily distracted people you will probably ever meet (squirrel...just kidding), and if someone tells me to do something while I am in the middle of something else I will say, "Yes, I heard you," but five minutes later I'll repeat the above question. Because hearing and understanding are two completely different things. It's easy for me to hear a command and confirm that I heard it. It's not so easy for me to hear that command and understand it so that I remember it an hour later and it becomes useful information to me. Because it's easy to collect information in our heads and not comprehend it in our hearts. And sometimes I think that we make this mistake in our Scripture memorization. This is our missing link to effectively hiding God's Word in our hearts. You can memorize more Scripture than you ever thought possible but memorizing words and knowing what they mean are two totally different things. When I was doing Bible Bee, I had the challenge of memorizing hundreds of verses in a very short amount of time. If I was not careful, I missed this most important step of memorization: Meditating on what I was learning and understanding it. For if you are only going to stuff words into your mind and not comprehend what they mean to you, then there is no point in doing it. The point of memorizing Scripture is to understand, comprehend, and allow the words to transform your life. Here are just a few of my suggestions for comprehending the passages of God's Word that you memorize: 1. Study context. This is something else that we can miss in memorization. When I was in Bible Bee, I made a point to study as much of the context of the passages that I was memorizing as possible. If you're memorizing one verse, read the chapter (s) surrounding that verse until you have a better understanding of what that verse means. I love studying historical context as well, because this gives you an idea of why the words were written and what life was like when they were written. Totally helps bring the verse or verses to a whole new level of understanding. 2. Apply the passage to your life. A fun way that I would do this is by writing a two-three paragraph article on how the passage I've memorized can change my life. For example, if I'm memorizing Ephesians 4:32, I may write a few paragraphs on forgiveness and someone in my life that I could forgive. Whatever works best for you, whether it's writing it down or maybe discussing it with a friend, apply the words you are studying to your own life. 3. Have an accountability partner. The story of how God blessed me with one of my greatest blessings: He gave her to me as my accountability partner for the 2015 National Bible Bee. Every day we would ask each other the same things: "How many verses did you memorize today?" and "What did you learn today?" Having someone to discuss God's Word with is invaluable. Gather your squad. Find a friend to dive into God's Word with you. Memorize together and always remind each other to live out what you're studying. 4. Think about the passage throughout the day. Allow that passage you've memorized to affect your entire day. For example: You've memorized Ephesians 4:32. Later on in the day, a friend makes some hurtful comments. After confronting them, they apologize (or maybe they don't) and you have the choice to forgive them or not. Think again about Ephesians 4:32 and remember to apply it to your life by forgiving your friend. Keep the verses you are memorizing at the front of your mind. Don't let your memory verses stay in your heart. Let them change your life. Live them out. "How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes . With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word." Psalm 119:9-16 Have you ever felt like reading the Bible was dry? You know, those times when you pick it up and you read part of Leviticus and you're wondering how it even relates to you. Or you read a few chapters and nothing feels...alive...to you. It feels dry, as if you're desiring to hear from God but you don't really feel connected in His Word. A few years ago I led a memory challenge to memorize all of Psalm 119 in a predetermined amount of time. In the process of leading this challenge and memorizing these words, something came alive to me. Something that I think a lot of us miss. Have you ever felt like reading your Bible was just another chore to check off your list? Like, wash the dishes, check. Clean the closet, check. Read my Bible, check. Pray, check. And it just blends in with all the other responsibilities piling up on your plate that you're not even sure you'll get it done for the day. I work in an environment where I'm surrounded by Bibles daily. I write Christian non-fiction and for my Bible study posts I have a Bible in my hand almost all the time. And the truth is that with the Bible so easily available to me....sometimes I take it for granted. It hurts to admit that, but I'd also venture to say that you have done the same. You see, Psalm 119 isn't just a beautiful psalm in the Bible. It isn't just words that we are to put in our hearts or read through every now and then. It isn't just something to marvel at. Psalm 119 paints a glorious picture of the Word of God. Every verse includes a reference to God's Word. Every verse reminds us and re-awakens us to the realization that the Bible--the very breath and Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)--is a gift to be treasured, and not a task to be completed. My hope through this study is to awaken your heart to the treasure found in God's Word and awaken your desire to know Him more through His Word. The Bible is a love letter. A love letter for you! What could be more beautiful than that. I've broken down Psalm 119 in four sections and each week I will draw out one aspect of the Word. Something that I want to remind you of. This week I want to remind you that... The Word of God is a gift to delight in. If you read Psalm 119:1-48 (and really throughout the whole psalm), you can't help but take notice of how many times the Psalmist makes mention of the Word of God being his delight, and rejoicing in those words. I wish I could include it all here, but since I can't, I hope you will take the time to read it for yourself. My favorites however from the whole psalm are right here in verses 14-16: "I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word." Wow. The writer is saying that he rejoices more in God's words than in any riches that the world could offer him. He would rather have God's Word than gold or silver or the latest fashions or the biggest house. What dedication. He then says that he delights in the words of God and will not forget them. They bring him so much joy. Here's the thing: the Word of God is a gift from the One who created you. It's a gift meant to bring joy, conviction, teaching, encouragement, and salvation. When did we stop treating it like such? When we're sad, when did we stop going to God's Word to bring us joy and comfort in His presence? When we're fighting temptation, when did we stop going to the Bible to encourage us to stand strong and fight? When we've sinned, when did we stop going to the Bible to convict us and bring us to repentance? The Bible should be our go-to for all of these things. But what about those times when reading your Bible does feel a little bit like reading in a desert? What about the times when you really don't feel like delighting in His Word? Well, here are my suggestions for those times: Don't base your obedience off of your feelings. If you desire to obey Christ and spend time in His Word, meditating on it, delighting in it, and studying it to know Him, you can't always base that obedience off your feelings. Feelings change so fast. Girls especially know this to be true. Whether or not you feel like studying God's Word or spending time with Him in it, you should do it anyway. This is where your true delight will come from. You will learn to truly, unconditionally delight in His words, regardless of what your feelings tell you. Write a love letter to Jesus, remembering how He redeemed you. A great way to ignite your desire for God's Word again and delight in Him is to remember. Remember your love story with your King and remember what He has done for you, all the ways He has been faithful and loved you. So write it all out. Tell Him. Tell someone else. Remember. Memorize your favorite parts. We all have parts of the Bible that we go to in times of sadness or in times when we need encouragement. We all have our "favorite" verses that bring such comfort to our lives. When you're lacking delight in God's Word, go in and memorize your favorite parts. This will encourage you to keep on loving all of the Word and not just the parts you especially like. Pray. The devil's greatest plan is to keep you out of the Word of God. If he can do that, he can tempt you, deceive you, and break you. Don't let him win. Pray for a desire for the Word of God. Pray for God to help you delight in His words. Fight this battle on your knees. When you're given a gift on your birthday, you don't put it aside and come back to it later or treat it like just another chore you have to accomplish. No, a gift is something you delight in and are excited for. So is His Word. What a gift. What a delight. Thank You, God, for Your Word. What are your thoughts on delighting in God's Word? Do you remember a specific time when the Word of God came alive to you and you treasured the words you read? What is one of your most favorite passages of Scripture? Share in the comments! <3 Hi friends! I am SO excited to begin a new series on my blog this month. I'll be running a new series on Mondays and a new one on Thursdays but both of them go together! On Mondays we will be diving into a series on memorizing God's Word. We'll be talking today about why it's important and how it changes our lives. And over the whole month of April I'll be sharing more about the power of God's Word and hiding it in your heart. On Thursdays we will be doing a Bible study on the treasure of God's Word from Psalm 119. I'm breaking this incredible chapter of God's Word into 4 weeks and each week I will draw out different characteristics of God's Word and how it blesses us. I can't wait to dig into this chapter with you. So if you're ready and excited like me, let's get started! <3 I have grown up memorizing Scripture. I remember sitting at our kitchen table as a little girl memorizing Psalm 119:11 while my mom sang it to the tune of "Jesus Loves Me." When I was eleven and twelve I joined the AWANA program at church. AWANA was focused on studying and memorizing Scripture and I would enthusiastically memorize each passage every week. But when I was fourteen I experienced Scripture memorization in a whole new way. As many of you know, I had signed up that year for the 2011 National Bible Bee. On June 3rd I received my study materials--including Scripture cards for 500 memory verses that I had to memorize before testing in August. I remember I chose one of the passages from Genesis to be the first passage that I memorized for Bible Bee. Five years later I would memorize a passage from Revelation 22 as the last one I memorized for Bible Bee. But in between those five years I memorized over 6,000 Scriptures and hid them in my heart, including several whole books of the Bible. First of all, this article is not a pitch for Bible Bee. (That'll come at a later date, you can't escape it completely.) I did not write this article to explain to you how Bible Bee changed my life, and I did not write this article to explain why I think you should sign up this year. I wrote this article to share with you how memorizing Scripture changed my life. And how I believe it can change yours too. Although I grew up memorizing Scripture, I never really thought about how much I could memorize until I began Bible Bee. I didn't think that I could store hundreds of verses in my heart in just a few short weeks. Some of my favorite memories from my years in Bible Bee are the moments when I would sit in my special study spot and recite through all of my passages--a task that could take up to two hours at a time. As I continued to hide verse after verse in my heart, something began to change. I didn't just read my Bible every now and then. I was actually hiding the Bible in my heart and the more I recited each verse the more the verses became alive to me. When I would be afraid of something or feel fear creeping up, my thoughts would go to the verse in my heart, Psalm 56:3-4, "When I am afraid I will trust in You." When my anxiety would start to stress me out, I would be reminded of Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything." When I became very sick in August 2015 and was taken to the hospital, my heart kept whispering Psalm 18:32, "It is God who arms me with strength." When I would wonder if giving up certain things in my life to walk closer to Jesus was worth it, I would tell myself Philippians 3:8, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." When I was faced with a strong temptation to do something I knew I shouldn't do, Matthew 26:41 would tug on my conscience, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation." When I would struggle with forgiving someone in my heart, I would be challenged by Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." These verses weren't just words that I read every now and then in my Bible, but didn't know well enough to recall when I needed them. They were verses in my heart that were changing everything about my life because they were there when I needed them. Memorizing Scripture changed my life because memorizing Scripture made the Word of God come alive to me. Memorizing Scripture changed my life because memorizing Scripture gave me wisdom, encouragement, and comfort when I needed it most. And it can do the same for you. Psalm 119 is one of my favorite passages in the whole Bible because it is all about the wonderful, matchless Word of God. Psalm 119:11 tells us that "I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You." When you have God's Word in your heart, you have the power to fight against the attacks of the devil. You have the power to fight fear, temptation, hurt, sorrow, and any other dart the devil aims your way. I can't count the number of times I have heard people say to me, "That's great you've memorized so much Scripture! I just don't have that kind of memory though. It's not really my thing." At the cost of saying something unpopular that you may not want to hear...those are lies and they do not speak truth. Here's the thing: Scripture is the very Word of God. And the very Word of God will one hundred percent change your life. But if you are not daily in the Word of God and if you do not have the Word of God with you in the moments you need it most, you will not experience that power. If God has given us the command and the encouragement to hide His Word in our hearts, I guarantee you that you can do it. I may not like praying for my enemies and I may not feel like I can do it. But God has commanded me to do so in His Word, so I must pray for them. You may not feel like memorizing Scripture, but you can do it in His power just as in His power I can pray for my enemies. First of all, let me be clear. I'm not telling you to go memorize 500 verses in three months. I'm telling you to set a memorizing goal that works for you. Maybe that's one verse a week. Maybe it's one verse a day. I don't need to know your memorizing schedule. I just want to encourage you to memorize. You won't always have your Bible with you when you need it. Maybe someday you'll be somewhere you aren't even allowed to have a Bible. But if it's in your heart, no one and nothing can take it away from you. So, yes, memorizing Scripture changed my life, because that's what the Word of God does. Memorizing Scripture will change your life too. I promise. Why do you believe it is so important to memorize Scripture? What Scripture verses have you been memorizing lately? Do you recall a time when a verse you had memorized came back to you at just the moment you needed it? Share your thoughts in the comments! This day. This moment. This is the greatest hope of all our lives. The greatest gift and the greatest victory. The victory over death. This is the pinnacle of our faith. Christ arose. What a glorious hope. What a beautiful love. How can we not rejoice? Oh praise You, Lord Jesus, for You conquered death and rose again! There is no greater reason to celebrate. Happy Resurrection Sunday, friends. He is risen. "But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.'" Matthew 28:5-6 |
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