Welcome back to the second part about the weapons we can use to walk with God when we walk through the valleys of our life! If you missed part 1 you can find it here.
There are two more weapons I would like to talk about. In some ways they go hand in hand.
Weapon #4 Memorizing Scripture
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
God can use the power of recollection in a mighty way. Sometimes I think – what if I lost my freedom to read my Bible or all the Bibles were taken away? Would I have verses in my head that I could recall? This is an area I could improve on and make more of a priority because I would love to be able to answer that question with an emphatic yes. I do have verses that I have memorized that mean a lot to me however, I thirst for more. I am not sure if you have ever done a Beth Moore Bible Study but if you have, you know that instead of memorizing verses she actually memorizes whole entire books of the Bible. Obviously it is a priority for her. She says that when she does this it is literally life changing! We don’t all have to do that but what a wonderful example.
In my experience with memorizing scripture God brings verses back to my mind at paramount times. The times when it applies and can soothe my soul. What a gift from above. Hebrews 4:12 above says that the Word of God is sharper than and two edged sword. That means that if we are being attacked (spiritually speaking in a valley) the word is our defense. It is our strong defense! Jesus spoke the written word to Satan when the devil was trying to tempt him. It caused Satan to flee. That is power.
There are ways to make memorizing easier. Take bits and pieces at a time. Use Weapon # 5 below to help the words stick in your brain. Do it with a friend or family member. Beth Moore actually writes verses on paper and sticks them on her steering wheel, console or dash while she is driving. That way at a glance she can work on memorizing the scripture she is on. That would be better than complaining about the driver in front of you or focusing on the traffic like I tend to do. Memorizing Gods Truth is an excellent way to continue on the path WITH God even when circumstances are rough. Remember part 1, weapon number #4 Prayer? Memorizing Scripture can help us pray back God’s Word to Him. Sometimes in the scripture we have memorized and we might be praying back to God, we can add our own names in certain part to personalize it. Try it sometime. You will be amazed at how much more poignant it can become. An additional blessing in memorizing is that sometimes you will get to encourage someone else with a verse you’ve memorized. There are so many ways God can use this act of abiding.
Weapon #5 Sing Hymns or worship songs.
Psalm 146:2 While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
The last weapon can be so uplifting. It can take a mucky, muddy disposition and turn it around to smiles and lightheartedness. Music has so much emotional power over us. Since our sole purpose here on earth is to Glorify God in the way we live we can glorify him through singing and praise and in turn, I believe God gives us pleasure through worshiping Him. It’s a win win situation. He is glorified in our worship (or should be) and we are rejuvenated and refreshed.
I have always loved music of all kinds but even as a child I was drawn to worship music – specifically hymns. Growing up, hymns were always sung in church. I have never lost my love for these rich, scripture filled songs. Often times you will find scripture quoted directly in a hymn. A lot of them focus on the redeeming blood of Jesus. When thinking about the Saviors redemption for us we can certainly be lifted out of the valley and focus on the precious sacrifice done for us. Singing these can bring us back to a place of focus on the Lord. If you read the back stories on a lot of hymns you will find redemption, heart wrenching tragedies that found respite with scripture and songs of genuine exaltation of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are none like them. The purpose of singing scripture is two fold. One to Glorify our Lord and refresh our soul and two (if the song or hymn contains scripture) to help us memorize the Word. I have many favorite hymns but here are some I have written about:
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
In trying to memorize chapters or verses of the Bible, song can be a wonderful resource. We use it almost daily in our house and when putting scripture to music it becomes a lot easier to remember. I still sing songs from my childhood that I learned in church that are pure Bible verses. “This little light of mine,” “Your name is a strong and mighty tower,” “Jesus Loves Me,” are examples. We love the Seeds of Worship CD Series – Seeds of Character, Seeds of Praise, Seeds of Purpose. There are many CD’s in this series and although they are geared a bit toward children, the tunes are very catchy and help in the valleys to redirect us to the Word of God and His Glory rather than our circumstances. We also like the Hide Em’ In Your Heart CD’s. Pure scripture put to song is very influential.
My prayer for you, my family and myself is that as we go through life’s trials we will always cling to the Lord and not waver or fall astray. I pray that we can know His word and Christ through his word so well that the enemy doesn’t stand a chance. Faith in Christ and diligently walking with Him during the fiery times is the safest place to be.
I will leave you with a quote from Beth Moore in her Bible study on James called Mercy Triumphs
“If we’re willing, God is our song when we are happy (or in our valley), our escape when we are tempted, our hope when we’re despairing, our joy in tribulation, our strength in weakness, and our immortality in dying.” Beth Moore (words in parenthesis added by me)
Continue to Abide in Him friends!
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