[Weekly Scripture] Psalm 51:1–2 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

What evidences are there in your life that demonstrate the importance of God’s Word?
How often do you delight and meditate on His Word?

Pray that you hunger and thirst for God’s Word and His righteousness.

Even as I sit at my desk at the church and have been reading God’s word and praying about what it is that God would have me to write on this topic of “Thought Life” I find myself distracted, thoughts racing through my head. Has this ever happened to you?

Meditating on 2 Corinthians 10:5 it seems apparent that the Apostle Paul knows about this since taking anything “captive” is not an easy task. It is a struggle. It seems like when I am reading God’s word is the time that my mind can become distracted the most and so I have to do battle.

God’s word is absolutely essential to our walk. It pleases God when we spend time with him in prayer, worship Him corporately with other believers and dedicate time to reading His word. It is His love letter to us giving us both instruction for our minds and our souls. You have to know it in order to know Him well and to obey what He says to do. You have to be actively reading it in order to progress in the sanctification process, becoming more like Jesus. Our love for Christ should compel our hearts AND our minds to want to know God’s word more thoroughly. It should be your primary means of reference as it relates to our decisions and conduct and it cannot be if we do not know it.

Consider what is at stake. We cannot love Him like we should if we don’t know His word. We cannot obey Him like we should if we do not know His word. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” and we are not prepared to defend against his schemes if we are not daily spending time in God’s word and applying it to our lives. Jesus, when he was tempted by Satan fought back with what? God’s word! Would we ever consider going to war without a weapon? Absolutely not! We are in a spiritual battle every second of every day and if you are not filling yourself with God’s word on a daily basis then I want to challenge you to begin that today. The reward is sweeter than we could ever imagine and the consequences of not are far worse than any of us want to pay.

This 21 day journey is for you to have meaningful encounters with God.  We have so many distractions in life.  Fasting is a way to remove some of those distractions and focus on God.  When fasting is mentioned, most of us think about removing food from our lives.  That is the traditional response.  For those who have busy lives and find it hard to focus on God, skipping a meal or two on certain days, for a season, can provide believers with a special time to connect with God.

There are many things in life that distract Americans.  Most spend an average of 4 hours a day watching TV.  Some fill their free time with hobbies.  Think of a hobby  (golf, video/computer games, shopping, technology, TV, music, reading, etc) that consumes some of your free time.  These are other things to consider to fast from for this 21 day period.  Remember, we are seeking to prepare ourselves for the Holy Holiday of Easter.  The goal is to come close to Christ.  What better way to come closer to Christ than by removing a distraction from our life and spending that time reading His word and praying?

The Easter season is perhaps the most spiritually sensitive season of the
entire year for both believers and non-believers. For believers in Christ, we
have a natural excitement that builds throughout this season as we
anticipate the death and resurrection of Christ. It is a reminder that He will
come again and that time is short.

For non-believers, they watch the people of God prepare and celebrate.
God uses what they see in each of us to prompt them to reconsider their
own rebellion from Him. Itʼs through that prompting that God softens their
hearts to realize the gift He gives in Christ through the cross.
Unfortunately, it takes more than just seeing Godʼs people prepare and
celebrate Easter for them to know the King we are celebrating.

We have to be intentional.

Everyday, you interact with people at home, at work, in the store, and at ball
fields. Each of these people may or may not know who Christ is and what
He has done for them. God has placed you in your neighborhood, in your
workplace, or on that team for His purpose – that more people might know
Him. He has put you there to introduce them to Him. Everyday you have
conversations with each of these people about a wide range of topics. Why
donʼt you take the opportunity to make one of those conversations about
Easter or what church they attend or what they think about a God who loves
them?

As you were reading above about these “people”, I am sure that God
brought to your mind several specific people. Donʼt think that was a
coincidence! You already know that God has a purpose for you knowing
those people.

During this journey, will you commit to pray each day for each of the people
that God prompted you with? Will you commit to seek out opportunities to
have spiritual conversations with them? Will you commit to asking them to
worship with you and your family on Easter?

Each day start out by reading the weekly verse.  Ask yourself the following questions: 1) What does this scripture mean to you? 2) How does this text apply to your life today? 3) What does God promise in this text?  After you ask yourself those questions, clear your mind, and quietly think through your answers to the text.  Be still and listen for what God might have to say.

Next, read the scriptures for the day and think through the questions provided.  Take time to meditate and listen to what God would say to you about these verses.  Does this scripture bring light to any sin in your life?  If so, ask God for forgiveness and for the commitment to do what is right.  You may want to journal some of your thoughts to help clarify what God is showing you.

Finally, spend some time praying for friends or family who do not know Christ and for those in your life who do know Him but choose not to worship Him.  Pray for God to show you ways you can share the Gospel with them and for the courage to be able to invite them to attend church with you.