How I Began Learning to Take God at His Word.

'Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.' Proverbs 18:9

Putting this site and blog together has been an interesting exercise. I knew I wanted to talk about how I've been learning to take God's Word more seriously, but I really wasn't sure how to start. I'd done a rough draft, but it was far too formal. Then the Holy Spirit showed me that my old habits of indecision and procrastination were threatening to get in my way again. So that's where I'll start.

I was a lifelong procrastinator. I didn't know that about myself of course, but there was always something 'in my way' before I could do my part. If I wanted to bake something, for example, I'd sigh with frustration as I entered the kitchen to see the dishes hadn't been done and deal with the argument with the children about whose turn it was. Then I would have a reason to go read more of my book, or take a turn on the computer. But I wasn't moving forward and I wasn't living in peace. I had been a Christian for around ten years, had a good foundation in reading the Bible, but I was 'slack in my work' of putting it into practice.

ACTION POINT: Do you feel like you're stuck, like your walk with God is the same as it's been for months, even years? Ask God if there is anything - a habit, a wrong thought pattern or belief - that is blocking you from a deeper relationship with Him and His Word. He will use a Scripture you've read a hundred times that catches your attention, or a song, a talk. It could be that some word keeps coming up in conversation. Remember that 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.' (Romans 8:1) So when He shows you, He will be your helper not your accuser. He wants you to overcome even more than you want to.

'For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.' James 1:23-24

There was one thing we had great faith for: to homeschool our children. We both felt strongly that this was our ministry. I was also proud of how well I knew the Bible, being able to find a Scripture reference when my husband would ask, 'where does it say...' for a conversation he was having with a customer. But though it was in my head, it wasn't reaching my heart. When our finances got really tight, and we started getting the phone calls and letters about overdue bills, I was gripped by fear and guilt of what a bad witness for God I was as well as the fear of what we could lose. I didn't know how to apply the Scriptures and His promises to my life.

ACTION POINT:  This is a point we all face in our lives. We can have great faith in some aspects, but in others we just don't get it. As God begins to lead you away from whatever the blockage is, and shows you what to replace it with, it's often the case that the enemy or your old nature will test you on that very thing. Remember that God's Word promises He will never test or tempt us, but instead, He will show you the 'escape route'. He knew what you would have to face, and He went ahead of you to prepare the way. 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.' (Proverbs 3:5)

'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.' John 10:27

And yet even I had enough belief and faith to recognize when God was moving us on. We found out that an old friend of my husband's was dying. We got a flight and accommodation sorted quickly and Jeff was able to spend about a week with his friend. We'd call each other in the evenings so he could say goodnight to me and the children. One call I said, 'has it made you want to move back down there?' His answer: 'Funny you should say that.' It took us three years, finishing the renovations on the house, getting it on the market and sold but we knew this was God moving us. Though it wasn’t God’s will for Jeff's friend to get sick and pass away, He brought good from us learning about it.

ACTION POINT: Sometimes what seems to be a disaster or even just a nuisance interruption of your normal routine can be what God will use to get you unstuck. In the metaphor of the scripture above, the sheep hear the shepherd's voice and just follow. They don't know where they are being led, they don't know how long it will take to get there. But because they have a relationship with him, they have learned to trust that he will always provide for them and protect them. You can see the same concept where Jesus told us we need to have faith like a child. There are many times in our walk with Christ that we won't know much more than the next step. We trust in our history with Him rather than what our senses, our situation or those around us are telling us. One of my teachers says, 'God directs your steps, not your standing still'. So, begin to move. Thank Him that He has always been faithful and trust that He never changes. It may not be a total relocation like we had, it could just be a small thing. 'The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.' (Proverbs16:9)

'Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.' James 1:2-4

Steadfastness means to be firmly committed, not letting the trials push you off course.

We've faced trials of various kinds in the ten years since that move. But in the last five years especially, I can now see that God has been there, teaching me to grow through the trials instead of just getting through them. Every one of them marks major turning points for me and my walk with Christ. And now, when those trials come, though I can sometimes feel the tug of my emotions or old reactions, I am more equipped to deny the feelings and face the trial with thanksgiving and the power of God's Word. When I get it right, I'm amazed at the peace He gives me in place of the turmoil of my past.

ACTION POINT:  Even when you are in a struggle, facing a trial or temptation, there are parts of your life that you just know that you know that God is working in you and through you. Our natural reaction may be to rant (I know it was mine!), to whine and complain at the injustice, the pain, but even in this, His Word gives us the proper and peaceful response. Especially when we don't feel like it, we can choose to: 'Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.' (Philippians 4:4)

'If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.' James 1:5

I remember asking the Lord about learning to pray better and study the Word better. He's been so faithful to that every day. When I was 'slack in my work', I had every excuse under the sun, choosing to be a martyr to my own frustrations and fears. I was stuck. But God didn't let me stay there. Though my flesh was weak, He heard my heart and answered. He gently led me into His wisdom, teaching me about my misunderstandings and wrong beliefs and gradually replacing them with truth. Like so many great teachers I've learned from have said, 'if He's done it for me, He'll do it for you.' This simple thing, so simple we think it can't be that easy - asking for wisdom - I believe is the key He used to get me out of the ditch and back on the path He meant for me.

ACTION POINT: Whatever you are facing, it really is as simple as asking God to give you wisdom. He will guide you through knowledge and understanding, right the way through to wisdom. Trusting that you are his 'sheep' and it's His voice you hear, take a step. The other amazing part to this is His grace for when we get it wrong. He will not hold it against you but instead He will keep lovingly correcting you. 'So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him." ' (Acts 10:34)

'Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.' Ephesians 4:17-18

So what changed? It was so gentle and gradual that it’s hard now to name a date or the first change in me. I think it's safe to say I began to listen more for His voice. I still made excuses for not spending much time in the Bible: I was a mum of five, four of them still at home, Jeff was working seven days a week and I had a couple of part time jobs. We moved house again, another child left home to go to university and I stayed busy. Like so many others, I thought being busy was something to be proud of. I had Christian friends but wasn't going to church. Our elderly dog had to be put to sleep. Then the nationwide lockdown hit. Every routine was turned on its head. Within days, our younger dog died very suddenly. The family was grief-stricken, the two eldest were separated from us in other cities by the lockdown and the rest of us tried to work out our new normal.

But among the fear and doom and gloom coming through the tv and social media, He nudged me to take a small step of faith: I joined an online course to get me back on track with writing my book. The one I had started nearly fourteen years before. This was God's 'low whisper' that began leading me away from 'the ignorance that was in me'.

ACTION POINT: Start small. If you only have a few minutes in the shower to have quiet time, give that to God. Thank Him for those quiet moments. Thank Him for your day and surrender it to Him. Find one Scripture, even just a verse, and think about it while you carry on with your day. Take a photo of it from your Bible, or from your online Bible app. Set it as your phone wallpaper for the day so you see it every time you need your phone. One of the best ways of getting it into your heart is to write it out. The mechanical act of writing has been shown to improve our retention, our memory. Even better is to journal about it, with words or some form of art. 'This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do all that is written in it.' (Joshua 1:8)

'The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of seeds, but when it is grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.' Matthew 13:31-32

That course was my mustard seed of faith. I finished it, got tens of thousands of words down on screen, and then got stuck again. I began to doubt as the story lagged. Then lockdowns ended and I became like the third kind of soil in the parable of the sower and the seeds, allowing the 'cares of the world' to take my attention away from the writing. But God is so faithful, and He continued to honour my earlier prayers to know Him and His Word better. Even though I got stuck again in my writing, I had more peace in other areas of my life. I was writing the Word on my heart at last, not just taking it in mentally, and it was watering that tiny seed of faith.

ACTION POINT: When our old habits or reactions rise up again, it's very easy to see it as failure or defeat. But it only becomes that if we stay there and give in to those feelings. What I've learned though, is to give those feelings to Him - remember, you can never surprise Him! Know that He has forgiven you everything, even your stumbling. Jesus told Peter to forgive a brother who offends, seventy-seven times (some translations say 'seventy times seven'). How can we forgive others yet not forgive ourselves? That's not a selfish idea: it's obedience. When we refuse to forgive ourselves, we're in essence saying our opinion is greater than God's. God forgave us everything because Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. 'The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.' (Psalm 37:23-24)

'And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.' Revelation 5:8

As lockdowns loosened up, we were confronted by a major challenge within the family. At first I was filled with dread and fear, but once again, God was there to meet me where I was and restored my peace. We had recently joined a new fellowship, began making new friends and added regular gatherings to our routine. It was wonderful to be back in corporate worship and teachings. I began to get up very early to have quiet time with the Lord for an hour or so, then back to bed until the day started. When the challenge came, God used that time to speak words of hope over each of our children as He led me to pray and study their names. He reminded me of the prayers we'd made to choose the names, and gave me a peace and assurance that He had never forgotten any of our prayers.

And soon I was ready for the next step of faith.

ACTION POINT: Whether you are facing a trial or challenge, or believe you need to deal with some sort of block in your walk with God, the very best thing you can do is read the Bible. Not necessarily as a study, but just to get better acquainted with it and its Author. It's like sitting down for a chat with your Heavenly 'Dad'. You can use a devotional as a guide - there are plenty of apps and websites as well as devotional books to get you started. It may be just a verse or two at first. Read it aloud, write it out, whatever works to help it stay with you through the day. Then keep your heart open to see God reveal the truth He has for you. Keeping your mind on the Word helps you to focus on Him more than the problems and trials around you. 'Let the word of Christ rule in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts towards God.' (Colossians 3:16)

Thank you for visiting and reading. See you in my next post.

Recommended Resources:

Derek Prince Ministries a free app. Short devotional resources such as 'A Word from the Word', downloadable pdfs, audio and written resources and the Bible in several translations. I've listened to Derek Prince's talks since I was a new Christian, and have a couple of his books. Their mission is to 'reach the unreached, teach the untaught'.

Andrew Wommack Ministries: the YouTube channel has so much strong, foundational teaching, but it's probably best to click 'playlists' and find either a topic or book of the Bible that you want to learn about to start with. Stick to one episode a day at most, make a note of Scriptures used and meditate on it until you are ready for the next one. All the teachers in this ministry follow the 'precept upon precept' way of teaching.