Meditate Day And Night

Joshua 1:8 (Amplified Classic) 

“This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.” 

In this verse we find specific instructions the Lord gave Joshua as he stepped into his ordained role as Moses’ replacement following his death. The task was daunting, yet God told Joshua exactly how to accomplish it successfully. You could say this was the “secret” to his success and this scripture, if applied to our lives, will guarantee us success in whatever the Lord has called us to do. In fact, the key to walking in all of God’s promises are found within this verse. This is why creating a discipline of reading the Bible is so important. 

Every single one of us wants to enjoy success in life. Built within us is the God-given desire to thrive and prosper. God is not a failure and he never intended for His children to be a failure either. As you mediate, speak and think on the following verses, remember that there is dynamic power in God’s Word to change your life and present circumstances. Meditate on these verses daily and expect to see God’s goodness everywhere that you go!

Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and an expected end. 

Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established. 

Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. 

Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

John 10:10 – I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

Deuteronomy 8:18 – But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.

3 John 2 – Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, even as your soul prospers. 

1 Peter 2:24 – Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.

The Fire of God’s Word

Every summer since I was a small boy, I attended the Vacation Bible School held by our church. I loved it so much! It was one of the highlights of my summertime. One of my favorite memories was when all of us children marched like soldiers into the main church auditorium and took our seats for the opening morning session each day. Once we got into our places, the pastor stood in the pulpit, commanded us to stand, and led us in the morning Bible pledge. At the beginning of each day of VBS, we lifted our voices and boldly proclaimed: 

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word. I will make it a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

Since then, I can admit that I regularly have to renew my commitment to make God’s Word the center of my life. Although I am a pastor, Christian educator, author of Christian books, and a visible Christian leader, I must conquer the same struggles that others face — including the temptation to become so busy that I unintentionally neglect reading my Bible daily. Time and time again, I have spoken to my flesh — commanding it to get back in line — and deliberately renewed my commitment to make God’s Word the center of my existence. What about you?

 

Have you made a commitment to God to read your Bible every day? Is this an area in which you have struggled to maintain consistency? Would you like to regularly read God’s Word? If you allow the Holy Spirit to help you, you can make this commitment and win this victory in your life! Even if you unintentionally skip your Bible reading for a few days, don’t let the devil condemn you. Ask for forgiveness and get back on schedule. 

 

There is nothing more powerful than the Word of God! It holds the answers to every question you could ever ask and contains the power to meet every need in your life. The Word promises that if you obey it, it will produce health in your body. It is truly the answer to every human need. 

When you neglect God’s Word and fail to include it in your daily routine, that neglect will eventually affect every part of your life. The regular absence of God’s Word from your life will jeopardize your faith, steal your joy, produce intolerance of others, and create putrid attitudes that disgust not only God and others but you! Ignoring daily Bible reading affects your ability to be spiritually productive and eventually makes you spiritually infertile. 

But when you understand all the benefits of God’s Word, it’s incredible to think you would ever skip a day of Bible reading! There is no other book in the world like the Bible! It has the power to change your life and put you on the path toward success. 

The Bible is like fire when you allow it to work inside your heart. For instance, such as fire purifies metal, God’s Word purifies our consciences, renews our minds, illuminates our spirits, and drives away darkness. Its light exposes areas in our lives that need to be changed. 

The Bible also brings warmth and comfort in times of difficulty. Like the warmth and comfort, I feel when I draw near to the glowing warmth of a burning fireplace, the Word of God warms my heart when I sit down with it and allow its life-giving truths to permeate my being. 

The fiery impact of God’s Word awakens us to areas in our lives that need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. When a believer hears the scriptures expounded by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, or when he reads the Bible to take it by faith into his heart, its supernatural power is unleashed. When that happens, that person’s heart, will, thoughts, emotions, and memories are all touched by God’s power as if by fire. 

The living power in God’s Word also awakens the recipient to receive a greater measure of God’s presence in his life during the divine process of transformation. As any Christian taps into the divine power and presence contained in the Holy Spirit-inspired words of the Bible by faith, the spiritual force that is released can change anything!

This fire also ignites new life in areas that have grown indifferent or resistant to God’s will. If you keep taking the Bible into your heart, the fire of God’s Word will continue to burn brilliantly — spreading throughout your entire system as you surrender to its transforming work.

It’s Time for You to Crave the Bread of Life!

We should continually assess how we’re honoring or dishonoring the Word of God by considering the space we make for the Word in our lives, the amount of time we spend daily in the Word, and how well we obey what the Word says. All these are signs that can reveal the type of relationship we have with Jesus. 

Jesus was the Word of God made flesh among us. When we love God’s Word and allow its truth to abide within us, we become fully consumed with Christ Himself. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” In other words, how much we love Him is shown by how much we respond to His Word. It’s impossible to separate the Word of God from Jesus, for He is the Word made flesh. How you treat the Bible reflects your level of intimacy with Him. If you neglect the Bible because you don’t think you have time for it, you are unintentionally ignoring your relationship with Jesus. 

Think about this: Jesus was conceived by the Spirit in Mary’s womb as she received the Word of God into her heart (see Luke 1:38). Jesus was the living Word made manifest (see John 1:14). He launches His ministry with the Word of God (see Luke 4:16). As you read the four gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — it’s clear that everywhere Jesus went, He spoke the Word of God with power and authority. It flowed from Him because He was the Word of God!

The apostles ministered side by side with Jesus for three years and watched how He ministered the Word of God. As Jesus’ disciples, the apostles learned to replicate what He did. And when the New Testament Church began in the book of Acts, they continued to do exactly what they saw Jesus do throughout His earthly ministry. He was their example.

Because Jesus focused on the Word of God and yielded miraculous results, the apostles also went out — preaching and teaching the Word of God — and they experienced the same miraculous results. Jesus dedicated Himself fully to the Word and to delivering it to others, and the apostles did the same as the Early Church was being established. Acts 2:42 tells us:

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’  doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

The word “stedfastly” means to preserve consistently. It carries the idea of very intense focus and hard work. This tells us that when early believers came together, they set their hearts to listen and learn from the apostles as the Word of God was taught to them. They wanted the Word to ignite their hearts and souls. This word “stedfastly” also pictures constant diligence and effort that never gives up. It carries such a strong meaning that it signifies that those early believers were addicted to the apostle’s teaching. They were so enthralled and ignited by it that they gathered to hear and receive their teaching every single day. 

When we hear the word “addiction,” we usually think of that word in a negative context. But consider the fuller meaning of the word “addiction” for a moment. If a person is addicted to drugs, he can’t get by without the substance. If an addict goes without that substance for a certain period of time, he feels its absence and can even get sick. A serious addict can’t live without the substance of his addiction.

With this in mind, when we read that those early believers were addicted to the apostles’ teachings, it means they literally craved it. They were addicted to the apostles’ teaching of God’s Word and to the transformative effects of that teaching in their lives. It nourished them, healed them, and empowered them. Their lives were radically changed as the Word was poured into them. They became so addicted to the powerful exposition of God’s Word that they gathered every day to receive a daily dose of the Scripture. 

This is the kind of passion God wants us to have for the Bible in our lives! If we treat the Bible with the same degree of zeal and fervor as those early believers, then we will truly be partakers of the Bread of Life — of Christ Jesus Himself and experience the same dynamic, supernatural life as they did. 

I want to remind you of the words of A.B. Simpson, “The religion of the Bible is wholly supernatural.” In other words, if you want the supernatural power of God to be a part of your life, the Bible must be central. For wherever the Word is authoritatively proclaimed, embraced, believed, and acted upon — the power of God is released!

God wants us to be hungry and passionate for His Word. It holds such depths of revelation truth that you and I have yet to experience, and this voice is beckoning us to come deeper into its waters.

Proverbs 4: 20-22 (Amplified Classic) 

“My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings. Let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.”

What a promise these few verses offer! We are instructed to give careful attention to every Word given by God with the guarantee of a life full of health and healing. The Bible literally has the ability to bring wholeness to every area of our life for there is nothing outside of the reach of His Word. The Bible is medicine and must be taken daily to receive the maximum benefits offered. It’s important to note that we don’t read the Bible out of religious obligation or duty, but out of a pure heart hungry for the Bread of Life. That doesn’t mean to say you will always feel like reading your Bible, because you certainly won’t. But if you are faithful and consistent in it, God will reward you greatly, whether feelings are present or not. Remember Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good of the land.” 

Read carefully the words, “Let them not depart from your sight, but keep them in the center of your heart.” This speaks of intentionality on our part. We must make a decision to allow God’s Word to be the dominate factor in our life by putting it before our eyes and hiding it within our heart. Nobody can do it for you. Never allow yourself to be caught up by the demands of life and neglect taking God’s medicine daily. If you are inconsistent in your time in God’s Word, you will notice the effects and it is to the detriment of your life in many ways. But if you act on God’s Word and do what it says, you will experience a life beyond your wildest imagination; a life  full of peace, joy, victory prosperity and triumph over all opposition! The following verses reinforce the importance of making God’s Word your highest priority in life. Read them carefully and let them get deep down inside of you.