January 29, 2025 • 41 mins
Discover how to reignite your passion for Bible study and move beyond routine spiritual exercises with our latest episode, where we tackle the challenges many believers face when their practices become stale. We share personal stories and introduce a unique tool called "Scripture Word Focus" to guide our listeners in experiencing Scripture not just as words on a page but as a living encounter with God's peace and joy. We invite you on a spiritual journey of mind renewal through scripture meditation that points to truth that brings transformation. Let this episode be a starting place for breaking free from strongholds and reconnecting with the life-changing message of Jesus.
Learn more about our Revelation Within Community: https://www.revelationwithin.org
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi and welcome to Revelation Within On the Go.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm Heidi Bilesma-Efferson, one of your
hosts and the owner and leadcoach of the Revelation Within
ministry, and I'm ChristinaMotley, your other host, also a
Revelation Within coach andHeidi's partner in all things
Revelation Within, and we are sohappy to invite you to join us
for this episode of RevelationWithin.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Oh, it's so good to have you with us.
Well, one of the things we havelearned is, of course, those
who come to Revelation Withinmany, many of us have been
Christians for a really longtime and Bible study has been a
part of our lives for years.
Faithful church attendance hasbeen a part of our lives.
(00:58):
Maybe we've had real consistentquiet times on and off over the
years maybe, but consistentquiet times.
At times We've been devoted toprayer and retreats and to have
fellowship and devotions andworship.
We have probably become prettygood at filling in the blanks of
our Bible study book.
(01:22):
But for many of us, has studyingthe bible kind of become an
intellectual exercise.
Now, all of this has to do in aroundabout way, but it is
definitely related to ourtendency to go to counterfeit
comforts or dealing with thingsthat are challenging for us or a
(01:43):
pain that we don't want to feel, whether it's emotionally or
physically, and we are, ofcourse, eager to equip people
who love Jesus to haveChrist-centered coping
strategies.
And so, for those of us thathave found that the Bible study
or Bible reading you know theplan for the year type thing has
(02:04):
become an intellectual exerciseor something to check off your
list every morning, we have somethoughts about that that we can
want to share with you today.
A particular tool that'shelpful.
We've got a number of toolsthat help the word of God come
alive or return to, yes,vibrancy in my life.
Has your love for the wordwaned at all lately?
(02:26):
Or maybe you know God's wordinside out, backwards, upside
down, but your heart isunchanged.
That is definitely an indicatorthat you want to renew your
mind, and it's not just Biblereading we're talking about.
It's engaging with God's word.
We want to go deeper in thescriptures with a mind renewal
(02:49):
tool that you're going to love.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yes, yes, yes, okay.
So I've got a few challengingquestions here for you, but
they're for Heidi and I too.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yes definitely.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
When was the last time that you engaged with the
word in such a way that you felttruly excited, like you
couldn't wait to tell somebodyabout it, like you just had to
share it?
You were excited, you know,just excited, as if the word
really is active and alive, asif the truth of what you read
(03:20):
might actually change your day,change your hours and minutes,
change your season of life insome way.
How about this one?
When was the last time readingscripture brought tears to your
eyes because you truly felt thatwhat you read was relevant to
your life now in the deepest way?
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Oh yeah, I know that there have been times, and not
even that long ago.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
It was probably December, it was yesterday,
heidi, it was, it was in ourcall.
You got all teary, did I?
I'm nice, you did.
You said I'm going to cry andyou started reading this
beautiful verse.
It was yesterday.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Oh well, that's fun.
But, yeah, there have beentimes when you know I might pour
out my heart to God in prayerand then open his word and it is
straight to the very thing Itook to him in prayer.
I just love, love, love that.
I love it too.
Oh cool.
And you know, if you have neverexperienced that listener, it
(04:22):
doesn't mean there's somethingwrong with you.
It really doesn't, and I reallyhope that this tool and others
that we will take deep divesinto over the next weeks might
help you reconnect with that.
We are all probably listening tothis podcast or, in our case,
making the podcast because wewant to be free.
(04:44):
Yes, case, making the podcastbecause we want to be free of
some kind of stronghold that islike hindering us from living
the life God intends for us, andmaybe it's a stronghold,
something we can't shake on ourown.
We are all here probablybecause we believe, or want to
believe, that God has the powerto break this stronghold.
(05:05):
He is the one who can make thechange in our lives that we
can't do on our own.
We are probably all herebecause we need Jesus and we get
it.
We know we need him.
We need him desperately.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Desperately, desperately, and that's a good
place to be.
It's hard, but it's a goodplace to be.
So here at Revelation Within wehave many, many, many, many,
many tools and strategies, andwe've talked about so many of
those in our podcast episodes.
These are tools that engage usin a personal and profound way
(05:45):
with scripture.
So we would love to introduceyou to a simple yet powerful
mind renewal tool that, with thehelp of the Holy Spirit, leads
us into a deeper place withGod's very own words.
So this is a wonderful way tobring that valuable head
knowledge, all that knowledgethat's in our brains about the
(06:06):
word of God, down to the heartwhere our emotions and God's
gifts of peace and joy come intoplay.
And you know, I mean we all gothrough different seasons of
life with this, seasons with theLord, seasons with the word.
But maybe you're ready to kindof feel that excitement again,
to get into that, to go a littledeeper again with the Lord.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yay, well, we call this tool scripture, word focus,
and Christina asked me to tella story of where it came from
and all of that.
I don't really remember where.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I learned this.
You could have made upsomething really interesting.
No, I'm just kidding.
I climbed to the top of MountEverest and at the top there was
a scroll.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I wish.
No, no, that's not it.
I want to attribute this toolto my mentor, debbie Lynn.
I love Debbie.
If you're out there and youhappen on this podcast, just
know you are precious in myheart and in my life.
It's such a game changer for meand my walk with God.
I'm not sure anyway if that'swho taught it to me.
(07:15):
I do know it goes way back toeven before I had the babies,
which was over 32 years ago, wow.
But the blessing of this toolreally came home to me when I
was in the hospital in 1998.
I had some mystery ailment thatappeared suddenly and it's kind
(07:36):
of strange because I was inreally good physical condition.
It wasn't something that I hadbrought on by not taking care of
my body or something.
The docs weren't sure what wasgoing on and I was scared.
In my memory of when I usedthis tool at the hospital, I was
on a cold metal table.
Oh, that's terrible.
It might have been that.
(07:57):
That's how my heart felt.
Oh no, it was in the nuclearmedicine department and I don't
even know what that is Some sortof scan, and I so wanted to
experience God's comfort when Iwas laying there wondering what
is this.
What are they going to find out?
(08:17):
And am I going to live?
And so the Holy Spirit remindedme of one of my favorite verses
that I had learned in myscripture memory program with
Debbie and Tom Lynn.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Isaiah 4110.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
And it was perfect for my very fearful heart, and
it says so do not fear, for I amwith you.
Do not be dismayed, for I amyour God.
I will strengthen and help you.
I will uphold you with myrighteous right hand.
As I lay there on that table,all I had was my mind.
(08:51):
I didn't have a Bible, ofcourse, nothing to read or write
with, but my mentor had taughtme to be a student of the word
of God.
And since I had memorized Isaiah41.10, I was able to use this
tool in the moment for anamazing time with God, a two-way
communication with the God ofthe universe who met me in
(09:13):
nuclear medicine.
It was so awesome.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I'm so glad.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Heidi, me too.
So you can take a verse thatyou choose.
It could be one that you havein your mind or one that you've
studied in your quiet time or ina Bible study.
So I'm going to just share withyou how I did this, and you can
obviously try it out too.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
All right.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
So I'm just going to start with do not.
The verse says so, do not fear,for I am with you, do not be
dismayed, for I am your God, sodo not.
You know, first of all, theword so is there, and it tells
me that there's something thatcomes before it.
Anytime you see the wordtherefore in the Bible, of
course you're told okay, well,see what the therefore is.
(09:54):
Therefore, I think of so, thesame way.
So, if it says so, then what isit therefore?
And I know that my fear wasdefinitely rising as I lay there
on that table before I starteddoing this, and then so do not
on that table before I starteddoing this, and then so do not.
(10:15):
So here is something where Godis calling me to make a choice,
and he's calling me to make achoice to do not.
That tells me okay, what is itI want?
This is a matter of obedience,and I want to do what he says
and not do what he tells me notto do.
And so I also know from otherscriptures that he gives me the
ability to obey him, which isreally cool when you think about
(10:36):
it.
Yes, it is, and it's a lie whenI tell myself I can't do what
he tells me to do, so do not.
And the next word is, of course, fear.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
So do not fear.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
And what we do with this tool is we kind of, for
each word or phrase, we look atokay, what is my relationship
with fear?
Have I been fearful in my life?
How am I feeling right now?
Am I feeling fearful?
What are the things I'm fearfulof and what is God's position
on this?
And so we kind of just pick itapart, we dissect it a little
(11:09):
bit.
Do not fear.
I've been told that this is oneof the most common commands in
the Bible to not be afraid, orto not fear, and I think that's
kind of cool because God wantsus to be able to rest in his
presence.
So, anyway, looking at fear alittle bit more in depth and I
(11:29):
can do this, writing it down toreally have a more in-depth
Bible study time, but layingthere on that table in the
hospital, I didn't need to writeanything down in order for.
God to reach me.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Oh, I just love that you were doing that.
Well, I don't love that youwere in that situation, but I
love that.
This is what your mind wasoccupied with your mind and your
heart when you were in themiddle of that awful situation.
I just love that you know.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It's so cool because God tells us, fix your eyes not
on what is seen, but on what isunseen.
What is seen is temporary, andwhat I saw was doctors kind of
being concerned and nothingpassed orally.
I was on a no drink, no eat,you know, hooked up on IV type
thing, and so it's like that iswhat I could see, and I'm not
(12:20):
supposed to fix my eyes or mymind on that, but on what is
unseen, because what is seen istemporary and what is unseen is
eternal, and so that's what Iwas able to do.
We can choose.
We can choose in any momentwhat we unseen is eternal, and
so that's what I was able to do.
We can choose.
We can choose in any momentwhat we will think on.
And that boy, that just really.
I'm so thankful that God hasgiven us agency, agency with our
(12:43):
thoughts, to be able to choose.
And he goes on to say so do notfear for and that's another
word that tells me, okay,there's a reason coming.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And then get this.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
This is so cool.
Do not fear, for I am with you.
I am with you.
So, if you'll recall, in Exodus, god reveals himself to Moses.
His name is I am, and that wasa very revered way of referring
to God, his name, because itbasically means he has always
(13:17):
been, he will always be, and itis like the holiest of holiest
of names for God it's.
It just takes into account hisomnipotence, his sovereignty,
his everything about God is likespoken of sort of in those
simple words I am yes, that isthe one, that's the next word.
(13:38):
I am with you.
I am with you.
Oh, I just love that God, as wejust celebrated Christmas not
that long ago.
Emmanuel, god with us.
It's so cool that God is withus.
So do not fear, for I am withyou.
(13:58):
And then I'm going to stop thereso that we have time to get to
the rest of the podcast.
But not only did the time passin this wonderful scripture
meditation time, because that'swhat it is it's meditating on
scripture.
There's nothing scary orEastern mysticism about it.
It completely encouraged myheart.
(14:19):
I knew this little time that Iwas on that metal table waiting
for somebody to tell mesomething that God had called it
to my mind because he knew itwould speak to my fear directly.
He did and he gave me the realreason not to fear, not because
somebody knew the diagnosis orthe prognosis or the
recommendations for this or that, but because the great I am is
(14:45):
with me.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
That's good stuff.
That's so, so good, somethingwe can really grab a hold of.
Yes, definitely, I love it.
I love it.
You know what?
Let's go to the word and seewhat's written about spending
time in his truth.
I love these verses.
I was so excited to find these.
Hebrews 4.12, for the word ofGod is alive and powerful.
(15:11):
Hebrews 4.12, for the word ofGod is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpesttwo-edged sword, cutting
between soul and spirit, betweenjoint and marrow.
It exposes our innermostthoughts and desires.
Wow, isn't that the mostamazing description of the word
of God?
It is.
I just love it.
(15:32):
It makes me want to put on asuit of armor and pull out a
sword and start running in anunknown direction.
No, I don't know.
I love these words.
It's beautiful.
So the Word of God, it's notmerely ink on paper, it's alive
and powerful.
It actually penetrates ourhearts and discerns our thoughts
(15:55):
and desires, and it also bringsabout conviction and change.
Absolutely amazing it is.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Psalm 119.11 says I have hidden your word in my
heart that I might not sinagainst you.
I love this.
This was another one of thoseverses in that Bible memory plan
that I was in with Tom andDebbie, and it's so true.
It's so true.
When I give God something towork with by memorizing his word
(16:23):
, then he can bring it up as Ineed it.
So I have hidden your word inmy heart that I might not sin
against you.
Memorizing his word,internalizing the word of God,
helps me, helps you, to resisttemptation and actually avoid
sin.
It can become that source ofstrength that we desperately
need, and even guidance inhelping us make right choices
(16:46):
that will honor and exalt God 1Peter 1.25, but the word of the
Lord remains forever, and thatword is the good news that was
preached to you.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
I mean, this is everlasting truth, that we're
talking about.
This is forever.
This is never changing.
This is the same.
We can count on it.
We can stand on it.
The enduring nature of the wordof God ensures that its message
of good news continues totransform lives.
That's amazing to me.
(17:19):
It remains relevant and lifechanging across generations.
It is the same, it does notchange.
It was what it was yesterday,today, tomorrow.
Everlasting truth.
That's so comforting, and so itgives me a sense of security.
I love that.
I can count on that.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
It's so cool because, while it is unchanging and it
is solid through all generations, it is also living and active.
So I read it 2, hundred times,and God is going to show me how
to apply it in a new way eachand every time.
Sometimes, a verse will pop outlike it never has before.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Right.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Usually is a good indication that God has
something for me there.
Yes, Romans 10, 17 says so.
Faith comes from hearing, thatis, hearing the good news about
Christ.
I love that, that as I hear, asI engage with the word of God,
my faith is strengthened.
It's like doing a workout, butinstead of for my arms, my
(18:23):
biceps, my triceps, deltoids, etcetera, it is for my faith.
So I mean, if any of you haveever done that sort of workout,
you know it can be hard work,but there are wonderful
ramifications of it.
You can actually get strongerand it feels good to be stronger
, to be able to pick upsomething that you couldn't
before, because you're stronger.
(18:44):
Well, our faith is strengthenedby engaging and hearing the
word of God.
I just love that, and it'sthrough the proclamation of the
good news that my heart istouched and my faith not only is
strengthened but it's deepenedas well.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Wow, Okay.
Second Timothy, 3, 16 and 17.
All scripture is inspired byGod and is useful to teach us
what is true and to make usrealize what is wrong in our
lives.
It corrects us when we're wrongand teaches us to do what's
right.
God uses it to prepare andequip his people to do every
(19:25):
good work.
I mean wow, it causes.
Reading these scriptures makesme think I'm just not in the
word enough.
I think I would think that, nomatter how much I was in the
word, which that's a good placeto be.
So the entirety of scripture isdivinely inspired and serves
(19:47):
all kinds of purposes in ourlives.
So it instructs, it convictsand that's a loving conviction.
That's not condemnation.
It corrects again a lovingcorrection.
It equips us and enables us tolive according to God's will.
It gives us so much.
(20:08):
It's the gift that keeps ongiving.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
I love that there are thousands of verses in the
Bible you could choose from touse scripture, word focus, to
kind of go deeper with thescripture, and we suggest start
with something small and simple,maybe just to get your feet wet
.
Once you get the hang of it,sort of, you're going to be able
to choose longer and morecomplex passages to work with.
(20:32):
You can do it on the fly inyour mind, like I did that day
in the hospital, or you canjournal it out if you want to,
or you can just talk to God asyou sit with your Bible open and
engage with that.
The thing that is so cool aboutthis and I'm getting ahead of
myself, I think is that it doestrain us to resist counterfeit
(20:53):
comforts, because we know thatthe real deal is elsewhere.
We know that Christ-centeredcoping mechanisms are the way to
go, and he shows us how to dothat as we engage with his word,
that we are doing that.
As we engage with his word,there is a God-shaped hole in
every one of us.
Ecclesiastes I don't rememberthe exact reference, but Solomon
(21:16):
said that God has placedeternity in the heart of man,
and I tend to think of that asthough it is a hole made just
for the Lord, and without theLord flooding that hole, I'm
likely to throw all kinds ofstuff into it to try to find
satisfaction, and those arecounterfeit comforts.
(21:38):
I might end up throwing extrafood than what I need in that
hole I might throw.
I mean, some people might throwpornography in there.
I mean, yeah, and drugs and allof that.
People might throw shopping inthere.
There's got to be a satisfyingplace to stop.
But those things aren't whatour hearts and that hole were
(21:59):
made for.
It was made for eternity, it wasmade for the Lord, and so as we
go to his word this way andengage with it and engage with
the living word Jesus, we findthat that satisfaction does come
.
So yeah, do it today.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Well, heidi, I just love what you just shared.
I love it.
I love it.
I didn't want you to stop.
One of the things that I thinkabout when God made the world
and he knew what would happenand he knew all of us would be
here and he knew how hard thingswould be, that there'd be so
much pain and disappointment andsorrow also joys and
celebrations, but lots of hardstuff and I feel like being God.
(22:40):
This is just in my imagination.
I feel like he looked aheadinto what the world was going to
be like and said, oh my gosh,like I need to set some things
up for these people.
You know, I need to set somethings up so we can be in
relationship and so that theycan survive this and not only
survive but thrive and thrive ina relationship with me.
(23:04):
And I just think about that, Ithink, wow.
And this is one of those things.
He set up the word of God insuch an amazing, beautiful, kind
of mind blowing way assomething we can go to again and
again and again and be filled,like you said, that void in us
that longs for eternity, and wecan be filled with His words.
(23:27):
And it might be different everytime depending on our
circumstance.
Of course, the Holy Spirit, youknow he set that up as well and
that's awesome that he did.
Well, yes, and then, of course,you know God with us, jesus
coming.
I mean, he had a lot of amazingplans.
You know, I was a teacher formany, many years almost 30, I
(23:48):
think and at the beginning ofeach day, well, really the day
before and days before, as ateacher and you were a teacher
too, heidi you plan, you lookahead and you plan and you put
things together.
And you, you think you know I'mgoing to prepare things in such
a way for my students thatthings are going to go as well
as they can, but you alsoprepare for things to go
(24:11):
sideways and for things to gowrong.
Yes, and you love those studentsand you know that things are
going to go wonky in somedifferent ways, but you're ready
for it.
You're ready for them to needyou, for them to ask you, for
them to struggle with thesethings.
God is ready.
(24:31):
He set it all up.
He set it up so that we wouldhave the peace that passes
understanding, so that we wouldhave joy in the midst of sorrow
or frustration or whatever.
He set it up so that we wouldhave healing where it didn't
seem like there would be any way.
I mean, he set things upsupernaturally, in a way that we
(24:55):
can't understand, because we'renot God and he has no limits.
His resources are completelyunlimited.
No limits, his resources arecompletely unlimited.
So, looking at scripture thisway, it just it's like it gives
us a little idea of what he wasthinking as he prepared.
You know, it gives us a glimpse, even a deeper glimpse, of who
(25:20):
he really is and how much heloves us, and we've talked about
this before.
But the fact that the Bible isreally a big, beautiful love
letter to each one of uspersonally, that's really what
it is.
So anyway, scripture word focusit's just one way to really get
deeper with the Lord, with hisown words.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And that's how he designed it.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
He designed for us to go deeper with him, so that we
would be filled.
That's beautiful.
Anyway, I get excited.
I just get really excited, andI get excited when you get
excited.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Well, let's try it out, let's do it with the
listeners.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
All right, let's get started.
So we've got Lamentations 3, 22and 23 here.
The faithful love of the Lordnever ends.
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
His mercies begin afresh every morning and if
you're like most of us, then youprobably had a song or two pop
into your head as Christina wasreading this.
Many of us have heard thesewords and sung them over the
years, many, many times in ourlives.
And to many this is even afavorite passage.
(26:33):
And, to be honest with you, oneof my favorite things about
this passage is its context,because guess what?
Jeremiah is renewing his mindand when you back up into the
earlier verses of Lamentations,chapter three, he's like, oh, I
remember the to mind and so Ihave hope.
And that's where the versestarts the faithful love of the
(27:08):
Lord never ends.
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
His mercies begin afresh eachmorning.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I love that.
I love it too, Wait.
So how is that mind renewal,Heidi?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Well, because he was going someplace down the spiral
of darkness, which isunderstandable in his
circumstances, but he chose tostop those thoughts from taking
him.
I mean, I call it when mythoughts take me captive, it's
time to take my thoughts captiveinstead.
(27:39):
It's going to happen one way orthe other.
I'm either going to take themcaptive or they're going to take
me captive.
And he stopped them from takinghim captive and he chose.
I'm going to choose what I'mgoing to think about, and I know
that God's mercies are new eachmorning.
The faithful love of God neverends.
I just love that.
(28:00):
So that answered the question.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Yes, that answers the question.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Well, we're going to try this out, and then we're
going to give you an assignmentlistener, and then you can try
it out on your own after theepisode is over.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yeah, that sounds good.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
We're just going to do the first verse of these two.
The faithful love of the Lordnever ends.
His mercies never cease.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Okay.
So the first thing that we wantto do, before we try anything
like this at all, is invite Godin.
We want his thoughts, not ours.
We want his wisdom.
I'll go ahead and invite him in, lord Jesus, we want to invite
you into this time of mindrenewal.
We're going to do scripture,word focus.
(28:43):
We want you here with us.
We are looking for your wisdom,your truth, your insight.
Today Will you give us yourthoughts, and we pray that we
would be blessed and that youwould be blessed as well.
In Jesus' name, amen, amen.
Okay, step two is to choose averse or passage, and we already
did that.
We chose Lamentations 3, 22 and23.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Okay, and so then, beginning with the first word or
phrase, so I'm going to focuson the faithful you can choose
to.
You know, specifically, go eachword by words, like the and
sometimes that's really beenmeaningful for me but, for the
sake of time, I'm going to justdo the faithful.
(29:30):
So then you begin to considerwith the Lord and consider it
like a prayer.
What does this mean to me, god?
How have I seen this?
What does faithful mean to me?
What experience have I had withfaithfulness?
And then you know things likewhat are synonyms of the word
faithful?
And then how about antonyms?
(29:50):
When have I experienced a lackof faithfulness?
in my life, what thoughts cometo mind, and taking notes as you
go can be an awesome thing todo.
Or you can just again, likeI've said, do it in your mind.
Awesome thing to do.
Or you can just again, likeI've said, do it in your mind.
So for me, the word faithfulhas a lot of connotations.
(30:13):
It means I can trust whoever itis that's faithful.
I can lean on them, I can knowthey're in my corner, I can know
they have my back.
I can hear them saying I gotyou, I got you, and so that's
pretty special.
And then, likewise you, I gotyou, and so that's pretty
special.
And then, likewise, theantithesis of faithfulness.
I also have experience withthat.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
And, sad to say, I think we probably all do.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
That is not who our God is.
He is the very epitome, thevery definition of faithful.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Yes, I love it too.
When I think of faithful, Ithink of solid as a rock,
unmoving, unchanging.
He's there no matter what.
There's no question about it.
I don't have to wonder is hegoing to show?
Is he going to be there?
Faithful means always, andfaithful means 100%, and
(31:00):
faithful means secure.
I love that word actuallysteadfast as well.
I love those words.
Okay, so we're going to move onto the next word, but we're
going to be sure to take thefirst couple of words with us,
so kind of bring them along, andthen we're going to go through
step three again.
Okay, so let's go back to thatverse the faithful love of the
(31:24):
Lord never ends.
His mercies never cease.
So we just did the faithful andnow we're going to do love.
We're going to talk about theword love, but we're going to be
sure to bring along thefaithful.
So we've got the faithful love,and then we're going to ask
those same questions what doesit mean to you?
What experience have you hadwith faithful love?
(31:47):
What are synonyms of the wordsfaithful love?
How about antonyms?
What thoughts come to mind?
And then take notes if you needto.
So when I think of love, I thinkof people in my life that have
loved me well, because that'sthe experience that I have.
I think about people that havecome alongside me in my life,
(32:10):
who have cared for me, who havebeen there for me, who have
helped me, who have picked me upwhen I've fallen over.
I think about people like that.
I think about friends that Igrew up with.
I think about friends that Ihave now.
I think about people like that.
I think about friends that Igrew up with.
I think about friends that Ihave now.
I think about family members,and when I put them all together
, that's perfect love.
(32:31):
God's love is perfect.
It never disappoints, it'snever late, you know, it's never
distracted or busy withanything else.
Perfect love is God's love.
So it helps me to think aboutall the people in my life that
have loved me well, becausethat's my example.
That's an experience.
But then to go the next stepGod's love is perfect.
(32:55):
It's perfect and that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
That's mind blowing for me, that is what fills that
God shaped hole in my heart.
My heart has eternity in it andI believe that's what he
intends to go right there inthat hole.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Yeah, and it feels so good.
It feels so good to know thatwe can count on his love and
that everything he does isdriven by that.
That feels good.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
One of the things, too, that I didn't say when we
were talking about faithful andreally faithful love has got so
many other aspects to it as well.
You know, I don't have to earnit, right, I don't have to worry
about losing it.
It's faithful.
Oh, that's so good, all right.
So I just want to mention thisthe faithful love of the Lord.
(33:46):
This word Lord, it's in allcaps, in most Bibles, and I
think that's significant enoughto mention.
When I was using Isaiah 41, 10earlier, and I made a big deal
out of I am and God's name being, I am this little
capitalization when you have allcapital letters for Lord, it
means Yahweh or I am, and so Ilove, love, love, love, love.
(34:11):
That you and I put togetherthis information for this
podcast and came out with theLord, the great I am, is the
subject of both of the verses wechose, and his love for us, his
faithful love for us, neverends, never, no, not ever, ever,
ever.
What can we say about that?
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Well, we can say that never means never, it's kind of
like always, and really we canonly use those words when we're
talking about God, because he'sthe only 100%, he's the only one
.
So I love that and I was justgoing to jump into and say when
I read the Lord in this verse, Iimmediately think of all the
(34:53):
words that we use for praisefest.
When we praise God, when werenew our minds by praising him
for who he is and what he doesfor people, so I see the word
the Lord and I think redeemer,and I think provider, and I
think the lover of my soul, andI think my refuge, my strength,
(35:15):
that all those words just kindof flood into my mind, because I
love doing the praise fest andI do one every day.
At some point in the day I'mdoing one and so those words
just come right into my mind.
That's so incredibly comfortingand powerful.
So what truth is God impressingon your heart through this verse
(35:38):
today?
That's what we want to askourselves.
We get to the end of the verseand we're asking what's God
saying to me and how might thattruth that I have discovered
connect in some way with my liferight now?
What is he speaking to my heartright now, today, in the
circumstance that I'm in, andtomorrow it might be different,
(36:01):
and it might've been differentyesterday or a year ago or 10
years ago.
This is what we're doing, isrelevant for us right now, today
.
God is speaking to us right now, today.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
And it's because his word is living and active, like
we read in Hebrews 4.12.
So I think that's awesome.
Yes, so your assignment whetheryou choose to accept it, oh,
listener is to take Lamentations3.23 and do scripture word
focus with it.
You just continue the sameprocess that we've been doing.
(36:35):
But you know what?
Wait a minute, is this mindrenewal?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, you know what?
This is the best, best, bestkind of mind renewal.
Because what is mind renewal?
It's thinking God's thoughtsafter him.
It's asking him to fill ourmind with his thoughts.
And that's what it is.
That's what happens.
Our minds are basically washed.
Sometimes we use the wordwallpaper.
(36:59):
You know we're going towallpaper our minds with God's
truth wallpaper.
You know we're going towallpaper our minds with God's
truth.
And that way, when those liescome in, when those messages
come in into our minds from theworld, from the enemy, from our
own selves, we can then replacethem with God's truth.
And that's where we want tolive.
That's where we want to livewith God's truth in our minds.
(37:22):
And so here we are, meditatingon God's very words from his
beautiful love story book thathe prepared for us ahead of time
, knowing that we would need itso desperately.
This is the best kind of mindrenewal, and in Romans 12, 2, we
(37:43):
read that mind renewal bringsabout transformation.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
And who doesn't want that?
You know, what I love is thistakes God's word and instead of
just reading with my eyes oreven my mind, it gets to my soul
, it gets to my heart, reallydown deep into it.
It's my way of like eatingGod's word, it's like ingesting
it.
It really is.
(38:08):
And Psalm 107, 19 and 20 saysthen they cried to the Lord in
their trouble and he saved themfrom their distress.
How did he do that?
He sent out his word and healedthem.
He rescued them from the grave.
So if you are in distress, ifyou are feeling like you're just
(38:28):
one foot in the grave becauseof the things you keep doing to
yourself, the strongholds youkeep giving into, this is one
way of addressing that concern.
And it's not just a bandaid.
It really isn't, because whilethe world may say that you have
an addiction or you have a badhabit, god says there's a
(38:50):
stronghold.
Let me heal you.
I want my word to go forth intoyour life, into your heart,
beyond just the thoughts of yourmind, and deep down into you
and heal you and rescue you fromthe grave.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Yes, that sounds amazing.
Heidi shared that.
Oh, and it's true that thefaithful love of the Lord never
ends.
No, his mercies are new Everymorning, new every morning, new
every morning.
They never, ever cease.
100% faithful love of God.
(39:26):
That's how we want to end ourpodcast today.
Yes, thank you Lord.
Yes, thank you Lord, and we'reso grateful that you've been
here with us for this wonderfuldiscussion and we hope that
you'll visit us again for ournext podcast of Revelation
Within On the Go.
(39:49):
That was really sad sounding onthe go, on, the go, on the go,
on the go.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
We'll see you next time.
Yes, have a great week and wewill see you next time.
Thanks for being here.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
Bye for now.
Hi and welcome to Revelation Within On the Go.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm Heidi Bilesma-Efferson, one of your
hosts and the owner and leadcoach of the Revelation Within
ministry, and I'm ChristinaMotley, your other host, also a
Revelation Within coach andHeidi's partner in all things
Revelation Within, and we are sohappy to invite you to join us
for this episode of RevelationWithin.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Oh, it's so good to have you with us.
Well, one of the things we havelearned is, of course, those
who come to Revelation Withinmany, many of us have been
Christians for a really longtime and Bible study has been a
part of our lives for years.
Faithful church attendance hasbeen a part of our lives.
(00:58):
Maybe we've had real consistentquiet times on and off over the
years maybe, but consistentquiet times.
At times We've been devoted toprayer and retreats and to have
fellowship and devotions andworship.
We have probably become prettygood at filling in the blanks of
our Bible study book.
(01:22):
But for many of us, has studyingthe bible kind of become an
intellectual exercise.
Now, all of this has to do in aroundabout way, but it is
definitely related to ourtendency to go to counterfeit
comforts or dealing with thingsthat are challenging for us or a
(01:43):
pain that we don't want to feel, whether it's emotionally or
physically, and we are, ofcourse, eager to equip people
who love Jesus to haveChrist-centered coping
strategies.
And so, for those of us thathave found that the Bible study
or Bible reading you know theplan for the year type thing has
(02:04):
become an intellectual exerciseor something to check off your
list every morning, we have somethoughts about that that we can
want to share with you today.
A particular tool that'shelpful.
We've got a number of toolsthat help the word of God come
alive or return to, yes,vibrancy in my life.
Has your love for the wordwaned at all lately?
(02:26):
Or maybe you know God's wordinside out, backwards, upside
down, but your heart isunchanged.
That is definitely an indicatorthat you want to renew your
mind, and it's not just Biblereading we're talking about.
It's engaging with God's word.
We want to go deeper in thescriptures with a mind renewal
(02:49):
tool that you're going to love.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yes, yes, yes, okay.
So I've got a few challengingquestions here for you, but
they're for Heidi and I too.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yes definitely.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
When was the last time that you engaged with the
word in such a way that you felttruly excited, like you
couldn't wait to tell somebodyabout it, like you just had to
share it?
You were excited, you know,just excited, as if the word
really is active and alive, asif the truth of what you read
(03:20):
might actually change your day,change your hours and minutes,
change your season of life insome way.
How about this one?
When was the last time readingscripture brought tears to your
eyes because you truly felt thatwhat you read was relevant to
your life now in the deepest way?
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Oh yeah, I know that there have been times, and not
even that long ago.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
It was probably December, it was yesterday,
heidi, it was, it was in ourcall.
You got all teary, did I?
I'm nice, you did.
You said I'm going to cry andyou started reading this
beautiful verse.
It was yesterday.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Oh well, that's fun.
But, yeah, there have beentimes when you know I might pour
out my heart to God in prayerand then open his word and it is
straight to the very thing Itook to him in prayer.
I just love, love, love that.
I love it too.
Oh cool.
And you know, if you have neverexperienced that listener, it
(04:22):
doesn't mean there's somethingwrong with you.
It really doesn't, and I reallyhope that this tool and others
that we will take deep divesinto over the next weeks might
help you reconnect with that.
We are all probably listening tothis podcast or, in our case,
making the podcast because wewant to be free.
(04:44):
Yes, case, making the podcastbecause we want to be free of
some kind of stronghold that islike hindering us from living
the life God intends for us, andmaybe it's a stronghold,
something we can't shake on ourown.
We are all here probablybecause we believe, or want to
believe, that God has the powerto break this stronghold.
(05:05):
He is the one who can make thechange in our lives that we
can't do on our own.
We are probably all herebecause we need Jesus and we get
it.
We know we need him.
We need him desperately.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Desperately, desperately, and that's a good
place to be.
It's hard, but it's a goodplace to be.
So here at Revelation Within wehave many, many, many, many,
many tools and strategies, andwe've talked about so many of
those in our podcast episodes.
These are tools that engage usin a personal and profound way
(05:45):
with scripture.
So we would love to introduceyou to a simple yet powerful
mind renewal tool that, with thehelp of the Holy Spirit, leads
us into a deeper place withGod's very own words.
So this is a wonderful way tobring that valuable head
knowledge, all that knowledgethat's in our brains about the
(06:06):
word of God, down to the heartwhere our emotions and God's
gifts of peace and joy come intoplay.
And you know, I mean we all gothrough different seasons of
life with this, seasons with theLord, seasons with the word.
But maybe you're ready to kindof feel that excitement again,
to get into that, to go a littledeeper again with the Lord.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
Yay, well, we call this tool scripture, word focus,
and Christina asked me to tella story of where it came from
and all of that.
I don't really remember where.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I learned this.
You could have made upsomething really interesting.
No, I'm just kidding.
I climbed to the top of MountEverest and at the top there was
a scroll.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I wish.
No, no, that's not it.
I want to attribute this toolto my mentor, debbie Lynn.
I love Debbie.
If you're out there and youhappen on this podcast, just
know you are precious in myheart and in my life.
It's such a game changer for meand my walk with God.
I'm not sure anyway if that'swho taught it to me.
(07:15):
I do know it goes way back toeven before I had the babies,
which was over 32 years ago, wow.
But the blessing of this toolreally came home to me when I
was in the hospital in 1998.
I had some mystery ailment thatappeared suddenly and it's kind
(07:36):
of strange because I was inreally good physical condition.
It wasn't something that I hadbrought on by not taking care of
my body or something.
The docs weren't sure what wasgoing on and I was scared.
In my memory of when I usedthis tool at the hospital, I was
on a cold metal table.
Oh, that's terrible.
It might have been that.
(07:57):
That's how my heart felt.
Oh no, it was in the nuclearmedicine department and I don't
even know what that is Some sortof scan, and I so wanted to
experience God's comfort when Iwas laying there wondering what
is this.
What are they going to find out?
(08:17):
And am I going to live?
And so the Holy Spirit remindedme of one of my favorite verses
that I had learned in myscripture memory program with
Debbie and Tom Lynn.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Isaiah 4110.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
And it was perfect for my very fearful heart, and
it says so do not fear, for I amwith you.
Do not be dismayed, for I amyour God.
I will strengthen and help you.
I will uphold you with myrighteous right hand.
As I lay there on that table,all I had was my mind.
(08:51):
I didn't have a Bible, ofcourse, nothing to read or write
with, but my mentor had taughtme to be a student of the word
of God.
And since I had memorized Isaiah41.10, I was able to use this
tool in the moment for anamazing time with God, a two-way
communication with the God ofthe universe who met me in
(09:13):
nuclear medicine.
It was so awesome.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I'm so glad.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Heidi, me too.
So you can take a verse thatyou choose.
It could be one that you havein your mind or one that you've
studied in your quiet time or ina Bible study.
So I'm going to just share withyou how I did this, and you can
obviously try it out too.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
All right.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
So I'm just going to start with do not.
The verse says so, do not fear,for I am with you, do not be
dismayed, for I am your God, sodo not.
You know, first of all, theword so is there, and it tells
me that there's something thatcomes before it.
Anytime you see the wordtherefore in the Bible, of
course you're told okay, well,see what the therefore is.
(09:54):
Therefore, I think of so, thesame way.
So, if it says so, then what isit therefore?
And I know that my fear wasdefinitely rising as I lay there
on that table before I starteddoing this, and then so do not
on that table before I starteddoing this, and then so do not.
(10:15):
So here is something where Godis calling me to make a choice,
and he's calling me to make achoice to do not.
That tells me okay, what is itI want?
This is a matter of obedience,and I want to do what he says
and not do what he tells me notto do.
And so I also know from otherscriptures that he gives me the
ability to obey him, which isreally cool when you think about
(10:36):
it.
Yes, it is, and it's a lie whenI tell myself I can't do what
he tells me to do, so do not.
And the next word is, of course, fear.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
So do not fear.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
And what we do with this tool is we kind of, for
each word or phrase, we look atokay, what is my relationship
with fear?
Have I been fearful in my life?
How am I feeling right now?
Am I feeling fearful?
What are the things I'm fearfulof and what is God's position
on this?
And so we kind of just pick itapart, we dissect it a little
(11:09):
bit.
Do not fear.
I've been told that this is oneof the most common commands in
the Bible to not be afraid, orto not fear, and I think that's
kind of cool because God wantsus to be able to rest in his
presence.
So, anyway, looking at fear alittle bit more in depth and I
(11:29):
can do this, writing it down toreally have a more in-depth
Bible study time, but layingthere on that table in the
hospital, I didn't need to writeanything down in order for.
God to reach me.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Oh, I just love that you were doing that.
Well, I don't love that youwere in that situation, but I
love that.
This is what your mind wasoccupied with your mind and your
heart when you were in themiddle of that awful situation.
I just love that you know.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It's so cool because God tells us, fix your eyes not
on what is seen, but on what isunseen.
What is seen is temporary, andwhat I saw was doctors kind of
being concerned and nothingpassed orally.
I was on a no drink, no eat,you know, hooked up on IV type
thing, and so it's like that iswhat I could see, and I'm not
(12:20):
supposed to fix my eyes or mymind on that, but on what is
unseen, because what is seen istemporary and what is unseen is
eternal, and so that's what Iwas able to do.
We can choose.
We can choose in any momentwhat we unseen is eternal, and
so that's what I was able to do.
We can choose.
We can choose in any momentwhat we will think on.
And that boy, that just really.
I'm so thankful that God hasgiven us agency, agency with our
(12:43):
thoughts, to be able to choose.
And he goes on to say so do notfear for and that's another
word that tells me, okay,there's a reason coming.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And then get this.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
This is so cool.
Do not fear, for I am with you.
I am with you.
So, if you'll recall, in Exodus, god reveals himself to Moses.
His name is I am, and that wasa very revered way of referring
to God, his name, because itbasically means he has always
(13:17):
been, he will always be, and itis like the holiest of holiest
of names for God it's.
It just takes into account hisomnipotence, his sovereignty,
his everything about God is likespoken of sort of in those
simple words I am yes, that isthe one, that's the next word.
(13:38):
I am with you.
I am with you.
Oh, I just love that God, as wejust celebrated Christmas not
that long ago.
Emmanuel, god with us.
It's so cool that God is withus.
So do not fear, for I am withyou.
(13:58):
And then I'm going to stop thereso that we have time to get to
the rest of the podcast.
But not only did the time passin this wonderful scripture
meditation time, because that'swhat it is it's meditating on
scripture.
There's nothing scary orEastern mysticism about it.
It completely encouraged myheart.
(14:19):
I knew this little time that Iwas on that metal table waiting
for somebody to tell mesomething that God had called it
to my mind because he knew itwould speak to my fear directly.
He did and he gave me the realreason not to fear, not because
somebody knew the diagnosis orthe prognosis or the
recommendations for this or that, but because the great I am is
(14:45):
with me.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
That's good stuff.
That's so, so good, somethingwe can really grab a hold of.
Yes, definitely, I love it.
I love it.
You know what?
Let's go to the word and seewhat's written about spending
time in his truth.
I love these verses.
I was so excited to find these.
Hebrews 4.12, for the word ofGod is alive and powerful.
(15:11):
Hebrews 4.12, for the word ofGod is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpesttwo-edged sword, cutting
between soul and spirit, betweenjoint and marrow.
It exposes our innermostthoughts and desires.
Wow, isn't that the mostamazing description of the word
of God?
It is.
I just love it.
(15:32):
It makes me want to put on asuit of armor and pull out a
sword and start running in anunknown direction.
No, I don't know.
I love these words.
It's beautiful.
So the Word of God, it's notmerely ink on paper, it's alive
and powerful.
It actually penetrates ourhearts and discerns our thoughts
(15:55):
and desires, and it also bringsabout conviction and change.
Absolutely amazing it is.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Psalm 119.11 says I have hidden your word in my
heart that I might not sinagainst you.
I love this.
This was another one of thoseverses in that Bible memory plan
that I was in with Tom andDebbie, and it's so true.
It's so true.
When I give God something towork with by memorizing his word
(16:23):
, then he can bring it up as Ineed it.
So I have hidden your word inmy heart that I might not sin
against you.
Memorizing his word,internalizing the word of God,
helps me, helps you, to resisttemptation and actually avoid
sin.
It can become that source ofstrength that we desperately
need, and even guidance inhelping us make right choices
(16:46):
that will honor and exalt God 1Peter 1.25, but the word of the
Lord remains forever, and thatword is the good news that was
preached to you.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
I mean, this is everlasting truth, that we're
talking about.
This is forever.
This is never changing.
This is the same.
We can count on it.
We can stand on it.
The enduring nature of the wordof God ensures that its message
of good news continues totransform lives.
That's amazing to me.
(17:19):
It remains relevant and lifechanging across generations.
It is the same, it does notchange.
It was what it was yesterday,today, tomorrow.
Everlasting truth.
That's so comforting, and so itgives me a sense of security.
I love that.
I can count on that.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
It's so cool because, while it is unchanging and it
is solid through all generations, it is also living and active.
So I read it 2, hundred times,and God is going to show me how
to apply it in a new way eachand every time.
Sometimes, a verse will pop outlike it never has before.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Right.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Usually is a good indication that God has
something for me there.
Yes, Romans 10, 17 says so.
Faith comes from hearing, thatis, hearing the good news about
Christ.
I love that, that as I hear, asI engage with the word of God,
my faith is strengthened.
It's like doing a workout, butinstead of for my arms, my
(18:23):
biceps, my triceps, deltoids, etcetera, it is for my faith.
So I mean, if any of you haveever done that sort of workout,
you know it can be hard work,but there are wonderful
ramifications of it.
You can actually get strongerand it feels good to be stronger
, to be able to pick upsomething that you couldn't
before, because you're stronger.
(18:44):
Well, our faith is strengthenedby engaging and hearing the
word of God.
I just love that, and it'sthrough the proclamation of the
good news that my heart istouched and my faith not only is
strengthened but it's deepenedas well.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Wow, Okay.
Second Timothy, 3, 16 and 17.
All scripture is inspired byGod and is useful to teach us
what is true and to make usrealize what is wrong in our
lives.
It corrects us when we're wrongand teaches us to do what's
right.
God uses it to prepare andequip his people to do every
(19:25):
good work.
I mean wow, it causes.
Reading these scriptures makesme think I'm just not in the
word enough.
I think I would think that, nomatter how much I was in the
word, which that's a good placeto be.
So the entirety of scripture isdivinely inspired and serves
(19:47):
all kinds of purposes in ourlives.
So it instructs, it convictsand that's a loving conviction.
That's not condemnation.
It corrects again a lovingcorrection.
It equips us and enables us tolive according to God's will.
It gives us so much.
(20:08):
It's the gift that keeps ongiving.
Speaker 1 (20:11):
I love that there are thousands of verses in the
Bible you could choose from touse scripture, word focus, to
kind of go deeper with thescripture, and we suggest start
with something small and simple,maybe just to get your feet wet
.
Once you get the hang of it,sort of, you're going to be able
to choose longer and morecomplex passages to work with.
(20:32):
You can do it on the fly inyour mind, like I did that day
in the hospital, or you canjournal it out if you want to,
or you can just talk to God asyou sit with your Bible open and
engage with that.
The thing that is so cool aboutthis and I'm getting ahead of
myself, I think is that it doestrain us to resist counterfeit
(20:53):
comforts, because we know thatthe real deal is elsewhere.
We know that Christ-centeredcoping mechanisms are the way to
go, and he shows us how to dothat as we engage with his word,
that we are doing that.
As we engage with his word,there is a God-shaped hole in
every one of us.
Ecclesiastes I don't rememberthe exact reference, but Solomon
(21:16):
said that God has placedeternity in the heart of man,
and I tend to think of that asthough it is a hole made just
for the Lord, and without theLord flooding that hole, I'm
likely to throw all kinds ofstuff into it to try to find
satisfaction, and those arecounterfeit comforts.
(21:38):
I might end up throwing extrafood than what I need in that
hole I might throw.
I mean, some people might throwpornography in there.
I mean, yeah, and drugs and allof that.
People might throw shopping inthere.
There's got to be a satisfyingplace to stop.
But those things aren't whatour hearts and that hole were
(21:59):
made for.
It was made for eternity, it wasmade for the Lord, and so as we
go to his word this way andengage with it and engage with
the living word Jesus, we findthat that satisfaction does come
.
So yeah, do it today.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Well, heidi, I just love what you just shared.
I love it.
I love it.
I didn't want you to stop.
One of the things that I thinkabout when God made the world
and he knew what would happenand he knew all of us would be
here and he knew how hard thingswould be, that there'd be so
much pain and disappointment andsorrow also joys and
celebrations, but lots of hardstuff and I feel like being God.
(22:40):
This is just in my imagination.
I feel like he looked aheadinto what the world was going to
be like and said, oh my gosh,like I need to set some things
up for these people.
You know, I need to set somethings up so we can be in
relationship and so that theycan survive this and not only
survive but thrive and thrive ina relationship with me.
(23:04):
And I just think about that, Ithink, wow.
And this is one of those things.
He set up the word of God insuch an amazing, beautiful, kind
of mind blowing way assomething we can go to again and
again and again and be filled,like you said, that void in us
that longs for eternity, and wecan be filled with His words.
(23:27):
And it might be different everytime depending on our
circumstance.
Of course, the Holy Spirit, youknow he set that up as well and
that's awesome that he did.
Well, yes, and then, of course,you know God with us, jesus
coming.
I mean, he had a lot of amazingplans.
You know, I was a teacher formany, many years almost 30, I
(23:48):
think and at the beginning ofeach day, well, really the day
before and days before, as ateacher and you were a teacher
too, heidi you plan, you lookahead and you plan and you put
things together.
And you, you think you know I'mgoing to prepare things in such
a way for my students thatthings are going to go as well
as they can, but you alsoprepare for things to go
(24:11):
sideways and for things to gowrong.
Yes, and you love those studentsand you know that things are
going to go wonky in somedifferent ways, but you're ready
for it.
You're ready for them to needyou, for them to ask you, for
them to struggle with thesethings.
God is ready.
(24:31):
He set it all up.
He set it up so that we wouldhave the peace that passes
understanding, so that we wouldhave joy in the midst of sorrow
or frustration or whatever.
He set it up so that we wouldhave healing where it didn't
seem like there would be any way.
I mean, he set things upsupernaturally, in a way that we
(24:55):
can't understand, because we'renot God and he has no limits.
His resources are completelyunlimited.
No limits, his resources arecompletely unlimited.
So, looking at scripture thisway, it just it's like it gives
us a little idea of what he wasthinking as he prepared.
You know, it gives us a glimpse, even a deeper glimpse, of who
(25:20):
he really is and how much heloves us, and we've talked about
this before.
But the fact that the Bible isreally a big, beautiful love
letter to each one of uspersonally, that's really what
it is.
So anyway, scripture word focusit's just one way to really get
deeper with the Lord, with hisown words.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And that's how he designed it.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
He designed for us to go deeper with him, so that we
would be filled.
That's beautiful.
Anyway, I get excited.
I just get really excited, andI get excited when you get
excited.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Well, let's try it out, let's do it with the
listeners.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
All right, let's get started.
So we've got Lamentations 3, 22and 23 here.
The faithful love of the Lordnever ends.
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
His mercies begin afresh every morning and if
you're like most of us, then youprobably had a song or two pop
into your head as Christina wasreading this.
Many of us have heard thesewords and sung them over the
years, many, many times in ourlives.
And to many this is even afavorite passage.
(26:33):
And, to be honest with you, oneof my favorite things about
this passage is its context,because guess what?
Jeremiah is renewing his mindand when you back up into the
earlier verses of Lamentations,chapter three, he's like, oh, I
remember the to mind and so Ihave hope.
And that's where the versestarts the faithful love of the
(27:08):
Lord never ends.
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness.
His mercies begin afresh eachmorning.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I love that.
I love it too, Wait.
So how is that mind renewal,Heidi?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Well, because he was going someplace down the spiral
of darkness, which isunderstandable in his
circumstances, but he chose tostop those thoughts from taking
him.
I mean, I call it when mythoughts take me captive, it's
time to take my thoughts captiveinstead.
(27:39):
It's going to happen one way orthe other.
I'm either going to take themcaptive or they're going to take
me captive.
And he stopped them from takinghim captive and he chose.
I'm going to choose what I'mgoing to think about, and I know
that God's mercies are new eachmorning.
The faithful love of God neverends.
I just love that.
(28:00):
So that answered the question.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Yes, that answers the question.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
Well, we're going to try this out, and then we're
going to give you an assignmentlistener, and then you can try
it out on your own after theepisode is over.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yeah, that sounds good.
Speaker 1 (28:15):
We're just going to do the first verse of these two.
The faithful love of the Lordnever ends.
His mercies never cease.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Okay.
So the first thing that we wantto do, before we try anything
like this at all, is invite Godin.
We want his thoughts, not ours.
We want his wisdom.
I'll go ahead and invite him in, lord Jesus, we want to invite
you into this time of mindrenewal.
We're going to do scripture,word focus.
(28:43):
We want you here with us.
We are looking for your wisdom,your truth, your insight.
Today Will you give us yourthoughts, and we pray that we
would be blessed and that youwould be blessed as well.
In Jesus' name, amen, amen.
Okay, step two is to choose averse or passage, and we already
did that.
We chose Lamentations 3, 22 and23.
Speaker 1 (29:09):
Okay, and so then, beginning with the first word or
phrase, so I'm going to focuson the faithful you can choose
to.
You know, specifically, go eachword by words, like the and
sometimes that's really beenmeaningful for me but, for the
sake of time, I'm going to justdo the faithful.
(29:30):
So then you begin to considerwith the Lord and consider it
like a prayer.
What does this mean to me, god?
How have I seen this?
What does faithful mean to me?
What experience have I had withfaithfulness?
And then you know things likewhat are synonyms of the word
faithful?
And then how about antonyms?
(29:50):
When have I experienced a lackof faithfulness?
in my life, what thoughts cometo mind, and taking notes as you
go can be an awesome thing todo.
Or you can just again, likeI've said, do it in your mind.
Awesome thing to do.
Or you can just again, likeI've said, do it in your mind.
So for me, the word faithfulhas a lot of connotations.
(30:13):
It means I can trust whoever itis that's faithful.
I can lean on them, I can knowthey're in my corner, I can know
they have my back.
I can hear them saying I gotyou, I got you, and so that's
pretty special.
And then, likewise you, I gotyou, and so that's pretty
special.
And then, likewise, theantithesis of faithfulness.
I also have experience withthat.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
And, sad to say, I think we probably all do.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
That is not who our God is.
He is the very epitome, thevery definition of faithful.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Yes, I love it too.
When I think of faithful, Ithink of solid as a rock,
unmoving, unchanging.
He's there no matter what.
There's no question about it.
I don't have to wonder is hegoing to show?
Is he going to be there?
Faithful means always, andfaithful means 100%, and
(31:00):
faithful means secure.
I love that word actuallysteadfast as well.
I love those words.
Okay, so we're going to move onto the next word, but we're
going to be sure to take thefirst couple of words with us,
so kind of bring them along, andthen we're going to go through
step three again.
Okay, so let's go back to thatverse the faithful love of the
(31:24):
Lord never ends.
His mercies never cease.
So we just did the faithful andnow we're going to do love.
We're going to talk about theword love, but we're going to be
sure to bring along thefaithful.
So we've got the faithful love,and then we're going to ask
those same questions what doesit mean to you?
What experience have you hadwith faithful love?
(31:47):
What are synonyms of the wordsfaithful love?
How about antonyms?
What thoughts come to mind?
And then take notes if you needto.
So when I think of love, I thinkof people in my life that have
loved me well, because that'sthe experience that I have.
I think about people that havecome alongside me in my life,
(32:10):
who have cared for me, who havebeen there for me, who have
helped me, who have picked me upwhen I've fallen over.
I think about people like that.
I think about friends that Igrew up with.
I think about friends that Ihave now.
I think about people like that.
I think about friends that Igrew up with.
I think about friends that Ihave now.
I think about family members,and when I put them all together
, that's perfect love.
(32:31):
God's love is perfect.
It never disappoints, it'snever late, you know, it's never
distracted or busy withanything else.
Perfect love is God's love.
So it helps me to think aboutall the people in my life that
have loved me well, becausethat's my example.
That's an experience.
But then to go the next stepGod's love is perfect.
(32:55):
It's perfect and that's amazing.
Speaker 1 (32:58):
That's mind blowing for me, that is what fills that
God shaped hole in my heart.
My heart has eternity in it andI believe that's what he
intends to go right there inthat hole.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Yeah, and it feels so good.
It feels so good to know thatwe can count on his love and
that everything he does isdriven by that.
That feels good.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
One of the things, too, that I didn't say when we
were talking about faithful andreally faithful love has got so
many other aspects to it as well.
You know, I don't have to earnit, right, I don't have to worry
about losing it.
It's faithful.
Oh, that's so good, all right.
So I just want to mention thisthe faithful love of the Lord.
(33:46):
This word Lord, it's in allcaps, in most Bibles, and I
think that's significant enoughto mention.
When I was using Isaiah 41, 10earlier, and I made a big deal
out of I am and God's name being, I am this little
capitalization when you have allcapital letters for Lord, it
means Yahweh or I am, and so Ilove, love, love, love, love.
(34:11):
That you and I put togetherthis information for this
podcast and came out with theLord, the great I am, is the
subject of both of the verses wechose, and his love for us, his
faithful love for us, neverends, never, no, not ever, ever,
ever.
What can we say about that?
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Well, we can say that never means never, it's kind of
like always, and really we canonly use those words when we're
talking about God, because he'sthe only 100%, he's the only one
.
So I love that and I was justgoing to jump into and say when
I read the Lord in this verse, Iimmediately think of all the
(34:53):
words that we use for praisefest.
When we praise God, when werenew our minds by praising him
for who he is and what he doesfor people, so I see the word
the Lord and I think redeemer,and I think provider, and I
think the lover of my soul, andI think my refuge, my strength,
(35:15):
that all those words just kindof flood into my mind, because I
love doing the praise fest andI do one every day.
At some point in the day I'mdoing one and so those words
just come right into my mind.
That's so incredibly comfortingand powerful.
So what truth is God impressingon your heart through this verse
(35:38):
today?
That's what we want to askourselves.
We get to the end of the verseand we're asking what's God
saying to me and how might thattruth that I have discovered
connect in some way with my liferight now?
What is he speaking to my heartright now, today, in the
circumstance that I'm in, andtomorrow it might be different,
(36:01):
and it might've been differentyesterday or a year ago or 10
years ago.
This is what we're doing, isrelevant for us right now, today
.
God is speaking to us right now, today.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
And it's because his word is living and active, like
we read in Hebrews 4.12.
So I think that's awesome.
Yes, so your assignment whetheryou choose to accept it, oh,
listener is to take Lamentations3.23 and do scripture word
focus with it.
You just continue the sameprocess that we've been doing.
(36:35):
But you know what?
Wait a minute, is this mindrenewal?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, you know what?
This is the best, best, bestkind of mind renewal.
Because what is mind renewal?
It's thinking God's thoughtsafter him.
It's asking him to fill ourmind with his thoughts.
And that's what it is.
That's what happens.
Our minds are basically washed.
Sometimes we use the wordwallpaper.
(36:59):
You know we're going towallpaper our minds with God's
truth wallpaper.
You know we're going towallpaper our minds with God's
truth.
And that way, when those liescome in, when those messages
come in into our minds from theworld, from the enemy, from our
own selves, we can then replacethem with God's truth.
And that's where we want tolive.
That's where we want to livewith God's truth in our minds.
(37:22):
And so here we are, meditatingon God's very words from his
beautiful love story book thathe prepared for us ahead of time
, knowing that we would need itso desperately.
This is the best kind of mindrenewal, and in Romans 12, 2, we
(37:43):
read that mind renewal bringsabout transformation.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
And who doesn't want that?
You know, what I love is thistakes God's word and instead of
just reading with my eyes oreven my mind, it gets to my soul
, it gets to my heart, reallydown deep into it.
It's my way of like eatingGod's word, it's like ingesting
it.
It really is.
(38:08):
And Psalm 107, 19 and 20 saysthen they cried to the Lord in
their trouble and he saved themfrom their distress.
How did he do that?
He sent out his word and healedthem.
He rescued them from the grave.
So if you are in distress, ifyou are feeling like you're just
(38:28):
one foot in the grave becauseof the things you keep doing to
yourself, the strongholds youkeep giving into, this is one
way of addressing that concern.
And it's not just a bandaid.
It really isn't, because whilethe world may say that you have
an addiction or you have a badhabit, god says there's a
(38:50):
stronghold.
Let me heal you.
I want my word to go forth intoyour life, into your heart,
beyond just the thoughts of yourmind, and deep down into you
and heal you and rescue you fromthe grave.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Yes, that sounds amazing.
Heidi shared that.
Oh, and it's true that thefaithful love of the Lord never
ends.
No, his mercies are new Everymorning, new every morning, new
every morning.
They never, ever cease.
100% faithful love of God.
(39:26):
That's how we want to end ourpodcast today.
Yes, thank you Lord.
Yes, thank you Lord, and we'reso grateful that you've been
here with us for this wonderfuldiscussion and we hope that
you'll visit us again for ournext podcast of Revelation
Within On the Go.
(39:49):
That was really sad sounding onthe go, on, the go, on the go,
on the go.
Let's go.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
We'll see you next time.
Yes, have a great week and wewill see you next time.
Thanks for being here.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
Bye for now.
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