TLF

READ YOUR BIBLE & PRAY EVERYDAY.

Growing in the knowledge of Jesus is THE WILL OF GOD for every saved man (1Timothy 2:4, 2Peter 3:18). God doesn’t want us to be ignorant about His will, plan, and purpose for our lives, His church and the world at large. This is why He has provided us with avenues of both “knowing Him” and “Communicating with Him” - And this is simply by “Reading your Bible and Praying everyday” ! You see, when you do these two things daily, YOU ARE MEETING WITH GOD DAILY! This is why, the devil fights hard to make believers miss these things, for he knows that, it is the secrete of stable, consistent, and ever-growing men in the faith!

Joshua 1:8KJV
[8]This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

The book (Genesis to Deuteronomy) must be read by Joshua.
Joshua would have to read the Torah, but, today, we will have to read Genesis to Revelation and MEDITATE ON WHAT WE HAVE READ DAY AND NIGHT…. The “Day and Night” would simply imply “ *Consistency* ”. You see, only those who do this consistently will “Make their way prosperous and have good success” - Now this doesn’t mean earthly or material blessings, it can simply mean - THEY WILL GROW IN THE LORD AND FOLLOW HIS PLANS FOR THEIR LIVES. The Bible is not a book to read for you to become “successful in Life”. The reason for the documentation of the scriptures is THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN CHRIST, HIS SALVATION PLAN AND WE IN HIM (BY HIM),

2Timothy 3:15KJV
[15]And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, *WHICH ARE ABLE TO MAKE YOU WISE UNTO SALVATION THROUGH FAITH WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS* .

This is why we have the scriptures - TO MAKE US WISE UNTO SALVATION- not to make us wealthy, not to make us influential in the market place, neither is it to give us wives or husbands etc.

To read the Bible outside the boundary of the knowledge of Jesus is to give room to the deceit of the enemy. This was why the Pharisees and sadducees had issues with the teachings of Jesus. They weren’t reading the Old Testament properly, hence we heard Jesus always telling them - “Have you not read” ?( Matthew 12:3, Matthew 12:5, Matthew 19:4, Matthew 21:16, Matthew 21:42, etc). The word “Read” in the following verses and many more, was translated from a Greek word “Anaginōskō” and it means “To read it again, or to read it properly or to read it intelligently” ! So therefore, reading the scriptures with Jesus in your consciousness is how to read it intelligently!

The beauty of reading the scriptures and praying CONSISTENTLY is that we are yielding ourselves to God, and the more we do that, the more we get better, and the better representatives of Him we become.

Observe the following verses 👇🏾

Proverbs 4:20-22KJV
[20]My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
[21]Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
[22]For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

We mustn’t let God’s word depart from our eyes and our hearts. We must hold fast to it and consistently so.

James 1:21-25KJV
[21] Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
[22]But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
[23]For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
[24]For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
[25]But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We must learn to “Look” (inspect and aim at understanding) God’s word and do this CONSISTENTLY - for only then can we be “blessed” in our deeds (make the most of our lives for Christ, follow His plans for our lives, be proper ambassadors and representatives of Him on the earth)!

Apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy instructed the same things,

1Timothy 4:13-16KJV
[13]Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
[14]Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
[15]Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
[16]Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

If you notice the verses we just read, there’s always that thing about being CONSISTENT in reading/studying God’s Word.

It’s same with prayer,

Romans 12:12KJV
[12]Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; CONTINUING INSTANT IN PRAYER.

Ephesians 6:18KJV
[18]PRAYING ALWAYS with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

Colossians 4:2KJV
[2]CONTINUE IN PRAYER, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.

1Thessalonians 5:17KJV
[17] PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

NEVER STOP PRAYING
NEVER EVER STOP READING GOD’S WORD! PLAN TO DO IT EVERYDAY OF YOUR LIFE!!!!

….and when you READ the word, do so with the consciousness of Jesus! For if your Bible study and prayer is not about Him, then frustration in the faith looms!

The scriptures is the testimony of Jesus (John 5:39)
It makes us wise unto salvation (1timothy 3:15)
Jesus Himself explained the Law and the prophets pointing to Him as the reason why they were canonized ( Luke 24:25-27, 44-46) , Same with apostle Peter (1Peter 1:10-12) and apostle Paul (1Corinthians 15:1-4).
This is just a few among many other New Testament scriptures that testifies to the fact that THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN BECAUSE OF JESUS AND HIS SALVATION PLAN FOR MAN.

Your primary reason for reading the Bible and praying daily is so that you can KNOW THE LORD, FELLOWSHIP AND COMMUNE WITH HIM AND PRACTICE HIS PRESENCE! Anything other than these is to be hypocritical in your devotion. This is why when you see some believers who read the word and pray because of “issues”, many times when the problems are solved by God, they become rebellious in their communion with the Lord until another problem emerge!

God does not want our communion with Him to be inspired by life’s situations and circumstances, but our Love for Him (because of His love for us)!

We will also discover that when we are consistent with our devotions (daily) it will build in us THE STEADFASTNESS required to resist the devil when he shows up (1Peter 5:8&9).

We will be able to handle challenges Just like Jesus would have handled them(Acts 16:16-30).

It will be easy to know and flow with the leadings of the Spirit of God (Acts 10:9-48) - not just in the ministry, but in every area of our lives!

We will become a blessing to others just as Jesus would have(through our words, conducts, and ministry) etc.

All these and many more are offshoots of our consistent devotion with the Lord (Matthew 6:6).

As I round up, know this - *That whenever you pray, you are talking TO God, and whenever you read/study the word, God is talking TO you*! It’s a father-son communion. So,ensure you aren’t too busy to talk to God and also hear from Him, for this in itself is a BLESSING and you must not allow anything whatsoever in this world deprive you of that sacred time with the Lord Jesus!

Seen this ?

Blessed?

Say ;
I take heed to reading the word and praying daily.
Nothing will make me become too busy to do what is expected of me.
In Jesus Name, amen!

WHAT IS MEDITATION AND HOW IS IT DONE?

There are certain things that MUST be regularly practiced by us if we want to stay spiritually ‘fresh’. There are things to DO to maintain your spiritual glow and MEDITATION is one of them.

Meditation simply means to think, imagine and speak God’s word. It involves your “heart” and your “mouth”. *IT IS TO BE DONE DELIBERATELY*. You don’t ‘wish’ it, you DO it!

God wants His word to be the predominant thought in our minds, and this would be ascertained when we engage in the art of meditation.

Joshua 1:8KJV
[8]This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

This was the Lord’s word to Joshua who succeeded Moses in the ministry. God told him that the way to make his way prosperous and have good success is by meditation. The “good success” has nothing to do with material gains. We can infuse “God’s plan” in that text. In other words, if Joshua will meditate on God’s word, He will follow the will of God for his life. You see, When you neglect God’s word, you can’t fulfill His plan for your life, you won’t be able to make the most of your faith walk!

Psalms 119:97KJV
[97]O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

One major proof that you Love God’s word is that you LOVE TO THINK ABOUT IT. If it’s not in your thoughts, then something else is in there. But we can put God’s word FIRST in our consciousness.

Psalms 145:3KJV
[3]I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.

We can meditate on the work Christ did for us on the cross, we can think about His indwelling Spirit in our hearts, we can meditate about how God can use us for His glory on the earth, just like He did with Jesus, etc. The truth is, *what you meditate upon determines the outcome of your walk with God*. But when we refuse to engage in meditation, we become stagnant in our journey of faith.

Let me give you a perfect example of how mediation was done by David.

Psalms 103:1-12KJV
[1]Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
[2]Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
[3]Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
[4]Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
[5]Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
[6]The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
[7]He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.
[8]The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
[9]He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
[10]He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
[11]For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
[12]As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Now that’s how to meditate! You have to deliberately choose to remember Christ and what He has done for you and SAY it out with your mouth (David sang his in the texts above- you can, too)!

Some believers know how to “meditate” only about the negative. Have you ever been worried before? If yes, then you know how to meditate. You remember those times when you were under a certain kind of pressure? how you were thinking, analyzing and pacing up and down in your room, talking to yourself, trying to figure out what to do? THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO WITH GOD’S WORD! YOU OUGHT TO ‘WORRY’ ABOUT IT- THAT IS HOW TO MEDITATE!

Meditation is how to PUT on the Lord Jesus in your consciousness and make NO provision for the flesh [Romans 13:14].

Colossians 3:16KJV
[16]Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly would be a function of meditation. Singing and making melodies in our hearts unto the Lord is also meditation. We can think the word, we can say the word, we can SING the word (Songs that speaks about the realities of Christ), etc and when we do this, we will discover that *ACTING ON THE WORD BECOMES NATURAL FOR US*.

Meditation helps us in clearing our minds from worldly baggages and making Jesus the umpire in it. Meditating on the word is spiritual warfare, *IT WILL CAST DOWN CONTRARY OPINIONS THAT IS AGAINST THE WILL OF GOD IN YOUR HEART*.

Philippians 4:8KJV
[8]Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, *think on these things*.

There is a way God wants us to “think” and it is spelt out in the verse above.

Dear believer, learn to use your heart and your mouth the way God wants you to use it and give NO place to the devil!

Clear ?

Have a blessed day.

Grace & Peace.