Truth

To start off, I feel that this post needs a preface to put the reader in the right frame of mind. This post is nothing but a list of things we all know we need to do more of. That being said, I wouldn't want anyone to misunderstand me on this. This is not meant to be a list that we attempt to adhere to simply for the sake of being "super-spiritual". When we discipline ourselves to take on a new practice, it should be because of an inward passion for God, chasing after Him, gaining a greater knowledge of Him. Though we will always fight the flesh's tendency to put off spiritual things, we shouldn't overrun our headlights jumping into them. We can incur burnout. Better to start off slow in the right direction than to jump in beyond our own spiritual metabolism. I recognize that this philosophy could be carried to dangerous extremes and we need to guard against that, but somehow, I know that our inspiration should be tied up in knowing God in a fuller sense not just doing good things to be better people. Let this be true in our lives,

To have found You, and still be looking for You,
It's "the soul's paradox of love."
You fill my cup, I lift it up for more.
I won't stop now that I'm free.
I'll be chasing You
Like You chase me. - Peter Furler

The first on the list, of course, is reading the Bible. The more scripture we can get into our heads, inevitably, the more we will think and use in our lives. This should be a part of every believer's life even if it is just a little each day. Make sure, to the best of your ability, that you are soaking up the ideas presented. Absorb it. If you are just going through the motions, cracking it open and planning your day while your eyes skim the pages, you're wasting your time (this is written to myself as much as anyone else).

Not at all trying to raise one version over others, but I was an avid KJV user for 7+ years, didn't think I was missing a thing, and last year had the thought to switch to a modern version and I was amazed at how passages that were once a mystery to me opened up before me. Honestly, I don't know why I was using the KJV in the first place, maybe so that I could jokingly hold it over people who used modern versions,  but I like the ESV much more now.

Meditating on Scripture is an extension of reading Scripture. We can summarize meditation in these three words, memorize, visualize and personalize.

Psalm 1:1-3

 Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

³ He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

It isn't enough to have read truths years ago. We are extremely forgetful people. We need to remind ourselves constantly of the many truths God has in His Word. I don't know how many times I will have my mind set on what I know is God's will and then over time, my mind will be turned aside. All because I forgot what the truth was.

Another way that we can help our minds to retain truth is by reaffirming it in prayer. I recently read a couple of books by Mark Bubeck, The Adversary, and Overcoming the Adversary. He emphasizes what he calls "doctrinal praying". Here is an example he gives, it is cut out of a much larger prayer,

I am thankful, heavenly Father, that the weapons of

our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God

to the pulling down of strongholds, to the casting

down of imaginations and every high thing that

exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and to

bring every thought into obedience to the Lord Jesus

Christ. Therefore in my own life today I tear down the

strongholds of Satan, and I smash the plans of Satan

that have been formed against me. I tear down the

strongholds of Satan against my mind, and I surrender

my mind to You, blessed Holy Spirit. I affirm, heavenly

Father, that You have not given us the spirit of fear, but

of power and of love and of a sound mind. I break and

smash the strongholds of Satan formed against my

emotions today, and I give my emotions to You. I smash

the strongholds of Satan formed against my will today,

and I give my will to You, and choose to make the right

decisions of faith. I smash the strongholds of Satan

formed against my body today, and I give my body to

You, recognizing that I am Your temple; and I rejoice in

Your mercy and Your goodness.

Music with powerful lyrics can be a easy way to get truth flowing through your mind. Even simple songs that affirm God's truth can be helpful. I feel that this verse summarizes this thought nicely,

Colossians 3:16
 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

This one indicates the thought as well,

1 Corinthians 14:26

...When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Other ways to absorb truth can be reading books that reaffirm biblical truth and listening to sermons from sound teachers. SermonAudio.com is a great resource.

I am sure that there are other great ways to get truth in our heads, creating a lifestyle of truth-building activities. If you have any ideas, feel free to comment.