HAVE YOU EVER...memorized a verse?

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.  Psalm 119:11

Have you ever memorized a passage of scripture or the 10 commandments?  My oldest kid is 10 and by the time I was his age, I had a ton of scripture memorized.  The Lord’s Prayer, the books of the Bible, John 3:16, and the Roman road are just some examples.  And we memorized everything in King James back in the day. 

Someone might argue with me about this, but “rote works.”  My mother and I are the flash card queens of the universe.  My kids had flash cards in their faces before they could sit up.  

I am lacking in shoving the word in my kids face.  Why don’t we focus on memorizing God’s word anymore?

For me, my motto has become, just teach them how to use their resources.  They don’t need to have it memorized.  We have computers or our phones to look stuff up.  This may be how I feel about homework, but I don’t think that God would be happy with this attitude towards everything. 

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.   

Proverbs 22:6

In the Bible, the Israelites were taught to carry 4 strips of verses in small boxes strapped to their forehead and left arm.  They were Exodus 13:1-10, 11-16; Deuteronomy. 6:4- 9; 11:13-21.  The men prayed them every morning.  Jews still do this today. 

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Deuteronomy 11:19

I understand that knowing God’s word and knowing God’s word are two different things.  You have to know what you are talking about.  Even so, application comes from knowledge.  Not computer knowledge, but memorizing the verse knowledge. 

Give your kids the tools.

Give yourself the tools. 

HAVE YOU EVER…memorized scripture with your family?

Numbers 16:40, Matthew 23:5

HAVE YOU EVER...heard of Jehoshaphat?

My last blog was about prayer.  I love praying.  I especially love praying for other people.  I have learned about prayer from God’s word, but also from other people in my life.  I especially remember my preschool teachers teaching us how to pray.  I remember how some of my friends prayed for me in high school and college.  I remember how Pastor Kellogg prayed.  You always remember those precious times when someone stops what they are doing and prays with you on the spot.  Awesome. 

In 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, there are stories of one of the few kings of Judah who walked with the LORD.  He didn’t just walk with the LORD; he went to the LORD anytime he had a big decision to make.  We do that.  We bounce big decisions off of our spouse, friends, or other family.

In the 2 Chronicles 20, there is a big battle planned against Jehoshaphat by 3 other armies.  The Bible says that he was alarmed, proclaimed a fast, and brought all of his people together to seek help from the LORD.  Jehoshaphat then stands before his kingdom and God and says this beautiful prayer.

The Spirit of the LORD comes upon a man who stood in the assembly.  He tells them, “For the battle is not yours but God’s…You will not have to fight this battle…Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you.”  They all fall to their knees praising God.  Then they get out the instruments and praise him some more. 

The next day, they take their places and the LORD does exactly what he said he would do.  Three days later, they march home with their plunder.  They go straight to the temple and worship the LORD.

I love all of these Old Testament battle stories of King Jehoshaphat, Joshua, and Gideon.  They didn’t even have to fight.  I would not have wanted to live through one of these stories though.  We talk all of the time about these battles we are fighting in our own lives.  We do all of this talking.  We expect people to pray for us or tell us how to fix it or fix it for us.  Do we trust the LORD enough to bounce the decision off of him?  King Jehoshaphat did.

HAVE YOU EVER…trusted God?

Psalm 62:8, Luke 5:16

HAVE YOU EVER...prayed?

I know that probably even an atheist would say that they have prayed before.  We call out in times of need no matter what we believe in.  I am one of those people that says, “Praise the Lord” all of the time and I mean it.  I’ve been told that it is annoying.  I don’t always pray that way though. 

I have learned that there are types of prayer and they go in an order.  We are not just supposed to start asking for something.  We are to praise him first.  Here are the types of prayer.

Praise

Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his surpassing greatness.  Psalm 150:2

Thanksgiving

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.  Psalm 107:8

Forgiveness

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.  Psalm 86:5

Intercession (Praying for others)

Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.  Psalm 17:7

Prayer for Yourself

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Psalm 51:10

Praying is an old habit of mine.  I was blessed to grow up in a family that prayed together every day.  That doesn’t mean that I always do it with the respect I should have for our LORD.  God wants a relationship with us.  He wants to talk to us.  Don’t you want to come before our maker with true honor and glory?

You should notice that all of my references above were from the book of Psalm.  I think that besides Jesus praying himself in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, Psalm is a continuous example of prayer.  The word psalm means a song, hymn, or prayer given to God.  I suggest if you want to work on your prayer life, pray a psalm a day or at least look to them for motivation. 

HAVE YOU EVER…prayed a psalm?

Psalm 105, Psalm 150

HAVE YOU EVER...followed a recipe?

Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Luke 6:38

I love baking and cooking and eating of any kind.  When I was reading “The Resolution for Women” by Priscilla Shirer and came across this verse, I had one of those ultimate A-HA moments.  I am not good at measuring or following recipes.  I like to tweak recipes.  I make up my own, or I lose the original recipe.  Priscilla was talking about a recipe for bread that needed to be followed to the “exact measurement.”  She got it from a friend and you all know that I love my friend Rachel’s chocolate chip cookies.  It is the ONLY recipe that I follow exactly!

Priscilla continues to tell this story about baking bread with her kids.  It is a labor and time consuming effort that yields the best homemade bread.  There is an exact science to the process of adding flour and kneading the dough. She taught her kids the shaking action to eliminate air pockets from forming in the measuring cup.  Even her six year old son has mastered the “scoop, shake, press down” of the flour.

Luke 6:38 tells us that God’s good measure recipe for us is running over.  Priscilla says, “a good measure…brimming over, unable to be contained by its recipient.”  God is SO good.  When we give willingly of our own resources, he gives us a lap full.  This is a sweet teaching promise in His word about having a content spirit. 

Priscilla Shirer’s book, “The Resolution for Women” has been full of A-HA moments for me.  Each page seems to have the Spirit speaking directly to me.  Every woman should read this book.  It is so relatable.  This is why I am so excited to see Priscilla Shirer Live March 1-2, 2013 at First Baptist Church Raytown, MO.  This is a LifeWay Women’s Event that will hold close to 3,000 women!

I am thrilled to be attending and learning from Priscilla’s teaching.  Her brother, Anthony Evans, will be leading in worship.  (They are two of Dr. Tony Evan’s children.)  If you have not attended a LifeWay Women’s Event before, this is your chance!  Go to lifeway.com/priscillashirerlive and get your tickets today!  I am already praying for you to experience God pouring an immeasurable, overflowing amount into your lap. 

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen!  Ephesians 3:20-21

HAVE YOU EVER…been to a live LifeWay Women’s Event?

Matthew 7:2, 2 Corinthians 9:7-8