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Crown the Sword: Ch. 8-Attention

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Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 

Acts 9:3 (ESV)

Did I capture your attention? Can you imagine your lips telling the world what you just ate through chameleon color-changing abilities? Mine might appear like dirt since my favorite thing to savor is the darkest chocolate possible. (YIKES!) What about you?

Matthew 6:22 states, “The eye is the lamp of the body.” So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body can be full of God’s pure light. Our eyes are arrested by many things throughout the day. Vision is an intake device controlling what can charm our senses, entice our minds, and even sway our hearts. This is why good marketing schemes can invoke our thinking and cause us to react outside of our norms. Oh those eyes!

Lets look to the Bible for some vision advice:

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27. (NIV)

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. Matthew 5:29

He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain. And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; Isaiah 33:15 (NIV)

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37 (ESV)

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27 (ESV)

Our attention will be engaged in any environment we entertain, healthy or not. Bright and flashy or dark and luring-humans have an eye for things that standout. Marketing experts profit from this sense by leaps and bounds. Just ask Seth Godin, author of Purple Cow-Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. (Side note: maybe we should make all Bibles purple poke-a-dotted) It is a known fact that the eyes tend to be drawn to things out of the ordinary. Ponder this: Remember seeing something you wish you had not seen but were drawn to it? You can’t seem to get it out of your head.

“The almighty Father provides Scripture as a method to procure our attention.” (pg. 89). “However, it takes effort on our part to place ourselves in God’s environment…” (pg. 90). The Holy Spirit gently draws us to particular verses as we engage in God’s Word and He does so according to God’s purpose and will.

Let us not forget, Scripture is the Voice of God-the very words which separated light from dark and brought everything into existence. Why wouldn’t we want to hang out among powerful, life-giving words and let it capture our attention? Well, I don’t know about you, but I have overused all the excuses you could probably utter…”I’m too busy, I’m not sure it all applies to me, I need to focus more on my career, I lack the motivation to stay in the Bible daily, I don’t understand some of Scripture so…, I’m not ready for God’s disciplined lifestyle, I don’t know where to start, etc.”

However, when the bright light was placed on my life, much like Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus, it exposed my excuses, sins, and flawed ways. I stood before the LORD guilty in so many ways. God had to use drastic forces to get my eyes back on what really mattered-Him! I wasn’t placing myself in Scripture so He could speak to me nor spending the time I needed in “listening” prayer to fully hear His words of discernment and guidance. I was doing life “my way” much like Saul.

“The LORD longs for our awareness of Him. God knows exactly what ensnares our interest. He is never surprised by what is attractive to us because His attention is continually on us. The Lord longs for us to reciprocate interest in Him.” (pg. 88-89). He knows how to captivate us, but He is gentle and patient–not to mention He gives us free will.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8a (NIV)

Chapter 8 of Crown the Sword is all about what to do once God draws our attention to certain passages of Scripture when we spend time reading His Word.

See your story in the Bible as you read it.

Highlight it and date it in a manner that is right for you.

Heed to His promptings and write out those verses to reflect upon throughout the week.

Place the verses in prominent area you frequent regularly.

Fill your environment with His Voice-Scripture.

Keep your Bible open as an invitation throughout your day to stop and read a bit.

Think outside of the box and let your creative juice flow.

Post the Scripture on your social media accounts.

Talk it over with a friend.

Pray it out.

First and foremost, let it draw you to the feet of Jesus. Hang out there for a bit and let Him take your vision to heights unknown. Your eyes will be amazed at the remarkable sight revealed — discovery of a magnificent power beyond the color-changing ability of a chameleon.

(P.S. What was the last thing you ate?)

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Steps to Bible Intake: Part II of Crown the Sword

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And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Ephesians 6:10-12 (Message)

Hello sweet friends! I hope your week has been good. We have had tornadoes, hail, rain, blizzard, snow, sunshine, and spring days all in one week. You never know what to wear or how to prepare. It has felt a little chaotic to say the least.

How’s your daily Bible intake? Does it ever seem a little sporadic? I know mine does. There are times it is so unorganized and unplanned that it might resemble the worst junk drawer on the face of the earth. It definitely gets out-of-whack when I have too many pans in the fire. (Not that I am currently doing this or anything like it!!!)

I just wanted to pause today and share a method I created for my personal Bible intake. This corelates with Part II of the book Crown the Sword if you want to know more details. During my searching for more of God’s Word in my life, I found bits and pieces of various Bible study methods I liked, but never one that encompassed everything I needed and valued. So, over the years God revealed AMPS to me.

AMPS is a very basic skeleton for anyone to build upon. Ideally, I would love to go through the entire process daily. However, time doesn’t always allow. However, it is important to engage in every stage and not just get bogged down into one step in the process.

Just give it a try. Make it your own. Find a new way to engage with God and His Word. Start with pausing and prayer each time you begin. Please find joy in your daily Bible Intake. Don’t make it a “TO DO”, make it a celebration of drawing nearer to the one and only who loves you beyond comparison, GOD! Make it a “Ta Da” and find pleasure in each moment you spend engaging and infusing Scripture into your life.

Download your copy of AMPS in a different format than presented previously. ENJOY.

steps-to-studying-the-bibleDownload

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Crown the Sword: Ch. 7-Living a Scripture-centered life

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 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11 (NIV)

God wants us to present each moment to Him in obedience, let Him rule our lives, and submit all of our ways. I don’t know about you, but I struggle in doing so. I have to humbly remind myself I cannot accomplish His purpose without humbly surrendering to His leading. It starts the minute my eyes open each morning. Each day is a gift given and it is my responsibility to hand it over so the LORD can lead it. Trust me, when I depend on myself and my ability to handle life (good or bad) I fall short every time. His direction and instructions far exceed my own. Besides, He knows the future so I need to trust His jugdment!

When I made the commitment to live my life through an open Bible, I began searching for a routine to assist me. A plan to keep me from failing. A way to live out Joshua 1:8 (NIV) “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Anything to keep me plugged into God and His Word. I wanted a good connection.

If there was an approach to studying Scripture and learning to infuse it into my life, I was willing to try it. There are many of them out there. (yet, I find it hard to discover who created them?) I love the primary goal of each-to allow the very Voice of God to penetrate your soul. I think it is essential for everyone to determine ways to study Scripture and open their heart to discovering new methods and techniques for a lifetime. Also, I believe the Holy Spirit will guide and prompt you to a deeper understanding as you travel together with God.

Listen friends, ten years ago I was probably hesitant to study Scripture on my own without an associated text, facilitator, or sermon notes. God prompted me to go deeper into knowing His Voice and stop “cherry picking” verses and memorizing Scripture just to quote it and manipulate it to what I wanted it to mean.

AMPS was primarily created for my own personal Bible study because of gaps I found in other methods. They fell short on focusing and fully listening to God, gathering the entire meaning from context, praying out Scripture, safeguarding my understanding, etc. The list continues. So, I began with four categories: attention, meaning, perspective of God, and saturation. This is an extremely lean skeleton. It may even be missing a few bones, but it is the foundation on which I have begun building my Bible study methods.

I look forward to sharing with you my thoughts from the book along with so much more I have to tell you about AMPS. Hang in there friends! Press into those study questions. They are essential in Chapter seven to help you digest the second half of Crown the Sword! Let the journey begin…

Crank up the AMPS Bible Study Method

A:  Attention
Prepare your heart-Pause
Read with purpose
Be aware of what catches your attention
M:  Meaning
History: author/timeline/location/original audience/culture
Identify: Attributes of God, promises, instructions
Terminology: Greek/Hebrew
Translations: read more than one
Entire Context: main message
Seek the full counsel of Scripture: investigate cross references  
P:  Perspective of God
Pray for God’s perspective
Present your concerns, thoughts, and confusion to the Father
Ask the Lord for the meaning, clarity, and personal message
Be open to reproof
Ponder the application for your life
S:  Saturation
Ask the Lord for help to live out Scripture
Infuse His instructions into your life
Pray out Scripture: claim His promises over your life and circumstances

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Crown the Sword: Ch. 6-What will I Crown as my Life Manual?

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Crown-(verb): a mark of honor, to officially recognize, adorn, to pay tribute, to signify reverence, etc. Handing over reigning authority and giving up control is what it personally means to me. The Crown is my choice to rank the highest treasured possession in my life. It goes beyond a physical act and lip service. The crowning takes place daily when I make my choice what will rule my day.

We all have crowning power. In a recent social media conversation with a pastor, we briefly discussed this concept. He stated that in Ephesians 6 “we’re biblically exhorted to “crown” Christ” and therefore we should do likewise to His Word. I responded by saying that Christian or not, we all crown things in our lives. My philosophy is we all own one crown to do with as we so desire. Now, I may move my crown from item to item, but I can only crown one thing at a time. After doing so, it has the power to reign and control my actions, thoughts, words, and goals.

I have “crowned” myself in the past. Manipulated Scripture to fit my need. Convinced myself that “if you want something done, you have to do it yourself without relying on ANYONE!” (pg. 69). I knew people would let you down and I had a long list of proof especially when it came to the opposite sex. So day after day, I “crowned” my personal strength and had a motto, “Love what YOU do and do what YOU love!” It even hung on the wall in our living room. Why? Because it was about satisfying that deep hunger inside of my heart and no one else seemed capable of doing so, so I would just have to do it myself. (Miss. Little Red Hen)

Boy, this is when the disclaimer should pop-up and say “Do NOT try this in the home of your heart! It can prove fatal and/or harmful to those who try!” Red flags, flashing lights, sirens, caution tape-whatever catches your inward attention: PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT CROWN THE WRONG THING! Go retrieve the crown, hold it in your hands, and really think about the authority you want to reign over your life. What will give you life everlasting? What will furnish you with a reliable life manual?

God invites you to crown Him and therefore crown His Word.

I leave you with a direct quote from the book:

“My sweet heavenly Father extended a fresh encounter with Him and gave me the gift of renewal and redemption through Scripture. The invitation I accepted from the Lord is the same He extends to you-come and experience the miraculous possibilities of a life submitted to His authority. Your willingness to let Him reign unlocks a world of potential beyond your imagination! I am living proof!” (pg. 71).

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Praise & Worship for Chapter 5

Make MARGIN for God
I repent-I let go-Set me free! Help me abide in You and Your Word!
God always makes a way!
Grow past those hurts and lies! Anchor your life in Him and His WORD
New Day! Start again…
Scripture reveals the Whole Story–Jesus is COMING BACK
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Crown the Sword: Chapter 5-Absorbing God’s Word

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2 Timothy 3:16-17 informs us that God’s word is profitable. Paul advises Timothy to live in the Word because it is enduring. Paul knew Scripture would stand forever and equip us ALL if we so choose. Just like in Ezra’s days and the days ahead of our own lives on earth, God’s Word can sustain daily living and can be tangible if we strive for our understanding to be deepened.

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17 NIV) His pure truth is worth absorbing. It has a return on our investment and we can rejoice over it. We have to make margin for the Lord and His Word to grasp full understanding.

What will it take for you to release your grasp on life’s sponge and align yourself with the living water? How can you reposition yourself where you can make God and His Word real in your life? Do you need to eliminate areas of our life to help shift your perspective? How can you be useful in God’s economy if you are allowing other things to absorb in your sponge?

Get up-squeeze it out-and separate yourself from all those things holding you back. Claim Ephesians 3:20 over your life. Tell God you are believing He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Start allowing Scripture to comfort, feed, center, motivate, and calibrate your life. Feast on His Word. Start where you are. Open to one book of the Bible and stay within it until you have read it from beginning to end regardless of how long it takes. Let your life sponge be saturated.

I had to believe Scripture was good for my soul or I would have never even turned my eyes toward it. As I have said before-God’s Word revealed a treasure unlike anything I had experienced. Oh LORD, help me spend more time feasting on Your Word.

Gosh, I have spent plenty of hours on other things in my life-wasted time-chasing people, selfish dreams, and perishable rubble! I want God’s Voice to be the loudest and His Word to get inside of me in a way that it causes me to be fully anchored in Him. I want something planted in my life that will grow and nourish not only to sustain me but those around me. (squeezing out the overflow of goodness I have soaked up from spending time at His feet)

God speaks to us through His Word. We have to be open to hear and understand. The Holy Spirit will lead us in our comprehension and reveal reproof to align our thoughts with truth. I have found Scripture to be firm and secure even when crying out to God “I don’t understand this!” Somehow He has always shed light on His Word through various ways, but not until I did my part on pursuing more understanding. I had to stop just adding God to my life and surrender to His kingship. It took me separating myself for some deep rooted loves in my life that were holding me back from moving forward. For me, I had to completely hand over my sponge because I had spoiled it-it was useless. The Father restored it and gave me another chance. I struggle over and over yet I refuse to let the enemy saturate my life. I want to be a bold follower by knowing God and His Word. May He fill me to overflowing, work through me, and give me understanding of Scripture to use my sponge for His Glory.

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Beyond Scriptural Typography (Exceeding Text Elevation)

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Treasured Treasure

Adored Adornment

Prized Prize

Valued Valuable

Treasured Treasure

The Bible…the very words of God.

For centuries, time has been devoted to the mere visual art form of Scripture. WHY? Like any written craft, its legibility and appeal are key factors in enticing its audience. Man has spent endless hours arranging and selecting the letter spacing, typefaces, and line lengths to attain the preferred typographic anatomy.

Experts in the field have continually taken in account all the essential principles when designing a layout of the recorded words of God. Their main aspiration is to fabricate an alluring product with an optical invitation. Placement and alignment concerns are just the beginning to their labor in achieving the goal, a visual hierarchy.

Typography is big business when it comes to the Bible. God’s Word, a treasured treasure, routinely generates $425 million in annual sales according to an article by Brandon Gaille. Valued as valuable to numerous believers, the demand for published Scripture not only requires a skilled typographer but also breeds a steady workload for the industry due to needing “the perfect Bible”.

Do you have this in large print? Does this devotional Bible come in an English Standard Version? What are the language options for the Message Bible? Could you suggest the best user-friendly study Bible for a new believer? Are there any Spanish NIV translations with comfort print in a red-letter edition?

Then, let us not forget to consider the digital world as well. How can I access this version on an e-reader or tablet? What are my Bible options for a smartphone? Is there an audio app for the New King James translation? And the list of specific wishes and requests continue-an endless petition for “the perfect fit” according to the consumer.

Thanks to technology and individual preferences revolutionizing the delivery methods and presentations of God’s Word, the publishing industry has gone beyond ink and paper. Believers now have a multitude of alternatives to be able to connect with God’s Word. So, the bigger question is, “What suits your personal needs?”.  

Some of the measures used to select the “perfect” version of the Bible is based on the need of convenience, simplicity, compatibility with an on-the-go lifestyle, and inclusion of hi-tech devices. Shall we say…finding a suitable option in the world where digital and audio Bibles abide. It seems as though we have God’s Word at our fingertips and can connect with His Holy Word at the drop of a hat.

These multifaceted doorways allow us to handpick a version based on our liking. We can select a format exclusively for our lifestyle. Gone are the days of being restricted to a physical book. Thanks to publishers, we have been extended an expanded invitation to interact with Scripture on a grander scale than ever before.

Ponder this. In a moment’s notice, we can access the Bible on our phone, bookmark passages, and even magnify that so-called “perfect” text if need be. We are blessed with the engagement opportunities afforded to us left and right. It is as painless as downloading an app. Free at that! WOW! Every mode luring each believer to go beyond the typography.

What more could we desire? Our prized prize and adored adornment can be displayed beyond a coffee table. We can showcase it on every device we own and pull up any passage regardless of our location. We can even screenshot verses of interest in the middle of a sermon and share it immediately on social media.

What a welcoming welcome. An opportunity to see past the layout we choose. A chance to experience the life-changing power the words hold. An open invitation to go beyond the charming print. An ability to interact with Scripture through exceeding levels of availability far outweighing anything previously offered. Oh, how attractive, tantalizing, and downright alluring.

Inviting invitation

Tempting temptation

Charming charm

Welcoming welcome

Inviting invitation

The Bible…and for some, it stops here!!…the very words of God.

Gaille, Brandon. “29 Good Bible Sales Statistics.” Bradon Gaille Small Business & Marketing Advice, 23 May 2017, https://brandongaille.com/27-good-bible-sales-statistics.

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Praise & Worship for Chapter 4

Press in-continue to listen to the Voice of GOD! Make it part of your lifetime journey.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. Psalm 32:8 ESV
Yahweh Nissi: Protect us Father
Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Psalm 71:3 NIV
“Practically speaking, I had to declare He was a better life executive than me!” page 46
“The wisdom God imparted was the solution had to begin with my dedication.” page. 46

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