How Can Bible Intake Be Visual?

Hello! How are you this last full week of May? Good news-a three day weekend is on the way for many. The month of May seems to be a busy time with graduations, Mother’s Day, end of summer year, etc. However, it has been nice to enjoy some of these occasions in a somewhat “normal” setting this year.

In the education world, tapping into all modalities of learning is essential. Educators have to be creative in making the text come alive and extending opportunities for those digesting the material to do the same. This is no different for each of us when studying Scripture and ensuring our Bible intake sticks. Making those mental connections and embedded the overall message into our schema is necessary to ignite the transformation of our heart and mind.

Transparency moment: Scripture exposure has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Yet, most of my life it has gone in one ear and out the other. Oh when I first hear or read a promising message, I am so inspired and feel two inches taller, but once life slaps me around a couple of times (usually less than 24 hours later) I seem to be clueless. Why didn’t the takeaway stick?

God has captured my attention in recent years concerning engaging in His Word and allowing it to transform. (the capture was a three letter word-PIT!) I have always equated the Bible as a life manual and valued the power of its words, yet the struggle to infuse my innermost parts with Scripture was very real.

I have read, heard, and tried all kinds of advice-read more, study more, pray more, add in-depth Bible studies to your routine, buy a Bible dictionary, purchase a set of concordances, download this application, get assess to these Bible translations, mark all these websites as your favorite, follow Bible scholars regularly, listen to online sermons, go to conferences, join this Facebook group, etc. These are all terrific ideas and suggestions, but when I first wanted to make a significant change in my Bible intake-adding a million different things without addressing what would really make Scripture stick for me personally just made my life even more complicated. I didn’t know where to focus-everything was over the top good! I wanted engagement not involvement. I just made the issue a frustrating and exploding PROBLEM.

So I began embracing simplicity. Taking bite-size portions daily and setting myself up for success. I could not process the fire-hose information coming towards me. It took me addressing my attempted failures and laying the issue at the feet of God. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see the answer was really simple-get out of the way and let Him lead.

Today, I want to share with you one way I have found to make God’s Word a visual in my life. If you wrestle with making the Bible come to life, I pray you are encouraged to embrace new ideas and are filled with God’s discernment to what will work best for you. Start small and give the Holy Spirit the permission to guide your efforts so the transformational power can ignite and change you inside out.

ONE WAY I MAKE SCRIPTURE VISUAL:

I pause and pray before reading God’s Word.
I read/reread and intensely study one chapter in the Bible weekly.
After praying and meditating over the information, I narrow my focus to a verse/s I feel the Holy Spirit is drawing me to fully digest.
I write out the Scripture.
- The physical act allows me to take ownership.
- It brings my focus to the words within the verse/s.
- I seem to remember the Scripture from writing it.
- The product becomes a snapshot of God speaking directly to me.
Sometimes I am drawn to one word within the copied Scripture.
I display it for a week and read it throughout my day.
I add my own flair to it. (can’t exactly call it art-lol!)

This is what must be done: When he sits down on the throne of his kingdom, the first thing he must do is make himself a copy of this Revelation on a scroll, copied under the supervision of the Levitical priests. That scroll is to remain at his side at all times; he is to study it every day so that he may learn what it means to fear his God, living in reverent obedience before these rules and regulations by following them. He must not become proud and arrogant, changing the commands at whim to suit himself or making up his own versions. If he reads and learns, he will have a long reign as king in Israel, he and his sons. **Deuteronomy 17:18-19 (MSG)**

Here is an example:

Steps I took:

I read Chapter 2 of Nahum.
I wrote out the verse which stood out to me to take ownership. (I choose two colors to distinguish the two thoughts presented.)
Then I selected one word which stood out to me. (I circled restore)
I displayed the card in a prominent spot. I read it over and over throughout the week and let it saturate my thinking.
We had a horrific hailstorm which wiped out our tender garden plants and many of the flowers we had planted. After walking through the yard to access the damage, restoration came to mind. I began to ponder the promise of God’s healing after the “destroyer” laid everything to waste. My mind went straight to a blossom. So, I took the card & drew a flower. It was a symbol of God’s promise, the beauty we find when we take refuge in Him, and the healing He will extend.
The card is a visual reminder of the message the Lord gave me. At the end of the week, I wrote my overall takeaway on the back of the card.

If you are a “visual” learner-start with just writing out Scripture once a week and allow it to saturate your thinking. Please do not make it complicated. You just need a Bible and a willingness to let God’s Word change you. Investigate ways to make the Bible come to life for you. Ask God for His discernment and help. You will be amazed at what He will reveal.

Share your thoughts. I would love to hear what you do routinely. Blessings and prayers to you, my friend.

May 25, 2021 8

Praise & Worship: Ch. 12

Major throw back…but for those who joined us during Part II, you will appreciate this! Obadiah!

Together, let us intentionally Crown the Sword, allow God’s Word to reign over our spiritual walk, and forever posture our lives under the influence of Scripture.

~Love and Prayers…until we meet again.

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

Jeremiah 24:7 (NIV)

April 21, 2021 0

Crown the Sword: Ch. 12-My Affirmation

…We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

Colossians 1:9b-10 (NIV)

Hello friends! First, let me thank you for the opportunity to walk with you through the book, Crown the Sword. This journey has been a fantastic time to grow together. I pray these twelve weeks have allowed you to discover ways to draw closer to God through Scripture. May it spur your Bible intake to new levels and encourage you to study books of the Bible with a small group of like-minded Christians weekly.

I pray the affirmation you find in Chapter 12 will be an invitation to have a candlelight time with God and define your commitment with Him. Dedicate some time to focus on your Bible reliance and revisit the main topics presented in each chapter of Crown the Sword. Think about your take-aways.

What are three things you want to do differently when engaging in His Word? How will you hold yourself accountable?

One quote in this chapter that really stood out to me was “Your growth hinges upon your willingness, devotion, and commitment, which become your personal affirmations.” I had to stop and ask myself, “How dedicated are you to God?”. Often times I feel I have very good intentions, but my follow through is not always up to par. Then I think, “Where would I be today if the Father’s intentions had not been backed by the willingness, devotion, and commitment of Jesus?”. Goodness, that is humbling for me.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

Each week I took some time to summarize my thoughts over each chapter and chose one word which represented the information. Let me share those words with you starting with the introduction chapter of the book: invited, partaker, surrendered, listening, devoted, absorbing, dependent, seeking, attentive, consuming, conforming, transforming, dedicated. These words are helping me reflect upon my own personal affirmation and what I am willing, devoted, and committed to do in the days ahead. I look forward to my candlelight time with the LORD and setting some goals for the next 12 months.

Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve.

Colossians 3:23-24 (Amplified)

May your sincere Crowning of the Sword lead you to a lifestyle completely alive in Christ Jesus. I pray this book has touched you in such a way that you will always be found seeking God and consuming His Word. Be empowered to tell others about your experience. God’s Voice will always be alive and active no matter the generation. I pray this message reaches a thousand generations and increases the desire of hearts for God and His Word.

I cannot think of a better way to end this study than direct words from His sweet voice…

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is yourlife, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:1-17 (NIV)

Until we meet again…

April 20, 2021 0

Crown the Sword: Ch. 11 Scripture Immersed Life

What comes to mind when you reflect upon saturation? Maybe the dog soaked in mud the day after a bath? Or possibly the teenage odor implanted in that once cute room you designed? Could it be the sopping wet towel in the middle of the bathroom floor you requested her to hang up after bath time every single night?

How about Scripture saturation? Where does your mind wonder now?

For many, it takes them to ways they can infuse God’s Word into their day-a chance to plan out methods to instill Bible intake into a busy schedule. Just google the topic—there are tons of suggestions out there—read your Bible during lunch, get up 20 minutes earlier, give up some TV time, listen to an audio Bible while exercising, cooking, showering, waiting, etc. Absolutely wonderful ways to carry out the “attention” stage of AMPS. However, this is a different type of immersion from the saturation found in the AMPS method.

When focusing on the “S” stage, perhaps I should have used synonyms such as fortified, infused, or implanted. Why? Because (yes, I just started a sentence with that word!) this final piece is the life submission in this skeletal Bible intake plan. It is the adeptness to unite Scripture to daily living and opening the door to God’s miraculous transformation. It goes beyond drenching your day with reading and hearing God’s Word. This is the step of faith where we learn to immerse God’s truth into daily circumstances and embrace our sanctification journey.

I once heard this explained as the 12-inch pathway from head knowledge to a heart transplant. It is taking what we read, hear, and learn then letting the power of God’s Word permeate through us and flow into our veins to make us more like Him. This saturation is a time where we grow to become solely dependent upon His truth and use Scripture as essential nutrients needed to cultivate spiritual health.

It requires us to find ourselves in His story and realize those promises and commands are designed to guide our actions as we navigate life on earth. His Word was not intended for us to pick and choose how we can make Scripture fit into our life, but to recognize ourselves in His Word and live life accordingly. God gives us everything we need and He invites us to be part of His wonderful creation. He calls out to His children with an invitation to partner with Him through prayer and application of His Word. He bids us to conform to biblical counsel and come to the foot of His throne for everything. EVERYTHING!

Saturation-a call from the Lord to comply and conform by taking action. An invitation to infuse our thoughts and behaviors with a direct subservient approach-going beyond just claiming Scripture to living it out through obedience to God and submission to His Word. Yes, a very different definition than “saturating” your day with God’s Voice.

This type of AMPS saturation is more of a spiral depth leading to a transformed life.

I pray one day my fleshy being is hardly recognizable because of the miraculous makeover resulting from my relationship with God, relying on His Word, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead. I cannot do this on my own.

What about you? What will it take to declare God’s attributes and power over the entirety of your existence and every life situation?

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

Psalm 19:7-10 (NIV)

April 14, 2021 0

Crown the Sword: Ch. 9 Meaning

Photo by Zuzana Ruttkayova on Pexels.com

Hello and Happy Spring! I hope you are seeing signs of warmer weather and a few daffodils sprinkled throughout your day. My full extent of Spring is defined by newness and Easter (my favorite holiday). I love seeing the violas and tulips displayed around town. It is exciting to watch the buds begin to form on the rosebushes and trees in the yard. These signs bring the meaning of hope to mind for me and help me better understand the purpose of winter.

REVIEW: ATTENTION STAGE

Today we are discussing the “M” stage of AMPS: Meaning. However, I feel I need to revisit and clarify the first step, Attention, before moving forward. The Attention stage is the breadth of Bible Intake, a time to simply read and/or listen to God’s Word by engaging in at least one chapter at a time. It is crafted to give you an overview and allow the Holy Spirit to point out areas.

This is a stage where you are reading the Bible with the knowledge that all Scripture points to Christ. Think of this type of Bible intake as basic reading and/or listening for the broadness and entirety of God’s Word. The basic points are 1) Pause, pray, and posture your heart to hear God every time you approach His Word; 2) Read and/or listen to full chapters at a time (safeguards from cherry picking); 3) Think about how the chapter/s point to the full story of Christ; 4) Allow the Holy Spirit to highlight words, phrases, verse/s for you (be in tune to hear the active-living Word).

Please, if you have any questions or concerns about the Attention steps of AMPS, ask me. Remember, this is a skeleton framework for you to build your own Bible study methods and techniques. There is nothing more or nothing less to the Attention stage than the four basic points listed above. Now, the way you respond to those or what you do with your Attention experience can vary.

MEANING STAGE

Let’s move into the Meaning stage. In this aspect of Bible intake, this stage can be referred to as the depth step. Why? Because it is where you have to consume God’s Word through discovering its original implication and importance in history. It equips us to intensify our Scripture knowledge and invest in the Lord’s meaning.

Where do I begin? How do I start? What does this entail? I know, I have had those very same questions. So, let me try to share what I have discovered through three basic areas.

3 MEANING FAQs

Where to begin: I would encourage you to study one chapter at a time. Maybe read/listen to a chapter for your attention stage and then study it in depth for several days. AMPS is not designed to be carried out daily. (I would love to do go through the entire process every day!) Want a suggestion? Start with John.

Another suggestion would be to study the background of the entire book you are reading. The main take away is for you to go deeper into understanding and comprehension of what you are reading.

When I first began, my primary purpose was to achieve and establish true clarity for the Scripture that seized my attention when reading a chapter at a time, listening to a sermon, reading a devotional, etc. It was my starting point and it gave me “spot knowledge” so to speak. Since then, I would have to say I have found it essential to continually concern myself with the meaning of all biblical text to obtain the distinctness and focus of God’s words. With that being said, please understand studying the “attention” areas or highlighted portions after reading/listening is a great beginning.

Start where you are!

How to start: Study Bibles are extremely helpful when digesting Scripture. It gives some insight to true understanding and even the context in which it was written. Pay attention to the subheadings. They are tools to help our minds “chunk” the information and attach it to similar knowledge in our schema. There are many Bible commentaries online you can reference as well. Let Scripture define Scripture–so, you may want to invest time into reading some of the cross reference verses provided. My favorite technique is to read my “attention” verses in various translations.

Getting started is basically taking a step to deeper understanding! Please don’t make it complicated. It can merely be one thing that deepens your understanding. This is an ongoing adventure to strength your relationship with the most important person in your life, GOD! Try several strategies and research more to incorporate throughout your journey.

Start where you are!

What meaning entails: I might define meaning as anything that helps you dig into the context and build a firm foundation of knowledge according to God’s connotation. The primary goal is for you to open your Bible in confidence by knowing God will provide you with complete comprehension if you are willing to do a little extra work.

Here are a few things you could include:

Write down your questions.

Reread God’s Word in several versions (NIV, ESV, NLT, TPT, …)

Use commentaries, reference other Scripture, and read resources such as Bible book summaries

Cultivate an interrogative mindset (author, author’s background, historical setting & culture, original recipients of the message, events)

5Ws & H: (historical references)

Who wrote it? Who are the people?

When was it written?

Where are they? Where does the passage fit in the unfolding of Scripture?

What is occurring? What is being said? What is the author’s intended meaning?

Why was this written? Why is this part of God’s Word?

How was this applicable then? And now?

Identify keywords: Maybe use a Bible dictionary (language concordance) & find the Greek/Hebrew meaning

Deal with reproof & new revelations: Did you discover a flaw in your past comprehension/application?

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WOW! I know…it may be overwhelming but remember… Start where you are!

PRIMARY GOAL: Discovering the Full Meaning of God’s Word by growing in relationship with the LORD.

ONE PRIMARY TIP: Let it be pure joy!

YOU GOT THIS!

March 30, 2021 0