Own It
March 27-28
Own It
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
One of the most exciting things about Scripture is when it is energized by the Holy Spirit and the scales fall off our eyes to see or understand things that have always been there, but which we have not registered before. Glory to God what an experience. Suddenly the words pierce our hearts, and we feel the personal message from the Word for us. How is it that we are directed in just the right time to this particular word that speaks to our heart? That’s the hand of God. We know without a doubt that God is speaking to us and our current situation through his Word.
God definitely means for Scripture to become personal to us. For this reason I encourage you to own it. Own the words which are written and apply them to your life. It is through His word that the world was created, and Jesus is His word became flesh. Nothing can be more personal than God reaching out to us in human form. His intention is clearly to elicit a personal response from us and for us to develop a personal relationship with Him.
We can intensify the personal application of God’s word to our lives by using it in prayer. We can take scriptures that the Holy Spirit has highlighted for us and make them personal by praying them. For example, Psalm 23 is often used as a prayer of strength, thanksgiving and comfort. Often reading verses in a different translation triggers a fresh meaning to familiar passages. Here is this Psalm from the Amplified version:
The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.
I share this prayer with you as an example of the process of making Scripture personal to you, although obviously the Holy Spirit guides each of us individually. I encourage you to ask the Lord for scriptures that you can pray in this manner and I can attest from personal experience that you will know God’s power in a new way.
Prayer for today: Father today I am thankful for the power of the Scriptures, inspired by You. Please speak to everyone reading this today in their own individual way. Use Your word to bring healing, give strength, and comfort to the hearts of your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.