Have you ever had a time when you lived on a verse . . . just one? For weeks or months, you clung to the truth in that one verse and milked it for all you could. When this happens, I believe God wants to deposit a truth in us so deeply that nothing can shake it out of us.
For my friend, that verse has been Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I wanted to share her story with you, so you can see how she applied that one verse to her life.
From her childhood to adulthood, public speaking was an area of major discomfort. She is a musician by heart and passion; but one day, as a child, she stepped out onto a platform to sing, only to be left frozen and alone. Tears poured out that day as the music played, but nothing came out of her mouth.
Today, as an adult, she has felt God calling her to serve in a way that would put her back in front of a crowd. Several weeks ago, she had to make some announcements at church, and before she did that, she said over and over in her mind, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Again and again drilling it down into her heart she said that verse.
When you say scripture, sometimes it doesn’t feel true. However, with every repetition, something builds in your spirit. The words become louder and louder, and you feel His strength rise within you. When we study the Word of God and speak it over our situations, we make a decision to go past ourselves and receive from God. This is a sweet spot in life!
That day, my friend said the announcements at her church, and felt no fear. An hour later, she held a meeting in front of another group of people—two public speakings in one day! While telling me the story, she paused and smiled as she said, “I didn’t even realize the meeting lasted 45 minutes . . . and I never got nervous! I just did it without thinking about the nerves.” My friend, that is a victory!
Days later, her daughter was struggling with math and said, “I can’t do this! It’s too hard.” Immediately, my friend grabbed a piece of paper and wrote out her daughter’s name and Philippians 4:13. The daughter smiled and asked her mommy to add her picture on the paper as well. Together, they listed out all the things that she would now be able to do with Christ helping her.
When we make an effort to learn the word of God through reading and memorizing scripture, we enrich our lives by standing on something more enduring than our own strength. We encounter something better, the right to stand on the solid rock of Jesus, the one who was never shaken by storm or wind, by a word or a slap. Jesus wants us to be firm and lack nothing, and we can do this if we are in Him. In his perfection, we are made complete. (Col 2:10)
Our goal is to store the word of God in our minds, so that when trouble or fear arise, those verses are within easy reach and can be readily applied.
For our physical bodies we take vitamins, try to eat healthy food, drink water, and exercise (or at least a few of these). In the same way, we need to exercise and feed our spirit with God’s word, so we will not lack. Matthew 4:4 says, “But [Jesus] answered, ‘It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
In different seasons in our life, different truths need to be established in our heart. So right now, what is your verse? If you don’t have one, you can do a Google search for “Bible verse wisdom,” or “Bible verse peace,” or “Bible verse joy,” and find one that meets your need, or you can pick one from the list at the bottom of last week’s post, The Importance of Memorizing Scripture. Take that verse and speak it out over and over until your heart is firmly established in it.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your Word—it is an amazing and powerful gift. Please give me revelation as I read your Word. Help me to learn your truths and apply them to my life. I know that with you, I am complete. Please, give me more of yourself in the areas that I lack. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.