Preserve my life according to Your Word.
Psalm 119:37 NIV
You?d think that applying the Bible would be fairly simple, but actually it?s the hardest part of Bible study. Why? Because: (1) It takes some serious thinking. Sometimes it takes a long session of in-depth, prayerful thinking before we figure out how God wants us to live. Often this means digging under the surface of an ancient story til you get to a very up-to-date way of living it out. (2) Satan fights it. The devil?s strongest attacks often come in your quiet time, when you?re trying to apply what you?ve studied. As soon as you get serious about making changes, Satan will fight you all the way. He hates ?doers? of the Word. He doesn?t mind you studying your Bible as long as you don?t stop to ask, ?Now, what am I going to do with what I?ve learned?? (3) We naturally resist change. We don?t ?feel? like changing; it’s not fun but it’s what we need to do to really live our lives God-style. We live by our emotions rather than our decision. We say stuff like, ?I don?t feel like studying the Bible, or praying, or worshipping.? Feelings are unreliable; they come and go. The key to spiritual maturity is to live for Jesus not because we feel good, but because (a) it?s the right thing to do; (b) God expects it of us; (c) it?s the way to get mature in God; (d) it?s the only way you’ll ever have a stable Christiam life always going in the right direction!
