Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
You've probably heard the phrase garbage in, garbage out, and as cliche as that can sound, it's true. One of the biggest issues that I had growing up was I listened to a lot of music that had profanity, and I couldn't stop cussing. It was one of those things that I struggled with for the longest time. I wondered, will I ever stop? I wrestled with it.
When I read this verse, it reminded me of the fact that what we fill our lives and our minds with will eventually come out. The NIV would say to dwell and let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly. Think of the word dwell as like a home, a permanent home, not a hotel that's temporary. Apostle Paul is saying, Let God's Word live in you. When the Word of God lives in you, that's what's going to come out of you. As we fill our minds with the truth of God's Word, it's going to flow out of us.
How to Fill Your Life with God's Word
That raises the question: How can I fill my life? How can I get God's Word to really live in me? I think the first way that happens is by paraphrasing a Bible verse. As simple as that can sound, try paraphrasing a verse like, for example, Psalm chapter 34 verse 18. It’s one of my favorite verses and it says:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and He saves those that are crushed in spirit.
I can paraphrase the verse. I can write down the verse because something happens when I write Scripture down. I can sing God's Word out loud for memorization.
A Weapon for Spiritual Battle
Here's what I learned: as I go through hard times, when I have God's Word hidden in my heart, I can take it out. Just like Jesus did when He was tempted in the wilderness, He used those three words: It is written. The enemy's attacking His identity, and Jesus would constantly say, It is written.
I think you and I have to get to a place in our lives where we're navigating through specific situations—whether it's anxiety, whether it's depression, whether it's an attack on our identity—and we got to be able to pull from the Scriptures that we've stored in our hearts.
When I get attacked on my identity, I love 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9:
You are God's prized possession. You're a chosen people, a royal priesthood.
I literally preach this to myself. In a season where I navigated through depression for the longest time, Psalm chapter 34 verse 18 was one of my scriptures that I quoted over and over: that the Lord was close to me. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. I would say, Val, the Lord is close to you right now, even though you might not feel the Lord's nearness, He's near you.
Fill Your Mind with God’s Truth
I want to encourage you: take time to meditate on God's Word. Remember, meditation is work. We meditate slowly, and as we fill our minds with the truth of God's Word, we're going to have a weapon. When the enemy attacks us, we have a weapon to fight him with, and it's the Word of God.
