Meditate on God’s Word

Scripture to Memorize A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. Proverbs 31:10–11 Passage to Read How can a young [woman] keep [her] way pure?  By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. . . . I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:9–11, 15–16 Guided Prayer Dear Lord, it’s not easy to keep my way pure in the midst of an increasingly corrupt world. Sexual innuendo is everywhere. Standards of modesty become more and more lax, and I’m hard-pressed to find clothing that honors you and protects the purity of the men around me. The only answer is living according to the principles set forth in your Word, not the standards of this world. Today I’m seeking you with all my heart. Holy Spirit, empower me to walk in obedience, not straying from your commands. Help me as I hide the Word in my heart, so I won’t stumble into sin. Train me to do as Jesus did: use the Word of God as a weapon against temptation. Teach me the art of meditation. There’s so much mumbo jumbo and distortion in the world, it can be intimidating. But you are my Teacher, so teach me your way of meditation. Right now, I renew my commitment: I will not neglect your Word but will take delight in it. Amen. Personal If we are serious about our goal of becoming a capable, dignified, virtuous woman of noble character, we will have to do more than casually read the Bible. We have to meditate on it so it seeps deep down into the fiber of our being. If we want to be women who can stand firm in the face of Satan’s onslaught of temptations, then we need the Word of God on our lips. The Bible says, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). That’s why we meditate on the Word and store it in our heart, so that it can flow from our mouth when we need it. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11), Jesus responded with confidence. He knew exactly what God’s Word said and he used it as a weapon. We need to learn to do the same. When Satan says something to you, you need to open your mouth and say to the devil:“You’ve got it wrong! This is what the Bible says!” Don’t be duped like Eve, who fell for Satan’s oldest line: “Did God really say . . . ?” (Gen. 3:1). Remember, Satan is the father of lies. The only way to cut through his lies is with the truth. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free” ( John 8:32). Memorizing Scripture also helps keep our thoughts pure. When we fill our mind with Scripture, there’s less room for all the other junk we usually have hanging around up there. Unfortunately, New Age gurus and Eastern mystics have given meditation a bad name. When we think of meditation, we think of chanting “ummmmm” with our legs crossed, trying to drive away bad karma. Christian meditation almost sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, meditation is an important tool for our transformation. We need to take back meditation! It was God’s idea and his gift to us as his children. This 90-Day Jumpstart incorporates Scripture memorization as a tool for meditation. Let me encourage you to go beyond rote memorization to genuine meditation. Take time to think about what you are memorizing, to pray over the words even as you say them over and over again in your head. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the meaning and application of each word, and let his instruction begin to transform who you are and how you live. Over the course of the next three months, you will memorize the entire passage of Scripture describing the Proverbs 31 woman. We’ll take it one bite-sized portion at a time. I find it particularly helpful to write, write, and rewrite a passage I’m trying to memorize. Go ahead and use any white space available on these pages to rewrite your verse each day or just use scratch paper. Then, every Sunday afternoon you will face your weekly challenge: to fill in the blanks in the cumulative memory Scripture. Each week, the challenge will become harder and harder as we build to the finale. Stay with it. What an amazing accomplishment it will be to commit this vital passage of Scripture to memory! But more than an accomplishment, it will be an awesome opportunity for spiritual growth and will provide material on which you can meditate for years to come. Affirmation: I meditate on God’s Word day and night. Practical Cut out the Scripture memory verse cards at the back of this book, place them in one of the binder pockets in the front of your Personal Notebook, and begin carrying these cards around with you wherever you go. Spend an extra fifteen to thirty minutes writing out the verses on index cards and/ or Post-it notes. Place these around the house, in your car, anywhere you might have a few extra minutes to review your Scripture memory verses. Notebook: Create a page labeled scripture memory and put it in the tag section of your notebook. Whenever you encounter a verse you would like to memorize, write it out here for future reference, memorization, and meditation. Add additional scripture memory pages as needed.