Bible Reading Fun Fact Day 6:

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Bible Reading Lessens Your Chances of Sinful Behavior.

According to the study I have been citing, “Scientific Evidence for the Power of Four.”
“Christians who are engaged in scripture most days of the week have lower odds of participating in these behaviors. “Getting drunk= 57 % lower odds, Sex outside of marriage= 68% lower odds, Pornography =61% lower odds, Gambling=84% lower odds… For those behaviors where there is an effect for engaging scriptures two or three days a week, the effect is much smaller than four days a week.”

Sin DESTROYS! I am forever marked in my heart, by a time of reflection at an Ashes to Beauty Encounter Weekend. During a time of prayer at the prayer altars, I knelt in prayer with the woman I asked to go with me for that weekend. She looked up at me and through many tears she said, “I am an addict.” Her meth addiction had destroyed her life and it continues to destroy her life, as far as I know, to this day. She lost her kids, her husband, and her home The last thing I saw of her was a mug shot on Facebook. She could not get the strength to rise above her addiction. The key is “she could not get the strength.”

The truth of the matter is any lasting change in our lives is IMPOSSIBLE without the power of God! I personally know this is true. My struggles with anxiety were futile until I engaged them with the WORD of God. Because my struggles were just that “my struggles!” I can do nothing!!!
I want to be very blunt because the truth is the only thing that sets us free.

“”…Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””
‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sin will be an issue for us until we die. We will be tempted to go our own way over and over again. Relationship with Jesus is the only way to live free of sin! Reading God’s Word, Memorizing it, having it as the focus of your mind all day long is the only way to live free of the death, darkness, and destruction that sin brings. We need Jesus every minute of every hour of every day! We need His Word inside of us!

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bttbfiles.com/web/docs/cbe/Scientific_Evidence_for_the_Power_of_4.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0oUg-1EdoroXtn0fyEJ2mWvkE1dCccxh1aNtqK6UcS3H60HnZhMEAnbfc_aem_AUEvx9S4jFQ_8APUGd_-xIenueEig0bQBatGQmamRfhjbTlTHkKr4hp3O-3XeTae988&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Bible Reading Fun Fact Day 5:

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Bible Reading can Be Attempted at Home! (In fact it is imperative that it is!)
To be honest with you I had not really seen just how important reading the Bible was until I started writing this series. I knew God wanted me to read the Bible. I knew He mentioned it in His Word. I read my Bible daily, but I did not really see what a priority God wants it to be in our lives. So much so that He inspired the Words of these verses that Jesus, Himself, quoted as the greatest command:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He followed those words with the importance of us knowing, memorizing, and talking about the Word in our homes and to our children:

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why is reading, knowing, and memorizing the scripture so important to God? God is His Word and His Word is God!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

That Word is Jesus! If we want to love Jesus with all of our hearts, soul, and strength we have to know Him. I cannot fully love someone I do not fully KNOW!
If we want our families to know Jesus we have to be the ones to introduce Him to them. That is why we need to talk about His Word as we go about our daily lives. We need speak of His Word in our homes. We need to set His Word before us at all times.
But here is the kicker. We cannot impart what we do not have. If we want our families to follow God and experience the benefits of knowing Him. We have to KNOW Him. It starts with US!

Bible Reading Fun Fact Day 4:

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Reading the Bible Is NOT Just For the Professionals.
Many people see the importance of the Bible as God’s Word, but feel like they are not qualified or “spiritual” enough to understand it. It seems important that the professionals (pastors) study the Word because it is necessary that it is preached in a church service. But studying it on our own may be more optional for a regular Christian.
This mindset will stunt your spiritual growth!
The Apostle Peter presents an analogy on spiritual growth that occurs when we read and study the Word as new Christians or simply as the ones who are not “the professionals.”

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Word of God is like the pure milk of a mother to her nursing child. It is exactly what we need to grow. Out of a Mother’s life she yields food for her baby. The Word of God is living. It is life to us! And there is nothing more tender than a baby, held close to its mother receiving exactly what that baby needs. Our God is tender towards us! He wants to hold us close to Him and will feed us tenderly with the pure milk of His Word!
Here’s the most beautiful thing about this illustration, Peter, says we are to CRAVE the Word of God! When Aaron was born, He wanted to nurse every 2 hours. He was wearing me out! Lol. He CRAVED the milk that would make him grow strong!

All of us come to God as Babies. We need to grow in our love for Him. We need to experience His love and tenderness! We need to CRAVE His Word! And like a nursing baby, once we figure out how to latch on, or receive the Word from God, by reading the Bible for ourselves, we will get a taste of just how Good it is! We will see how satisfying a daily, moment by moment relationship with Him is! We will CRAVE it! We were created to experience that kind of desire for God and His Word and we will not be fulfilled in our lives— living in joy, peace and love— until we truly taste and see how good our God is!

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Based on “The New Life”- Andrew Murray

Bible Reading Fun Fact Day 3:

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According to the Guinness Book of World Records the Bible is the best selling book of all time.
Statistically speaking, most Americans own Bibles 85% of American homes have Bibles. The average number of Bibles that are in US homes is 4.3 per household. And the popular Bible App YouVersion celebrated 500 million installs on electronic devices
in 2021.
But this does not mean that our nation as a whole is reading the Bible. Research showed that on 2021 only 11 percent of Americans read their Bible daily.

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We have been having a drought in Missouri. My grass in my yard was dying and dry. But the past week we have had rain. This morning I noticed as I went out on my deck to pray how GREEN the yard is. What a difference a few days of rain has made!
Most of us live in a SELF IMPOSED spiritual drought! Our lives are DEAD to God in many ways. He seems distant and so we struggle with fear, anxiety, anger, jealousy, etc. We go from one bad day to the next. Notice I said “SELF IMPOSED”. We have access to the living water of the Word of God! (John 4:10) Yet we refuse to engage with it in our lives!
Psalms 1 states that a person whose life is connected to the Word of God/ the Bible is like a tree that has ample supply of water. That tree is vibrant!
Are you in a spiritual drought and dead inside? Or are you fully alive in God? Check your connection to the living Water of the Word of God!

https://www.statista.com/statistics/299433/bible-readership-in-the-usa/#:~:text=A%20survey%20from%202021%20found,to%2029%20percent%20of%20respondents.

Bible Reading Fun Facts Day 2:

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“Reading the Bible four or more days a week decreases your “odds” of giving in to temptations such as lashing out in anger, gossiping, lying, addictions to drugs, pornography, gambling, etc., significantly decrease.”

Sin destroys! God provided a way for us to live free from sin. The power of His Word in our lives can break any chain the enemy wants to keep us bound with. Jesus Himself said, 

“”Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””John‬ ‭8‬:‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What is truth you may ask? The Word of God.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John‬ ‭17‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

If you need freedom from the chains of sin, the Word of God is the chain breaker! But we will not be free if we do not engage the Word in our lives regularly. Reading the Word of God, the Bible,and allowing it to work in our lives is imperative not optional if we want to live free and victorious!

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? 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.” Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭

Quote from the article “Capturing the Power of Four.” Based on the findings from this study by the Center for Bible Engagement.

https://bttbfiles.com/web/docs/cbe/Scientific_Evidence_for_the_Power_of_4.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0XA7ovQEk8C_XY3sONIt9HWEH8-w0cZO7DwQ_Paw6PL1-ZiDxm4hq40Cc_aem_AY-ePaHaJT1QAze66c_7ObpKLT3-DoNNeUn63n95hfCSyARqscq_wPPF-rghD8ipl6Y&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Bible Reading Fun Facts Day 1:

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Reading the Bible four or more days a week will decrease the impact and power of emotional struggles in your life!

For more than eight years the Center for Bible Engagement has researched the spiritual lives of more than 100,000 people from around the world. Engaging in the Bible most days of the week is critical to grow in the Christian faith.
Their findings include:
Receiving reflecting on and responding to God’s Word four or more times a week decreases a persons “odds” of struggling with issues such as bitterness, critical thinking towards self and others, depression , discouragement, loneliness, and unforgiveness.

“The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Based on the findings from the study “Understanding the Bible Engagement Challenge: Scientific Evidence for the Power of 4” by the Center for Bible Engagement

https://bttbfiles.com/web/docs/cbe/Scientific_Evidence_for_the_Power_of_4.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2ybX_LGpMZ5fyOadIwUa2u1VqKgxD1Pi3u4CcH9qxjIvFSX8HYfvmVVXs_aem_ATVyHcBRxif3TviDv0WuJF-rIwRulbz-M_z-2qbG_65xxntWD-2LKtYv2iKqXQEtjQM&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

The Jesus Way: Mark 8:1-21

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Jesus once again feeds a large crowd with few loaves of bread and a few small fish. Then He sends the crowd away and gets on a boat. When he gets off the boat the religious leaders, the Pharisees, come to Him demanding a sign.

Keep in mind that the healings, the miracles Jesus had done, the teachings He spoke were all done in the open. The Pharisees knew about them and yet that was not enough. 

“He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.”” Mark 8:12 NIV

A little later Jesus warns His disciples.

““Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”” Mark 8:15 NIV

Watch out for the influence of the Pharisees and of Herod. Yeast influences. It works it’s way through the flour and effects the way it acts. It causes it to change. The influence of the Pharisees teachings of salvation through works, following the law, and dependence on self was everywhere. Then there was Herod who did whatever he felt like another bad influence. Both groups lived their lives for self and self preservation. That was their example to their world. It is what worked its way into the very fiber of the Jewish culture. That is why the Pharisees wanted “a sign.” Jesus threatened their way by doing things God’s way. He followed the way of grace, forgiveness, love, and mercy. This was not the way of the Pharisees. Jesus challenged their realm of influence.

Our world is no different. When we come face to face with Jesus we must choose. Do we follow His way or do we go our own way as the Pharisees and Herod did? Who is your influence over your life yourself and your ways or Jesus and His way?

May we choose the Jesus Way!!

I want to encourage you to listen to this song. More than once. Close your eyes and contemplate what it means to choose the Jesus way.

Yuck in Your Well : Mark 7:1-23

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What is coming up in your heart’s bucket?

The religious people of Jesus time were upset because His disciples weren’t following their man made religious rules. They had a lot of them: certain ways to wash your hands, certain things to eat, how to give gifts to others and classify their gifts.

Jesus told them:

“Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”” Mark 7:13 NIV

It wasn’t their observance of man made laws that God looked at. God looked at what came forth from their hearts.

I’ve heard it said that our hearts are like a well with a bucket. What is deep down inside of that well is what will come up out of that well and that bucketful of good or of “yuck” will splash all over us and the people we are around.

Here’s how Jesus put it:

“He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”” Mark 7:20-23 NIV

The question is, “What is inside of your well?” Are you full of anger, pride, bitterness, evil thoughts? That is the “yuck”of sin that will come up in your bucket. Make no mistake it will splash on everyone around you.

Or is your well in your heart full of Jesus? His Love, His Joy, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, Self-control….? That will come up in your bucket and it will splash on and be the influence of all those around you: your husband, your kids, your friends, your coworkers, your family. It will be refreshing to be near you as you pour out the Good God has put in you!

If it is “yuck” that comes up there is a solution to that, Jesus! Tell Him what is in your heart, ask Him to forgive you and change you. Ask Him to fill you with His good stuff, His love. He is in the business of cleaning out yucky wells, or evil hearts and making them new. That is good news!

Where is My Faith Placed? Is He King? – Mark 6:1-28

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This morning as I have been praying I was thinking about how God has changed my heart. When I read our passage today there were a couple of things that stuck out to me that I could have related to when I lived with a heart that was divided and not fully given to Jesus.

One… the unbelief of Jesus’s home town. They heard Jesus speak and they were amazed, but they couldn’t get over the fact that they had watched Him grow up. They lacked faith and wouldn’t believe. I’ve thought I had Jesus figured out and I wanted Him to fit into my image of Him. But He is God and He is beyond what I want to make Him into. That is why I need to totally submit myself to Him, totally obey Him, and totally depend on Him.

Two… King Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist, who he ordered killed, raised from the dead. He was intimidated by the thought. Jesus didn’t fit into Herod’s lifestyle. Herod was used to having his own way. When you are king and you are faced with the King of Kings you have a choice get rid of that king or submit to Him. I have been “King” of my heart. If it had a throne in it, I was sitting on it. But there can only be one King on the throne, me or Jesus. I cannot make Jesus fit into my lifestyle. I have to fit into His ways through giving my whole heart to Him. That is the only way to be at peace when you see Jesus before you.

May we live with Jesus as King of our hearts and faith fully in Him!

One in a Billion Yet He Sees Me: Mark 5:21-43

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““You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus was surrounded by crowds of people, but He still saw the needs of the one. One man in a crowd needed Jesus to heal his dying daughter. Jesus’s response is to head towards that man’s, Jairus, home to pray for his little girl.

As they walk through the crowd where people were pressing up against Jesus on all sides, one woman was healed in a very personal way. Jesus stopped to address her individually.

You and I are only one in 8 billion on this planet. There are so many others pressing in around Jesus. Yet He stops for the one, you/ me.

So many around us but He comes to our home of our hearts and raises the dead within us.

Jesus is personal. He is for each of us one on one. He wants intimate relationship with each of us. He went to the cross, died and rose again to extend the invitation for us to come. Will we respond to His invitation for our time to be one on one with Him?