Stamp out the Lies, 2011, #4

Satan's at it again.  He doesn't even have to shout.  A whisper is all that's needed. "It's just a book.  No big deal.  It was written long ago; it doesn't pertain to now.  There's so much other good stuff out there.  Look!  You can even read books about the book."


I've gone through periods where the Bible is the last thing I pick up to read.  I don't know why.  No reason, I suppose.  Other times, I'm reading and I explode in growth and knowledge and I can't imagine not reading it.  Fickle.  I am so fickle.  Maybe that's you, too.  We are fickle people, for sure.  

There are places around the world where it's illegal to read the Bible; where it's hard to get a copy.  It's pathetic to think about the many different versions sitting on our shelves, dusty and unread.  


I'm about finished reading, Radical, by David Platt.  Soon I'll review it but for now, let me share with you what he has to say about Bible reading. 


"...we hold the matchless Word of God in our hands, and it demands a superior position in our lives... Do we realize the battle that is waging around us?  There is a true God over this world who wants all people to bow at the feet of a loving Savior, and there is a false god in this world who wants all people to burn in hell.  The battle is intense, and it cannot be fought with little thoughts in a daily devotional..."  (p. 191)

Did you notice that?  --There is a false god who wants all people to burn in hell?  ummm...that would be satan, the enemy.  


This is what God desires for the Bible to do for us:


"God has chosen by his matchless grace to give us revelation of himself in his Word.  It is the only Book that he has promised to bless by his Spirit to transform you and me into the image of Jesus Christ.  It is the only Book that he has promised to use to bring our hearts, our minds, and our lives in alignment with him."  (p. 192)


God wraps Himself around us as we read or listen, like I've been doing lately, to the Word. He reveals Himself to us.  He shows us what we need to do and He also shows us the wrong way to do things from the very human men and women that is written about in the Book.

This is Day 21 of the B90X.  69 more days to go.  Surely by that time, reading God's Word will be a habit I will not want to break.  Already, I crave my time with God. I marvel at what I read or listen to.  I can't help but share it with people around me.  My last story I wrote was about Esau.  His life captured me and I researched and I couldn't let it go until a story finally came out of it.  


It says in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."


Don't give in to satan's lie - that the Bible is an old thing; that it should be thrown out like last year's electronic gadgets.  That is certainly NOT the case.  So whether you take that Bible off your shelf and blow the dust off; or you read online from places like Biblegateway.com; or you go to your local library and find the Bible on tape or CD; or you find dramatized versions online; or download it onto your electronic book; or all of the above, JUST DO IT! Let God capture your heart and speak to you.  Let Him love and/or admonish you through His Words.  I promise, you will never be the same again.