GOD'S WORDS ARE CRUCIAL.

FIX THESE WORDS OF MINE IN YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS...                -DEUTERONOMY 11:18A

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds... -Deut 11:18a 

If Dwell had a “life verse” this would be it.  

Dwell exists to help people fix God’s words on their hearts and minds. Period. It’s what we do. It’s what we’re passionate about over here. It’s the starting point and the filter through which we make all our decisions. It’s why we keep picking verses and designing them and putting those verse designs in all sorts of places: tattoos, keytags, prints, jewelry, coloring sheets... even stickers! It’s why we talk about our verse all month long on these posts and our podcast and social media. We want you to hear and see and remember God’s words. And we want them to stick in your hearts and minds and have an impact.  So, we try to make them accessible and put them everywhere all month long, because we think those words really matter. So let me ask you a question: 

Why? 

Why are God’s words important?  

Why memorize them?  

Why fix them in our hearts and minds? 

I could give you a lot of good, solid Biblical reasons. But, I’m just going to give you my reasons. God’s words are everything to me, because he is everything to me. And without his words, speaking truth into my situations, I’m lost. Plain and simple, I need those words. Every. Single. Day.  

Here’s today’s example: 

This morning, out of nowhere, a flood of fear broke into my day, like literally just an hour ago. The enemy started whispering lies in my ear—really convincing lies, lies that sounded true. He said: I’m not good enough to do what God has for me. I don’t write anything that matters. This ministry is too much. I’ll never be able to do all of this and keep up with my ginormous family. I should probably find a replacement and quit. I’m dead serious here. My chest started to feel tight and my lungs felt flat. And this is not an unusual scenario. So, I did what I've trained myself to do in these moments. I sat down and prayed. And do you know what came to my mind? Scripture. I prayed last month’s verse right back to God. “The Spirit you gave me does not make me timid, but gives me power, love and self-discipline.” (from 2 Tim 1:7). I claimed that promise, right then and there. And I’m still claiming it, right now as I walk in it. God’s own Spirit is in me, giving me courage, power, love, and self-discipline to do the things he planned for me to do. And when I tell myself this truth, the lie actually seems stupid and really obvious. Of course I can’t do it all by myself. I wasn’t ever meant to walk in my own power (or lack thereof). Whew! But, I can do all things THROUGH Christ, who strengthens me. I can walk in the path he’s laid out before me—empowered and emboldened by his Spirit. I can rest knowing God has given me everything I need to do what he’s called me to do. So, I’m holding onto that today, right now.

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 So… here’s my “why”: 

I fix God’s words in my heart and mind for me. I do it because it’s how I know God; it’s how he speaks to me in my real day to day. It’s how he upholds me and convicts me when I’m wrong. It’s how I feel compelled to love others and forgive them and seek restoration when it’s tough. You see, in and of myself, I’m pretty insecure and unwise and lazy and selfish. I need God’s true words for insight and right living. I need to preach them to my soul, to pray them back to Jesus, to claim them as true, and to walk in them. Without God’s truth in my heart and in my mind, I am blown about by lies (even lies that are partial truths). This is why I spend time fixing God’s words in my heart and mind: I can’t live without them. 

But what about you? 

You’re still here, reading this. What’s your “why”? Why are you here at Dwell, memorizing and learning God’s words? I’d bet my bottom dollar that you’re just the same as me. You struggle with believing the same kind of half-truths. You tend to believe you’re not good enough, or pretty enough, or smart enough, or just plain old ENOUGH. When we all get down to it, we’re just the same. We all wonder what the heck’s going on and what we’re supposed to do with our lives and whether any of it even matters. Well, I’m here to tell you that you are valuable and loved and what you do matters. And it’s not because I say so, but because the God who made you says so. He calls you his beloved. He calls you friend. And it’s all there in his book. And he wants you (and me) to be confident and fearless, rooted in his love for us. So he tells us, “Fix these words of mine on your hearts and minds.” He’s not trying to punish us with homework, or bore us with rules. Oh no! He’s loving us by urging us to do the one thing that will help us flourish. Learn who he is. He’s not distant or mean. He’s close and he’s dear. And he’s speaking to us in every single page of his Good Book. That’s all. And I can say without reservation that the most beneficial thing I do is fix his words in my heart and mind. It is crucial. What about you?

What’s your “why”? Why fix God’s words in your heart and mind? 

What half-truths do you tend to believe about yourself?

What are some specific verses you could memorize to combat those lies?

Thanks for reading,