AGAIN, these chapters are just what I needed to hear! God's timing is always so perfect.
In chapter 8,
Lord Take Me Deeper in Your Word, Stormie gives us an inside look into one of her low moments in her physical and spiritual life. It makes me realize having your health, is so much more important being physically healthy, but it also impacts your spiritual life. She wasn't able to physically pick up a Bible or read, so she relied on others to do it for her. But as she points out, its so different being in a one-on-one reading with God, than having someone read to you. And it started to take its toll on her spiritual life. She couldn't hear God as loud as she used to, she couldn't focus on her writing, and she couldn't make decisions as easily because, she couldn't hear God's voice as clearly as when she was able to have her one-on-one time with him. WOW, as I wrote that it totally spoke to me about how we cant just feed our spirit by attending church and listening to the pastor preach a sermon. After weeks and months of just doing that, you become spiritually malnourished, because you haven't spent one-on-one time with God. Listening to the pastor at church or on the radio, is only a supplement. Our physical bodies as well as our spirit can not survive on supplements alone. The only cure for malnourishment is whole food. God's word is food for our spirit. Matthew 4:4,
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." God wants a relationship with you, and the most important key to a great relationship is communication. He wants to talk to us. He wants our undivided attention. Just because we read a chapter once or even five times, His Word is so deep, that he can teach us new lessons EVERY TIME we read it. I love the prayer Stormie wrote,
"Lord, I NEED to have Your Word come alive in me again. Make that happen, Father. Clear my mind and soul. Teach me new things. Help me to go deeper into Your Word than ever before." She later writes,
"Our time in God's Word is one of the most important aspects of our lives, and it should be covered in prayer." I've heard this before, but it was such a great reminder to cover my reading time, and worship time with God in prayer. I'm going to tape this prayer to the cover of my bible to remind me to pray before I read. AMAZING!
In chapter 9, "Lord, Instruct Me as I Put My Life in Right Order". This statement reminds me of an image of a person's hand, being held and guided by the hand of God. Just as a parent or teacher, would guide a child's hand when learning to write his name.
"I'm a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world."
—
Mother Teresa
Questions:
1. On page 86 she wrote, "Reading the Word had always been life-giving for me, but now it became more of a duty. I read because I knew I needed to." Have you ever felt this way? What did you do to help revive your fire for God?
2. How did Chapter 9, speak to you?
3. What was your favorite quote?
