Becoming a disciple means learning to abide in His word

Welcome to episode 211.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Spending time in the Word of God is the best way to spend time with God. Welcome to No Doubt, No Fear, Only Believe podcast, where we will encourage, inspire, and empower you to live your best life in Christ. Here's Greg.

Welcome to episode 211. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, I am going to give you a treat. I know that you absolutely love my superior reading skills, and I'm going to display them with unbelievable efficiency and style, if that's even a thing. But I want to read 2 chapters. I know, I know, but when you start abiding in the Word of God, and that's what I want us to learn how to do, if we're going to abide in the Word of God, we actually have to be in the Word of God. And so I just want to show you how wonderful the Word of God is. And as you're driving or working out or doing yard work or whatever it is you're doing, or sitting at your house just vegetating, I want you to hear Proverbs 3 and 4, because I was reading this and rereading this. I love Proverbs. It's so practical. But I want you to hear this, and I want you to listen to the Word of God and just understand that as we abide in it, that don't mean we just got to sit there and go, "Um, um." We don't have to do anything crazy. We just need to read it, and while I'm reading it, I want you to think this is exactly what Father God wants you to hear out of His word using the Holy Spirit and my voice. My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands. For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, 3 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your path. 4 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. 5 Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. 6 My son, do not despise the chastising of the Lord, nor detest his corrections; For whom the Lord loves he corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights. Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding, for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, 2:16 And all her paths are peace. 2:17 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her. 2:18 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding he established the heavens. 2:19 By his knowledge the depths were broken up, and clouds drop the dew. 2:20 My son, let them not depart from your eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion, 2:21 so they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, "Go and come back, and tomorrow I will give it," when you have it with you. 3 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, for he dwells by you for safety's sake. 4 Do not strive with a man without cause, if he has done you no harm. 5 Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. 6 For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord, but his secret counsel is with the upright. 7 The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the just. Surely he scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble. The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools. Hear, my children, the instructions of a father, and give attention to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine; do not forsake my law. When I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me and said to me, "Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands and live." 5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and in all your getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; she will bring you honor when you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head an ornament of grace; a crown of glory she will deliver to you. Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom, I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your step will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; keep her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, Do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil, and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. 3 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 4 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; 5 for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. 6 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. 7 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. 8 Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or left, remove your foot from evil. Well, that is Proverbs 3 and 4, and I know this is unique to me, and I know that that's a lot of reading, but I just wanted you to hear the Word of God. I wanted you to hear the Bible being read And Proverbs is such a practical book, and I don't care what you're going through in life, I promise you, if you will listen to those 2 chapters and you read them for yourself, they will change your life. These— this is just practical advice from Father God. If you can just picture Father God speaking that to you, if you can just picture the Holy Spirit coming into your house or in your car or in your headphones and just saying these teachings to you. God is not angry. God is not mad. God loves you and he wants the best for you. And I've described the Bible in the past as a love story set with the background of a huge turf war. We've got Father God, who is the Most High, who loves you and is your God, your Father, your King, your friend, all of that. And we've got the punk, the enemy, who is twisting and turning every truth, everything in your life. He is using your 5 senses against you. He is using the world system against you. And he is actively fighting against you. And the only defense that you and I have is being in this Word, being in God's Word, And I promise you, with my superior reading skills, I'm never gonna probably read 2 full chapters of the Bible to you again. But I just want you to hear the Word of God. I want to encourage you that it's not going to kill you to hear a bunch of the Word of God. And I just wanted to bless you with Proverbs 3 and 4 today because it is a huge, huge deal to get this Word into your soul. And if you can just Take the Word of God and practically apply that Word to your life. It will change your life. I'm telling you, God is not a respecter of persons. If he did it with me, he's going to do it with you. It is just the Word of God. It will not come back void. It will change your life. It has changed my life. It has made my life so much more enjoyable. There is peace, there is joy, there is love, there's faith, there's hope. There's so much in my life that I can't even put my finger on. I can't even realistically tell you why I am so encouraged in this world. If I watch the news or if I listen to something on the radio or watch something on YouTube or some kind of newscast, if that's all I do and if that's all I take in, I'm going to be discouraged. I'm telling you that I start listening and then I feel myself just getting all wrapped around the axle about everything that's going on and how everything is trying to come to a head against the Word of God. And it's just as the Bible said it was going to be in the last days. It is what is happening. And what I believe, and this is Gregology, but I believe that you and I need to rise up and that we need to take our place in God's kingdom. We need to take our place in the body of Christ, and we need to make a stand that says, "You know, I don't care what's going on in the world. The only thing I care about is the Word of God." Now, that does not mean you can't have a hobby, and that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy going on vacation, or that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a sporting event or anything like that. You can have other interests, The Bible is clear. God said in Exodus, his top 10 list, and you shall have no other gods before me. God is not interested in being the only thing that you do in your life, but God is adamant about being the only God you serve. God is adamant about his place. He wants to be first. He wants to be the only one that you worship. He wants you to be the only one that you look to in times of trouble. He wants you to thank him when things are good. He wants you to thank him when things don't look too good at all, but that you can look into his word and become encouraged. And that's all I want to do. That's the only reason I'm here, is to encourage you that, man, it is going to get so much better when we make heaven. It's going to be so unbelievable that we're not even going to be able to remember. Paul says, well, it won't even come back to our memory, the bad that we had here. So I just want to encourage you, the Word of God is what's going to keep you and I going in this world. It's what's going to keep you and I strong and positive. We're not going to get discouraged. The only way that we can do this is to know the truth, and the only way to know the truth is to be in the Word of God because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus said, "These words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life," and he is the truth. All of it. So I just want to pray. God, I thank you so much for your Word. I thank you for Proverbs. I thank you for Solomon who wrote those words. Lord, they are relevant today and every day. Like, you just like your whole word, God. And I thank you that you're letting us dig into your word and see how you see things. God, help us to see through your eyes, Lord, and let us get into your word. And I bind up anything that would try to come against us reading and studying your word. Lord, we thank you, we love you, we ask it all in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, thank you for being a part of this, and I look forward to visiting with you on the next episode.

Thanks for listening to the No Doubt, No Fear, Only Believe podcast at www.nodoubtonlybelieve.com.