This weekend, Pastor Rick taught the last message in the Invisible War series, titled Never Fight Your Battles Undressed. Life is full of challenges and struggles. It’s often tough to figure out where we’re supposed to get our strength from when we feel beat up by life. Pastor Rick shared with us that we get our protection and strength from the Bible and from prayer. Here are three ways to make that happen this week: Know the WordThe first step is to crack open that Bible! Select a chapter from the New Testament like Acts, Ephesians or Galations. Start at the beginning and commit to reading a little bit each day for the rest of the week. Read as little as one verse, or as much as one chapter, every day. You can also read and listen to the Bible and other messages on your iPod, Android or other mobile device. Prayer is Key!After you’ve read the Word, take time to pray. Feel like you don’t have time to make prayer a part of your day? It’s not that we don’t have time to pray, it’s that we don’t make time. Most of us carve out enough time to watch the news, walk the dog, make breakfast or even just make coffee in the morning. But reading the word and praying are more important than caffeine or current events! Just take a few minutes and talk to God; talk about the day, your hopes, your worries, etc. If you need help learning how to read the Word, visit Fresh Start with God.
Memorize the Word
This is our biggest defense during times of weakness. When we need the Word most is when we tend not to have a Bible handy, and that’s why we commit to memorize verses, also known as “hiding the Word in our hearts.” Pick a verse from this week’s message outline, write it on a 3x5 card and carry it with you this week. Read it several times throughout your day and you’ll naturally begin to memorize it. Or, for those of you who are more tech-friendly, put that verse in to your personal calendar or mail client and schedule a reminder to pop up several times a day. Before you dismiss the reminder, open the item and read the verse. Boom...memorization taking place!
How do you plan to put this weekend's message in to practice? Share your thoughts in the comments section below. Don’t forget to invite a friend to Saddleback's 9/11 Hope & Freedom Service. And, stay tuned for our upcoming 40 Days in the Word series which will help us learn to study God's word more effectively.
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