Monday, August 11, 2008

The Word: Part One

I wait for the Lord...to speak to Paula. Psalm 130:5 Oh wait, that's not in God's Word, that's in your head. (I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.) You know the Lord is good to those who wait so He's gonna be good to you. The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:25 (ESV)

I'm coming to you LIVE from my hometown...with some old news about the Good News. I'm not a whipper snapper when it comes to things I post on my blog so yes it's been over a week.

For an avid note taker, Beth Moore sure did give me a work out last Friday and Saturday at the Simulcast. I will not repeat all her notes but rather things the Lord led to my heart as I pondered on my notes and composed pivotal points of reflection in my own words made applicable to me and hopefully for all.

If I summed up the weekend in two simple words I would say the weekend was all about THE WORD. The central theme was about knowing and retaining the Word for a 100-fold harvest. Many of the thoughts and statements Beth made weren't all necessary "new" but yet the phrasing at times seemed to have a huge impact. (Most of the sub titles below are ones I created. Anything Beth said is in brown and ends with BM.)

HIDE AND SEEK the Word
Opening God's Word isn't just for the knowledge; it is for God to speak to us. (BM) We speak to God through prayer but He speaks to us through His divine Word. I have to disagree that God's Word isn't for our knowledge as we do need it to learn about Him and how to follow Him but she is right that it is God's primary means of speaking to us. We need to seek His Word and then hide it deep into our hearts. Beth's words brought to me the realization of the level of impact we allow God's Word to have in our lives. She challenged us to let it have full impact, the maximum impact.

Time of HIDE AND SEEK
Throughout my Christian walk, 9 out of 10 times, I've heard it said or suggested to have our quiet time in the morning. For years I had a morning time with God. Life changed and it is very hard for me to have that time in the morning. Then, I heard someone say in the last few months to have it whenever we're at our best and whatever works best for us. So, I let myself off the hook with having my time with God in the evening. Beth has challenged me to return to a time with the Lord in the morning. With baby steps of five to ten minutes in the morning, I'm trusting the Lord to increase it to solely be in the morning replacing the evening time. Scriptures used to support this convicted me further.

Sow your seed in the morning...Ecclesiastes 11:6 (Sow your seed by reading the Word.)

The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. Isaiah 50:4-5. She mentioned on those last five words to think about not drawing back our bed covers.

In addition to this, I thought about how we are to give God the first tenth of our money, first of our heart, first in our life, first of our time, first in our thoughts. Why not the first of our morning? Another convicting point is when we read the Word in the morning, we have "those" words to carry with us throughout the day. We never know what we read will explicitly be needed or applied that day at work or whatever we face. We also have more time to let the Word linger in our heart.

HIDE. SEEK. KEEP
We need to retain the Word. Merely reading it does not do the job at all. God has not ceased to amaze me how He's allowed me to retain of His Word more than I thought I ever could. Three of the scriptures referenced were already written on my heart. Ironically, one is Psalm 119:11 I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. The Greek word Kateche means to hold in a vice grip. I love that. To me that is a very strong hold as I envision the vice grip my grandpa had in his garage on his work bench. May my heart be like a vice grip with God's Word clutched tightly in it.

God can't change your life if you don't let Him change your day. God wants to change your day. (BM) My response was "hmmm". There are things that I'm trusting God to change and I realize those things will take time. However, this made me stop and think how I need to allow Him to change my day, whatever that may entail. Each day will build on another and then He can change my "life"~that is the circumstances of those desires laid upon my heart.

Satan's plan is for us to lose our effectiveness not our salvation. (BM) Again, I remember simply thinking "hmmm". Very interesting. The way we begin to lose our effectiveness is when we are not in the Word and not in fellowship with the Holy One. We can't be effective if we don't know Him and commune with Him.

PROTECT YOUR HEART
Our heart is at the center of all we do. We are created with such sensitivity and vulnerability (as least I was) that we are naturally guarded especially when we've been hurt. When we hear the words "protect your heart", I'd suspect we'd all say "sign me up". Amen? Beth suggests the way to protect our heart is to hide the Word in our heart. There is no bigger offensive weapon than with the Word of God. (BM) Again, I was challenged that I need to be aware of satan trying to steal what I've hidden in my heart. I love how Beth told us to guard the Word in our heart and refuse to let the enemy convince us otherwise of things we know to be true from God. He can try to tell us we don't hear from God but we need to stand up and refuse to listen to his lies. Trust what you hear from God (in His Word, sermons, studies, conferences, etc.) and don't let him convince you otherwise. The enemy and I have gone round and round with this and I have bruises to show for it. But I refuse to give up or give in to him. I feel God has lead me down a very lonely road and one not understood by others. Satan tries to tell me to give up but I have to trust this road from the Lord until He changes it.

Put your hand over the Word in your heart to conceal it. Put your hand on your heart and say with faith of a mustard seed "my faith is not up for grabs. Let it take root and grow. It's my word to keep and you can't take it." (BM)

You've waited this long for my reflection of the Beth Moore Living Proof Simulcast. Do you think you can wait a few more days for the last half? There will be a test.... That's all I can say about the final part.

Hiding His Word,


(Picture is of yellow tulips from my yard this past spring.)

36 comments:

Pamela (His maidservant) said...

Since I missed this simulcast with Beth, I am eating up your words and your experience. Thank you for sharing!! Isn't it amazing how the deeper we grow in Him the more we hunger and thrist for His word. I wish I could be better at memorizing like I was as a teenager.
Looking forward to your next entry friend!!

In His Graces~Pamela

Unknown said...

Oh, you have given such a great recap! I can't wait to hear the rest!

I just posted part one on my blog today, too. Reading through your notes allowed me to remember some of what I wasn't able to write down during the conference. THANK YOU! :)

Prayers and blessings,
Rebecca

Jenn @ Casa de Castro said...

This post was worth the wait! What a beautifully written synopsis of your experience with the Lord. And yes, The Word is so powerful and is our best weapon against the enemy who seeks to kill and destroy. Praise God for His Word!

Thanks for the great post.

Skoots1moM said...

so enjoyed your words...
i'm recapping my notes each day with one of her 7 points...
what a teacher!

Laura said...

I loved this: "God can't change your life if you don't let Him change your day. God wants to change your day. (BM) My response was "hmmm". There are things that I'm trusting God to change and I realize those things will take time. However, this made me stop and think how I need to allow Him to change my day, whatever that may entail. Each day will build on another and then He can change my "life"~that is the circumstances of those desires laid upon my heart."
It sounds like God really spoke to you through Beth, Paula! I'm really regretting missing this one, but glad you have shared some highlights. Sounds like a blessed time.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed having Beth Moore's comments to read as well. Thanks for including those!

Runner Mom said...

Ooohhh!! What a wonderful job you did of recapping last weekend! Thank you!! You obviously take better notes than I do!! But I gained so much from the simulcast! Especially hiding His Word in my heart. I went out and bought an index flippy card thingie and have been adding favorite scriptures each day!!!

I hope that you have a wonderful day, my sweet little friend! You're in my prayers!
Love ya,
Susan

Amy said...

"I love how Beth told us to guard the Word in our heart and refuse to let the enemy convince us otherwise of things we know to be true from God."~

As you know, this is a battle I have been fighting for 7 years now. And with my recent health situation, the fighting has begun again. It is so hard to "always" stay focused on what God says is true, as opposed to the circumstances around us that the enemy constantly points out as impossible!

I will be back to reread this post. I need to write down these verses, and reread your words. I definitely want to be ready for my test.:)

Much love,
Amy:)
(With some extra crack!);)

Mia said...

Oh Paula this is just what I needed to hear this morning. Years ago I had enjoyed and benefited from morning study and devotion time. Then I ran across the philosophy of "anytime with God is better than no time" do your study and devo at night or after lunch. What a deception!!! IMHO
The first...that's what we are to give the Lord. In the past couple of weeks He just kept bringing this to my mind. God has even gone so far as to wake me up at the EXACT same time,which ironically is earlier than I wake up, every morning for over a week now. Then an article came in the mail "How to turn your sleep around AND spend that time with the Lord" WOO-HOO God is trying to tell me something.
Thank you again and I will be ready for my test! : )

valerie said...

Thank you for this post Paula.
I wanted to attend the simulcast but was unable to go this time.
I hate to miss out on any of Beth's teachings.
Keeping God's Word close to our hearts is key. Satan is so sly and he sweet talks sin and before we know it we've fallen and he's off to "get" someone else. We have to stand up to him.
There have been two families who I know personally who serve in ministry in the past 10 months who have been torn apart by believing a lie. Both of the men are in ministry and have been deceived by the enemy and their families & ministries are broken.
Let's all join together to pray for each other and pray that we will recognize the enemy when he comes talking to us. We have to know what God's Word says and let satan know he is a liar.
I look forward to the next part.
Thanks again Paula.

Nicole said...

Paula,

Thanks for posting this. I love to gain wisdom for others, and Beth is such a wonderful teacher! What a great reminder to spend time with the Lord in the morning!

Nicole

Isabel said...

I so wished I could have made time to go thte simulcast. Thank you soooooooo much for sharing Beth's inspiring words.

I did change my little to Bloom...I am working out the bugs on the header and as soon as I get that figured out I'll put up a new description.

Oh yeah, can I add your wonderful blog to my blog roll?

W

Mindy said...

This post both convicted and challenged me. I need to get back into the Word

Abba's Girl said...

Great post.

Annette

Anonymous said...

You're funny! I think I can wait. Glad you enjoyed the Simulcast!

Laura said...

Hey, Paula! I could read through this post several times and still glean something from your words. I can't wait until the next chance to see Beth...I don't want to miss another one. (And I do think you are right about Michael Phelps' swimsuit. How observant of you to notice!)
Thinking of you today, friend!
Laura

God Chaser said...

Paula thanks for sharing, A lot to mediate on and apply. God bless

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

Paula:
I wish I could have heard her. I've read so many recaps of the event. Thanks for your thoughts. This morning, I took the time to read (in its entirety) the 119th Psalm. I wanted to soak it in, and the central truth that I came away with was the Psalmist's intent on the meditation and power of the Word.

I so want to be a woman of the Word. I know that you do also.

I am thinking about you tonight and the many things that are weighing on your heart. May God grant you a full measure of peace as you travel this season with faith in your heart for God's best.

peace~elaine

Robin Lambright said...

Was that simulcast great or what! I am still pondering so many of the things she talked about.

The one thing that kept washing over me was what that experiance looked like from heaven. How the sound of all 70,000 of as we lifted our praise and song up to God, what that must have sounded like to God's ears.

Take care

Kim said...

Great Post Paula!!
Kim

Yolanda said...

Well done! I am so enjoying seeing/reading what others grasped from the Simulcast. It simply, was amazing.

I'll be looking forward to the conclusion of your post. ;0)

Lovingly,
Yolanda

Sharon said...

Paula, I could not be apart of that simulcast, but you made me feel as though I was. Awesome, thank you soooo much. And yes the word is our weapon against the enemy, I have been writing scriptures and hanging them all over the house so I can bury them in my heart. So when the enemy comes I am ready.
Looking forward to reading moreeee!
Huggs to you my sister
Sharon

Van said...

Beth is such a wonderful teacher-I find myself returning to notes I have taken in her studies. Often I make cards with her very true comments and give them away. Thanks for the great lesson tonight.

much2ponder said...

I am in tune with the giving of myself in the morning. Mornings are truly my best time of the day and I find that when I give those first moments to the Lord, be it reading his word, praying or just sitting in his presence, my day goes so much smoother and my heart is lighter. I look forward to meeting the Lord for that first cup as I drink him in daily.

Isabel said...

My dear Paula,

Thank you for your sweet comments on my blog. I will add to the story and flesh out more of the details in the next week or so. Being a birthmother is one of those (or in my case two of those) defining moments in your life. I love to share the story and I am honored that you all are are willing to read it.

Much Love,
Wendy

Kathryn said...

Excellent points, Paula. I, too, have to start out my day with the Lord. In fact, I have gotten in the habit of reading my Bible and meditating on His Word throughout the day. I find myself craving Him, just like I crave food!

In the front of my journal, I have a few Scriptures recorded to remind me of the importance of meeting the Lord first every morning. In addition to Ecclesiastes 11:6, which you quoted, I also have Psalm 143:8, 10 and Isaiah 33:2.

I once heard a speaker say that having your devotional time at night is like tuning up your instrument after the orchestra has already played!

Also loved your point about giving the Lord our first fruits.

Blessings!

Laura said...

Hey, lady...
Thinking of you today. We are headed to the beach in two days. Pray for our safe travel! Looking forward to lots of quiet time with our Daddy! I hope I'll have internet access there, but if you don't hear from me, you know I have my toes in the sand!

Michele Williams said...

This is great! Thank you for sharing. Now I have to take notes on your notes! God Bless

Lelia Chealey said...

I love Beth Moore and always learn so much from her. Thanks for sharing your notes with us!

Also, thank you for all your sweet words about Miss Amiyah! I wish you could just sit and hold her and squeeze those chubby cheeks for yourself. I don't share well though when it comes to her, so it might be a wasted trip for you. :)
She is such a joy. I'll keep sharing her on the blog, how's that? ;)
Thanks for all your love & encouragement Paula!
Love you,
Lelia

Karma said...

Hi. First-timer here at your blog. It is very nice! :D I hope to hear back from you!

<3

Melanie said...

Paula, Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on the Beth Moor simulcast! I was unable to attend at our church and have really enjoyed reading posts from others that were able to attend.

"God can't change your life if you don't let Him change your day. God wants to change your day." This particular quote really struck a chord with me. I think I'll be pondering and praying on this for awhile.

Shirley Mary said...

Thanks for taking such good notes from the Beth Moore Simulcast and giving her insight in the word and then giving yours! Like facets on a diamond!

I have been watching the Olympics this week and thinking about the hours, months, and years they give to training in hopes of getting the gold. It made me want to do more memory work in the Bible. . and I have already started! This is gold that all of us can receive.
And His word will never pass away!

mary

Tonja said...

Such wonderful thoughts this morning! I love to have a verse or a thought from the Word to ponder through the day. It us amazing to me how that simple thought will be appropriate to so many situations I come into.

andi said...

Girl...you've got a gift! You can write and proclaim truth so well! Thanks for sharing!

GOD'S LADIE said...

Love it,love it, love it. I wish I could have been there. My, how I am hungering and thirsting for more of GOD's prescence and I love HIS WORD! I too am starting to try and wake up in the morning earlier so I can spend time in HIS word and prescence. Thanks for blessing me!

Blessings and favor,
LaTonya

LynnSC said...

Hi Paula,

I feel like I haven't been here in weeks. I have missed your words.

I had a great time at the simulcast too. I took lots away with me. I can't wake up in the mornings without seeing that word picture about turning back the covers on the bed and missing my time with God. There have been very few mornings since then that I have allowed myself to turn back over. I have been getting up to see what He has to say to me.

Thanks so much for your recap.
Lynn