When you begin the day with any devotional experience, what you will begin to notice is that your thinking changes over time. Rather than engaging in your run-of-the-mill thinking, your mind gets set on higher things. From seemingly out of nowhere, you will have thoughts about the Lord, about heaven, and about what he may be doing in your life or a nudge to pray for someone. You see, when you begin to take in the Word of God, you automatically get an infusion of his Spirit and his presence, which carries with it his influence.
The Word of God is alive and dynamic, after all! If the Word is active in you, then it moves in your system: your mind, your soul, and your spirit. By the way, the Word of God begins to dislodge and displace older, weaker forms of thinking and even habits. Please understand that we are talking about the most powerful influence in the universe—the most powerful influence ever known in human history, the very words of its Creator God.
A side note: The devil, the enemy of our souls, is hell bent on minimizing the power of the Word of God to and in us. He will denounce it, instigate doubt, and use circumstances to cause us to question the validity and power of the Word. Yet notice that, as Jesus was in the wilderness with Satan being tempted and tested, his first and continued response was to refute Satan with the Word of God.
Jesus was quick thinking, authoritative, and steadfast, and he is the example for us to follow. We need to realize that Jesus was setting the standard we are to use. He demonstrated how victory is won over the devil and his forces, assuring us that we also will win by reverting back to the Word of God. That Word is, after all, our shield and sword. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of reading and becoming more familiar with the brilliance and wisdom of God’s Word every day.
As we read, we prepare ourselves for so much more than we currently understand. There are situations and circumstances ahead of us that we are being prepared for by the Word of God as we absorb it day after day. There is an old adage that states, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” While I don’t believe in luck, personally, I believe in the concept here – preparation for anything and everything up ahead is the overriding idea. The smart athlete trains for the competition ahead; the smart financier saves for the ups and downs of
economics in the future; the wise student prepares day after day for the exams that await; and the devoted Christian, the disciple who is following the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, reads, prays, and believes in the Word of God and so is being readied for the trials and opportunities ahead.
As you endeavor to live your life as a disciple, the Word of God and your steadfast devotion to it will be a gauge and determiner of your successful living for the Lord. As you spend more time in the Scriptures, especially the Gospels, you will understand more and more the teachings and thinking of Jesus.
This is the way you learn his voice. Jesus declared in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” The Holy Spirit of God will bring the words of Jesus to mind. He will elaborate on them in your thinking so that your mentality is stirred by his Word in you. The Spirit of God wants you to recognize and respond to his voice and promptings, which will become familiar from the Scriptures you read.