Learning How to Breathe

• If your hunger and thirst for Scripture has waned in recent days, chances are you have enjoyed a season of prosperity and blessing that has resulted in the beginnings of a plateauing faith.  One way to work up an appetite for God's Word is to take an honest look at where you are with the Lord.  So where are you??  Check your schedule and carve out a good half-hour to come before him.  Begin your time with God by thanking him for everything good in your life right now.  Next, ask God to bring to mind those values and behaviors that have started to slide as a result of the way you have managed his blessings.  Listen for what he will say.

•  Where is your Bible?  What steps do you need to take to begin a program of regular Bible Study?

• Nothing primes the pump of a well like a little water.  God ahead and dip into the Bible for verses you have preciously underlined or highlighted. Read them and rediscover the truth of a particular passage that caused you to underline that verse in the first place.  With each verse, ask, "Now what?" In other words, write specific ways that you can put that verse into practice in your life.

• Follow Hallelujah Hal's example and commit to memorize large portions of Scripture.  Begin by writing down all the Bible verses you know from memory.  Then add to your total by memorizing a verse a week.

• On another day, read Psalm 119 in one sitting.  Make note of the number of times the psalmist cites "the Law of the Lord" (God's Word) as the source of wisdom, blessing, or some other attribute you desire.  Then thank God for his Word and ask him to create in you a hunger for it. 

Make reading, studying, and applying God's Word a regular part of your daily schedule. 

-From Heroic Faith by Voice of the Martyrs page 57-58-