SOAKING YOUR MIND IN GOD'S WORLD
Part 12:
As KingdomNomics thinkers, we want to know God and need to press on to experience
him. As surely as we know that the sun will rise tomorrow, we know that God
responds to those who pursue him. We want to grow with the growth that comes from
him! And as we grow, we see that God is preparing to do something amazing in our lives.
He may bring to light a new opportunity, or a new revelation of himself, or even provide
a resource that is beyond anything we could ask, think, or imagine. The possibilities are
endless.
So, how do we go about experiencing God
and growing in our relationship with him?
The most important source of our
knowledge of God is found in his Word,
the Bible. We need to read it, study it, and
apply it to our lives. We need to memorize
key verses that will help us stay focused
on the things God wants us to do in his
world. This is a key principle of
KingdomNomics: our thinking and actions
must be grounded firmly in the Word of
God. And, as a direct result, our converterlating is influenced by our understanding and
application of what we internalize from the Bible.
One of the ways that I have found to incorporate God's Word into my life is through a
process I call soak, sow, and flow. This process was introduced in my first book,
KingdomNomics. We soak our minds in the truths of Scripture, which allows us to sow
them into our circumstances, and have the Holy Spirit flow through them.
In order to experience the soak, sow, and flow process, we need to memorize and
meditate on core verses–what I call "Spiritual M & Ms"–that will guide our thinking on a
daily basis. We want to read God's
Word, live it, and then let God perform
his will through us. The goal here is to
have the Word of God personally
operating in our everyday lives.
In the Old Testament we read, "I am the
Lord your God, who brought you up out
of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth
wide, and I will fill it" (Psalm 81:10,
ESV, emphasis added). We want to open
our lives up to the truth of God's Word so that he will fill our lives with his goodness.
Later in the book of Psalms we read, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter
than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103, ESV). God's Word is wonderfully sweet to
our inner being.
Soak, Sow, and Flow
One of the ways that I have found to incorporate God's Word into my life is through a
process I call soak, sow, and flow. This process was introduced in my first book,
KingdomNomics. We soak our minds in the truths of Scripture, which allows us to sow
them into our circumstances, and have the Holy Spirit flow through them.
In order to experience the soak, sow, and flow process, we need to memorize and
meditate on core verses–what I call "Spiritual M & Ms"–that will guide our thinking on a
daily basis. We want to read God's
Word, live it, and then let God perform
his will through us. The goal here is to
have the Word of God personally
operating in our everyday lives.
In the Old Testament we read, "I am the
Lord your God, who brought you up out
of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth
wide, and I will fill it" (Psalm 81:10,
ESV, emphasis added). We want to open
our lives up to the truth of God's Word so that he will fill our lives with his goodness.
Later in the book of Psalms we read, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter
than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103, ESV). God's Word is wonderfully sweet to
our inner being.
Gold vs. God
I want to share with you how my mind was transformed and my attitude toward money
was radically changed when I began soaking my heart in the Word of God. From a
practical standpoint, material wealth had become the god of my life. The Chief
Consumerlator had been extremely successful in deceiving me with the "bling" of the
world system and had convinced me that this world had a lot to offer! Unfortunately, I
was blind to the fact that not only was my wealth going to disappear someday; it was also leading me down the path of destruction. Wealth and material blessings can be like a
rattlesnake—deceptive and dangerous! And I had been deceived and was on a dangerous
path.
As I became increasingly dissatisfied with my life, one day I took out a piece of paper
and wrote the words GOLD and GOD beside each other. We all know that many people
make gold or worldly wealth their god and, from a practical standpoint, that is exactly
what had happened to me.
As I looked as those two words on my piece of paper, I first placed parentheses around
the "L" in GO(L)D. After looking at that for a while, I then blacked out that "L" and had
the word GOD! As I sat staring at that word, I was reminded of Jesus' words, "No one
can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to
one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:24, NLT).
As I sat there meditating on that verse, I wrote in an "L" under the word GOD. The "L"
represented everything I was living for at that time: my money, possessions,
opportunities, and time for pleasure. I
realized that I needed to place all of
these things under the control of God so
that he could bring balance into my life
for the proper use of these resources. I
needed his wisdom to resolve the
intrinsic conflicts we all have in
determining the balance in managing the
perishable and the imperishable. I
wanted to increase my focus on
participating in the advancement of
God's kingdom. This was a huge
revelation to me.At that time I made a basic heart decision, "I am submitting the control
of my entire life to the Lord, including anything and everything related to me." That
included my time, talent, and treasure. For me, this was a huge undertaking and continues
to be a work in progress. Since that time, I have become progressively more of a strategic
kingdom investor by investing more of my time, talent, and treasure for the imperishable
values of the eternal kingdom. Ruth Ann and I continue to take increasing steps to
depositing more of our material wealth in the "Bank of Heaven" for the purpose of
advancing the kingdom through endeavors related to the fulfillment of the Great
Commission. My motives and talents for generating wealth have been converterlated into
making an impact for the kingdom of God. And this has all come about from soaking my
heart in the Word of God!
Once we make the discovery that everything we can see and touch is perishable from an
eternal perspective, and that we should be focusing our lives on the imperishable values
of the kingdom of God, we will have a series of lightbulb moments that will transform
our lives.able to do what he had promised. The question is: Do we have the faith that God's Word
will transform and renew our minds?
It is helpful to have our mind soak on passages of Scripture that describe the power of
God in addition to teaching us about his attributes. Many times these passages include
why God favors people who pursue his priorities. It is important to reflect on these
passages of Scripture because they give us insight into the mind of God and help us to
know him better. It takes desire, time, and work to absorb God's Word. The more we
saturate our mind with these truths, the more we will experience transforming power.
Where to start? Here are some verses that tell us
about God. Any one of these (or more!) would be a
great place to begin your soaking (memorizing and
meditating on) in God's Word.
The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens
were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.
—Psalm 33:6, NLT
Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your
great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
—Jeremiah 32:17
God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on
nothing."
—Job 26:7, NLT
I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard
for me?
—Jeremiah 32:27, ESV
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in
awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood
firm.
—Psalm 33:8–9, ESV
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all
generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people
whom he has chosen as his heritage!
—Psalm 33:11–12, ESV
The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From
his throne he observes all who live on the earth. He made their hearts, so
he understands everything they do.
—Psalm 33:13–15, NLT
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope
in his steadfast love.
—Psalm 33:18, ESV
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is
glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O
Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
—Psalm 33:20–22, ESV
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it
to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
—Philippians 1:6, ESV
Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it. Blessed are those
who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For
those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.
—Proverbs 8:32–35
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable
things you do not know.
—Jeremiah 33:3
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own
understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which
path to take.
—Proverbs 3:5–6, NLT
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw
near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek
him.
—Hebrews 11:6, ESV
When we dig into God's Word, we learn about his indescribable power and greatness.
God can create whatever he wants, even out of nothing! God's counsel and his plans
stand forever. We can either place ourselves in a position to receive his blessing or not.
God's Word is powerful. Active. It accomplishes. Wherever it is sent, it prospers. To
fulfill God's purposes, we need to absorb all that is contained in God's Word. As we do
so, we learn more about the mind of God and open ourselves to receive his direction. "So
is my word that goes out from my mouth; It will not return to me empty, but will
accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:11). By
his Word we are renewed inwardly. His Word is like discovering the treasure of
treasures: "For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord" (Proverbs
8:35).
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly
we are being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Only the Word of God can
renew us and give us true direction. All other pursuits are in vain if they are substitutes
for the Word of God in our lives.
The bottom line? There is no way for one to be an effective Converterlator without
knowing the Word of God. Along with the Holy Spirit, the Word is the primary means
for bringing transformation to our values,
attitudes, and mindset. It is also the means for
nourishing and fueling the very roots of our
being. It is by God's Word that we learn about
the will of God and how to implement and execute the plans he reveals to us through his
Word.
With our access to technology these days, there are many ways to access God's Word! If
you have a Bible, start reading it today and select a verse for memorization and
meditation. Go online and access a reading program; two that are popular and easily
available are through www.biblegateway.com and www.navigators.org. Many Christian
organizations also offer great Bible reading helps through their websites including
www.godresources.org and kingdomnomics.com.
Unlike other written documents, God's Word is living and powerful. One of my favorite
Bible verses is Hebrews 4:12, the verse that opened this chapter: "For the word of God is
living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart"
(NIV84). God's Word works in us and through us! Every day, we need to have his Word
actively operating in our lives.