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.