MEMORY VERSE SELECTIONS

   

Pr. 23:7 NKJ “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you; but his heart is not with you.”

Josh. 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

1Tim. 4:16 “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Phil. 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Jer. 4:14 O “Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?”

2Cor. 10:4-6 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”

Ps. 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

SCRIPTURE READING

Psalm 19

CHAPTER 20 QUESTIONS

1. 1. Meditation is what we _______________?
   

2. 2.  The Old Testament teaches us that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.  Does the New Testament offer any hope that our thoughts can become more like His thoughts?   Yes   No 
   

3. 3.  Jesus was obviously an exception and He had the mind of the Father, but that’s only because He was the Son of God, even though He’s referred as the Son of Man.  There is no way we can be like Jesus and think like Him and His Father.   T     F
   

4. 4.  Biblically speaking, we are transformed by
   

       a) the renewing of church membership.

    b) the natural aging process like an eagle.

    c) the renewing of our minds. 

    d) therapy and health food.

5. 5.  Our thoughts are like _________________ we emit.
   

6. 6.  According to Proverbs 23:7, a person’s character is defined by what he thinks about.   T     F
   

7. 7.  Our meditations lead us and impel us on our life journey.   T     F
   

8. 8.  Our eyes are not a gateway to our thoughts.  
   

        F     T

9. 9.  God’s intervention in human affairs is always a direct result of their thought-lives.   T     F
   

10. 10.  Why did God judge Noah’s generation?
    

11. 11.  Our thoughts can ultimately determine our eternal ______________.  
    

12. 12.  Does God bother recording every time we think about Him?
    

13. 13.  Upon what should we meditate in order to be successful in life?  (Josh. 1:8)
    

14. 14.  In Psalm 119:147-148, the psalmist speaks of meditating upon God’s word at night.  Why would the time of day be of importance? 
    

1. a)He’s to busy during the day. 
   

2. b)He has no other distractions and video games had not been invented.
   

3. c)He just couldn’t sleep the night he wrote this psalm. 
   

4. d) He had his days and nights mixed up from working the midnights in the local sandal factory.
   

15. 15.  How are sheep a good example of mediation?
    

16. 16.  How can I defeat wrong meditations?
    

17. 17.  What is the one key we see in Eph. 4:23 that leads to mental victory?
    

18. 18.  If we meditate on God’s word we should also ____________ His word so much so that it never departs out of our mouths.
    

19. 19.  What happens when we commit our works, our daily activities to the Lord?
    

20. 20.  What piece of armor from Ephesians 6 is designed to protect our minds?
    

RESOURCES

http://www.focus-on-prayer.com/Soaking-Prayer.html

    Very good insights about the presence of God

CHALLENGE

This is an awesome way to enter the world of Bible narratives.  Although you can read the Bible anywhere at any time, you don’t have to be stationary in your thoughts.  After all, while the Apostle Paul sat in prison he boldly stated that he was seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2).  He was not delusional but illusional.  Yes, as he met with God in his cell he was lifted up in his heart and mind to be where others hadn’t been.  Let’s try it!

Read any of the following passages and place yourself in the scenario.  Be an outsider observing the entire event.  Engage your senses.  What do you see, what can you hear, smell, touch and even taste?  What time of day is it?  How many people are around you?  How might they be perceiving the same situation?

Psalm 18            David’s Victory

Psalm 91            God’s Promise of Protection

Luke 24:13-35    The Road to Emmaus

Mark 4:35-41      The Stormy Sea

Mark 5:21-34      The Woman with the Issue of Blood

Luke 5:1-11        The Huge Draught of Fish

Luke 10:38-42     Mary, Martha and Jesus Party

After reading and living inside the Scripture passage (by using your video imagination) prayerfully ponder these questions before the Lord: How did this experience enhance my perception of this passage?  Was I challenged to think differently?  Did the Bible reading raise new questions, and what are the questions?  Did this experience make a way for new insights and applications in my life?  What are these insights and applications?

You may find it rewarding to journal your thoughts and prayers or even talk about your experience with others.