Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

QT 29 Nov 16, Josh 1:8-9, The transformative power of the bible

Joshua 1:8–9 (ESV) — 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

NOTE: I think I memorized verse 8 almost 40 years ago. I memorized 1000 verses during my college years as a brand new believer. I have not been nearly as good memorizing since then and probably struggle to get between 10 and 50 a year, but the habit of memorizing scripture has probably done more for my walk with God than I can ever imagine. For one thing, the word of God has a transforming effect. We are only learning now that certain behaviors can rewire your brain, and not just functionally, but also physically, such that it even looks different. The bible has a tremendous transformative effect on how we think. And considering how much garbage the media is trying to push into our brains, we need the restorative power of the word of God. There is nothing inherently evil about media, but Satan has figured out long ago how to destroy generations through subtle control of the output of the media and the de-valuing of the scriptures. God's command to Joshua is just as necessary today, but probably for different reasons. Joshua needed the commands so that he would lead the people to follow the commands. We need the word of God, so that the Holy Spirit can transform and change us more into the person of Jesus Christ.

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