Who do I believe? Do I live like it?

"Don't believe the world; believe the Word." This was just one of the wise things I heard at The Cove, in Ashville NC last week. Dr. Michael Easley was speaking on Living Faithfully in Trying Times. I had anticipated that he would connect the topic to the current economic and social world climate, but instead he developed the theme of living faithfully in trying times with trusting Jesus, our high priest, in times of suffering. The call to cling to God's Word, and not be lured away by the siren-call of the world really resonates with me. It is as we keep our eyes focused on the "author and finisher of our faith", lifting up our eyes to the hills from which our strength comes.... that is when we live successfully.

Since I have a healthy fear of drowning, I marvel at Peter's faith as he stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus. I'm sure I too would be tempted to look down, and thus sink beneath the overpowering waves of circumstances and anxieties. I do succumb to the tyranny of life circumstances on a regular basis. That's why it is critical for me to immerse myself in God's Word. And to keep my eyes on things above.

I can't be fit now based on lots of exercise 5 years ago. My muscles need to be used daily. Knowledge of God's Word doesn't come from years of Sunday School, or a personal library of old sermons, or even seminary training. I need to be reading it each and every day as part of my daily diet so that God's Words are the ones I think of, not those from Fox News or the Enquirer.

For the last several months I have been meeting weekly for one hour with one other woman in a DNA group. We commit to reading 4-5 chapters of the Bible daily and spend some time discussing those chapters when we meet. This is the "D" or "Divine Truth" part of DNA. I have observed that God's Word never becomes stale or old; each reading speaks to me differently. Each time I notice different words, phrases or concepts. Amazingly, my DNA partner often sees different things than I do, so that her observations amplify my own.

I love it when God uses what I am learning in His Word to allow me to encourage or sharpen others through out the week. How much more valuable is His Word than any human advice I could give? We need to encourage each other to believe the Word, not the world. It's my desire that the words that I say are a reflection of my Scripture reading that day - and that it represents God's wisdom, not any earthly wisdom I may have. If I know God's Word, and I believe God's Word is true, my life, my conversation, and my choices will reflect Him. May that be true of me!