I don't understand.
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Why did this
have to happen to me?
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I feel like
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I just can't
make sense of things.
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I need answers.
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Where is God?
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Hello and welcome
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to Raw Questions
Relevant Answers,
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a program where we
deal with real issues
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that are
crippling our young people
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and dealing with
them in a Christ-centered
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and a practical way.
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Today we are going to be dealing
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with the topic
of daily devotions,
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how do we have
communion with God,
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what's the best way to
grow in that communion with God.
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And today we have
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two good friends
of mine as co-hosts,
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Michelle Doucoumes,
a college professor,
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and Mark Paden, a
freelance film maker.
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So people have been submitting
questions through Facebook
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and we're gonna
go ahead and start.
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Our first question is
from a college student
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in Tennessee and
this is the question.
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"I am struggling
with opening the Bible,
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reading and studying it.
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How do I overcome this?"
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So they are kind of struggling
to find the motivation
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to do this to actually sit
down and go through the process,
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and they're asking,
"How do I overcome this?"
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Who'd like to start?
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Well, I will say
in my experience.
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I've been a college student.
I work with college students.
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First of all, I know
the struggle is real.
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It is.
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The tough thing is
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that there are a lot
of good and bad things
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that just crowd into our
lives and make it difficult
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to make that time.
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So there's a lot of
different ways to approach this.
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I think the first one
is, I've seen in my life,
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that what I choose to
put first matters the most.
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So think about it this way.
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It's...
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Like, if you're filling a jar
with different things, rocks,
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big rocks, little
pebbles, sand, water,
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the order actually
affects how much you can put in.
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If you don't put
the big rocks in first,
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you pot other things,
you're not gonna have room
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for those big rocks.
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If you put the
big rocks in first,
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and the some little
rocks, and then some water,
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you will be amazed how
much can actually fit in there.
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And I've seen that
with making time for God.
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When I make time for
God first, it just amazes me
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how the rest of the day changes,
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and how God works with that.
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And so, you know, the
first thing that I think of
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is what really
is most important?
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Do I trust God?
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That if I take the time,
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even when I am
busy and stressed,
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that God is gonna work out
the other things in my day.
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You know, the other
thing too that I found is just,
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you kind of have to
just make it a priority,
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like you were saying.
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What I found was
that for a long time,
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I tried to wait
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until there is
sufficient motivation to do it
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which doesn't really work.
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You have to
recognize that, you know,
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this is
important and the only way
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that you are
really going to do it
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is if you do it, right?
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You can't just wait
around and wait for you
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to have the sudden
inspiration every morning.
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Like it takes the diligence
to get up and do it, you know,
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and there is
other ways around it.
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Like for me,
reading at O dark thirty,
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when I am still tired
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and I can barely
get my eyes open,
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it's hard for me.
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But I can listen to something,
and that'll keep me up, right,
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and that'll keep me
engaged in what's going on.
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So I think there're other things
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like that that you can do.
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One other verse
here that I really love
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is in Psalm 143:8.
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"Cause me to hear
Your loving kindness
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in the morning, For
in thee do I trust."
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We can ask God to cause
us to see His loving kindness
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in the morning.
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And when we wake up
and just saturate ourselves
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in the loving
kindness of God, after a while,
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it starts to become
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that we don't want
to do anything but that.
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We yearn for that
morning time with our maker,
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and it's
something in beauty and love
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rather than just
obligation and hardship.
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Yeah.
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I would say the motives matters.
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In this particular situation,
the purpose of devotions
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to the best of my understanding
is to connect with Jesus.
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Not to become a
scholar, our immediate priority
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is to connect with our maker.
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And that's one of the
ways I find motivation,
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to have
devotions in the morning,
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is that it's not a
matter of, "I have to do this
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or God's not going
to be happy with me.
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I know my day is
going to be a disaster
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if I don't start this way."
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The main motivation for me
is, I can't live without Him
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and He is what I am seeking.
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And so one of the
ways I recommend people
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when they are first
starting is to connect directly
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in the gospels.
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There's going to be a
time when you can move on
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to other areas but if
you're just struggling
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to get started,
start just in the gospels,
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Matthew, Mark,
Luke, John, and repeat.
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And just ask God,
"Would you wake me up?"
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And if you ask Him that,
some of us may regret the way
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we made this up, but He does.
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And then two, spend
time connecting with Jesus
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because Jesus says
that, if you've seen Me,
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you've seen the Father.
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So if you want to understand
who the Father is better
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had to connect
with Him in Jesus,
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and have the spirit guide
you and connect you in this way.
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The best way to
connect with the Godhead
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is in communion
with God, in His Word,
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and the simplest place
to start is in the gospels.
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How did Jesus talk to people?
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How did Jesus respond
to folks who were broken,
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lacking in motivation?
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How did He help them?
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And would He do that for me?
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So I think it's an
easy way to start to...
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Because they are asking
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how do I find the
motivation to start.
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There is that kind of
mind over mattress mentality
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that has to happen,
get out of the actual bed,
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reach somewhere else,
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but that would
be the main thing.
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I think motivation is
a good place to start.
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Another question we have here
is from a 26 year old female.
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It says, "It seems
many people use devotionals
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for daily worship.
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Is that sufficient?
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Or should we dig
deeper into a study each day?"
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Is it okay to just
read a devotional book?
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Or should we be spending time
in scripture and dig deeper?
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What do you guys think?
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You know, I think my
girlfriend would much prefer
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if I just read things about her.
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Kidding, of course but...
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Yeah. Just that
same kind of thing.
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If you really want to
connect with somebody,
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how do you do it?
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Do you just read
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what other people
have said about that person
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or you read what that person
has said about themselves?
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Do you hear what that person
has to say for themselves?
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Do you talk with
them or do you just spend
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listening to what
other people have said?
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And I think the same principle
applies here, you know?
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If you really want
to get to know God,
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it's much more effective
to actually connect with Him
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and hear what He said.
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I mean look at so much of
the Bible is His Word says,
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I mean the Bible
is the Word of God.
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And if we really
want to get to know Him,
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and there is so much more power
in the Word of God, you know,
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like men have
theories, God has truth, right?
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The Bible is the
unadulterated Word of God,
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the infallible Word of God.
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And if we want to
really know a genuine truth
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that isn't mixed
with err, it's the Bible.
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And at the end of the day,
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when we are called to
stand for our faith in ways,
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do we want to have our authority
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be the word of
some other erring person
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or do we want it
to be the Word of God?
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Well, you know, the
purpose of devotional books,
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as I see them, is
kind of just helping us
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to be able to
connect into the Word of God,
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but it should be guiding
us back to the Word of God.
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There are some
devotional books that I love,
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books like, The
Desire of Ages, and others
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that have really enriched
my understanding of scripture,
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but they are not the
same, as you've mentioned,
00:07:31.95\00:07:33.45
as going back to
the source of scripture.
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And I think sometimes
why it's the challenge
00:07:35.32\00:07:36.92
is we don't know
how to study the Bible.
00:07:36.95\00:07:39.02
We'll just pick it up
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and we'll just
read something like,
00:07:40.42\00:07:41.76
okay, sometimes
it impacts my life,
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sometimes it doesn't.
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And it's never bad
to just read the Bible,
00:07:44.93\00:07:47.50
there is value in it.
00:07:47.53\00:07:49.06
But I think of a quote
from a book called Education
00:07:49.10\00:07:51.83
that says, "In daily
study, the verse by verse method
00:07:51.87\00:07:55.10
is often most helpful.
00:07:55.14\00:07:56.87
Let the student take one
verse and concentrate the mind
00:07:56.91\00:08:00.48
on ascertaining the thought
00:08:00.51\00:08:01.84
that God has put
into that verse for him
00:08:01.88\00:08:05.65
and dwell upon that thought
until it becomes his own.
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One passage thus studied
until its significance is clear
00:08:09.52\00:08:12.59
is of more value than
the perils of many chapters
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with no definite
purpose and view,
00:08:15.29\00:08:17.33
and no positive
instruction gained."
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This kind of goes back to
what you were saying, Dee.
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Are we studying the Bible
to really know God through it?
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Do I take a verse or a
passage and ask myself,
00:08:26.70\00:08:30.81
"What is this telling
me about God and who He is?
00:08:30.84\00:08:33.71
What's really happening here?
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Why is it happening?
00:08:35.51\00:08:36.88
What does this potentially
say to me in the things
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that I am going
through in my life?"
00:08:39.68\00:08:42.85
Devotional books are
kind of digesting it for us.
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And that's not bad
00:08:46.39\00:08:47.72
but there's something
to be said to grappling
00:08:47.76\00:08:49.62
with the scripture ourselves,
00:08:49.66\00:08:51.49
and hearing God
personally just like,
00:08:51.53\00:08:53.70
you probably like to hear
00:08:53.73\00:08:55.06
your
girlfriend's voice personally.
00:08:55.10\00:08:56.43
Right.
00:08:56.46\00:08:57.80
And so that's
something that's helped me.
00:08:57.83\00:08:59.67
I think, you know,
Jesus talks about the fact
00:08:59.70\00:09:01.27
that He tells us, you know,
00:09:01.30\00:09:03.91
to drink His blood and
to take up His flesh like,
00:09:03.94\00:09:06.88
it's internalizing
of the things of God,
00:09:06.91\00:09:09.18
you are not just by proximity
near the things of God,
00:09:09.21\00:09:12.48
it becomes a part of
you and that experience
00:09:12.51\00:09:14.88
only happens by you
communing with the Word of God,
00:09:14.92\00:09:17.32
not hear what someone else says.
00:09:17.35\00:09:18.69
And so devotional
books, we are not saying
00:09:18.72\00:09:20.22
that they are bad and
you shouldn't use them,
00:09:20.26\00:09:21.59
but if you are choosing
devotional books or the Bible,
00:09:21.62\00:09:24.26
always choose the Bible first
00:09:24.29\00:09:25.63
because only the Word of
God can impart life, right?
00:09:25.66\00:09:28.43
We are told that
by the Word of God,
00:09:28.46\00:09:29.80
the heavens were created,
00:09:29.83\00:09:31.17
and all the other
things were created.
00:09:31.20\00:09:33.23
Devotional books
can't do that, right?
00:09:33.27\00:09:35.07
Other human
authors cannot do this
00:09:35.10\00:09:36.84
but the Word of God
inspired by the Holy Spirit
00:09:36.87\00:09:40.58
can indeed impart life to a soul
00:09:40.61\00:09:43.58
that is dead in trespasses,
00:09:43.61\00:09:45.35
and it's a
precious, precious gift to us.
00:09:45.38\00:09:47.85
So those can kind of help us
to kind of glean some lessons
00:09:47.88\00:09:50.09
but we still need to
have our own experience.
00:09:50.12\00:09:51.69
I think of the
Foolish Virgins, right,
00:09:51.72\00:09:54.26
the Parable of
the Foolish Virgins,
00:09:54.29\00:09:56.22
they couldn't give
their oil to someone else,
00:09:56.26\00:09:58.59
and someone couldn't
take oil from someone else,
00:09:58.63\00:10:00.83
you had to have
your own in that sense.
00:10:00.86\00:10:03.13
We've got one
more question here.
00:10:03.16\00:10:04.83
It says, "As I seek to
grow my relationship with God,
00:10:04.87\00:10:07.57
what do I do in the times
00:10:07.60\00:10:08.94
when I just can't
feel His involvement
00:10:08.97\00:10:10.71
or His presence?"
00:10:10.74\00:10:12.54
So like you are seeking to read
00:10:12.57\00:10:13.94
and you are
looking for a blessing
00:10:13.98\00:10:15.31
but maybe you don't
find what you are looking for
00:10:15.34\00:10:17.05
in that moment.
00:10:17.08\00:10:18.85
What do you guys recommend
in situations like that?
00:10:18.88\00:10:20.92
You know, here's one
thing that I would say.
00:10:20.95\00:10:22.75
The Bible, we live
in kind of a culture
00:10:25.79\00:10:28.76
of instant gratification, right?
00:10:28.79\00:10:30.99
And I mean, I am part of
this generation, you know,
00:10:31.03\00:10:34.23
I totally get it.
00:10:34.26\00:10:35.86
It's easy to want
the results immediately
00:10:35.90\00:10:38.63
to go and look for
answers and boom, you have them.
00:10:38.67\00:10:42.80
I think the beauty
though of God is that sometimes
00:10:42.84\00:10:47.41
our connecting with
Him isn't going to give us
00:10:47.44\00:10:50.11
the immediate
results that we think
00:10:50.15\00:10:51.48
it is going to give.
00:10:51.51\00:10:52.85
You know, there have been a lot
of times when I just, you know,
00:10:52.88\00:10:55.98
you may not necessarily feel it
00:10:56.02\00:10:57.35
but you are
getting the information,
00:10:57.39\00:10:58.75
you are getting the knowledge
00:10:58.79\00:11:00.12
of what God is
trying to communicate to you
00:11:00.16\00:11:01.72
through in His Word.
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And I know for me,
like, this past year,
00:11:03.12\00:11:05.59
there have been some
challenges that have come up
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and in that time, I
spent a lot more time
00:11:09.93\00:11:13.07
in the Word of God,
studying and reading,
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and I hadn't always felt
that connection in all times,
00:11:16.14\00:11:19.44
but you know,
looking back through it,
00:11:19.47\00:11:21.91
I've seen how much God
has shifted my thinking
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and how much He has
changed my thought processes
00:11:25.41\00:11:29.15
in so many ways.
00:11:29.18\00:11:30.52
And in every morning
that you get up and read,
00:11:30.55\00:11:33.12
you are not
necessarily seeing that
00:11:33.15\00:11:35.76
but in the whole, you are.
00:11:35.79\00:11:37.13
So what I would say is
just because one morning,
00:11:37.16\00:11:39.49
you know, you get
up and you don't feel
00:11:39.53\00:11:41.60
that blessed sweet
communion with God,
00:11:41.63\00:11:44.43
it doesn't mean that
00:11:44.47\00:11:45.80
He is not speaking
to you through His Word.
00:11:45.83\00:11:47.17
Yeah, I think of it sometimes
like puzzle pieces almost.
00:11:47.20\00:11:50.44
You have different pieces
and you don't normally see
00:11:50.47\00:11:52.27
how they fit together,
but God is putting them there
00:11:52.31\00:11:55.64
for a reason.
00:11:55.68\00:11:57.01
And there are times
when I don't maybe think
00:11:57.05\00:11:58.98
this connects with
me so much when I study,
00:11:59.01\00:12:01.48
and then may be a few
days or a few months later,
00:12:01.52\00:12:03.95
it will come back, and God
needed that piece to be there.
00:12:03.99\00:12:06.96
Yes.
00:12:06.99\00:12:08.32
Another thing just in kind of
a different vein with this is,
00:12:08.36\00:12:11.09
I wanted to mention prayer
as a part of a devotional life.
00:12:11.13\00:12:14.36
We talk a lot
about studying the Bible,
00:12:14.40\00:12:16.63
but something
that really helps me
00:12:16.67\00:12:18.00
especially when
I'm having a hard time
00:12:18.03\00:12:20.30
getting into the Word,
spending some time praying,
00:12:20.34\00:12:23.20
sometimes I am not
connecting with God
00:12:23.24\00:12:25.54
because there's
so much other stuff
00:12:25.57\00:12:27.24
going on in my
head, going on in my life,
00:12:27.28\00:12:29.48
going on in my stresses,
and I've realized, for me,
00:12:29.51\00:12:34.58
I've sometimes just got to
unburden that with the Lord.
00:12:34.62\00:12:36.42
Yeah. Yes.
00:12:36.45\00:12:37.79
We just got to
have a really good talk,
00:12:37.82\00:12:39.15
heart to heart,
before that door is open.
00:12:39.19\00:12:42.12
'Cause it's a two
way communication,
00:12:42.16\00:12:43.69
prayer is kind of the
opening the heart to God
00:12:43.73\00:12:45.46
as to a friend, it's
a way to share with Him
00:12:45.49\00:12:47.20
and the Word of
God we hear from Him,
00:12:47.23\00:12:49.20
you can hear from prayer too.
00:12:49.23\00:12:50.57
I was thinking that
one of the illustrations
00:12:50.60\00:12:52.47
that Jesus uses a lot
00:12:52.50\00:12:53.84
is the
illustration of agriculture.
00:12:53.87\00:12:55.60
And if you are
planting a garden,
00:12:55.64\00:12:57.34
and I'm talking about both
Christian disciplines here,
00:12:57.37\00:12:59.54
prayer and the Word of God,
silent though imperceptible,
00:12:59.57\00:13:04.31
there's growth happening, right?
00:13:04.35\00:13:06.35
And we may not notice
it each stage of the way,
00:13:06.38\00:13:08.42
but whenever we are communing
and taking in the nutrients
00:13:08.45\00:13:12.22
from heaven, right,
whether it be the sunshine,
00:13:12.25\00:13:13.96
the rain, like a plant,
00:13:13.99\00:13:16.02
no one is gonna
look at the seedling
00:13:16.06\00:13:17.56
they plant last week and
then think that, you know,
00:13:17.59\00:13:19.96
the next day it's going to be
this large stock full of fruit,
00:13:20.00\00:13:22.83
it's a process.
00:13:22.86\00:13:24.20
And yet we think that
we are not doing anything
00:13:24.23\00:13:26.53
because after a day or two,
we don't see ourselves changed.
00:13:26.57\00:13:29.84
It would be nonsense to think
that way about agriculture.
00:13:29.87\00:13:33.44
But we think the
Christian discipline
00:13:33.48\00:13:34.81
should be different.
00:13:34.84\00:13:36.18
But Jesus used the illustration
of agriculture to teach us
00:13:36.21\00:13:38.31
that it's a process.
00:13:38.35\00:13:39.68
Yeah.
00:13:39.71\00:13:41.05
That it's not
this instant thing,
00:13:41.08\00:13:42.42
and if we trust that
what God has provided here,
00:13:42.45\00:13:44.79
we'll keep working
through that process,
00:13:44.82\00:13:46.22
if we keep abiding, and we
keep receiving, we'll be fine.
00:13:46.25\00:13:49.66
And I think it's something
that God wants to teach us.
00:13:49.69\00:13:51.36
So just as kind of
enclosing reminder to you,
00:13:51.39\00:13:54.10
don't give up, don't
stop trusting the process,
00:13:54.13\00:13:57.73
and it may be
silent and imperceptible,
00:13:57.77\00:13:59.47
but God is changing
us, God is growing us,
00:13:59.50\00:14:02.10
and we'll see that
00:14:02.14\00:14:03.47
the further down
the road that we go.
00:14:03.51\00:14:05.01
Again, your questions
can be submitted to RQRA3ABN
00:14:05.04\00:14:08.68
on Facebook, and we
can't wait to see you
00:14:08.71\00:14:11.01
until our next episode.
00:14:11.05\00:14:12.38