Sin does not reign in my mortal body. I have died to sin, therefore, how can I who has died to sin live in it any longer. I am baptized into Christ, I have been baptized into his death.  I have been buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, I too can walk in newness of life.  Thank you, father, that today I walk in newness of life.

Since I have been united with Jesus, the Christ, in a death like he is, I shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. My old self was crucified with him, so that I am no longer enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.  Now I believe that since I have died with Christ, I will also live with him. So I reckon myself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So my urging to you is to take the word of God; put it on your lips and in your heart in the context of who it says you are in Christ and who it says Christ is in you. Dwell on those things. Preach those things to yourself. Let the word of God convert you and give you rest and peace.

I am risen with Christ and I seek those things which are above where Jesus, the Christ, sits on the right hand of God. I set my affections on things above and not on things on the earth.  For I am dead and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is my life shall appear then I will appear with him in glory.

Christ is all and in all. The peace of God rules in my heart and I am thankful.

The word of Christ dwells in me richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing me in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. I sing with grace in my heart to the Lord.  What ever I do, I do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the father through him. Whatsoever I do, I do it heartily as to the Lord and not too man; knowing that from the Lord I shall receive the reward of the inheritance for I serve the Lord Christ.

Lord, direct my heart to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ. Fill me, holy spirit, that I stand mature and fully assured in all of your will.  By your will, father, I am yours according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. I have grace, mercy and peace from God, my father, and from Christ Jesus, my Lord.

I stir up the Spirit of God who is in me, for my Lord has given me a spirit of power, love and temperance. My Lord has saved me and called me to a holy calling, not because of my works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave me in Christ Jesus, before the ages began, and that is now manifested through the appearing  of the Lord Jesus who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. I am convinced that my God is able to guard until that day what he has entrusted to me.  I follow the sound words of God in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within me I guard the good deposit; Christ Jesus in me the hope of glory.

The account I want to be able to give this:

Lord, I gladly and thankfully and regularly received and reveled in your word. You caused me to be born again by your word and I came alive and grabbed hold Of and held onto Jesus and his work.  He is my hope and my righteousness. He is my high priest who is passed through the heavens; Jesus the son of God. I hold fast to that confession.

Jesus was in every respect tempted as I am and yet without sin.  Because of him and his perfection, I am able to draw near to the throne of grace, with confidence, that I receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  I have a sure and steadfast anchor of my soul; a hope that enters into the inner place, behind the curtain were Jesus has gone as the forerunner on my behalf.

Today, Lord, I look into your word. I seek to “hear” your voice. I hold fast to my confidence in Christ’s completed work in me; I boast in him as my savior.  I keep my heart softened to the word of the Lord, and by the word, I hold my confidence in my Lord Jesus firm.

There is a Sabbath rest for me in Christ.  I pay attention to enter that rest and to remain in that rest. The rest is mine when I, “today, hear his voice and do not harden my heart”.  I allow God’s word to wash and renew my mind; to rule and reign over my natural thoughts; for the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edge sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  No creature is hidden from the Lord’s sight but all are naked and exposed to him to whom we must give an account.

Ed’s opinion.  Someone may ask what is the difference with what I do with the word of God. And I would caution us that God blesses us in many physical ways probably hundreds of ways that we never even notice. But his primary purpose, it would appear to me, is to bless us in spiritual ways. To see that we are conformed and transformed to the people, ministers, instruments of praise and the purpose that he created us to be.

So if my interest in the word of God is always geared toward physical needs I am majoring in the minors.  Paul writes,” we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Jesus tells us, “for the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. ”

I spend some time praying for health and finances and physical needs, and also thanking God for the quantities of those that I already have. But I do not think that that should be the main thrust of my prayer life.  Instead I believe I should spend the majority of my prayer life washing my mind and renewing my mind with the word of God so that my character changes and I am converted and become more conformed to the image of my Lord Jesus Christ.  I believe the word of God should be used to manipulate and change me instead of trying to manipulate God with his word.

So my urging to you is to take the word of God; put it on your lips and in your heart in the context of who it says you are in Christ and who it says Christ is in you. Dwell on those things. Preach those things to yourself.  Let the word of God convert you and give you rest and peace.

Please let me repeat one more post from early on just to be sure that no one gets the wrong leading from what I am suggesting and begging you to do with the word:

“Lest you think that all I am doing here is cherry picking some verses about physical “stuff” I want and then putting them in a clever prayer designed manipulate God to give me what my “felt” needs are. That is not the case – a’tall.

My faith is in what God tells me about His Word. That it is “alive and able”. So my part is to be a “doer” and let the Word “do” what it does. See, God names what it will do – I just want to be wise enough to claim what it does as done in me today.

What the Word will do is “conform me to the image of the Lord Jesus”; it is meant to “renew my mind” and then “transform me to where I am no longer conformed to the world’s pattern” for people.

So I am going to AGREE with God. I am claiming those amazing things that God says are done and doing in me because of “Christ in me and His Word dwelling in me richly”.”

Since we have some new readers, please let me take a moment at this point to repeat a post from the beginning of this blog in which I stated my aim and plan for most of my posts: “My desire herein is to present excerpts from the Word of God written in such a way that they can be “preached” to myself or yourself. Preached out loud, repetitiously and intentionally. Repetitiously to let the Word be active and alive in my mind, and intentionally to take thoughts captive to make them obedient to Christ.

I desire to have the Word of God rolling around in my mind in plenteous quantity to be mused and meditated on throughout the day: spoken aloud, answering questions that come to mind, starting or stopping behaviors, and seasoning verbal responses.

So from time to time I will post excerpts from the Word of God, ready to be ingrafted into my thinking and speaking; ready to guide my thoughts and corral my feeling.”

I give thanks to you today, Lord, that you chose me to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth; that you called me through your gospel so that I would obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. So then, in Christ, I stand firm and hold to what your word teaches, Lord.  I believe, Lord Jesus, that you and God, my father, love me and give to me eternal comfort and good hope through grace.  By your grace, Lord, you comfort my heart and establish my heart in every good work and word.

Father, you and the Lord Jesus are faithful. You establish me and guard me against the evil one. By your eternal presence I am doing and will do the things you command. You, Lord Jesus, direct my heart to see and receive the love of God, the Father, and to take assurance and hope from your steadfastness as the Christ. You, the Lord of peace, give me peace at all times and in every way. You, my Lord, are with me.