How To Stay Sane In An Insane World, Part 6

As you may know, Vickie, Zachariah, and I just returned from a brief visit to the United States. We so enjoyed getting to see many of you while we were there! At the same time, it’s wonderful to be back to the island nation where God has planted us: the Dominican Republic.

I’d like to continue with the spiritual prescription that we’ve been talking about. If you’ve missed any of the “recommended treatment,” you may find the preceding portions in the posts below. 

Number 3 in the spiritual prescription is found in Joshua 1:8. If you’ve been around any length of time, then you ought to be very familiar with this passage:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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.”

“This Book of the Law (the Word of God) shall not depart from thy mouth.” In other words, that’s what is flowing from your lips no matter what situation you’re going through, no matter the insanity that surrounds you, or no matter the potential frustration that you’re facing. The Word of God is what’s coming out of your mouth. The Word of God can change any situation, but you have to begin to speak it with faith and stop living in fear. It’s by faith that you’ll accomplish the great things that God has called you to do, not by fear, not by intimidation, but by faith!  

The verse goes on to say that we "shall meditate on it." May I remind you that “meditate” means to “ponder, to think about, and to hold something in your mind,” but it also goes on in the original definition stating, “to mutter to oneself in a low voice.” Why is that important? Many times we’re muttering, but we’re muttering the wrong thing! Scripture says that we are to mutter to ourselves in a low voice and when we do so, we’re supposed to be speaking the Word of God! Why? Because faith cometh by hearing just as Romans 10:17 says.

“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Did you know that if we say something long enough and repeat it enough times that we’ll begin to believe that it’s true whether or not it is? The media knows it! If this is true of those who are worldly, how much more so when you hear yourself say it over and over and over? What’s God saying? He’s saying that we ought to be repeating what He has said until we get to a place of believing it! The more we say it, the more prone we are to believe it. Why? Because faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God!

You must learn to feed your faith and starve your fear. We get it backwards and are constantly feeding our doubts and fears, even by the words we speak and the thoughts we’re thinking! Many times we’re responding to situations exactly the way the world does, or the way we used to, and then we come away feeling bad about it.

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night and hearken to do all that is written therein.” Be a doer and not a hearer only, because if all you do is hear it, but don’t do it, you deceive yourself. Self-deception leads to schizophrenia, mental illness, and derangement; basically, you’ll drive yourself crazy! Is this making sense to you?

God, in His infinite wisdom, leaves nothing open to chance. He spells out the necessary steps for us to live prosperous and healthy lives.

Thank you for joining me today, and I look forward to passing along Number 4 of the spiritual prescription. Until then, be blessed, and I’ll be in touch next week.

Grace and peace,

pg