Joy to the Heart & Light to the Eyes

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you deeply, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16

Being rooted and established has been an all-encompassing theme of my life for some time. It began way back in January 2015, and so began the InstaEncouragements movement. You can read more about that here. Follow the movement on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Etsy.

When we are rooted and established, the winds of the storm can blow hard but we will not be tossed like tumbleweed. The deep roots into the Living Water give us stability. In times of drought our roots need to go even deeper into God's Word. They need to go deeper to pull out the spiritual nutrients so that fruit grows.

I saw this Bible study journal on Instagram a few weeks ago and I knew I was going to need a copy. The more I can do to "Let the Word of Christ Dwell in [Me] Deeply" the more prepared I will be for the difficulties life throws my way.

I ordered the Dwell - A 12 Week Guided Bible Study Journal on a Friday afternoon from the comfort of a local coffee shop. Two days later, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, it showed up on my doorstep. Personally, I thought the Dwell Bible study journal showing up on a Sunday was a pretty good sign that this was going to be special.

​So I've committed myself to letting the Word dwell in me deeply over the course of the next 12 weeks. I'm excited because I know that the journey is going to have benefits like joy to the heart and light to the eyes! Follow the blog as I document the journey!

"The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart; the commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes;" Psalm 19:8

This week has been an especially difficult one fill with lots of opportunities to trust God more. I find trusting Him is easy to write about, but still challenging to do. You'd think, after all these years, I'd "get it" and be able to trust His Word, His way and His timing without a second thought. ​After all, Who has loved me more? Who has my best interest in mind? ​Who sought me and loved me before I ever began to seek or love Him? ​

​Who DIED for me and forgave my sinful soul? Who loves me even through the messy, unloveable, untrusting days? No one like Him! And yet, I struggle to trust. Why? I cannot say. It doesn't even make sense to me.

I do know though, the more rooted and established His Word becomes in my life, the more natural it is for me to trust Him. Without His Word, trusting would be near impossible. So when I saw this opportunity to be one of the first to dive into the Dwell 12-week Bible study journal, I ordered it!

Week 1 Was Exactly What I Needed!

“THROUGH CHRIST’S WORDS DWELLING IN MY HEART, I AM ROOTED AND ESTABLISHED” 

I needed this lesson bad! I am so thankful to have His Word, and to have the opportunity to be rooted and established in it! I needed to be reminded that His precepts are right, that they give joy to my heart. I needed to remember that His commands are radiant, and that they give light to my eyes.

​Lesson 1 will have you checking the viability of your spiritual roots.

• How are those roots doing?
• Are they healthy?
• Are they being regularly watered? 

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38

Nothing short of a well established prayer life is going to make a more significant impact on your life than God's Word.

​So how can we be intentional about establishing deeper spiritual roots?

1. Prioritize it
2. Memorize it
3. Pray it
4. Write it

1. ​Prioritize it.

Making a plan. Being intentional. Writing it into your schedule. These are all things we have to do if we plan on becoming rooted and established in the Word. That's one thing I love about this 12-week guided Bible study journal. It lays out a simple, easy-to-follow plan for you.

• A Scripture verse page to meditate on
• 7 pages worth of space for prayer and reflection

The journal is just enough to get you started thinking and craving more. So let's prioritize, starting today with a plan to be rooted and established.

2. Memorize it.

Memorizing Scripture has lost it's place, even in our Christian culture, I fear. Many think they can't and so they don't even try. The first time recall memorizing Scripture was in the third grade. At the age of 9-years along with my classmates, I memorized Hebrews 11. It's the Hall of Faith chapter of the New Testament. I can still recite much of it even to this day. Memorizing isn't easy, but it isn't impossible either. We're busy, I get that. The way I make memorizing easier for myself is 3x5 cards. I have one in my car right now, and on it is a handwritten passage that I'm working on memorizing. In my state they've recently banned cellphone interaction while driving. That's a good thing, and it gives me more time to memorize! When I'm waiting at a red light or in traffic, which happens a lot in the city, I have an opportunity to work on memorization! I've also used sticky notes on the bathroom mirror and refrigerator. Whatever it takes to get the passage or verse in front of your eyes. Memorizing Scripture is one of the best ways to be rooted and established.

3. Pray it.

There are certain passages of Scripture that I pray. It's a beautiful thing to pray God's Word back to Him. Make it personal. Write out the passage as a prayer and put personal meaning to it. 

"Lord, let Your Word dwell in me deeply. Teach me O Lord that I may teach others about Your wisdom. Fill my heart and soul with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Make me to be thankful for all Your goodness. [Colossians 3:16] ​Make me to love Your precepts because I know they are right and they will give joy to my heart. Make me to understand and see that Your commandments will give light to my eyes. [Psalm 19:8] Help me to take Your Living Water to those in my circle of influence who thirst for it. Make me to see their need and to love their soul as You do. For I know that whoever believes in You, as You say in You Word, will have rivers of Living Water flowing from their soul.” [John 7:37-38]

Praying Scripture is powerful. Making it personal to you gives life to your words and meaning to your prayers. A conversation with God is an excellent way to be rooted and established.

4. Write it.

Do you have Scripture hanging on the walls of your home? I don't know a better way of instilling Scripture into the little minds and lives that live there with you. I started in the nursery, way before they could even walk, let alone read. Think and be strategic about placement. I even placed one "strategically" over the toilet in the boy's bathroom! Beautifully framed artwork created and centered around the Word of God is so easy to find these days. Checkout my friend Christ-Centered Mama. There are others as well. These are just a couple of our favorites. And they both offer free, downloadable, printable Scripture art. It doesn't have to be expensive. It could even be free! Scripture on the walls of your home will help you and your family be rooted and established.

So today, let's be intentional about deepening our spiritual root system. Not just ours, but that of our family as well. Prioritize it, memorize it, pray it and write it.

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"Studying the Bible doesn't have to be hard. If you're not sure where to start, or are struggling with being consistent in God's Word, try this 12-week guided Bible study journal to help you get on a fulfilling and exciting path in your quiet time with the Lord. Through dwelling on God's word, you'll be rooted and established in Christ. Each week focuses on a different topic; areas that will convict you and encourage you to apply what you have learned as the Holy Spirit lives and moves through you to accomplish His work. Inside this journal you'll find floral coloring pages with Bible verses as well as a place for:

• Writing Bible verses for deeper reflection and internalization
• Recording what you learn as you study God's Word
• Reflecting on ways to apply what you've read
• Recording things you are thankful for
• Keeping track of prayer requests and answered prayers

Dwelling in God's word is exciting and enriching. Let's dive into the Father's love letter and see how it impacts our lives and the lives of those around us." --Sarah Liberty Hardee

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By the way, no one told me I was going to need colored pencils. You’re going to want them too when you see this beautiful journal.

What's your action plan for staying rooted and established in God's Word?