Finding Fuel for Your Fire | The Power of God's Word

When you read the stories of Scripture about the men and women of valor, people who did great feats for God and His glory, it is inspiring and encouraging to see their unwavering faith and integrity, their fire for God burning with fierce intensity.

But oftentimes in our walk, we can find our fire growing dim; our desire to fight the battles of life for the Kingdom languishing; our strength can waver and our feet can begin to sink amidst the strength of life’s unyielding waves.

How did the men and women of old endure hardship like good soldiers of Christ Jesus? Where did they find the fuel for their fire? What was the source of their strength?

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1–2, ESV)

Recently God has been impressing upon me again the importance of meditating upon His word. Not just reading it, not just studying it, but deeply pondering, chewing, understanding, internalizing, and assimilating His divine truth into the soul, that we may carry it into the life.

I firmly believe that this is the lack of many Christians today, including myself: we do not slow down to feed upon the bread of life, to drink deeply of the fountain of living waters.

Jesus teaches us that the Word of God is the means of our sanctification (John 17:17); that it should be our method of withstanding the enemy (Matt 4); that we are to live by every word (Matt 4:4)

Psalm 1, one of my favorite psalms, talks about this when it says:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked … but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2, ESV)

Now, you may be thinking, “But Pastor Dawson, I read my Bible every day!” Yes, me too. But do you truly meditate, assimilate, and apply it?

What does this look like? Let me break it down into some practical steps:

1. Instead of reading quickly through a chapter or more in your morning devotional, pick a verse or a few verses that capture one complete thought.

2. As you read this thought, make sure you deeply understand what the meaning of each individual word is; maybe even look up the important words and write out their definitions. Then bring the words together and write out its meaning in your own words.

3. Once you understand what this thought is really saying, then take some time to think about and write out the implications of that thought: is there a command to obey? A promise to claim? A nugget of wisdom to apply? A sin to avoid? How does this message impact who I am, what I believe, how I live? What does this reveal about God? What does it reveal about me?

4. When you truly understand the implications of this message in your life, you can begin thinking practically about how you are going to adjust your life based on that message. What am I going to do about what I just read? What is God trying to get me to understand, believe, or implement?

5. Lastly, go back and read it all again and connect all of that deep work with the verse; maybe you could even work on repeating it over and memorizing it. Pray to God about what you learned, and how you are going to respond.

6. Bonus: As you finish your devotional and go about your day, do not leave your devotion at home. Bring it with you and think about it as you drive to work; meditate on it as you get groceries; share it with your friends, your family, your coworkers. Take it with you all throughout the day.

Try this for a month and see how much it can change you; see how much fuel it can add to your fire! There is power in the Word of God, and as we carry it in our hearts and apply it in our lives we can experience that power too.

And that’s exactly what Psalm 1 promises about the one who meditates upon the law of the Lord day and night:

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”(Psalm 1:3, ESV)

I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, or testimonies! May the Lord strengthen and bless you as you dig deeper in His Word!