Mental Media Frenzy.

As mentioned previously, this inductive Bible study has been so refreshing to my spirit. It is hilarious how perfect God's timing is in the subject matter. Even when I have slacked off this week, God knew in advance and used what I should have studied on Monday to speak to me today. I have caught up on three out of the five daily studies for the week and am curious how the last two will conclude the lessons so far.

I'll be honest, I backtracked in some ways this week. When I wasn't doing stuff for my family and my own life, I would usually revert to facebook, twitter, television, or a movie. It has been an amazingly difficult fight to discipline my mind on anything less instant. I haven't been reading as much or getting in the Word, and obviously I fell behind on my Bible study activities.

And everyday, there was a craving. Hunger. As if my spirit was craving a real meal, but I decided to fill up on cheetos and twinkies instead. That kind of stuff never fulfills the craving because it doesn't contain the vitamins and nutrients your body is actually asking for. It is one and the same with the world's media vs. God's presence. I would even dare to say that watching a preacher via video podcast is not the same as being in your prayer closet.

There is a level of focus that all this media/social networking is shooting down in our brains. I want my old brain back. As a child, I could sit on the couch in our living room for an entire afternoon and finish a novel. Now, I pick one up, read a page or two until I feel antsy.

The intro to this week's lesson said this:

Take Heed to Your Spirit... Let No One Deal Treacherously
"Take heed to your spirit." What a needful exhortation! We are so busy, so occupied with life that life in itself is difficult. Words, words, words–we hear so much, say so much in this day of constant communication with our cellular equipment that we don't take time to be still, to shut off the noise of the world and take heed to our spirit, to make sure our spirit is in perfect alignment with Gods Spirit.
Are we hearing God? Believing God? Or are we so out of tune with God that, like Israel, we dispute His love for us when in reality it is we who don't love God as we should? As you saw, Malachi opens with Israel claiming that God doesn't love them, isn't demonstrating His love as He should. When in reality, as we see when we read on, it was them. They did not love God as they should.
What would life and our relationships with others look like if we loved God supremely? If our relationship with Him governed all of life?


Yep, I'm sticking with this song today:



If I am declaring those lyrics with my lips over and over again... do I have the lifestyle to back it up? "...With Everything."
Do I love God as I should?