When you choose to dwell on a worry, it will always get bigger in your mind. So if you want to change the way you think and renew your mind, then you’ve got to stop dwelling on your worries and meditate on God’s Word instead.
How do you meditate? Well, if you know how to worry, then you already know how to meditate. Worry is when you take a negative thought and think on it over and over and over. On the other hand, when you take a passage of Scripture and think on it over and over and over, that’s meditation.
If your only contact with the Bible is when you hear it at church, you’ll have a weak grip on God’s Word, and it can easily be pulled out of your mind.
But if you hear God’s Word and you also read it every day, then you’ll start to get a better grip. Then, if you hear it and read it and study it, you’ll get an even better grip. And then, if you hear it and read it and study it and start memorizing and meditating on it, you’ll have a solid grip on the Word of God.
You’ll struggle to hold tightly to God’s Word if you’re not doing all the important steps of Bible study.
Psalm 119:16 says, “Your laws make me happy. I never forget your word” (GW). Do you want to be happy? Following God’s principles will produce happiness. You remember those principles by hearing them, reading them, studying them, memorizing them, meditating on them, and then applying them to your life.
The Bible says in Psalm 119:35, “Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found” (NLT).
If you’ve been looking for happiness in all the wrong places, then turn around. God says happiness is found in the path of his commands.
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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