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When you read your Bible, do you just fly through it? Blazing past verse after life-giving verse just to scratch off another day on that great reading plan.  I challenge you today…please…SELAH!!!! Pause. Think. Meditate. Dwell. Simmer. Savor. Marinate. Ruminate. Masticate. If you don’t, you’ll miss some amazing things along the way.  What good is it to be DONE with your Bible reading for the day if you aren’t different after you put the book down.  Read for enjoyment not achievement.

Sometimes there is great truth to be found in what the Bible DOESN’T say.  Here’s an example:  Psalm 36:1-4 (NLT).

¹ Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.
They have no fear of God at all.
² In their blind conceit,
they cannot see how wicked they really are.
³ Everything they say is crooked and deceitful.
They refuse to act wisely or do good.
⁴ They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots.
Their actions are never good.
They make no attempt to turn from evil.

When looking at a verse that describes something you’re NOT supposed to be like, PUT THAT VERSE IN REVERSE! Try it with me.  Look & read each verse and then read my comments below.  There is life in every Word of this Book, even the parts that seem really dark.  You just have to LOOK for it!

V.1 — The Spirit of God whispers to the Righteous, deep within their hearts! They have no fear of evil at all!

God speaks to you! Trust that voice.  Isa 30:21. You will hear Him with your own ears, hear a voice behind you, saying this is the way walk in it.  Christians have become so afraid to trust and follow the voice of God.  Its become such a mysterious thing to us that anyone who hears God, trusts His voice, and releases the Word of the Lord is seen as weird, irrelevant, and Super Spiritual. God is always speaking, are you listening? You are redeemed by the Blood of Jesus; body, soul, and spirit.  Receive the mind of Christ and dont hesitate to act upon what He says. When you have confidence is what He says to you, it removes ALL fear.

V.2 — In their humble vision, they know who they really are in Christ.

The more you listen to that still small voice of God in you, the more revelation you’ll have of who He is in you! 1 Peter 5 tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God.  Alot of people would look at that and adopt the attitude of a worm. It usually sounds like this “Oh, God we are nothing! If you don’t come and save us we’re hopeless!”….Folks, this is NOT humility.  Humility under the hand of God really means to submit to His desire and stay where He’s placed you…You’re not NOTHING! Without Him, sure, you don’t have much going for you…but if you’re a believer you’re EVERYTHING! Jesus is absolute perfection and God’s will was to bring you into UNION with Him.  I have everything He has and can do everything He did.  Eph 2:4-6 says that I’ve been seated in Heavenly places with Christ.  So if you want to be humble, get up off the ground and get into heavenly places where you belong! Start acting like you have the life and nature of Almighty God, because (and I know this might be a newsflash to some of you) YOU DO!!!!!

V. 3 — Everything they say is powerful & life-giving. They desire to act wisely & do good.

The righteous hear right, know their right, and they SPEAK right!  You will see what you say.  Your words create your atmosphere.  Everything you say either builds the Kingdom or destroys it.  I challenge you, for one day, maybe even just start with one hour, choose to speak only life and truth.  It’ll be the best hour of your life. (Sidenote: this would include your thoughts!! THINK RIGHT!! Its where it all starts).  I firmly believe that when you think and talk right, you will not only desire to do right, you WILL do right.

V. 4 — They lie awake at night hatching righteous plots, their actions are always good, they make every attempt to turn to God.

OOOOOOHHH GLORY! Hahaha.  I’m getting fired up.  Just picture it with me:  A generation of young ministers that hear and trust the voice of God, releasing it wherever they go.  They know who they are in Christ.  They boldly proclaim the life-giving Word of the Lord.  On fire radicals that move like Jesus moved on this earth.  Woo!  People like this cant be contained.  This last verse stirs my heart. Do you know what its like to lay awake at night dreaming about what the Lord is going to do the next day. Its the greatest.  Live in expectation, stay in suspense!  Act on those dreams and give your life to see them come to pass.  2 Peter 1:5 tells us to make every effort to respond to the promises of God.  He has put His word out there on us that greater things will be done through us.  Thats an invitation.  We will respond.

There it is.  Psalm 36:1-4 in reverse.  You might say that I’m stretching for revelation and that I’m reading things into scripture that aren’t there.  Calm down.  Eat the meat and spit out the bones if you think I’m off.  If it blessed you, then say AMEN, go get your Bible, and find you a verse to reverse.

JB