I remember the moment very clearly. I was driving home from our new business feeling so defeated. Our tax guy had just given us the bad news: We would have to pay $20K in taxes. It might as well have been $1M!
As tears streamed down my face, I recounted all of my failures since we started the business. I had left a career I enjoyed to become a stay-at-home mom and help my husband get the shop off the ground. I discovered I wasn’t a natural homemaker, I didn’t enjoy cooking (and my family didn’t enjoy it, either), I wasn’t gifted at nurturing (I’m more of a “rub some dirt in it” kind of mom), and now I had failed at the business finances. All of my dreams for this transition seemed to be turning to ashes. I remember saying out loud, “Lord, I’m done. I can’t do this on my own. I need help!”
Because I had grown up in a pastor’s home, I knew the Bible. I could win the Bible Trivia games and the sword drills. But when I faced crises in my life, I turned to my dad. My dad was a very godly man, and he gave me great advice, but I should’ve been turning to God’s Word. I think this is a hazard many PKs face. This time, I didn’t have that choice. My dad had started showing signs of Alzheimer’s and could no longer fill that role in my life.
I couldn’t expect God to speak to me if I wasn’t spending time in His Word and speaking to Him through prayer. So I began to read my Bible. I got involved in Bible-reading plans, Bible studies, and conferences. And I found that, as cliché as it might sound, the more time I spent in God’s Word, the more time I wanted to spend in God’s Word. As the Holy Spirit revealed things to me in the Scriptures that I had never really grasped, I began to fall in love with my Bible.
Just to be clear, not every time I sat down to read did I have a hallelujah moment—sometimes those genealogies are hard to get through—but as the knowledge compounded, and as I sought the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, that knowledge shifted to wisdom and discernment. I started to recognize false teachings. I became sensitive to the struggles of those around me. And I became more and more content in my life.
My circumstances didn’t change: I still was not a natural homemaker, my family still didn’t like my cooking, and we hired a new accountant in our business to handle the finances. But I had changed. God’s Word changed me! Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Because the Bible is “living and active,” we can trust that it can change us and grow us.
Since those days, I have gone beyond using other people’s studies to studying God’s Word for myself. I took bits and pieces from everything I had learned throughout the years, and developed my own Bible study process. It takes time, and it takes effort, but the reward is so worth it. Psalm 14:2 and 52:3 say, “The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.” I want to be seeking after Him when He looks down from heaven!
Because I have fallen in love with the Word, I want to share it with others. I have created a free workbook that outlines my study process. It is a unique process in that you always start at step 1, but you only go as far as you want to go or as your current season of life allows. You can download your copy of the workbook here. And I can’t wait to see what God does in your life through His Word!
Have you ever been on a mountain road? You know the ones where you hold your breath as you go around each curve, just hoping you won’t go off the edge and tumble down the mountain? Nowadays, it is common for those curves to have guardrails. Guardrails won’t stop you if you are coming too fast, but they are a barrier, one more thing for you to hit so you will slow down, bounce off, correct course, and not go off the road.
We often set up guardrails in our lives—a barrier to slow us down and give us a chance to course correct—so we don’t barrel into sin. These guardrails are usually based on our personal experiences, whether we have suffered the consequences of sin, been taught something is wrong, or learned from the mistakes of others.
For example, when it comes to dating, we know the Bible teaches that sex is reserved for the covenant of marriage. In order to protect ourselves and prevent that intimacy before marriage, we might set some rules: don’t spend time alone, don’t kiss, don’t even hold hands. If we follow these rules, we are less likely to end up in bed together. If you felt a conviction to set these rules for yourself in your relationships, then to break them is sin for you.
Another example is alcohol. Scripture tells us not to be drunk with wine. I know there is alot of context to this verse, but it is the verse most often used to support the idea of abstinence from alcohol. I personally do not drink. My grandfather was an alcoholic, so I grew up in a home where there was never a drop of alcohol. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “you won’t get drunk if you never take that first drink!” That was a guardrail my parents set in our home and one I’ve set for my family now. I have a personal conviction about this guardrail, so if I were to have a drink of wine with my dinner, for me it would be sin.
Here’s the catch: It is my guardrail, my conviction, so while it would be sin for me, it is not sin for every believer. I can’t hold others to the guardrails I have set for myself.
The guardrails we establish in our lives are good. In most cases, the guardrails are prudent, so it is easy to expect every Christian to implement them. But we can’t hold other Christians to our personal convictions, the ones not given in Scripture. Where there is room for interpretation, we must allow for Christian liberty.
In fact, this is what the Pharisees did. For example, the commandment given by God was to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. Through the years, rules (guardrails) were put in place to keep the Israelites from breaking that commandment. The rules against working on the Sabbath got so detailed that you could only travel a certain distance, and you could go no further. This would be the equivalent to limiting the number of steps you could take on that day. Over time, these guardrails became the standard instead of the spirit of the Sabbath law. This went so far that the Pharisees attacked Jesus for healing the sick on the Sabbath.
Holding others to a standard we set is legalism. Legalism isn’t speaking the truth of Scripture; it isn’t holding to the “rules” given by Jesus and the apostles; it isn’t dressing modestly, waiting until marriage to have sex, or going to church every week. All of these are clearly stipulated in the Word. Legalism is adding to Scripture and expecting others to abide by our guardrails.
Because our guardrails are based on our personal experiences, we feel very strongly about them. It can feel like a personal affront if someone else doesn’t honor our guardrail. But holding others to our standards instead of God’s standards is sin.
I encourage you to examine your convictions and determine which ones are biblical and which ones are guardrails you have set to protect yourself. You might find you’ve been more legalistic than you thought!
Let me begin by saying the topic of civil disobedience is not a simple topic. On this topic the same arguments can be made for both sides. Our goal in these conversations is not to be right but to be righteous: not to find Scripture that supports our position, but to allow Scripture to inform our position, to see the issue at hand through the lens of God’s Word and take the position that aligns with His will. This is the very reason freedom should be the point upon which we agree.
This post is not an attack on anyone’s personal choice, but it is a commentary on what the government is doing in the current culture and how Christians should respond. Also, I have heard pastors preach sermons like the one I mention in this post across denominational and religious lines, so this is not an attack of a specific pastor, church, or denomination.
I recently listened to yet another sermon on the Christian and civil disobedience which implied we have no reason to rebel at this particular time in history. This sermon left the impression that true Christians will obey the government mandates because they don’t force us to break God’s law. I say it left the impression because in reality, the sermon was vague, as are many. These sermons tend to get muddy because they draw on biblical examples of civil disobedience while at the same time stating that civil disobedience is wrong.
Principles for Civil Disobedience
The following principles are generally listed as the rule of thumb for the believer when it comes to civil disobedience. We can rebel if:
The government commands what God forbids, or
The government forbids what God commands.
This seems pretty simple until you realize that much of what we are facing is not explicitly addressed in Scripture. The Bible doesn’t tell us if wearing a mask is a sin or not. The Bible doesn’t mention vaccines. The word “abortion” does not appear in Scripture. And there is certainly no reference to #freedomconvoy2022. But just because something isn’t explicitly mentioned doesn’t mean we can’t apply lessons we learn from biblical accounts.
The Conscience and Civil Disobedience
A popular argument in favor of civil disobedience is the idea of conscience. We will say things like, “that goes against my conscience, so I can’t do it.” It is important to remember that our consciences must be molded and guided by the Word of God. Many will say that there is no room for conscience in this conversation. If your conscience is telling you not to obey the government, then your conscience is wrong because we are told over and over in Scripture that God has placed those in authority, and we are to submit to them (Romans 13:1-7, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13, etc.). But the truth is that if your conscience has been molded by the Word, if you are spending time with God regularly and are studying the Scriptures, your conscience can play a valuable role in your decision making.
Biblical Examples of Civil Disobedience
Several examples from Scripture are used to show when civil disobedience is appropriate. Usually, these examples are used to show the extreme cases presented. In Exodus 1, Pharaoh orders the killing of all of the male, Jewish babies. The midwives did not comply. In Daniel 3, we read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were told to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. They did not comply. In Daniel 6, we read the account of Daniel’s decision to pray even though it was against the law. These are all examples of when the government commanded something God had forbidden, or forbade something God had commanded.
Let’s pull these examples into modern day.
The midwives didn’t kill the Jewish baby boys because they understood that life is sacred. Our government wants to use the tax money we are required to pay to fund abortions, thus negating the sanctity of life. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow down to the idol because God forbids idol worship. We are to worship only God (Exodus 20). But idol worship is not limited to carved, golden statues surrounded by a shrine and lit candles. An idol is anything that takes the place of God, anything we trust more than we trust God, anything we fear more than we fear God. Our society has turned Covid and the vaccines into idols. The authorities have destroyed jobs, livelihoods, childhoods, and futures in order to force everyone to bow down. Let me remind you, this is not a statement about your choice but about what the government is doing. The government is pushing us to worship at the altar of Covid to the god of Fauci. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Daniel broke the law when he prayed to God as he had always done. And he would’ve paid with his life had God not intervened. There is such a thing as an unjust law. It is unjust for parents to lose custody of their children because they choose not to get vaccinated. It is unjust to refuse a life-saving medical procedure because the patient is not vaccinated. It is unjust to force children to spend eight hours a day behind a mask because adults are scared of illness. It is unjust to discharge military personnel who have pledged their lives to protect our freedom because they made the “wrong” medical decision. When we allow unjust laws to go unchallenged, we quickly decline into tyranny and genocide. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Truth and Fear
Think back to what you know about our own American revolution. It could be argued that England, the authority over America at the time, was not commanding something God forbids or forbidding something God commands. On paper at least, it came down to taxes. Yet no one argues that America should not have fought for her independence because we all know it was about something much deeper than taxes. Much like today, when our conflict is about something much deeper than a mask or a vaccine.
The Bible is clear that Christians are to speak truth and live in truth no matter the consequences. Our current authorities want us to refrain from speaking truth in many areas of life. They want us to lie about the efficacy of masks, about the potential side-effects of vaccines, about the moment life begins, about biology, about “race,” and the list goes on and on. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
Scripture commands us over and over again that we are not to live in fear. The King James Version uses the phrase “fear not” 365 times, but the idea is present in the Word much more often. Our governing authorities want us living in fear. We are to fear Covid, fear our neighbors, fear killing our relatives, fear the loss of our livelihoods, fear not going back to “normal,” fear shortages, etc. This is grounds for civil disobedience.
In the most recent sermon I heard, the preacher made the statement that “the difference between the revolution in England and the revolution in France came down to the presence of Christians.” Yet he implied that Christians should stand down. He claimed that Christians in England kept the revolution from devolving into a bloody massacre, yet he urged Christians now to stay out of the fight.
Our churches should be leading the charge to stand up for truth. When governments are requiring things that fly in the face of truth, it is grounds for civil disobedience.
Do you choose a word for your year? I began choosing a word for my year about 5 or 6 years ago. Before that, I never really understood the point. And, honestly, I don’t think it is the most important thing I can do as I prepare for a new year even now. But for the last several years, I have chosen a word, not as a goal for my life like “success” or “wealth,” but as a focus for my year to make sure I’m pursuing things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Phil. 4:8).
For 2021, my word was “bold humility.” I wanted to make sure that, as I shared ideas on social media and in my blog, I was doing it for the right reasons and in the right way. In 2020, my word was “cultivate.” I had just finished reading a book by that title written by Lara Casey and had a strong desire to cultivate relationships and a peaceful atmosphere for my family in our home. Other words I’ve claimed in the past include “undeserving,” “savor,” and “thrive” (this one was chosen our first full year of homeschooling, and I wanted it to be more than surviving).
A couple of important things to point out are 1) I am not trying to “manifest” anything into existence. I’m using the word to make sure I focus on the things I’ve made a priority—my spiritual walk, my family, my relationships. And 2) at any point in the year, my word can change. It is there as a reminder to me, not as a strict, unbending yard stick but as a flexible guideline.
If you come from a New Age background, and manifestation and the law of attraction are stumbling blocks, this may not be the best practice for you. And if you love this idea, but you can’t decide on one word, feel free to choose as many as you want! Maybe you want a different word for different areas of your life. That’s ok. There are no rules.
My word for 2022 is “dwell.” As I read through the Bible in 2021, the word “dwell” jumped off the page for me time and time again. Even my pastor has focused in on it during his sermons. I want to dwell in Scripture this year. I want to dwell in my prayer time. I want to dwell with my family and not be distracted. I want to dwell with the ladies at my church as we grow in Christ together. I want to dwell with my friends from all different circles in my life. To be present—that’s my desire.
If you decide to pick a word for 2022, I’d love to know what it is.
A couple of years ago, I recognized that if I lost access to the Bible, I didn’t have enough of it stored up in my memory to hold on to it in tough times. So I started the spiritual discipline of memorizing Scripture. Mind you, at that point I was 40+ years old. I had a real fear that my brain couldn’t do it. I was already struggling to remember people’s names and connecting them to a time and place in my life. I had also watched my dad succumb to early-onset Alzheimer’s. Could I really memorize Scripture and retain it? It helped to have some tips and tricks, so I want to share those with you.
Why Memorize Scripture
But let’s take a step back and talk about why it is important to memorize Scripture. Beyond the threat of losing access to Scripture on our shelves and on our phones, the Bible tells us to hide God’s Word in our hearts. We are given this command for several reasons.
As a mom, one of the most important reasons for me to memorize Scripture is detailed in Deuteronomy 6:6-7, which tells us to hide His words in our hearts and “teach them diligently to [our] children.” I can’t teach my kids something I haven’t learned.
Of course, the spiritual discipline of memorizing Scripture isn’t limited to parents. Every believer is instructed to meditate on God’s Word day and night. Often, when we read Scripture, we walk away from it and don’t think about it again, but when we memorize Scripture, we are rehearsing it, repeating it, meditating on it throughout the day. And as we practice and repeat a passage, it takes root in our hearts and our understanding of the passage grows.
Ultimately, the goal is to be shaped by Scripture—to develop a biblical worldview, the lens through which we see the world. Memorizing Scripture allows the Word of God to inform our thoughts, which shape our feelings and actions. Living life with a biblical worldview is for our good and is how God intended us to live.
Don’t Believe the Lies
While there are many excuses NOT to memorize Scripture, what you have to decide is how important it is to you. Are you willing to do the work, to practice, to train, and to strive for godliness? We know we can memorize information that is important to us—if I asked you to tell me your social security number, I have no doubt it would be top of mind, or if your favorite song comes on the radio, it isn’t hard to sing along. Don’t believe the lie from the enemy that you are not capable of committing Scripture to memory.
So let’s get into the tips:
How to Memorize Scripture
First, decide which translation you want to use (to see a discussion on the spectrum of translations, see this blog post). Are you more familiar with one translation? Is there one that is easier for you to understand? I’m personally partial to the translations closer to the word-for-word end of the spectrum. I would encourage you NOT to choose a paraphrase simply because paraphrases are someone’s interpretation of someone else’s interpretation so they are further away from the original than a translation will be.
There are many ways to memorize, and they will appeal to you depending on your learning style. If you are a visual learner, you might want it typed up and laminated so you can take it with you. If you are an auditory learner, you may want to record it in a voice memo to play back or put it to music. If you are a kinesthetic learner, you might enjoy putting motions to the passage. Whichever type of learner you are, memorization requires repetition.
The system I use to commit Scripture to memory is below. Feel free to modify it as best suits your learning style.
For the first verse in the passage:
Step 1: Read the verse aloud 10 times.
Step 2: Recite the verse 10 times.
Step 3: Write the verse from memory.
When you get to the second and future verses in the passage:
Step 1: Recite the previous verse 10 times.
Step 2: Read the new verse aloud 10 times.
Step 3: Recite the new verse 10 times.
Step 4: Write the new verse from memory.
Step 5: Recite the passage from the beginning.
I like to use the FLOW method to remember the verse throughout the day. FLOW stands for First Letter Of the Word. You can write the first letter of each word in the verse on your hand, set them as the wallpaper on your phone, write them in your planner, put them on a post-it note and put it where you will see it frequently, etc. This reminds me to rehearse the verse as I go about that day’s activities.
I’m always open to new ideas, so if you have another method that has worked well for you, please share it!
If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible, I invite you to download my FREE Bible study workbook, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own, at the button below.
If you would like to join a group of like-minded women who are pursuing godliness together, check out the Bible Study Academy by clicking the button below.
