Last week we talked about how important it is to be wise to keep our lamp burning in order to be ready when the Lord returns. (Be Wise, Not Foolish) This means to guard our heart and keep it free from the clutter of sins and weights. (Hebrews 12:1) We studied The Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25 that teaches that only five were wise enough to have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. I was asked to do a further development or study on how and what it means to keep our lamps or hearts full – beyond that of reading the Bible.

Let us be sure we understand that our heart is “full” of something; either of the world and its ways or of God and His ways. Each day we make choices that determine what is in our heart.  We need to make daily decisions to make sure our heart is filled with the goodness of God.

Last week we talked about reading and keeping our attention on the Word of God, so this week, we will start with worshiping God. Worship is more than the physical stance of folded hands in prayer, a bended knee or bowed head in reverence and adoration for God; it is a matter of a grateful heart in submission towards Him. It is a matter of keeping our mind full of thoughts of Him and His Word. It is a matter of living according to His Word: do we show love to others, do we repent quickly when God show us a sin in our life or heart, do we offer forgiveness to others, do we offer our service in His Kingdom with a willing heart or just with obedience. As you can see, worship involves every area of our lives. We should also understand that obedience to live according to the Bible is a form of worshiping God because it brings honor to Him. It is hard to show others the love of God if they only hear the preaching and are not shown His love. (1 Corinthians 13) Showing hospitality to others – as unto the Lord – ministers God’s love to them. (1 Peter 4:9-10, Romans 12:13)

The next area of keeping our lamps full of God is prayer. Prayer has many facets: praying for oneself, for the needs of family and friends, interceding on behalf of those that we might not even know personally but are led of the Holy Spirit to pray for them. This could be the lost, the sick, those facing a disaster in their lives such as a health issue, a hurricane or tornado etc. Prayer includes praying with our natural understanding, and in the Spirit – otherwise known as praying in tongues (more on this next week). We must understand that prayer does not change God’s mind about anything but it does give Him access to prove His Word is true. Prayer, most often than not, changes our heart. If the enemy, the devil, is under the feet of Jesus, then he is under our feet, because as a child and heir of God, we have authority over the devil. Effectual prayer is not done with or by emotions, but by our position of who we are in Christ. We are joint-heirs with Christ in the heavenlies, and therefore we have the power of His Name to pray and expect answers to our prayers based on the truths of the Bible. We don’t have to beg God to perform His Word, we only need to believe Him. Our faith in God is a powerful tool for bringing His power and blessings into our lives.

As we renew our mind to the Word of God, and mature spiritually, we will see more and more of God’s attributes in our lives, such as the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Notice that it says fruit; fruit is a byproduct of a vine. Jesus is the Vine. (John 15:5) The closer we stay in fellowship with Him, the more we become like Him; and the more joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, patience, and self-control, will be evident in our lives. They are all aspects of the fruit of the LOVE of God in our heart.

Another area of keeping our heart full of God has to do with our confessions. A confession is a formal statement which is used to affirm a truth; whether in relation to admitting a sin, or, in relation to admitting a belief, or of faith. A confession of faith is the affirmation of what a person believes and in whom they believe. A Christian confesses that they believe the Word of God, the Bible, to be true, and in Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer, and healer. Psalm 32:5 teaches that our sin is not hidden from God and that we are to confess our transgressions to the Lord and received forgiveness. Proverbs 29:3 tells us that whoever covers their sins will not prosper, but those who confess and forsakes them will receive mercy. The most used Scripture for confessing our sin and receiving forgiveness and cleansing from unrighteousness is probably First John 1:9. As we can see, we should not consider confessing our sin a negative but a positive because it leads to mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing from sin.

Confessing Bible verses is the way of “calling those things that are not as though they are” and is done by speaking healing into our body, love into a strifeful situation, believing for financial blessings, and even deliverance from strongholds. (Romans 4:17) There are many healing Scriptures for us to confess and base our faith on for healing and good health. Confessing healing Scriptures such as First Peter 2:24, “by whose stripes you were healed” and Jeremiah 30: 17, “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord” increases our faith to believe for good health. Malachi 3:10 teaches that when we tithe, we can believe God for His blessings and that He will rebuke the devourer for our sakes. The devil is the devourer and wants us to be poor so we cannot promote the Gospel. Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us that when we honor the Lord with our possessions, and with the firstfruits of all our increase, our barns (or homes and bank accounts) will be filled with plenty. Being obedient with our giving according to the Bible places us in the position to receive God’s financial blessings.

We cannot speak Scriptures without thinking about them, and that leads us to mediating on the Word of God. Meditation is merely a continuous thinking, or speaking something for the purpose of gaining insight and revelation on a certain subject. This is done throughout the day as we go about activities and responsibilities just by taking a moment from time to time to think about a specific scripture and repeating it. We do not have to say it very loud for it to be spoken, God is not hard of hearing! When we place our faith in God and say what we believe, we will receive not only what we say, but according to the Bible we will have what God says we can have. Hallelujah!

I encourage you to be wise and be prepared for anything – and everything – by reading and learning the Bible, praying the Bible, speaking (confessing) the Bible, believing the Bible, and obeying the Bible so you can live the victorious life that God wants you to have.