It happens occasionally in conversations. I hear myself speaking of scripture in ways that I never thought of before, with a confidence “as it were the utterances of God” and with a new excitement. At the time I can not immediately think of scripture to cite for this assurance of fresh Truth. However, I’ve learned not to lay it aside, but to track it down. I find it in scripture that I have memorized and studied, but with a fresh new understanding. It has become an insight, a part of my personal body of Truth. I love it when this happens, and it happens frequently enough that ir keeps Bible study stimulatiing and exciting.
Here is what I think happens on my side of the insight. Memorizing and studying the word of God creates new neuronal paths in my brain that connect to existing paths there. With fresh additions of scripture, finally a network is created. Then at the right moment, a synapses is fired and an insight is created. An actual physical change in my brain, created by scripture!
The vital completion of this event is that The Holy Spirit follows what I do with His precious Word, how I store it in my brain, what it hooks up with, how I act on it. Amazingly, so personally, He involves Himself with His Word in my brain and my actions, resulting in a personal spiritual application of His Word. The insight is not extra scriptural, but it is new to me, startlingly revealing, and much more than merely information that might be gained from a casual reading.
If Bible study is an unstimulating discipline for you, one reason could by that you have not yet created a network of scripture paths in your brain. The connections are too few and too weak to fire into insight. The obvious remedy has exponential results. Put portions of scripture into your brain. Build the paths, and you can expect the Holy Spirit to follow them to personalize the Word to you, and ignite you with insight. He will make you hunger and thirst and anticipate more.
My son, if you will receive my sayings, and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you will cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God.” Prov. 2:1-5.
“…we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” I Thes. 2:13
“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Rae Edlin
|
