Have you ever had someone make you a promise, only to break it? Most of us have had that experience. Broken promises, or covenants, have had devastating effects on mankind. Conversely, we serve a God who keeps His promises. As we dig deeper into the book of Revelation, we are able to see more fully how His promises are fulfilled.
Transcript
Well, hello, everyone.
Speaker:This is Dr.
Speaker:Paula McDonald, and I am super excited to be bringing you episode number 53 of my Live Today podcast.
Speaker:Well, we are in our third week, the Start Today series.
Speaker:And the whole preface behind Starting Today is as we've all gotten out of January in the new year and our resolutions, and now we're in the thick of it, we're in the dead of winter.
Speaker:And sometimes we look back at those well intentioned goals that we have not even begun to start.
Speaker:So that was the impetus to start this series of Start Today, because even all of the wonderful things and statistics and information that I've provided you over this past year with Live Today.
Speaker:And in my book, Live Today, which is basically a balance of the mind, the body and the spirit, all of that's great to have good head knowledge.
Speaker:But if we don't, then take it somewhere and do something with it, then it's just wasted.
Speaker:So that is what I most desire from this Start Today series is that you will find realistic baby steps of how you can start today in whatever area of your life that you need to.
Speaker:So we've looked at having a game plan.
Speaker:We've looked at ridding yourself of toxic people.
Speaker:And then last week, it was really ridding yourself of toxic things in your life, like food and chemicals that you put on your skin.
Speaker:And so today we want to get rid of stinkin thinking.
Speaker:And the only way to really get rid of negative yucky thinking is to immerse yourself in the word of God and to spend time with him in prayer and meditation.
Speaker:So today we're really going to focus on the spirit, on how do you even begin? And I have a lot of people, especially those in my Bible study, who say, you know, Paula, I really, really want and desire to spend more time with God, but I just don't know how to get there.
Speaker:And you guys, that's an honest, honest question and statement.
Speaker:And I'm here to tell you, I struggle with the same thing because life gets in the way.
Speaker:And Satan, he desires nothing more than for all of us to be so focused on the world and our lives and our busy schedules and all the things that we have and the responsibilities that it keeps us away from our time with Almighty God.
Speaker:And I'm here to tell you that when I have neglected that part of my life, I feel it.
Speaker:There is an a longing and an aching within me that I know can only be filled by God himself.
Speaker:So I just wanted to take today and share with you some realistic things that I do.
Speaker:You know, I'm a busy mum.
Speaker:I'm a 62 year old woman who has adopted a grandson.
Speaker:He's been with us since birth.
Speaker:But it radically changed my life at the age of 50, thinking I was going to be an empty Nester when suddenly God had a new plan for us.
Speaker:So I'm dealing with being a mom again.
Speaker:I run several businesses, and those keep you big time busy.
Speaker:Of course, I'm a wife and I'm also on our school board here in Texas.
Speaker:And right now, as you know, we are under intense attack as school board members.
Speaker:So it's a lot.
Speaker:So I'm just telling you all that that's not to brag or say, oh, wow, look at me.
Speaker:It's just, hey, I'm right there with you.
Speaker:I know life is busy, but the other thing that I know is I cannot negate my spiritual self.
Speaker:God has wired all of us to be close to Him, and when I do stop and take the time to spend with Him, it is never wasted.
Speaker:In fact, I come out on the other side and completely energized and motivated because he fills that void within me that only he can fill.
Speaker:And sadly, those who don't believe in God, they will fill that void with anything and everything other than God himself, which gets people into trouble, whether it be drugs, alcohol, sex addictions, shopping addictions, plastic surgery addictions, whatever it is, even too much exercise.
Speaker:If you're leaving God out, eventually things are going to come to a screeching halt in your life in some manner.
Speaker:So the spiritual side is of utmost importance.
Speaker:But really, in my experience as a believer, I haven't really been discipled.
Speaker:And I wasn't discipled early on in my belief system of how to really get in and study my Bible or how do I really pray? How do I really do what I'm supposed to do when I'm alone with God? And there is no fancy formula, there's no fancy workbooks needed, you guys.
Speaker:What's needed is a heart for God and a pure heart that just goes to him and says, Father, I really don't know what I'm doing, but I need you and I need you to show me.
Speaker:But you know what? He's also put disciples here on this Earth, and he's put people in your life or that are out there waiting to help you.
Speaker:And hopefully this podcast can help serve as a tool for many of you who are struggling in this area.
Speaker:So I'm just going to share some of the main things that I have learned through my very long walk with Jesus.
Speaker:And it's been an up and down walk.
Speaker:It has not been one.
Speaker:And I don't think anybody could say this that's easy all the time and that I always know what I'm doing because I don't.
Speaker:He is always continuing to teach me every single day, which is also wonderful.
Speaker:So early on.
Speaker:I mean, I became a Christian back when I was 17.
Speaker:I say that's when the light bulb went off for me and I received a Bible when I was at Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp.
Speaker:And it was the first Bible given to me, that was not a King James Version.
Speaker:I had looked at those Bibles in my home, and I just could not really get into the word.
Speaker:It just didn't make sense to me.
Speaker:And when I was given this good news Bible at this camp and I started reading through the Scriptures, it truly came alive for me.
Speaker:So I would tell you that one of the first and most important steps is go search at a great Christian bookstore and really look through the different Bibles that are out there.
Speaker:There are so many versions.
Speaker:I have a collection of Bibles because I love Bibles, but there are versions that may not speak to you, and there are versions that you may open and start reading and saying, wow, this is it for me.
Speaker:So it's important, though, that you really look through them, do some research, do a comparison of side by side different versions of Bibles so that you can really see what you're looking at.
Speaker:And then another great thing to do is talk to some of your fellow believers who are deep into Bible study.
Speaker:Ask them, hey, what version of the Bible do you use and why do you like that version? And once you really narrow it down, then you can go in and look with a critical eye at what Bible seems to fit you and your life and your needs.
Speaker:So once you have that Bible, then I think the most important thing is pray ask God.
Speaker:I have my new Bible here.
Speaker:I'm so excited about it.
Speaker:What do I do now? Just ask him to show you.
Speaker:And it can be daunting.
Speaker:I mean, if you look at a Bible, those 66 books and all of those chapters and all of those verses can look like a big Alphabet soup.
Speaker:So it's important that you think, okay, it necessarily is not meant to be read from the very first word to the very last word.
Speaker:That's the beauty of the living Bible.
Speaker:You can pretty much pick up any book, anywhere in the Bible and just read it.
Speaker:So don't try to put any hard and fast rules, oh, I have to read it all in a year, which that's a great thing to do once you get going and studying the Bible.
Speaker:But you don't want to just read and miss the point of the words.
Speaker:So it wasn't until I was in my 30s and I discovered Bible Study Fellowship, which is an international Bible study.
Speaker:You can go.
Speaker:I think it's BSF.
Speaker:This was one of the best Bible studies that I've ever been to, and I was in BSF for over 20 years, in and out.
Speaker:I served as a children's leader and as an adult leader.
Speaker:And what I learned through BSF was the study of the Bible line by line, chapter by chapter, and really learned how to dig into Scripture.
Speaker:And I'm telling you what, it changed my world radically.
Speaker:I finally felt like the Bible wasn't something so intimidating.
Speaker:But you don't have to join BSF.
Speaker:It's a wonderful tool, and they have classes everywhere.
Speaker:You can find one, but also you can find great Bible studies online.
Speaker:I have a podcast now, and I'm teaching the Book of Revelation, and it's called Exhale Bible Discovery.
Speaker:And it's another one of my podcasts that we just started.
Speaker:So you won't be too far behind where we go through the Book of Revelation line by line, chapter by chapter, because for a lot of longtime Christians, the Book of Revelation is a tough one for many.
Speaker:So we're tackling it this year.
Speaker:But I'm telling you, I could not have tackled it without the many, many years of learning and studying the Bible that I've done before.
Speaker:And so now, as you find your Bible, I would encourage you to start in a book that feels right for you.
Speaker:You do not have to start with Genesis, and you do not have to start with the Book of Revelation.
Speaker:And one of the best pieces of advice that I ever heard was to start with the book of John.
Speaker:And it is a fascinating book, one of the Gospels.
Speaker:And I believe that if you start there, it's going to give you this beautiful overview of Christ and what his message was and about love and redemption like none other.
Speaker:It's a great place.
Speaker:But wherever you choose to start, it's just important that, as in this series, that you actually start.
Speaker:So part of your game plan is carve out some time.
Speaker:If you don't think you have time during the day, then you're going to need to either get up early in the morning or you're going to need to carve out time at the end of your day when it's quiet and you can be alone with God in your Bible.
Speaker:So once you have your Bible and I love to put my Bible tabs on my Bible, because when I'm studying, I don't want to have to be flipping around to try to find other chapters.
Speaker:And they have some beautiful Bible study tabs that you can get and put in your Bible.
Speaker:That way you can see, okay, Where's that Book of Obadiah boom, you're there.
Speaker:And I use farm girl journals.
Speaker:They're a cute little group of girls, I think, that are out of College station.
Speaker:And I get them off of Etsy.
Speaker:But they're farm girl journals, and they have not only journals, but these Bible tabs.
Speaker:And so you don't necessarily need a special Journal, but it's recommended to have something to write with, something to write down on when you're doing your Bible study, because you're going to want to take notes, because the Holy Spirit is going to prompt you in different ways.
Speaker:Or maybe a word jumps out at you that you think, why was that word used at this time in this passage? And maybe that'll take you on this deep dive to look at that word and go all the way back.
Speaker:Well, what was the Greek word for that word or the Hebrew word? And I'm telling you, when you start to do that, it's going to open up an entirely new world of studying the Bible.
Speaker:And it will never be boring.
Speaker:It is never, never boring.
Speaker:In fact, I crave it like I crave food.
Speaker:So I hope that you can get to that point at some time when it is where you are truly feeding on God's word and it fills you and sustains you like nothing else.
Speaker:And so that's a huge, huge part of this Start Today series is taking care of the spiritual self.
Speaker:So Bible study is one extremely important area, but another area that I struggle with more than I do Bible study is actually just quiet time of prayer.
Speaker:I shoot up arrow prayers.
Speaker:That's what I call them all during the day.
Speaker:I'm just thinking about something or something will make me think of a friend who's in need.
Speaker:And I'll just shoot up little arrow prayers, which those aren't bad at all.
Speaker:But what's really hard are the times of specific prayer time all by myself.
Speaker:It's hard to find a time in a busy household right where you can go and just be by yourself and to just pray.
Speaker:And you don't have to have a long prayer written out.
Speaker:You don't have to follow any format.
Speaker:But the important thing is, as we know in scripture where God tells us, be still and know that I am God.
Speaker:And it's hard to be still in extremely busy world.
Speaker:We don't want to be still.
Speaker:We want to keep moving.
Speaker:We want to get our checklist accomplished.
Speaker:But part of that checklist now needs to include time of prayer to P.
Speaker:You should put that at the top of your list.
Speaker:Get it top time of prayer, dedicate that each day or whatever days of the week, you know, you can carve away.
Speaker:And what I like to do, I like to have my Journal with me, of course, have my Bible.
Speaker:I like to get in a very quiet place room, wherever that is.
Speaker:Sometimes it's in my car.
Speaker:And I like to just go to God in prayer and listen to him and say, Father, what do you have for me? I'm here.
Speaker:I'm inviting him.
Speaker:I'm inviting the Holy Spirit into my heart right then to say, Help me open my eyes.
Speaker:Help me open my ears.
Speaker:Help me know what it is that I need to do this day for you, Father.
Speaker:And so as you spend more and more time with the King of Kings, you will be amazed at the peace that he gives in your heart that surpasses all understanding.
Speaker:And you're going to start seeing a calmness in yourself that you didn't have before because it is and only can be filled with Christ.
Speaker:Now, part of and I have this, a whole chapter, two chapters actually, about prayer and one about meditation.
Speaker:And a lot of people, oh, my gosh, they freak out.
Speaker:No, we're talking about meditation that's not of God.
Speaker:But the Bible talks about meditating on God's Word.
Speaker:It's what happens in New Age where once again, they have stolen something that's of God, and they've tried to turn it into something that's not of God.
Speaker:And so meditation is not a bad thing, but what we want to make sure that our meditation is focused upon is God and nothing else.
Speaker:And so prayer is basically our time where we're pouring out to God.
Speaker:We're telling him how much we love him, our adoration for Him, our worship of Him.
Speaker:That's where we ask for forgiveness, forgiveness of others.
Speaker:That's where we lay at his feet, our troubles and our tribulations, and where we claim the authority that we have in Christ to go forward in difficult situations and do the things that he's asking us to do.
Speaker:And so in meditation, that is the time where you are being very quiet and you're allowing God in the Holy Spirit to fill you and to speak to you.
Speaker:So you're quiet and you're just listening.
Speaker:And those stirrings.
Speaker:And I heard someone last night in a prayer group that I'm in say, I really am amazed every time I know that I've received some message from the Holy Spirit.
Speaker:And then somebody comes along the next day or the next week and says something that makes me know that that was confirmed.
Speaker:That's confirmation.
Speaker:That happens all the time when you start really getting in touch with God.
Speaker:So don't forget about those times of just being still and just listening.
Speaker:It's good for you, actually.
Speaker:We're in such a frenzied world that when we do take a minute to just breathe and relax, and sometimes you may fall asleep.
Speaker:And I used to feel really, really guilty for falling asleep during my prayer time.
Speaker:And then one time I just got a real neat word from God who said, what a better way than to fall asleep in my arms? So if you fall asleep, don't feel guilty.
Speaker:Just know you fell asleep in the arms of your beloved and how wonderful that is.
Speaker:So as I wrap this up today, I just want you to be able to start today by doing something.
Speaker:Hold on.
Speaker:I hope you can edit that out.
Speaker:So I want you to start today really focusing on the doable things, the time you can spend with your Bible and the time you can spend in prayer, in meditation.
Speaker:And maybe you one day do Bible study, one day you really spend in prayer, mix it up, whatever works for you.
Speaker:But the really important thing is that you start something new today that will help build this spiritual self of yours and to help balance and keep it balanced along with your mind and your body.
Speaker:It's so rewarding and so important.
Speaker:So, you guys, I hope that you are enjoying this series of start today.
Speaker:And I really want to hear from you.
Speaker:Please go to my website, www.doctorpalamcdonald.com.
Speaker:And there's a little tab that says Connect with Paula and let me know who you are.
Speaker:I love knowing where you're from, where you are, what your struggles are.
Speaker:I love hearing from you.
Speaker:So make sure and go to my website today.
Speaker:And you guys, as always, are you fully living today? Hey there.
Speaker:We're going to go into an Ask Dr.
Speaker:Paula segment.
Speaker:And since we just came off of this topic on your spiritual side, I had the question, how do I study the Bible, Paula? How do I do that? Well, there's no hard and fast rule for this.
Speaker:You can buy a gazillion different books that will tell you a gazillion different things.
Speaker:But I'm going to give you three easy steps to get started.
Speaker:And so first step is you've gotten your Bible.
Speaker:Choose either a chapter or a passage that you really are interested in studying.
Speaker:Just start with that.
Speaker:Don't start big.
Speaker:And once you've got that chapter or that passage, secondly, you've got your notebook with you.
Speaker:I want you to go through that passage or that chapter and really circle and highlight the main points of that chapter or passage.
Speaker:What is this first saying? So if it's about horses, circle the horses.
Speaker:If it's about savior, circle, savior, whatever it is, really circle the main things.
Speaker:And then as you look through that list of what are the main topics? Now, number three, go through and take out the main points of these topics.
Speaker:Okay.
Speaker:Jesus was saying this to his disciples or Paul was telling us to do this in prayer, whatever it is, write out sentences of what is this passage or what is this chapter speaking to me.
Speaker:You've got those three steps.
Speaker:Once you have that, now you need to focus on okay, this is great stuff.
Speaker:Now what are you going to do with it? How does this change my life? And what am I going to do from this point forward? Am I going to take what I'm reading and just write it down? It looks great.
Speaker:And I've got pretty notes, or am I actually going to do something with it? So it's got to call you to action.
Speaker:So what is your action? So it's important that as you learn to study the Bible, you're learning what you're studying.
Speaker:You're learning what it means.
Speaker:But most importantly, you're really learning what does it do to change you from the inside out? And that is what Christ meant when he came on this Earth and he told us that every day we're going to die to ourselves and that we are going to become more and more like him.
Speaker:The only way to do that is by step by step reading, studying, and listening to him.
Speaker:So don't give up and I think the longer you start to do this, the better you're going to get at it and then you can move on.
Speaker:And I'm going to have a whole study on what is called homoletics, which is a real, in depth way of studying the Bible.
Speaker:But it's not scary like the name sounds.
Speaker:It really is not.
Speaker:It's actually one of the things I study I love the most about studying the Bible.
Speaker:It's a very sequential, very organized way of studying the Bible, but that's the way my brain works.
Speaker:So until next time, I hope you're starting today with whatever area that you're feeling the most need.
Speaker:But start today, that's the main thing.
Speaker:And thanks again.
Speaker:I so appreciate your support.
Speaker:I love how our listenership is growing like crazy and that's exciting to me.