03. Devouring the Word

Kingdom Pathway Part 3

Opening Scripture

Matthew 4:4 NASB95

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”

John 6:63 NASB95

63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

Introduction

Today we continue in the Kingdom Pathway

Part 1 we talked about the Holy Spirit Part 2 we talked about comminicating in prayer Today we talk about the Word the Bible

But we want to reframe this

This is not just about devouring the Word This is about welcoming the Living Word

John 1:1 NASB95

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus is the logos;

He is the word made flesh

So this is not just a book

This is life

Jesus said my words are spirit and life

So here is the foundation for everything today

I live because He speaks

It’s like trying to run a full production setup

Cameras are ready Lights are set Audio is dialed in

Everything looks right

But nothing turns on

Because there is no power

You can have all the right equipment All the right setup All the right intention

But without power Nothing works

That’s what it’s like trying to live the Christian life Without the Word alive in you

The Problem

We live in a time where we have unlimited access to the Bible

More translations More apps More teaching

And yet we can read it and stay stuck We can hear it and stay unchanged

The problem is not access

The problem is approach

We have treated the Word as information instead of encounter

The Nature of the Word

John tells us the Word became flesh

This book reveals Jesus

The Old Testament points to Him The New Testament reveals Him

So when you open this Word you are not just reading

You are meeting with God

Key Statement

I live because He speaks

Let’s begin by talking about some of the many benefits the Bible can produce in our lives

A) The Word Produces Life

How does it do this?

1) Nourishment

1 Timothy 4:6 NASB95

6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.

This Word is your food

In the natural you eat and become full In the Spirit you eat and become hungry

you want more and more

Imagine a lifeguard jumping into the water to save someone

But he forgets to take a breath

He has the training He has the strength He has the skill

But he doesn’t have what he needs to sustain him

He won’t last long

That’s what happens when we try to live spiritually Without being filled by the Word

The more you get into the Word the more you want it The less you get into it the less you desire it

You cannot live on someone else’s intake

2) Wisdom

James 3:17 NASB95

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

2 Timothy 3:15 NASB95

15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Wisdom is applied truth

The Word teaches you how to think

It reshapes your worldview

In ancient construction, builders would carefully examine stones

They were looking for the perfect one The one that would become the cornerstone

The cornerstone was not just another stone It was the most important stone

It set the alignment It determined the structure Everything else was built off of it

So the builders would inspect stones Pick them up Look at them Test them

And if a stone didn’t look right Didn’t fit their expectation Didn’t match what they thought they needed

They would reject it

Throw it aside

But Psalm 118 says something incredible

The very stone the builders rejected Became the cornerstone

The one they dismissed The one they misunderstood The one they thought had no value

Was actually the most important piece

And Jesus says

That’s Me

They looked at Him Didn’t understand Him Didn’t recognize His value

And rejected Him

But He became the foundation of everything

And here’s the connection

If we misunderstand the Word If we approach it casually If we dismiss it because it doesn’t look like what we expect

We can reject the very thing That is meant to shape our entire life

“That’s why we don’t just read the Word… we learn to understand it, because misunderstanding leads to rejection, and rejection leads to missing what God intended to build our lives on.”

3) Correction

2 Timothy 3:16 NASB95

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

God corrects what He loves

If we resist correction we resist growth

When Martin Luther began studying Scripture

He realized something

The system around him had drifted

And the Word of God corrected him first

Before he ever challenged anyone else

That correction led to the Protestant Reformation

It changed history

Because one man allowed the Word To correct his thinking

Correction is not God rejecting you… it is God realigning you so you don’t drift off course.

4) Equipping

2 Timothy 3:17 NASB95

17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

The Word prepares you for everything

You are not lacking tools You are lacking depth

5) Cleansing

John 15:3 NASB95

3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

The Word cleans you

You can be disciplined through the Word Or disciplined through experience

6) Discernment

Hebrews 4:12 NASB95

12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The Word exposes truth

It reveals what is really going on beneath the surface

In ancient history, during the Trojan War, the Greeks left what looked like a gift outside the city of Troy

A massive wooden horse

The Trojans thought it was a symbol of victory Something to celebrate

So they brought it inside the city

But what they didn’t discern

Was that inside the horse Were enemy soldiers

That night, those soldiers came out Opened the gates And the city fell

It looked harmless It looked like a gift

But without discernment They welcomed destruction

Discernment is the ability to see beyond appearance and recognize truth, because not everything that looks right is right.

7) Protection from Sin

Psalm 119:11 NASB95

11 Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

The Word changes your appetite

It strengthens you before temptation arrives

In medieval times, cities built massive walls

Not during the attack But before it ever came

Those walls were not reaction They were protection

They kept enemies out Before damage could be done

No one waited until the army arrived To start building walls

The Word works the same way

It builds boundaries in your life

Not after you fall But so you don’t fall

The Word doesn’t just pull you out of sin… it positions you so you don’t fall into it in the first place.

The Goal

We used to tell people to read 3 chapters a day. Why? because it would get you through the Bible in 1 year

You’ve probable seen a number of reading plans.

They problem is...... a reading plan can easily lead into reading, without actually communing

The goal is not reading

The goal is communion

Thats why I tell people today

Read until you get something!

that’s it.

Communion is the goals

and know this

Communion leads to transformation

Today many people want to change the Bible, so it lines up with their opinion.

Ungodly Canadian government is a perfect example of that.

But for a person with any intergrity

They should be the one changed when confronted with the word of God!

amen

We do not leave the Word .....unchanged

If you do. Your doing it wrong

So how do we make sure we are the ones being transformed?

We have a method for that!

The Method

C O M M U N E

Commit to a Time

You need rhythm

Daily connection

Whatever Works for you, just make it consistent.

that helps you create a healthy habit

Habits are powerful because they automate what matters most.

Instead of relying on motivation, habits create consistent patterns that shape your thinking, behavior, and outcomes over time.

Small, repeated actions compound, forming strong pathways in your mind and making the right choices easier and more natural.

In the spiritual life, godly habits position you to grow steadily, so transformation is not occasional but ongoing.

Observe

Understand what you are reading

Context matters

There’s a story of a man who decided to get direction by randomly flipping through the Bible

He opens it the first time And reads Matthew 27:5 “Judas went and hanged himself”

He thinks… okay, maybe that’s not for me

So he flips again lands on Luke 10:37

This time it says “Go and do likewise”

Now he’s getting a little concerned

So he flips one more time and lands on John 13:27

And it says “What you are about to do, do quickly”

Now obviously That is not what God is saying

But that’s what happens When you take Scripture out of context

That’s why we don’t just read the Word randomly… we observe it, understand it,

and let Scripture interpret Scripture.

Memorize

Hide the Word in your heart

Quick Tips for Memorization

1. Keep it small Start with one verse or even one phrase. Don’t overload yourself.

2. Repeat out loud Say it, don’t just read it. Speaking engages more of your brain.

3. Write it down Writing reinforces memory and slows you down to process it.

4. Attach it to your day Repeat it while driving, walking, or doing routine tasks.

5. Break it into parts Memorize line by line, then connect the lines together.

6. Use rhythm or emphasis Add natural pauses or a pattern to help it stick.

7. Meditate on meaning Understanding the verse makes it easier to remember.

8. Review frequently Go back to it multiple times a day, not just once.

9. Personalize it Turn it into a prayer or say it in your own words.

10. Use it immediately Speak it in real situations. Application locks it in.

Meditate

Let me start with a picture.

Imagine you are the assistant to the CEO of a multi-million dollar company.

You’ve been helping, supporting, learning… but you’re not the one in charge.

Then suddenly, the CEO dies.

And now the responsibility falls on you.

Not just to maintain things… But to lead a massive project that’s already in motion Something complex Something high pressure Something that cannot fail

And then imagine… God shows up and gives you one instruction.

You might expect Him to say Build your strategy Strengthen your team Prepare for battle

But instead He says this

Meditate on My Word day and night

That is exactly what happened to Joshua.

He stepped into leadership Into pressure Into uncertainty

And God’s solution was not more effort

It was meditation

Why?

Because what you think on consistently You become

Now here’s where this becomes powerful for us

Your brain is not fixed It is constantly being shaped

Science calls this neuroplasticity

Which means your brain rewires itself based on what you focus on

Every repeated thought becomes a pathway

Like walking a trail

The first time, nothing really happens But the more you walk it The clearer it becomes Until eventually it becomes the natural path you take

That is exactly how your thinking works

So when God tells Joshua to meditate He is not just giving a spiritual command

He is giving a transformation strategy

Fill your mind with My Word Think on it Speak it Return to it again and again

Until it becomes your default thinking

Now here’s the problem

Most people read the Bible But they don’t meditate

So it passes through their eyes But never rewires their mind

Meditation is what takes truth From information To transformation

And Biblical meditation is not emptying your mind

It is filling your mind

The word actually means to mutter To speak it quietly To repeat it To turn it over again and again

So instead of worrying about your situation

You start meditating on the Word

And honestly

Worry is just meditation in the wrong direction

If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate.

the difference is what you focus your attention on

You already know how to do this

You just need to change what you focus on

Now here’s another key

Meditation becomes most powerful in moments of pressure

Joshua was stepping into fear Responsibility Uncertainty

And God says meditate

Because in moments like that Your mind is open

What you focus on in that moment Will shape how you respond

So when life gets intense

That is not the time to pull away from the Word

That is the time to go deeper into it

Now here is the final piece

Meditation is not the goal

Transformation is

Joshua 1:8 says

Joshua 1:8 NASB95

8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

Meditate so that you may observe to do

So the process is simple

You think on the Word You speak the Word And then you live the Word

And when those three come together

It stops being something you read

And becomes who you are

So practically

Take one verse

Come back to it throughout the day

Think on it Speak it Ask God what it means for you

And what needs to change

And over time

You will notice

Your thinking shifts Your reactions shift Your desires shift

Why?

Because you are being rewired

By the Word of God

And that is why meditation matters

It is how the Word becomes life in you

Meditation is focused thinking

What you worry about shapes you What you meditate on shapes you

Understand

Acts 17:11 NASB95

11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

Ask

What does it say?

What does it mean?

What do I do with it?

Not Just Read but Do

James 1:22 NASB95

22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

Obedience releases transformation

Engage

Interact with the Word

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness He didn’t stay silent He didn’t just think truth

He spoke it

“It is written…” Matthew 4:4

Every attack was met with a declaration

Not opinion Not emotion The Word

Because there is power when truth is spoken

Ask questions

make notes on what you think God is saying to you through it Write it down Highlight it

Declare it

Key Revelation

Come to the Word with questions

That is where everything changes

Don’t worry, you will never come up with a question that destroys faith

people and the enemy have been attempting that for centuries and the Bible has always stood firm

Ask God

What are You saying? What needs to change in me?

an then remain until He answers

Application

Before you leave

Decide your time Decide your rhythm

Not someday Today

Closing Scripture

Colossians 3:16 NASB95

16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly

We want to help you Not just to read the Bible, but to fall in Love with the Bible

So that reading it is not a have too, but it becomes what its intended to be

A get too!

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I have been using this tool for well over a decade.

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take a look at this short video

Logos Intro video 2 min

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Scan the QR code on the screen or on the dashboard in the foyer

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Conclusion

This is not just a book

This is your life

Your nourishment Your wisdom Your transformation

Final call

Become a person of the Word

Because you live

Because He speaks