Women of Warren Vlog – Power of the Word

well hey good morning and happy monday morning i hope that you're having a good start to your week as i seem to always say that but i really do hope that you're having a good start to your week and this morning last week we sort of talked about having childlike faith and pursuing god's word. But this week, I really want we're going to focus on actually pursuing and focusing on the power of God's word. And so some of you may or may not know this about me, but I was a swimmer for 12 years and swam in college for two of those years as a collegiate athlete. And so swimming is a grueling sport. It is just it's difficult, as are all sports. And it requires a lot of training. And so somebody asked me this question the other day. They asked me, when is the last time that you asked God to prune you? And I just thought that was a fascinating question. You know, when is the last time that you asked God to prune you, to shape you, to mold you? Because I think our culture, me being one of these, definitely we tend to worship the God of comfort or just being comfortable. make comfort an idol i mean who likes to be uncomfortable nobody and so simply asking god to prune you to shape you to change you to get uncomfortable on purpose is backwards thinking in my opinion and so someone challenged me with that question and that really made me think you know when is the last time that i've actually sat and prayed and thought lord shape me or mold me or change me or even simply, God, take away the things that are not of you. Show me and open my eyes to those things. And so it got me thinking and back to my swimming training, you know, we would purposefully do things that would put us in a state of discomfort, a state of pain, quite honestly. We would do things like we'd wear monofins, which is where your feet are actually hook together and yes you're like a mermaid you think it would be really fun it is not at all um it's fun if you're playing around but whenever you're doing 25s underwater and you're not allowed to come up to get a breath and so what you're doing there is restricting your airway to build up your lungs or um kicking with tennis shoes on with a kickboard again restricting your legs making your legs i mean it makes your legs burn like nobody's business because you just cannot kick very well with shoes on and then we did other things where you would have a belt around your waist with a little parachute that hung off the back that would literally catch the water and would slow you down i mean all of these things were meant to slow you down on purpose and to build a particular muscle group to make you sore in ways that you hadn't been before and so all of it was geared towards putting you in a place of discomfort that way those muscles could be shaped change and they would grow stronger and so is that not a metaphor in a sense to the life of a christian where we are often placed in seasons of discomfort where those muscles are shaped and changed and then can be used as we move forward because they strengthen us then when the time comes to really be challenged we're already ready right we've we've we've trained those muscles and so in focusing on that of course we talk about when's the last time that god that you asked god to prune you immediately my brain went to john 15 verses 1 through 5 and this is such a well-known passage and we um and jesus will use the prune you know pruning um that we are like a tree like we are like um he is the vine we are the branches that we are the branches and so that's the passage i'm going to read to you and I want you to just think about this. And so in John 15, verses one through five, it says, I am the true vine and the father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. And so with that challenge of being pruned, you know, when's the last time I asked God to prune me? One of the areas that he's working, it seems kind of silly because I work in ministry, is really truly spending dedicated, quiet time in God's word. I'm just being honest with you. That is one of the areas I have been struggling with. i'm very tired when i get up in the morning i don't feel like doing the quiet time and so that's an area that i'm trying to groan it groan and grow in and being pruned in because i just don't feel as though i am abiding in god's word in the ways that i used to and so that's an area of growth for me and in the busyness of life that was an area of pruning that i need i need to slow down and actually take time to really set aside time to spend with the Lord in his word. And as he always does, as I was taking, setting aside time after this challenge of, you know, God, where can you, I need to be pruned. Where can you, can you help me with that? So of course he then pointed out, you need to spend time with me. You know, you need to quit spending time elsewhere. I need to spend time with me. And so as I was, and of course, then his word hits and as it always does right where you need it. And so I'm going to read Psalm 119, and this is going to be a longer passage. It's 16 verses. And I just want this to encourage you, to remind you of the power of God's word. And that perhaps like me, this is where your pruning needs to start in simply setting aside time. And maybe you're great at this. I know quite a few of my friends who are awesome, who are just great at spending time with God and his word, but we can always do more or, you know, we can always be sharpened and changed more. So I just want to read this, and it's Psalm 119 verses 1 through 16. And just a reminder that, you know, God shapes and changes us all throughout our life, which is wonderful, but that the word is what we need to cling to. So Psalm 118, blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways. You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh, that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes. Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. i will praise you with an upright heart when i learn your righteous rules i will keep your statutes do not utterly forsake me how can a young man keep his way pure by guarding it according to your word with my whole heart i seek you let me not wander from your commandments i have stored up your word in my heart that i might not sin against you blessed are you oh lord teach me your statutes with my lips i declare all the rules of your mouth in the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways I will delight in your statutes I will not forget your word so I just ask you today um because that one it was one verse that that whole section is so beautiful but it was that one word one verse in verse 11 I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you and obviously we are going to fail we are going to sin but when we cling to his word and when we store it up in our heart we can't help but overflow with his word i have some friends who um half the time this one friend half the time she talks it's scripture that's coming out of her mouth and phrases simply because her heart is so full of god's scripture that it just overflows you know out of the heart you know is the overflow and so and i just thought of that in verse 11 i have stored up your word in my heart that i might not sin against you have you stored up god's word in your heart i mean truly and that was convicting to me this week and um i'm gonna do better at it i'm asking god to prune me and i know he's going to i'm i'm asking god to show me how to dedicate more time to him and I know he's going to show me those ways and it's not going to be easy it might be uncomfortable it might be difficult but at the same time I know it's going to make me better and it's going to allow me to bear more fruit so I pray today that you would take time to ask God what areas of your life do you need to be pruned and that you also ask the Lord you know to encourage you to give you the inspiration to dig deeper into his word and to store up his word in your heart. So I hope that encourages you today and I hope that you also join me in asking God areas to be pruned. So I pray that you have a wonderful week. Thank you.

Originally published at warren.church.