One of the more interesting observations I have made from years of counseling is that I do not teach people so much about the truth of God’s Word as much as teach them how to apply the truth of God’s Word.
What is most interesting about this observation is that many of these counselees have spent a good portion of their lives in various kinds of biblical studies or other theological training. Some of my counselees would be considered lifetime Sunday school attenders. Others have been committed to the “Women’s Bible Study” meetings of their local church for a decade or more. While others have been faithful attenders to the assorted “Men’s Meetings” that their church offers.
While I’m not saying that any of these meetings are wrong and I’m not on a campaign to dismantle or dissolve any of these meetings, I am saying that something is amiss if our seemingly endless and consistent pursuit of knowledge is not leading us to transformative application.
Always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. – 2 Timothy 3:7 (ESV)
Typically, what I do in counseling is teach the individual how to apply the bible knowledge that has been accumulated through the years.
Something Is Wrong!
It is not a guarantee that effective transformation will come through “over-participation” in bible studies. Having someone preach or teach to you is not the same as you effectively preaching to yourself what you already know to be true.
When training my counselors, I often tell them the following: “Be careful about telling your counselees what to do. Lead them to the place of discovering and applying God’s truth for themselves.” God asked Adam where he was when Adam was “lost.” God knew where Adam was, but Adam was not fully aware of where he was. God was provoking Adam to think and respond to him rather than telling him what he needed to know. (Genesis 3:9)
Telling a child that 2 + 2 = 4 is not as effective as letting the child wrestle through the learning process. Application is a key component in teaching or counseling. Telling someone the truth is one thing, but leading them to discover the truth is far superior. If they discover it and own it, it will be theirs for the rest of their lives. Similarly, sitting in the Sunday meeting and soaking up the Sunday message will lose its effectiveness if there are no processes in place for the Christian to work the sermon deep into the core of his/her being.
There have to be contexts for the application of God’s Word after God’s Word is preached or God’s Word will lose its effectiveness. It seems as though that for some there is an over-reliance or “mystic” reliance on the Holy Spirit to make the truth real, practical and effective in their lives after they have heard it.
After years of counseling, I would say that some of the brightest and most knowledgeable Bible students can be no different than the Sunday school beginner when it comes to living in the fullness and joy that God offers through the Gospel.
If the Christian is not regularly applying the truth, he will not be living an effective Christian life. Countless Bible studies are no substitute for taking one sermon or lesson and working it into your life. In fact, too many studies can desensitize you to the truth you are trying to learn. – Charlie Boyd
This brings us to Psalm 103
David is doing something remarkable in Psalm 103. Quite simply he is “preaching to himself” the benefits of God. David is taking his soul to task by reminding himself of two specific things:
- What he knows to be true about God
- How he has personally experienced what he knows to be true about God
While it is true that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, it would not be wise to think that being within earshot of the truth is good enough. David was a student of God’s Word and a man after God’s heart, but he knew that in order to be transformed by God’s word that he needed to work the truth into the fabric of his soul until he owned it.
How have you experienced God?
The most profound experience that any believer can have with God is his experience of God through the Gospel. The singular truth that has made God more real to me than anything else, in over 25 years of walking with him, is the Gospel. The transformative reminder of the Gospel is the one thing that has buoyed me through some of life’s most heart rendering challenges.
- The Gospel reminds me that God loves me
- The Gospel reminds me that I should not fear
- The Gospel reminds me that everything will be okay
- The Gospel reminds me that my worst problem in life has been resolved
- The Gospel reminds me that God will go to infinite lengths to take care of me
Forget Not His Gospel!
This is what David told himself…
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. – Psalm 103:1-2 (ESV)
What do you tell yourself?
These are part of my notes from the 08.29.10 sermon preached at Southside Fellowship
Application Questions
- What contexts do you have to apply God’s Word to your life?
- Do you have authentic, honest, and transparent relationships that help you apply God’s Word to your life?
- Are you more apt to “listen” to yourself or “talk” to yourself?
- What specific ways have you “preached to yourself” today?
Other Related Posts
- Too Many Bible Studies, Pastor. Too Many Bible Studies, 1.0
- Too Many Bible Studies: Here’s What We Do, 2.0
- The Best Bible Study Ever, 3.0
- The Missing Element in Bible Studies, 4.0
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