This Book of the Law

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)

Ordinarily, it is daunting for me to memorize a Scripture verse. However, on 17 November 2014, Joshua 1:8 took hold of me and I found myself memorizing it with relatively ease. There and then, the Word of God became alive as a rhema to me. 

That said, let's review and memorize Joshua 1:8 (J18) by breaking it down into the following chunks. We could start by memorizing the first chunk and then move on to the next, and right through to the final chunk. And, when we put all the memorized chunks together, we would have ingested J18!

This Book of the Law
What's going to capture most of our thoughts today? Is it going to be the economy, the newspaper, the latest movie, some sports event, another celebrity showing off or acting badly, Huffington Post, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo!, Instagram, YouTube or some other things which could crowd out the Word of God?

After reading this article, just try recalling J18 and you will see how often your mind would have drifted to other things if you do not make a conscious effort to direct your attention back to J18. You could be in your prayer closet but your mind is drifting. Or you could be in a crowded subway and yet reviewing J18 loud and clear in your mind. 

Let's choose to focus on "This Book of the Law" more than our problems, regrets or hung-ups.

shall not depart from your mouth
As we mutter the Word of God to ourselves so that we actually hear it, it would be easier for His Word to take root in us. 

By the by, the Scripture verse or passage which we have been speaking out of our mouths will become established in our inner man, and the Holy Spirit would help us recall them as a Sword of the Spirit to stand our ground in the face of adversity and fight the good fight of faith.

Why not to try looking at ourselves in the mirror and preach His Word to the person in the mirror? This way we can see how truly persuaded we are that the Word of God is faithful and true.

but you shall meditate in it day and night
As we meditate (the note in my Holy Bible says "ponders by taking to himself") on the Word of God, we shall be be "like a tree planted by rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." (Psalms 1:3; NKJV)

However, let's not meditate on God's Word out of compulsion or a sense of duty. Rather, let's take delight in meditating on His Word (Psalms 1:2) and thereby learn to live life according to God's Way. And, experience His Blessing!

that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it
The Word of God is like an instruction manual on how to operate our life as God has originally intended. If we choose to disobey, then we will malfunction and learn the lessons of life the long and hard way. 

The emphasis here is not to be just a hearer but also a doer of God's Word. The Holy Spirit brings afresh to us the Word of God through Paul, praying "that you may have a walk worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;". (Col. 1:10; NKJV)

The grace of God is not cheap, but it is freely given to us. Our part is to grow in love with God and His Word so much so that His Word becomes a part of our spiritual DNA and we become more like Jesus, walking in God's way and speaking words of the Holy Spirit and of life.  

For then you will make your way prosperous
Ahem, who makes our way prosperous? We are the ones who make our ways prosperous. God is all for us to succeed in life. Often the problem is the man in the mirror -- ourselves! 

Let's be wary lest we become the greatest hindrance to living the good live in our spiritual Goshen. We do well to take heed of J18 and let the Word of God be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalms 119:105).

We could do a daily spiritual check-up before God who has perfect knowledge of man. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalms 139:24; NKJV)

and then you will have good success.
As we do things according to God's way and become prosperous, we will then enjoy the land of milk and honey. God is the source of our success, but our obedience to His Word is the key to our success. All glory be to God for the fruit of victory!

Not only would we and our loved ones be rejoicing over our success, but God jumps in to celebrate His children's success, as well. "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17; NKJV)


Now that we have memorized J18 successfully, the next stage would be to meditate on it by muttering and/or speaking it to ourselves. Review our thoughts during the course of the day and consciously re-direct our thoughts to J18 and speak it out to ourselves whenever we have some time alone. 

We could apply the same to other Scripture verses like Psalms 119:105 and Isaiah 41:10, and so forth. And, we shall experience the power of God's Word that proceeds out of our mouths!