We know that we need to let Scripture soak in to our deepest self. We want to let it assimilate into our soul and saturate our whole being.
One ancient way of doing this is lectio divina which involves the sequence of: reading Scripture, then meditating on it, then responding in prayer, then quietly contemplating (gazing upon or receptively sitting with) the Scripture or whatever has impacted you. Since this model is weak in the area of activating the will I altered it some and labeled it activational reading. It has four steps.
Activational Scripture Reading
Step one is to absorb the Scripture passage. This includes reading it, understanding it and letting it sink in. Roll the words around in your mind and heart. What is the author trying to communicate? What do the words actually mean? What do they not mean? What is the purpose of the passage? If it isn’t clear then read a commentary from a set such as the NIV Application Commentary or The Preacher’s Commentary (recently priced at $3.99 for the ebooks of the entire series of over 15000 pages).Reading can include reading it out loud, reading it several times, imagining the situation it describes, or replacing pronouns with your name.
Step two is to rReflect on feelings related to the passage. First, if the passage mentions any feelings can you identify with them? Ask yourself: “Are there feelings inside me that I am unaware of? Do I desire the feelings mentioned in the passage?” Secondly, reflect on any feelings you had while reading the passage.[1] Ask yourself “What feelings, if any, did I experience during or after reading this passage? Why am I feeling this way? What are the roots behind any resistant feelings? What else do my feelings tell me about myself, including my desires, beliefs, and history? Is there something I need to work through now? How can I respond to my feelings now in a way that honors God?” Tell God your desires related to your feelings.
Step three is committing yourself to the truth. Invite God to help you know your heart by praying “Search me, O God . . . Point out anything in me that offends you” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). Then ask yourself: “Is there a truth in this passage that I haven’t fully embraced?” If so, embrace it by telling God you are committed to it. God gives his words in order to “teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives” (1 Tim. 3:16 NLT). One of the keys to this step is to determine if there is a conflict between what you consciously assent to and what you subconsciously adopt for actual living. For example, we might consciously believe that God is good because we are supposed to believe that, but if we have suffered a tragic loss in our life we might subconsciously believe that God sometimes abandons us or is even cruel. Step two is an opportunity to discover these conflicts.
Whatever comes up ruminate on the truth for at least two minutes until you absorb it. If you can start committing your deeper self to the truth then do so. If you can’t then tell God about it – in detail. Tell him your problem with the truth. Ask him to help you accept the truth. Don’t force it. Stay open and honest before God and let the truth flow as much as you can. If you think God has let you down then you probably need to go through the process of “forgiving” God. Tell him what happened, how it affected you, wait for your heart to change then release him from the “offense”.
“tell God about it – in detail. Tell him your problem with the truth”
Step four is committing to any virtues or actions taught in the passage. Once again ask God to help you know your heart. Then ask yourself: “Is there a virtue or action in this passage that I am not fully embracing?” If so, embrace it by telling God that you are committed to it. Determine the next step in committing to the virtue or action and then take it as soon as possible. If you don’t think you can, then once again tell God your thoughts and feelings. Ask God to help you better understand why you can’t. Sit with this for a little while; sometimes you will receive an insight that will move you closer to obedience. Ask God for help and keep this issue on your mind. Seek prayer and advice from others. If you still can’t progress then it is probably best to seek out an expert in the particular issue you are struggling with.
Step five is quiet receptivity, or what is historically referred to as contemplation. Ask God to show you anything you haven’t fully embraced as well as anything else he want to communicate and sit with God for at least sixty seconds. It would be good to gradually practice staying quietly receptive for longer periods, even up to thirty or sixty minutes. But even a short period of time will serve you well. Stay centered where the Spirit is inside you, or at least on your new self. Let other thoughts float by and come back to quiet receptivity after you realize you’ve been distracted. God likes to hear us talk with him but he also wants us to listen. If he gives an impression then cooperate accordingly. If you don’t perceive any communication then just learn to let your whole self surrender to your new self so that you can more consistently live from your new self in the Spirit throughout the day.
You can also access the Google doc version of this, which gets updated, here.
This process releases the power of God’s word in you. It is pretty much guaranteed to make a difference in your life. Enjoy the change!
