For the next few months, Bro. John O’Malley will be sharing with us from his book, Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles. We know that everyone can use some encouragement to stay in the Word of God on a daily basis, and we hope these articles will be a blessing to you in your walk with the Lord.
The Obstacle of Recollection—I wish I could remember my Devotions thirty minutes later. I tried. I failed. It makes me feel the negative emotions of guilt and sadness.
Jesus spoke of the Word of God as a seed being sown by a sower (Luke 8:5-8). The sower goes out to sow seeds. He casts the same seed on different types of soil. The way Jesus explained it, sometimes the seed hits land that is not ready for growth. He spoke of opponents and obstacles to the seed taking root. Jesus speaks of this to illustrate the Word of God going forth and taking hold in the hearts of men.
I do not like the days when I read and forget what I read thirty minutes later. To me, it is like the birds in the parable Jesus told; they come and take the seed of what I read. Then, as if I needed more guilt to carry around, I end up feeling sorry. I let the seed get snatched from my mind. I was not intentional in my thoughts on His Word.
If this happens, I refer to this axiom: read less to remember more.
When I want to remember what I read more than thirty minutes from now, I follow these tips to engage my spiritual senses:
Tip #1: Engage the spiritual sense of sight–the physical Bible or digital Bible you use for Devotions.
Growing up, I remember hearing people speaking about knowing where a verse was on the page. They would make marks in their favorite Bible. Some people like to underline or put a distinctive mark on the passage.
If you are comfortable with doing so, make marks in your Bible with pens or highlighters. Use specific colors for specific things. You could use:
- Purple–when God is mentioned.
- Pink–when women are mentioned.
- Red–when love, mercy, grace, and compassion are mentioned.
- Green–when spiritual growth is mentioned.
- Yellow–when prayer, praise, worship, and heaven are mentioned.
- Blue–when commands and instructions are mentioned.
- Orange–when history is mentioned.
- Grey–when death, sin, hell, and Satan are mentioned.
If you use a digital Bible, you could save your highlights so that they appear in the text. This way of reading your Bible engages your sight which can aid remembering what you read later in the day.
You could also choose, if you are privileged to own more than one Bible, to have a Bible that you use only for reading your Devotions. I prefer a paragraph-based Bible for this type reading if I must use a bound Bible.
Tip #2: Engage the spiritual sense of hearing.
Use an audio Bible: You could listen to the Bible being read aloud by someone. I know some who holds their Bible open to the passage as the narrator reads it. When you use an audio Bible, it activates three senses: touch, hearing, and sight. Occasionally, I use an audio Bible for my reading to help me connect with His words more. I will also listen to the Bible just for something to listen to while driving, walking, or thinking. I use an audio Bible to help me learn how to pronounce the words. There are excellent recordings of the Bible available. You may have a commute for work and would find this mode of Bible reading helpful.
Reading aloud: You could engage the sense of hearing by reading the Bible aloud. Select your passage and read it aloud. Reading the Bible aloud helps me stay focused like few other things. Yes, it can be weird to do, but it works. Besides, being normal is over-rated! If you are at home when you read, gather your children and read to them. If you and your spouse are alone, read aloud to each other. If you are in a coffee shop, sit outside and read aloud. Engage the sense of hearing when you read to have a memorable reading time.
Tip #3: Engage the spiritual sense of touch.
Your Bible:
I love the feel of a leather Bible. I love to caress the leather. I like the feel of the Bible’s paper. Holding your Bible while you read engages the sense of touch. It is direct contact with God through His preserved words for you. You are in touch with God. Treat it carefully and respectfully.
You may enjoy taking colored pencils and illuminating your Bible with colors.
Your Bible app: The Bible is God’s Word whether it is displayed on a hand-held screen, projected by a projector onto the wall, or on your computer monitor. When you open your Bible app, turn off your notifications if you can and totally engage your mind and hands in the app. You are touching the very words of God. It is not in a museum case or an artifact. It is in your hands; treat it carefully.
Your 3×5 cards: I love using 3×5 cards. I enjoy writing ideas, tasks, and thoughts on them. When memorizing Scripture, copy verses onto these cards to help you to meditate, learn, and reflect.
Your notebook: I have a personal project I am working on that involves writing with a fountain pen and paper. I practice my handwriting (which needs practice) by copying Scripture from my Bible to paper. This simple act puts me in touch with God’s Word.
Tip #4: Engage the spiritual sense of taste.
Throughout Scripture, God engages the senses through taste. He gave His people manna to taste. He uses the word “taste” figuratively to convey the Word of God is like bread, honey, water, and sweetness. Engaging this sense in Bible reading requires intentional thought. It is taking the words you read and savoring their flavor in your life. Sometimes the Word of God is referred to as bitter taste. Develop taste buds for the Word of God and your taste buds for the world will diminish.
Tip #5: Engage the spiritual sense of smell.
God gave us the sense of smell. Have you considered how important smell is to God? He fills His courts with fragrance. Our praise is a fragrance to Him. Our offerings have a scent to Him. Our sacrifices are a fragrance to Him.
When you read His words, do you catch a fragrance of Him? Your reading of His Word brings you into His presence, and this worship has a fragrance that is pleasant to Him.
If these thoughts have been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know. If you’d like to purchase the entire Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles book in PDF, Kindle, or iBooks format, click here.