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I recently had the chance to interview Sarah Geringer on the Your Hope-Filled Perspective podcast “How to Change your Thoughts and Transform Your Life – Episode 43” about the struggle we have with our thought lives. The answer to all of our problems lie in scripture. In this guest post, Sarah shares 3 easy ways to meditate on God’s word. Use these practical tips to transform your life by changing your thoughts.
There’s a book giveaway so be sure and read to the end!
Three Easy Ways to Meditate on God’s Word
by Sarah Geringer
Christian meditation is simply hiding God’s Word in your heart and mind through concentrated thought and repetition. It’s not just memorizing a Bible verse; it’s thinking about it over and over again, using it to replace negative thoughts with God’s truth. You can meditate in just a few minutes every day to gain greater peace and self-control.
For the past several years, I’ve chosen a single verse of Scripture as my theme verse for the year. I meditate on this verse literally thousands of times throughout the year. It becomes an important tool for transforming my thinking. I never forget it after meditating on it that many times. The verse helps define that season of my life.
In 2019, I chose the New Living Translation of Psalm 138:8 as my meditation verse: “The Lord will work out his plans for my life.” The verse helped me remember to trust God for all the plans that unfolded. I knew it was a year of big plans which would require great trust. To meditate on it regularly, I used several different methods that you can also use for whichever verse you choose.
Practical ways to meditate on God’s word
1. Write it out.
You have up to 40 percent better memory retention when you write something out. This is also true for Scripture memory. I have written this verse out several times to test my memory and to remind me of its truth. I keep a blank notebook especially for recording Bible verses that resonate with me from my daily readings. These are the verses that “stick” most, because they are secured in my mind through transcription.
2. Speak your verse.
Every year I have had a theme verse, I pray it out loud to God. Adding an audible layer helps you root Scripture in your memory. It has great power against spiritual battles when you declare it as a prayer of faith. For example, I can pray like this: “God, I trust that you are working out your plans for my life, so I believe Satan holds no power to overcome them.” You can use this technique with almost any Scripture.
3. Display your verse.
Because I need visual reminders, I displayed my verse in two key areas: a letter board in my dining room window, and as the lock screen on my desktop computer. I see the letter board every time I sit down for a meal, and I see the lock screen several times per day when I need to wake up my computer. This is an easy way to remind yourself about God’s Word. You can use sticky notes, bookmarks, phone lock screens, coffee mugs, etc. as triggers to remember your verse.
You can pick a single verse for the year, month, week or day. Any additional action you take besides reading the verse will help you remember it better. I also ask myself questions like “What does this verse tell me about God?” and “What does this verse tell me about serving others?” depending on the context. You’ll get much more out of any verse that you choose by layering these methods of Christian meditation.
What are your favorite ways of meditating on God’s word? We’d love to hear in the comments below!
About Sarah Geringer:
Sarah Geringer writes about finding peace in God’s Word at sarahgeringer.com. She is also on the writing teams for Encouragement for Today, Woman 2 Woman Ministries, A Wife Like Me and Devotable. Sarah also writes for Hope-Full Living, a quarterly publication for senior citizens.
When she’s not reading over 100 books per year, Sarah enjoys prayer walks, gardening, baking, painting and playing the flute. She lives in her beloved southeast Missouri with her husband and three children.
Stay connected with Sarah Geringer: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest / YouTube / LinkedIn / Goodreads
Book Giveaway!
In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, How to Change your Thoughts and Transform Your Life – Episode 43, Sarah Geringer is giving away a free copy of her book, Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation in Focus.
Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you’ve learned about transforming your thought life by Christian meditation and you will be entered into the contest.
You could also share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.
The winner will be selected at random and announced next Monday, February 17, 2019, here on this post. Continental United States only.
I ask the Lord a book that He thinks may be accurate for my life and then I just open and read, sometime seating at my desk, sometimes in my bed, generally in the morning. I read and meditate each verse, beeing careful to look at the context. While doing this, I ask the Lord to show me something for my growth, or something for my prayer time. Whenever, I receive something special or not, for me, it’s a rendez-vous, something very special anyway. I try to keep it in my heart and I write my thoughts and sometimes the verses on a book; I use color pens to focus on the important messages. Then after a while, open and read the writings again. it’s always connected with prayer. In summer, sometimes, I read from Geneses to Revelation. It’s just flowing. I don’t focus on something special but sometimes, I founded themes for my writing or for preaching. The Word of God is wonderful, strong, powerfull, my daily bread. I encourage the readers to just trust the Lord who is the one who knows our heart. Don’t focus on things you don’t understand, let it go. Go on. In your growing process, sooner or later, if you are seaching God with a full heart and readdy to put his word in practice he will open the Word to you in deeper ways. You need sometimes, a dictionnary or to have some history insights to understand. If you make the efforts to adjust and your brain, The Lord is faithfull and will bless you on the way. 🙂
I would love to win this book. Thanks for the opportunity. Whenever I start to think negatively or have fearful thoughts I pray and ask the Lord to help me think on good things. I like how you said in the podcast how Jesus showed us how to fight back with the word of God when the devil puts wrong thoughts into our minds or when the devil tempts us. It’s also important to that we tell ourselves who we are in Christ. That will definitely help to renew our
minds.
I wish to win a copy of Sarah”s new book on meditating on God”s Word! Please enter my name in the drawing.
Jan
Such a succinct way to store the Word of God in your mind and use it to transform our thought life through this easy way with only three steps! I read the Bible daily and sometimes there are verses that strike me with intensity, causing me to regulate my daily life in practical ways. I know this book will unearth other treasures that I can use to make my mind filled with God’s wisdom and light. Thank you for these words and trust that many will be impacted by your message of storing God’s Word in our minds and hearts.
Sarah & Michelle, thank you for posting this! I love the writing out, speaking it out loud, and displaying it options. Great points! One thing that I am doing differently this year as I read through the Bible is listening to the audible version as I read. This has been super helpful to me!
Pinned & tweeted.
Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for this year. I grew up in the church and learned the importance of reading God’s word, but I want to go deeper. I don’t want to simply read the words, I want to marinate in them in order for them to transform me and make me more like Christ. I’ve never been taught how to meditate on the Word in the ways that I hope to. Thank you for this!
Just shared via Twitter.
Great practical tips. laurensparks.net
I am learning more and more that meditating on God’s word transforms my thinking. When we focus on God’s goodness and His promises we are less focused on our problems and negative thoughts. God intends for us to rely on His wisdom for our peace and security. We just have to dig into His word and hide His promises deep within our hearts and minds to guard against the tendencies we have to rely on our own strengths or ideas. ❤️
I also shared it on my facebook ? Cheri Santini
I am learning more and more that meditating on God’s word transforms my thinking. When we focus on God’s goodness and His promises we are less focused on our problems and negative thoughts. God intends for us to rely on His wisdom for our peace and security, not our own. We just have to dig into His word and hide His promises deep within our hearts and minds to guard against the tendencies we have to rely on our own strengths or ideas.
I have learned to trust God, not my own understanding.
I love to write Scripture to memorize God’s Word! I do have trouble focusing long enough to meditate. I would like to learn how.
I’ve relied on all three of these methods to overcome anxiety. I was most hesitant to speak His word out loud, but I was shocked to experience the power His spoken word releases in my life. Putting His words out in the atmosphere changes things in ways I don’t understand and can’t describe.
Oh yes, Valerie, there is so much power in speaking out His word, and we know it is in alignment with His will because HE spoke it. Glad your experience was the same.