I’ll never forget having to sit down with someone named Johan once a week for at least two hours. Johan was disciplining me and walking me through My Utmost for His Highest, a devotional written in the 1910s by theologian Oswald Chambers. Johan was an amazing man who was great at asking probing questions, guiding me through scriptures, cross-references, and applying God’s word to my life.

Every week, he would give me a memory verse; this was the first one he ever gave me, and it is the first one I give to our eighth-grade students during bible time. 

This verse is self-explanatory; how can we remain pure in a dirty culture? How can we externalize the cleanliness that God has instilled in our souls? It is simple: read and obey God’s word.

The word of God carries divine power because it is the Holy Spirit within you who “judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The word of God develops spiritual strength, knowledge, wisdom, and renews your mind (Romans 12:2). How did Jesus respond when Satan tried to tempt him? Jesus wielded the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

In your life, you are in a spiritual battle with the kingdom of darkness and your flesh. You cannot live a defensive life all of the time; God has given you his word, as well as the power and authority to cut through the enemy’s schemes.

Let me encourage you: you cannot be spiritually healthy while starving for the bread of life (Matthew 4:4). Sometimes in life, you may feel like you need more faith or to work harder, but what you might need more of is knowledge of God’s character, wisdom, and equipping through His word (1 Cor 13:2).

Please do not live the Christian life without hearing God’s voice, experiencing his grace, and power in your life through quiet time in his word. God has given me so much encouragement at a time when I most needed his truth applied to my situation, and it has helped me tremendously.