Preparation for Tough Times

We all face some adversity in life. Preparation for facing tough times is important. What is your regimen of training? May I suggest that in 67 years of life, I’ve found the mother lode of grounding is Scripture. Madame Guyon, the ancient mystic, suggests praying Scripture. World renown Christian psychiatrist Dr. Frank Minirth recommends memorizing Scripture. Let’s examine each.

Guyon: “Praying the Scripture is a unique way of both reading and prayer. Turn to the Scripture; choose some passage that is simple and fairly practical. Come to the Lord quietly and humbly. Read a small portion of the passage – fully, gently and carefully. Taste it and digest it. Don’t hurry through a preplanned lengthy passage. Read slowly. Do not move on to the next thought until you have sensed the very heart of what you have read. Take that portion of Scripture and turn it into a prayer. Slowly move on to the next passage. Repeat the process. You will be surprised to find that when your time with the Lord has ended, you will have been drawn closely to Him.”

Minirth: “Romans 12:2 challenges us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Simple behavioral Scriptural techniques are so powerful. I think they have the ability to change the brain’s chemistry. What we see comes into the eyes, into the frontal lobe. It will rearrange the neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters rearrange secondary messenger systems that store memory. So who we are to some degree is controlled by what we take in. Therefore, the more Scripture we take in, especially loving it and enjoying it, really changes the very essence of who we are. The counseling emphasis, I hope, in the future will be to get people to memorize more Scripture so it can change them. The more Christ-like we become, the more He can remove (mental and emotional) symptoms.”

Training for tough-time battles: pray Scripture; memorize Scripture. A great place to begin is Romans 8:30-39. I love the Living Bible rendition of this passage.