"We read the Word, we listen to the Word as an act of worship. It is not really Biblical to say that we are going to do worship and then after worship we are going to have the reading of the Word and preaching because everything is supposed to be worship...When you and I listen, even if we are not comprehending and even if there's a battle raging in our minds in the sense that we are being distracted but every time we are distracted we pull ourselves back to the text and we try to listen that much harder do you realize what you are doing? You are loving God with your mind. You are declaring that yes there is still an aspect of me that is very fallen, yes I struggle through this Christian life but yes because the Holy Spirit has regenerated me I understand these are the Words of life and by faith I am going to fight to keep my mind centered upon on this text that is being read... And when we stand and we read the Word of God we don't allow our minds just to stray unhindered. We pull it back and we say no, I will bring you into subjection, I will bring every thought in subjection to Christ."
~ Paul Washer
The Impossibility of the Christian Life
There are many times when I am in a Church meeting and I am more discouraged by the fact that I am being distracted than I am encouraged by the fact that I get to listen to God's word and that I have a desire to listen to God's word. It is sometimes hard not to get discouraged by my sin, but the joy and wonder of it is that my sin bothers me! I am a new creation! I DO want to listen to God's word, to read it, to meditate on it. Yes, my flesh often sneaks in and hinders my mind from really gleaning things from the word, but praise the LORD that I even want to be in the word. Praise Him that I want to pray, that I want to know Him more.
I shouldn't be discouraged that there's a battle, I should be encouraged that there's a fight against sin!
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