Ahhh, the Bee Gees! Remember those guys? We enjoyed a long, lovely trip to visit my family for the 4th of July. For about half of the trip, we have to travel through back roads and through the Apalachicola National Forest. No cell phone reception...it's a dead zone like none Verizon has ever seen. Part of the forest is called Tate's Hell...nice huh? It was where a terrible Civil War Battle was fought. You definitely don't want to be stranded out there at night without a shotgun. Jason from Friday the 13th would be freaked out by this place. I mean this place is so creepy that X-Files filmed one of it's episodes in this forest. True story! I'm just sayin'...
There isn't any radio reception, either. So what could make travelling through a creepy dead zone even scarier? For my kids it would be having to listen to the Bee Gees as we drove through this dead zone! Yep, that's right. We tortured our kids with the musical soundings of the disco kings...the Bee Gees! Ja...Ja...Ja...Jive Talkin... "Stayin' Alive" took on new meaning for our three children! Our daughter's ipod could not compete with the pounding of the disco beat through the car speakers. Oh yeh! We had them where we wanted them, and they knew it!
"Jive Talkin'" was a big hit back in the day. Jive Talkin' was a slang term that referred to when someone was lying, exaggerating, or talkin' big. We came up with wonderful phrases that put this term to good use..."Don't you be givin' me no jive!" or "He's a jive turkey" were what my friends and I would go around saying. We thought we were the uber cool when we spoke like this! We were such dorks!
You know, in life, we still come across people who give us jive instead of truth. Most of the time, we can easily spot a jive talker. However, when it comes to spiritual matters, we sometimes don't spot jive talk so easily. You see, spiritual jive talk can be harder to identify because it usually incorporates Scripture. It sounds like God's Truth, but it's not. Spiritual jive talk misuses scripture, applying it out of context from the rest of the Bible. As believers, we need to protect ourselves from spiritual jive talk. How? By knowing God's Word.
First, make reading your Bible a habit. Don't just read one or two of your favorite books in it. All of the Bible is important for us to know. You can read it from cover to cover or you can skip around and read a book at a time. You can read alternating between a book of the old testament and then a book of the new testament. Many study Bibles come with a yearlong reading plan. It doesn't matter how you read it or where you start, just READ IT. When you finish, start over again. It's by reading your Bible over and over that you begin to understand more and more about God and His Truth.
Next, commit to memorizing scripture. You can start small by memorizing a verse per week. You can be even more ambitious by memorizing entire chapters at a time. My memory isn't what it used to be. To help me, I often write the verse down on sticky notes and post it ALL OVER THE PLACE. My husband makes fun of me. I have them on my refrigerator, desk, car, bible cover, and other key places that I see often throughout the day. Whenever I glance at it, I say it over and over again in my head as often as I can. Because of my memory problems (health related), I ask God to help me memorize His word so that I can hide it in my heart. "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I may not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11) Other people use index cards and organize them according to topic.
Pray and ask God to reveal His Truth to you before you read your Bible and as you learn His Word. Ask Him to bless you with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as you seek Him wholeheartedly. Ask Him to help you discern His Truth from false teachings and doctrine - to reveal Himself as you read Scripture.
Another idea is to keep a journal and write down any verses that stand out to you. Write down important ideas or information that God has revealed to you as you read. Highlight these things in your Bible. Write a summary of what you read to reinforce your understanding. This doesn't have to be a big deal. You don't even have to use correct grammar. Just jot one or two important ideas or thoughts God has shown you. Write down questions you have. Ask God to reveal the answers to you. Ask your pastor and other beleivers these questions. Compare their answers to Scripture.
Why is it so important to know God's Word? Well, one obvious answer is so that we know His Truth. It is through the Bible that God reveals to us His Nature, His Plan, His Glory, His Son, and how we are to live in Christ. We also need to be able to defend our faith, so that we are quick to give the right answer to those who question us about our faith. Some question in sincerity and if we are unprepared, we could miss an opportunity to witness for Christ.
Another important reason we need to know God's Word ourselves is protection from corrupt and false teachings. I hear people often say that they don't really read much of the Bible, they rely on what a certain pastor, teacher, or author says about God's Word. I can not emphasize enough how DANGEROUS this is!!! We should NEVER, EVER strictly depend on what anyone else says about what is in the Bible without checking it out for ourselves. Yes, different people have different insights of a scripture, but we must always test what is said against the TRUTH, God's Word. We must be careful to test it against the ENTIRITY of the Bible and not just within that verse or set of verses alone. THIS IS WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WE READ THE WHOLE BIBLE over, and over, and over again. Through repeated readings, God reveals more and more to us. We become familiar with it's teachings and stories. This is why we must pray over scripture and compare what is taught by reputable pastors, teachers, and authors to each other.
"These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve." 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Be prepared for Jive Talkers! I'm praying for you!
In His Love, Cathy
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