“Study this Book of Instruction continually.
Meditate on it day and night
so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.
Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” Jos. 1:8 (TLV)
I’ve never met anyone in my life who has deliberately chosen to be a failure. Almost everyone I know and especially those whom I mentor wants to be a success. They desire to walk in the blessings of God and see their dreams fulfilled. The LORD Himself wants us to succeed. The Word of God holds the key to our future success and forward movement. This key is available to every single believer without regard to their status, other than that of a humble heart. This key is found in the Book of Joshua. “This book of the Torah (Instruction) should not depart from your mouth – you are to MEDITATE on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous and then you will be SUCCESSFUL” (Jos. 1:8)(TLV).
Meditation understood from the Hebraic perspective can bring great change in our attitude toward our situation and in the situation itself. Hebrew meditation was not a silent act, but is a speaking forth and uttering of sounds and words. The Hebrew word for meditation is “hagah.” Hagah means to speak out, talk and utter. This word implies that the Scriptures are to be spoken out loud and contemplated, not exclusively read silently.
The Book of Psalms opens with the same theme as the Book of Joshua. The blessed man is one who delights in the Torah (Instruction) of God and meditates on it day and night. Meditating on the Word of God will cause us to become like a tree planted by water, bringing forth fruit, not withering but prospering in EVERYTHING that we do. (Psa. 1:3)
A PERSONAL STORY ABOUT MOTIVATION
Have you ever awakened to find yourself drained of all energy and motivation, when just the day before, you were energized and determined to tackle the world? How does this happen, and what is the root cause?
I will share a personal story about this very phenomenon that happened to me in the year 2016. Our offices are in our home. Our home is kept free from distractions asthat come from television and other outside influence, so we can focus on our work. When the elections were under way in 2016, I wanted to know what was happening, almost by the moment. I turned on the television to watch the news. One hour of news-watching turned into a day of watching and progressively becoming enthralled by the election process and prospects of its outcome.
I lost hours of sleep, as my focus was turned away from my usual daily mode of operation, studying God’s Word. I became fatigued. My usual high energy level was waning. After the election results were in and the new president-elect was announced, I was exhausted to the point that I even felt nearly paralyzed in my planning processes. Preparing for the week’s teaching seemed almost impossible. When I sat at my desk to get quiet before the LORD, I was drained. Something was very wrong. I knew I had to identify the influences that brought me to this place.
Distraction easily and almost completely impacted my motivation in a most negative way. I know from studying the Word that fatigue can cause fatal errors. King David understood this very well when his former Attorney General, Ahithophel, betrayed him and gave counsel against him. Ahithophel knew David well enough to know that when David was tired, he could be overcome. “And Ahithophel said to Absalom, please let me choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David tonight” (2 Sam. 17:1) (MKJV). ” And I will come upon him while he is WEARY and weak-handed, and I will make him tremble. And all the people with him will flee. And I will strike the king by himself” (2 Sam.17:2) (MKJV). We all have an adversary that knows this strategy can work against us, too.
After identifying the influences that drained me, I re-focused on the Word of God. The renewed focus caused my energy and enthusiasm to return. Shortly thereafter, I received a very powerful and life-changing message for two different groups of people that I mentor.
We MUST learn how to stay motivated. “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David ENCOURAGED himself in the LORD his God” (I Sam. 30:6)(KJV). We all have a responsibility to stay self-motivated. Every person with whom we associate is either causing us to stay motivated or is discouraging and draining us. An unhealthy or toxic relation will drain us mentally and spiritually. Attempting to do too many things at one time will also negatively affect our motivation. Trying to please everyone will reduce our energy, and can ultimately break down our resistance, which may even lead to physical problems.
Focusing on the Word of God and speaking it out loud will bring noticeable, positive changes in our lives – if we will practice doing so faithfully. If we can stay motivated in this way, we will become successful – God’s way.
PROTECTING OUR RESTING TIME
We can never under estimate the power of rest. Jesus said it: “Come unto me, all you that labor (are fatigued) and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28)(KJV). In another place, Jesus says, “Let’s go off to a quiet place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31)(NLT). Also, we are instructed to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exod. 20:8). Sabbath means: “to cease from working, desist from exertion” (Strong’s Concordance).
There are mysteries hidden in the weekly Sabbath rest. Through resting in the Lord, we can experience the beauty of the mysteries for ourselves. I hope we all are beginning to see that in order to protect our motivation, we must protect our resting time.
There are many medical studies on the dangers of an exhausted brain. “Brain fog, also commonly known as brain fatigue can be a mild to severe episode of mental confusion that can strike without warning. When this occurs, it is common to experience a lack of focus, poor memory recall and reduced mental activity.” (www.nutrex-hawaii.com/blogs/learn/common-brain-fog-fatigue-causes). The world seems to have turned to prescription drugs to stimulate or depress the mind in an attempt to alleviate brain fog. But as believers, we have an Hebraic key/code and “mystery” solution to eliminate brain exhaustion. Through the use of the key (meditation on the Word), we can embrace Paul’s words to the Corinthians that tells us that “we have the mind of Christ” (I Cor. 2:1)(KJV).
HEBRAIC MYSTERY CONTAINED IN
THE WORD MEDITATION
As most of the people whom I mentor know, I place great importance on the study of Hebrew, the Hebrew alphabet and the root meanings of Hebrew words. In the word for meditation, “hagah” the letter “g” is the third letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It’s called the “gimel.” Let’s explore a mystery contained in this third letter.
The gimel (no. 3), written in Hebrew, is shaped to look like a camel, and represents blessings. Hebraically, a camel is called “gomel chesed”, literally “a performer of kindness.” A camel is a tall animal and must kneel down for men to be able to load it with cargo. To be blessed and successful through Hebraic eyes does not mean that we are keeping all the blessings for ourselves. The camel kneels to be loaded with cargo/benefits. Once it is loaded, it rises and then transfers the goods from one place to another; moving the goods from those who have to those in need. This image of a camel is a parallel of the activities of a truly blessed and successful person.
“Gird up the loins of your mind” (I Peter 1:13)(KJV), comes from the idea of hobbling your camel. Arab headgear is called a ‘caffiyeh.’ A caffiyeh is a scarf worn on men’s heads and held on by a rope called an ‘egal.’ This same rope is placed around the knobby knee of a kneeling camel at night to prevent it from rising up and wandering away. Peter says to let God’s Word be to your mind what the rope is to the wandering camel. (Camel information taken from the Timothy Program Hebrew Alphabet, pg. 5, Dr. Karl D. Coke)
Lord, help us to keep that rope (Your Word) around our minds tight enough to prevent our minds from wandering.
May you be blessed, prosperous and a distributor of blessings.
