Life is made up of the physical and the spiritual. The physical for instance is made up of our physical being and happenings around us in the physical world. Basically, things that we can see, touch or feel. The spiritual world is made up of things we cannot behold with our physical life. For instance, the God that we serve is a spiritual God and bible says,..“They that worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth”… (John 4:24)
And so in relating with our God, we can relate with Him through the realms of the Spirit. Bible Reading: ‘Faith comes by hearing’, bible says. The only way the believer can hear the word of God and to develop personal faith is to read the bible to his own hearing. In reading, the believer must focus on key words. For instance, Bible says, …’be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19).
If the believer has a problem with quick temper, as soon as he sees the phrase, ‘be slow to become angry’, he concedes or comes to terms with the fact, the bible is speaking to him because he has quick temper. If he is a sincere Christian, he pauses at that stage of his reading and begins to ponder. He reasons with his spirit and can sometimes actually feel condemned by the scripture. This is true conviction but it must lead to positive change.
The believer must come in line with the truth and should have learnt that …‘anger does not produce the righteousness of God’ according to the scripture. He realizes that he has fallen out of God’s way and that, the only way he can fall back in alignment with God is to get rid of quick anger. As the believer does self-introspection of how the word of God relates to his flaws, he is actually examining the word or meditating in the process. His reading of the bible has led to his meditation leading to awareness and change.
Bible Study: is when the believer spends time to seek knowledge of the bible through research, through asking questions, probing and learning written or published documents on anger. In the event, he has more information on the subject ‘anger’ and can defend, argue or explain the topic better in discussions.
Prayer: the important aspect of prayer is to ask God for forgiveness and repentance when we see our wrongs. A believer realizing he has anger issues must sincerely go on his knees and pray to his God. Such prayers prayed from a genuine heart receives answers from God. The believer’s confidence is lifted and is empowered to live the right kind of life. Besides, prayer is what fuels the believer’s Bible reading and study. Prayer is where the believer is endued with power to do. Prayer delivers the ‘can-do’ spirit and help from above.
These are spiritual practices that keeps the hedge of God around the believer. When the believer reads the Bible, he gets information on the weapons he needs for his defense and assault of the devil. When he studies, the Word digests into his spirit, becomes part of him and an instant ammunition against the devil is deployed.. ‘if the devil comes in like a flood, the spirit of God raises a standard against him’ (Isaiah 59:19). …According to the power that works in us’… (Ephesians 3:20).
So the standard that God raises against the devil in times of the believer’s sudden trouble is the word of God that he has studied which the Holy spirit brings to his memory to defeat the devil at that point in time. Situations can come at the believer that tests the foundation of his Christianity. If the believer is not careful at this stage, he could lose his hedge of protection. But his knowledge of the word of God defeats the devil and the defense of his hedge is well and intact. Remaining in constant prayer walks the believer out of temptation and is ready and alert to refute any fiery dart of the enemy.
