Wednesday's Word

Where Do You Hang Out?

John 8:31-32: “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.’”

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Trench Classes United, and our Wednesday’s Word to be used as weapons in warfare! Grab your favorite beverage and let’s go hang out for a few moments away from life’s pulls and distractions.

There’s something about reading the red letters within the Bible, something that makes it easier to imagine Jesus as a real person; do you know what I mean? It’s as if He’s talking right to you and me…and the truth is He was and these words spoken so long ago have this uncanny power to speak to us as though aiming straight for our heart. Try putting your name after every “you” and see what I mean: If you, Evinda, abide in My word, you, Evinda, are My disciple indeed. And you, Evinda, shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free…from confusion, from distractions, from negative emotions, from giving in to temptation! I could go on, but you get the picture? ☺

These words are spoken with the utmost of love to give us a prescription for the infections that run rampant and try and infect us physically emotionally and spiritually. This instruction of abiding in His word is a preventative, kind of like a spiritual probiotic to protect us from worldly infections present wherever we hang out.

So where do you hang out? In other words, where do you spend most of your time? Is it at home, at work? On the phone, the computer, social media, video games? Oh, my goodness so many things can distract us from a safe hang-out, huh?

You may be wondering, what in the world does hanging out have to do with this verse? I’m so glad you asked! ☺ Jesus’ first words in this verse are, if you…in other words, here’s the power of choice. And then He goes on to give us the instruction: abide in My word… 

Do you know what the word “abide” means in the Greek translation? It means to dwell. In other words, if we were to choose to hang out in His word more often, we will know the truth for each and every circumstance that comes our way!  Sounds a bit simplistic, I realize, but I have to tell you it has worked EVERY time I’ve dared to abide! But isn’t it easier to hang out emotionally in what is troubling us, to allow circumstances and challenges to consume us? Why is it we don’t treat hanging out in His word for a little bit daily as a prescription? I mean, isn’t He the great Physician? When a doctor writes us a prescription, we take it, don’t we, if we want to get better?

This is an open invitation, a pre-written, preventative prescription from Him to you and me to bring our hearts and minds to a safe place, a place that will provide answers, no matter what the question, a place that will offer perspective in times of confusion, a place that offers shelter from any of life’s storms, directions when we are lost, healing for any of our wounds.

So I challenge you to start hanging out daily in His word, even if it’s a few minutes. The bigger dose you take, the more you hang out the more truth He will reveal to you and the better you will feel!
Love,

Evinda