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​I would say I'm a “faith” man.

​I've always loved the faith message, and it has been a steering-guide for me for as long as I've known Jesus.

​But there's an element in the faithful equation that looms larger and larger as I walk through life.

​Read this verse and let me know what you think it might be…

​“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Hebrews 6:12 KJV)

That’s the one. Our favourite fruit right? Patience.

Notice the first sign and proof of apostolic calling:

​“Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.” (2 Corinthians 12:12 KJV)

At one time I was all signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. Those were my hungry pursuits.

Now I realise, at least to a greater degree than I once did, that patience is a worthy brother to these more impressive siblings. Perhaps, in reality, patience is the most powerful of the whole celestial clan?

A friend and mentor of mine, pastor Rob Smillie, shared with me how as a young man he constantly prayed Paul’s prayer from Ephesians chapter 1, but as he got older he wished he’d given equal and fervent attention to the apostolic prayer recorded in chapter 3! (go look them up)

May “the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 KJV)

Selah.

Let’s get the senses involved.

Imagine the Word of God is a perfectly smooth surface, and you are running your finger across it.

Then there’s a small rough patch, like a 5 day unshaven chin!

That’s the only way I can describe the feeling I get when I scan these two words in 1 Peter:

​“fashioning yourselves” (1 Peter 1:14 KJV)

They trouble me.

They arrest my attention.

They make my spirit sit up and ask, “Who or what is fashioning my life?” What thoughts and attitudes am I allowing to shape how I live?

As Paul urges in Romans:

​“Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2 KJV)

That word “conform” means “fashion self according to” (Strongs #4964).

Will it be the Word that shapes you, or the world?

The choice is yours.

​“As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness.” (1 Peter 1:15 MESSAGE)

Amen.

And selah…

I’m no money man, but I am a honey man.

​​“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103 KJV)

I’m licking my lips when I open the Word of God.

I don’t understand bitcoin mining, but do know a bit about scripture mining.

I’m digging for peace and pleasantness, not pennies. With a large helping of long life, and an overflowing side dish of riches and honour.

​“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” (Proverbs 3:13–17 KJV)

To my understanding it takes a great deal of energy to mine a bitcoin. This is why some believe that it will fall over and fail in years to come, when energy becomes the core resource.

​Whether these predictions are in any way accurate or not, I have no idea, but I do know a resource that is inexhaustible.

​It does take energy to mine the scriptures too. Fortunately, the return on investment is magnificent.

​“…to have skillful and godly Wisdom is pleasure and relaxation to a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 10:23 AMP)

​The effort you put in to dig the truth yields a harvest of pleasure and relaxation.

​The ways of wisdom are paths of peace.

​Dig it?

​Sometimes we can get caught in the trap of always seeking something fresh and new.

​It's like the record gets stuck in a prophetic groove,

“Behold, I do a new thing…”

​“Behold, I do a new thing…”

​“Behold, I do a new thing…”

​And again, the desire for novelty sends us scrambling, hunting for an ear-tickling revelation.

​But often it's not the new thing that's going to provide the answer you need. It's the old things. Things that you already know.

​That's why I love this verse in 2 Peter.

​“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” (2 Peter 1:12 KJV)

​Peter tells them, "Hey, I'm going to remind you to remember the things that you already know."

​Because it's the basics on which we build. Not the novelties. Not the side dishes. Not the latest greatest doctrinal trend. The core and the heart of the gospel is where true transformation takes place.

​You are begotten again!

​Your old life is gone and a new life in Christ has begun.

​As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, we are told. And there's nothing wrong with going back and enjoying a fresh jug of milk every so often. By all means, wash down the meat with the milk, but never forget that the things that you already know are often the very thing that you are looking for.

​It's easy nowadays to be in a rush.

​But rush rarely leads to results.

​Slow down.

​Especially when it comes to Bible study.

​I'm not talking about Bible study so you can swing your diploma around and beat people over the head with your theological prowess. Not that kind of Bible study.

Rather, I mean the kind of Bible study that helps you to become a student of God and of yourself (the Bible is a mirror after all) and how you are viewing what sits right before your eyes, and equally what cannot be seen but is just as powerfully at work in the invisible places of the heart.

​God's Word searches out the deepest thoughts and intents of the heart, we are told.

​This probably sounds a great deal more spiritual and complicated than it actually is.

​Here's how it works…

​Open your Bible and allow the Holy Ghost to direct you where to begin reading. By that, generally, I mean what book to read, not just a random verse here or there. The Bible was written without verses, and each book was written as a whole. To understand and draw the most juice from your study, I find it's best to approach a book as a whole.

​For me right now, it's the books of 1 and 2 Peter.

​As you're reading through, read slowly.

Let your heart be sensitive to the Teacher who sits by your side. Incidentally, He is also the Author of the book, so he has a pretty good idea what is relevant to you right now.

​You'll find, in the same way as the dove alighted on Christ at his baptism, that you'll sense his presence land on particular verses or portions of the book that you're reading.

The Dove lands on the Word. (Read that statement again, it's packed with revelation)

​You'll be prompted to go back and read the verse or portion again, sometimes again and again.

​Certain words may be highlighted, and that could be an indication that it's worth scratching below the surface to find out the definition of that word, the Greek or the Hebrew original, or how that word is used in other contexts throughout the scripture.

​It may be that a character or a personality stands out, and that God wants to lead you into a more in-depth character study.

​Or a subject. A particular thread of theology may loom large as you begin to piece together the different things the Holy Spirit is saying throughout the book and how it connects to what He has said in other books of the Bible.

​Like me, you'll find that you are stopped in your tracks.

​The Holy Spirit will press the pause button, and cause you to camp around a certain book, a certain word, a certain subject, a certain character, or a certain theme.

​My current campground is the first epistle of Peter, chapter 1, verse 3, and particularly the words "According to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again."

​In verse 23 of that same chapter, he talks about being born again, not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God.

​Looks like the Holy Spirit is bringing me back to some of the basics.

​On a side note, there's another verse in chapter one of 1 Peter that's causing me to itch on the inside, and that is verse 14.

This particular verse talks about fashioning ourselves according to things other than the word of God. How we ignorantly seek to shape ourselves instead of yielding to the hand of the potter as He shapes us into the image of His Son. I think there's something there worth digging into.

​How about you? What is the Holy Spirit emphasising when you're spending time with him in his Word?