Familiar With The Familiar


After serving the Lord for some time, there are some verses in the Bible that become quite familiar. For instance, Psalm 1:1-3, Psalm 23, John 3:16 and Romans 12:1-2 are verses in the Bible that most believers are aware of and can quote, but they have become so familiar, that they have lost the meaning and are not lived out.

One of the marks of a mature Christian is the ability to be able to read and or hear something multiple times and still hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. In other words, no matter how many times you read the logos Word, you should have an ear to hear a rhema Word. This is important because if this principle is not put into practice, it opens the door for pride and a stagnation of growth.

Pride will read a verse like Romans 8:28-29 with a view of, "I know what it says." Yet, when the Spirit of the Lord comes in to bring revelation that person can't hear that God is not interested in bringing you good things. No, the "good" in that verse is a reference to character growth for kingdom advancement. Pride is never interested in character or kingdom because it feels it already has character for the kingdom.

At this point, you must do a self check and ask yourself, "Self, have I become familiar with the familiar?" When you ask the question, be careful not to answer too quickly. Pause, ponder and pay attention to your behavior patterns to see if you are really living out the truths in the Bible that you profess to be your basic instructions before leaving earth.

This self check is critical because every believer at some point in their life will have their faith tested or proven. This test is to prove that you really do believe what you say you believe. Look at what the Word says in Deuteronomy 8:2-3, "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord."

Faith is tested and proven through trials. When money is low will you trust in Proverbs 3:5-6 or will you trust in your own resources? When you are offended will you obey Ephesians 4:32, or will you be mean, hard hearted and harbor unforgiveness, knowing that you have been forgiven? If you are single, will care about the things of the Lord and how you may please Him as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:32, or will you focus all your energies on being married?

These are important questions to ask, because if you do not allow your faith to be proven, you will become familiar with the familiar verses. This is a dangerous place to be because when you are familiar with the familiar, you cannot grow beyond what you are familiar with. In other words, you will never grow beyond what you know because you think you know all that you need to know. And that my friend, is pride.

Don't allow pride to keep you in its grip. When you spend time with God, ask Him to speak to your heart new and fresh revelation. Ask Him to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that you do not get snared in the trap of becoming familiar with the familiar.

Love, peace and blessing,

Dr. Sheila

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