Profitable for Battle

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

This verse is becoming a favorite for me. I’m learning that everything we face has an answer in God’s word. As a widow, there is nothing more vital you can do for yourself than to read from it every day – especially first thing in the morning. If all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable, then it helps us to be familiar with all of Scripture.

While I love to teach and believe it is my strongest spiritual gift, I find my need for rebuking and correcting come more frequently to my own thoughts. Negative emotions stem from entertaining negative thoughts, and God’s word in me often rebukes or corrects those negative thought patterns. When a bad thought enters, I often find myself remembering a contradictious word from Scripture, so I argue with the credibility of the negative thought. I can choose to believe the loud thoughts screaming at me or God’s word, which is always true.

So, if you ever see me talking to myself or in deep thought, you’ve probably caught me in a mental battle of rebuking or correcting. I wish I could say Scripture always wins out, but there are times when I believe the lie, and my emotions take a wrong turn outward. I think those times are fewer now than they were in my younger years, but they still surface. Right thinking really does lead to right believing and right living, but it requires heavy doses of God’s word established deep within us to generate right thinking. We can’t always control what thoughts enter our heads, but we can rebuke and correct wrong thoughts, bringing them subject to the knowledge of Christ.

When Scripture is living, breathing, and walking within us, we have trained well for righteousness and find ourselves complete and equipped for every good work which God has called us to do. The Bible really is an instruction manual for living on this earth, and nothing can replace it. Grab a cup of coffee, and begin to read. There is no telling what God may show you or what you will remember later at an opportune time. His word is profitable, and the more you have inside you, the richer you will be.

Have a blessed day!