Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates . . .
Deuteronomy 11:18-20 New International Version (NIV)
The Word of God cannot be compartmentalized into segments of time and place. In this world of political correctness, believers are often discouraged from speaking publicly of the reasons for their faith. But that's not a reason for protest. God's Word must first be "fixed" within our own hearts and minds. What we say about it to others comes later and the Holy Spirit has been designated to guide us into when that becomes necessary. Some people professing Christ as Savior and Lord too loudly are simply giving lip service to God's Word for the benefit of how they look to other people or even to justify wrong behavior. The first place God tells us to "fix" His Word is in our own hearts.
There are many who will be led to Christ and learn God's Word through the actions of those with hearts upon which God has written His Word. In this passage of Scripture, we are instructed to talk about God's Word in every waking moment of our lives and we can do just that. Yet, we can't truthfully speak to others about things we don't really know. This calls for two things for believers to do: We must know God's Word for ourselves and we must know our audience. The Holy Spirit will do the rest of the job.
Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. Romans 2:14-15 NLT
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