Just Thinking: The Process of Assimilation

Just thinking: the Process of Assimilation

Joshua 1: 8 – This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

There is a huge difference between reading and meditating for assimilation.

As I write this article, my daughter is needing to do summer school, so her Mom gave her assignments before school start. She simply sat having fun – so I went to her and ask her to google “law of diminishing returns” – so I explained to her, if you want to pretend you can sit down and pretend all day, but if you want to assimilate, then take breaks and learn in chunks.

We humans are tripartite, spirit, Soul (mind, will and emotion) and Body and our learning and assimilation process is in stages as it relates to our soul, whereas spiritual understanding (or change) is instantaneous. As example, when someone is obedient to Rom. 10: 9-10, the spiritual rebirth is instant, but that person needs a process to be transformed by renewing the mind.

The process of transformation starts with having the Holy Spirit indwell you when you believe and confess Christ as Savior and Lord. With this first step, what you read start to makes sense – the Bible that once look like a good story book, start to make sense, either when you read alone or you hear some other people – that is called REVELATION.

The next step after knowing or when God’s Spirit gives you revelation is APPLICATION of what you now know. Thus step start with dying to yourself (Gal. 2: 20 and Rom. 12: 1-2) and yielding to the Lordship of Christ in your life. This is where “not my will but yours be done” comes in. You literarily have to do what you know to do, even if the outcome meant ridicule, death, or however the enemy chose to intimidate you. We have more than enough examples in the Bible.

Just read through the life of Abraham, Joseph, David, Peter, Paul, etc. they all weren’t sure what God was up to, but they all chose to yield to the Lordship of Christ (even pre-incarnate Christ). When “doing what God wants at all cost” becomes a lifestyle, then God is ready to Trust us with more.

Assimilation is not simply by listening to/reading your favorite teacher or pastor, it is choosing to willingly yield to what you know God says even when that process could means isolation, name calling, or whatever, but trusting God enough to say “not my will but yours be done” each time, until what God says is a lifestyle.

So, do you just know about Giving, Forgiveness, Righteousness, etc. or are those principles now part of your life, because they’ve been assimilated into who you are (lifestyle)?.