Debunk the myth that only a certain version of the Bible is the “Correct” version to read. That is not so. Versions of the Bible are provided for current language and understanding.
I use AMP, NLT (new living), KJV, Vines Concordance, YouVersion search feature.
You need to pray for God’s supranational understanding, wisdom and that He shows and explains the deep hidden things of His Word to you
Don’t make quantity your main goal, priority, or focus. It needs to be wisdom and understanding. Quality time spent with the Lord. Remember, the Lord is the Word made flesh. So when you are studying and reading the Word you are in all actuality studying and reading Jesus.
Make sure you know what you are reading.
A good test to making sure you understand it is to ask yourself if you can fully explain it to someone else. If you had to teach this in a Bible study, could you? If yes, you then have the understanding acquired. If not, keep meditating on it and ask the Lord to show you what you don’t know.
Believing that understanding the Bible is “too hard” or “over your head” or “it doesn’t apply to me” “I don't have time” are all lies sent from the enemy. The devil wants to keep you out of the Word.
Psalm 119:130 “ The teaching of your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.”
This simply gives the proof that the Lord wants all of His people to understand. The Word is available to you, the Lord is waiting to spend that time with you. It is up to you to take that first step and read the Word. God is waiting for you to ask.
Proverbs 2:3 “Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.”
He wants you to know His Word.
You have to remember that the purpose of the existence of the Bible is for YOUR benefit and understanding. It does not have any benefits for God. He already knows His Word. And He is faithful and just to oversee it and make sure it comes to pass. He loves you and He wants you to know to bring you into closer fellowship within Himself.
Proverbs 2:6 “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
Proverbs 8:1 “Listen as Wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice!”
For those who think “I’m pretty smart, I have my life figured out, I know what I’m doing, I don't need the Bible” — this is what it has to say to you :
- Proverbs 21:30 “No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord.”
- Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.”
- Matthew 13:12 “To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Just because you may think you have things figured out today does not mean that the Lord will allow you to keep that understanding tomorrow. It would be wise of you to submit yourself to the Lord and remain humble in his sight to obtain His wisdom.
You also need to make the TIME. Schedule it. Your schedule belongs to God, not to you. He created time and is in complete and total control of time. Not you.
Time is also considered a resource and on Judgement Day, God will be asking us every way we spent our time. Would you rather Him review your accounts here on this earth with pleasure because you spent the first part of your time of every day and the majority of your time with and focused on Him? Or will you possibly grieve His heart because you decided to binge-watch every available episode on Hulu and only watch trash TV?
Looking at the parable of the talents gives a very distinct indication of God’s attitude on how we allocate and decided to spend (or not spend) our resources.
Watching TV while “reading” the Bible does not qualify as quality time spent in the Word. Having your Bible open on the passenger seat of your car while you're traveling to work does not count. Keeping your Bible open on your nightstand or while you scroll through social media and read scripture on an Instagram post does not count as reading your Bible.
If you need to schedule the time to make sure there is time set aside to read the Word then do so. If you need to rearrange your priorities and schedule and start telling people no, then do it.
What would it possibly benefit you to tell some human soul yes but say no to God?
God says we need to seek first His kingdom. If we do not give the place of importance and prominence to God of being in the first place nothing else in our lives will go right. You can’t ask for God to bless you and give you favor if you constantly ignore Him. He is not a genie in a bottle to only come out when you want Him to and grant you all of your flesh-filled wishes. He is your GOD. You need to put Him in His place of majesty and holy.
Do not be like the Israelites that forced Aaron into making then a golden calf idol to worship because Moses was taking too long on the mountain receiving instruction and talking to and SPENDING TIME WITH THE LORD.
The world will always tell you you are spending too much time with the Lord and try to convince you and pull you in to ways that are “easier” and paint a picture of acceptance of a God with a much looser and broader brush. However, the Lord shall not be mocked. Be the Moses, not the Israelites.
You can read the account for yourselves in its entirety in Exodus 32.
I ask of you, what are the idols you may have in your own lives? Idols are anything that you worship. It could your job, kids, a band, a spouse, money, possessions, a new car. It could be Instagram fame. You need to take time to go to the Lord in peace with no distractions and ask the Lord if you have any idols, have Him identify them to you, allow yourself to accept that fact and comes to terms with it and repent. Ask and receive His forgiveness. Make a renewed commitment to put nothing before the Lord. I pray you to do this every so often to keep your hearts pure and sanctified and dedicated only to the Lord. Do not allow pride or deception from the enemy to creep back into your heart and allow you to slide back into old ways or to pick up a new idol.
The Bible tells us that we need to guard our hearts because out of it flows the wellsprings of life. Keep your heart guarded to the world but fully open and ready to receive with the Lord.
In the end, the Israelites were ashamed of themselves for participating in their idol worship. In 1 Kings Israel created golden calves again. But, they were also ashamed of this.
Jeremiah 48:13 “At last Moab will be ashamed of his idol Chemosh, as the people of Israel were ashamed of their gold calf at Bethel.”
One of the biggest keys to properly being able to read and understand and receive from the Word of God is to do so with a clean heart. The Bible says “create within me a clean heart oh my God”
We need to ask God to create a clean heart in us because we can not do that on our own. That is something that only the blood of Jesus can do. The Bible is very clear on the condition of our hearts. It says that the heart is evil and it will lead us astray.
Just like you can not properly drive a vehicle with a muddy windshield we also can not see the Word of God clearly with a muddled and marked up heart.
We must remember, that when on the earth Jesus was a Rabbi, which means teacher. He wants to be your teacher. Ask Him to come into your time together and throughout your day and teach you whatever it is He has commanded the Holy Spirit to work on with you.
Psalm 119:66 “I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and wisdom.”
Proverbs 8:10 “Choose my instruction rather than silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.”
Colossians 2:3 “In Him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
The most important part of understanding the Bible and growing deeper in the Word is inviting in and acknowledging the Holy Spirit. That is how God pours out His Spirit. Pray to receive the Holy Spirit. We see this is possible in Acts 8:15.
John 3:6 “Humans can only reproduce human life but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”
So the entire key to your better biblical understanding is truly the Holy Spirit. None of this would be even remotely possible without Him.
Holy Spirit will speak to you. We see the Bible say many times say “The Holy Spirit said” in Acts 8:29, Hebrews 3:7.
Galatians 5:16 “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
This is a great litmus test to see who and maybe what is ruling over your life. Are you allowing your flesh to make your decisions for you or are you allowing the Holy Spirit?
Romans 8:26 “ And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words.”
Take time to meditate on how magnificent a gift that is. God loves us so much and knew we needed help and so He takes a part of Himself to pray on our behalf before Him. WOw! What a wonderful help that is.
It is of vital importance to know and understand that the Holy Spirit is so near and dear to the heart of our living God that the Bible has given us strict warning against speaking against the Holy Spirit.
Mark 3:29 “But whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.”
The absolute vital necessity in our lives is to love, learn, lean into and 100% whole-heartedly accept all of the very important and ever-increasing necessity that is the Holy Spirit.
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