Hello my friends!
In this video were opening up a new series that I believe is absolutely crucial to your
Christian walk, and its how to study the bible.
Now you might be thinking, oh no, this going to be boring!
The bible is so hard to read and understand..
But as Christians, we need to remember that our growth is directly connected to reading
and applying God’s word!
1 Peter 2 verses 1-2 reads “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy,
and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”
So let’s get this straight, if you are not reading God’s word on a regular basis, or
if you’re reading God’s word in a way that’s not effective, your Christian walk
is crippled.
Even Jesus says in Luke 4:4 “But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’”.
If we call ourselves Christian, we need to make it a point to ‘live’ according to
God’s word.
And just so you guys know, it’s not enough to go to church on Sunday or some bible study.
Now, I’m not saying those are bad things, but if that’s the only time you’re reading
God’s word, your growth will be stunted and your relationship with God will be dependent
on your teacher or pastor.
Now look at some strong people in the bible like Elijah, David, Paul, Daniel, Moses, and Joseph.
Was their walk with God completely dependent on other people?
NO!
You’ll find that they all had a personal relationship with God themselves.
They knew God directly and were able to go to Him whenever they needed to.
You see, any bible study you hear throughout the week, must be supplemental to your own
relationship with God.
Your prayer life and your own personal bible reading should serve as the foundation of
your walk with God and those other studies should serve as things that help strengthen
that foundation.
It’s been said that if give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if you teach a man
to fish, he eats for a lifetime.
In this new series, how to study the bible, we will be giving some tips on how to fish
so that you yourself can know God on a deeper and stronger level.
Alright?
So step 1 in our series is “Setting the Stage”!
So when you read God’s word, you need to remember something, you are talking to God,
the King of Kings, the Lord of all power, knowledge, and justice.
First things first, you need to make sure you give Him the proper respect.
So when you read God’s word, be intentional about it.
Sit down, position your body in a way that you can pay attention.
Identify what distracts you and then get rid of them.
Turn off the TV, turn down the music, close your door, put your phone on silent, close
Facebook, snapchat, Instagram, internet, whatever.
You need to take note that your body, is directly connected to your mind, so how you position
your body, will affect your mind.
Check out Jeremiah 29:11-13.
It’s a popular passage, but a lot of people stop at verse 11.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and
not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
You see the problem with a lot of people and their pursuit for God, is that we get distracted
and we don’t seek God with our whole heart.
When I was in high school, my dad would drop me off and tell me “do your best”.
When we spend time with God, do we give Him our best?
Now I want you to think about something you enjoy doing.
Maybe its hanging out with a friend, or playing a sport, or playing an instrument, if you
practice these things or if you seek to improve a relationship or a skill, you know what’s necessary?
Time, discipline, and focus.
And it’s the same with studying God’s word.
If you can’t make time for God on a regular basis, and you can’t eliminate distractions,
then you should revisit 2 Timothy 2:15 which reads “Be diligent to present yourself approved
to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.
You see, studying God’s word takes work, and sometimes it’s hard work.
You need to do whatever it takes to protect your one on one relationship with God.
Maybe you need to get out of the house, maybe you need to go to coffee house, or to a park,
maybe you need to wake up early, or maybe you need an accountability partner to ask
how your reading is.
I don’t know, but I know this, your relationship with God is the most valuable thing you have,
and Satan will do whatever he can to discourage you or distract you.
So set the stage for your body!
And do it properly.
Another thing you should take note of, is throughout the day, you have times when you
are most alert.
Maybe you’re a morning person, or a night person, maybe you get tired at 11am before
noon or maybe 2pm after lunch.
Maybe your most alert after dinner, whatever it might be, find out when you are most awake,
and then find a way to read then.
Now while setting the stage involves physically being ready, our minds need to be set in order as well.
After you’re alone, alert, and available, you need to take a moment of silence before
you read God’s word.
Get in the right mindset.
God is about to talk to you.
This time shouldn’t feel rushed.
You wouldn’t rush your hangout time with your best friend, so you shouldn’t rush
your hangout time with God.
Take this time of silence to pray.
Pray for God to speak to you, thank him for what He’s given you, ask for wisdom and
guidance, and take time to breathe.
This may take 30 seconds, or it may take 2 minutes, take however long you need, but before
you read, get your mind ready.
Another verse you should keep in mind is Mark 12:30 which reads “And you shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all
your strength.
This is the first commandment.
Guys, if you want to get close to God, you need to love him with all your strength- and
part of that means to get your body ready, you need to love him with all your mind- and
part of that means to get mentally focused, and you need to love him with all your heart
and soul, which leads to the last part of this video.
When you set the stage, it means to prep the heart as well.
And this means that you need to find your reasons for reading God’s word.
All of us should be reading God’s word every day, but this kind of discipline, can easily
turn into legalism, meaning that all of us can read the bible just because that’s what
“good Christians” do or so we can check it off our list of things to do today.
Remember, the reason why we read God’s word, is to get to know God more.
To see through His eyes, to hear His voice, and feel what His heart feels.
It’s a relationship your cultivating, not an obligation.
Reading God’s word should be a choice you make because you love God, not somethng you
feel forced to do.
Keep in mind though, just because you don’t feel like reading God’s word, doesn’t
mean you shouldn’t.
Reading God’s word is a necessity!
We need it!
We need God’s direction, we need his comfort and his peace, we need his joy, and wisdom.
He loves us and wants to talk to us.
So if you feel bad because you don’t feel like reading, don’t feel bad, talk to God
and tell him how you feel, and then start small.
If you’re not used to reading every day, read at least 1 verse a day.
Only one, and then build from there.
And if you miss a day, don’t feel guilty, keep trying.
The key is to start building good habits that will result in a stronger relationship with God.
So to briefly summarize, before you read, 1- get your body ready.
Be alone, alert, and available.
2- Get your mind ready, take a moment of silence, pray, relax.
And lastly 3- Get your heart ready, remember this is a relationship you’re building,
not a check off your list.
Remember Jesus loves you and your reason for reading should be because of your love for God.
Alright???
Well that was step 1, Setting the stage.
Next time on step 2, we’ll start diving into God’s word and begin pointing out things
to look for when you read.
Until then, be encouraged, keep the faith, and God bless.
love you guys.