There are many methods to study the bible and over time we discover what each one of us are comfortable with.
So my goal here is not to tell you how you should read your bible, but I want to share some things I learned about the approach.
If you give 10 growing Christians a chapter to read from the Bible, each one of them could come up with a different explanation and meaning. And this difference in understanding is the origin of religion and probably the reason why there are so many denominations in Christianity.
So lets look at some ways we could understand the father’s heart while studying the scripture.
1. Start with a prayer : Ask God to take control over your thoughts as you read, so that what you understand will not be based on your experiences and will not be influenced by any religious ideas.
Ask God to reveal to you His interpretation of what is written. Stay away from all distraction and study the word with an intention to learn.
2. Read until you hear : Let me share an experience I had recently.
I was going through a tough situation and was asking God to speak to me. One day while praying, I felt lead to read Psalm 23, a Psalm I’m sure all of us are familiar with. I have read it many times and I knew it by heart when I was around 10 years old.
However, this time when I read through, my spirit connected to every verse and it spoke directly into what I was asking God for. It was like those words were coming right out of God’s mouth and I was hearing sitting on my bed. I encountered God right there and everything changed.
When you have experiences like that, you walk out changed. Your situations could still be the same, but you would have the strength and wisdom to overcome it this time.
I have had times when I sat and read 30 psalms non-stop. The idea is to read until your spirit connects to what you are reading and it becomes life to your spirit and it speaks right into your situations. Then, it becomes more than mere English words being read.
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.(John 6:63 NIV)”
Now this may not happen every time you read your bible. There are times when you read just to learn and study but it is a good habit to take the word before Him and keep reading until He speaks to you specifically for what you need.
3, It has to lead you to God : God is true to His word. There is no doubt about that. But our understanding of it could limit us from knowing the truth.
If the scripture does not lead you to God, its a kingdom without a king. If the scripture does not lead you to God, your interpretation of it could be far from the truth.
To understand the kingdom principles, we need to have the king’s heart.
Here is an excerpt from the book “when heaven invades earth”
“Bible is often promoted so that we will get formulas for living. Certainly there are principles that can be laid in an A to Z fashion. But too often that approach makes the Bible a road map. When I treat the Bible as a road map I live as though I can find my way through my own understanding of His book. I believe this perspective of scriptures actually describes living under the law, not living under Grace. Living under the law is the tendency to desire a list of pre-set boundaries, and not a relationship. While both the law and Grace have commandments, Grace comes with an inbuilt ability to obey what was commanded. Under Grace I don’t get a road map, I get a tour guide – The Holy Spirit. He directs, reveals, and empowers me to be and do what the word says.
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to be your interpreter as you read scripture.
If you have a Bible study method that you think others would benefit from, consider telling us about it in the comment section. We would love to hear from you.
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