Apicontent

Reading God’s Word can make a big impact on your life.

What we are talking about here is not simply reading for the sake of reading. You want to read so that you might experience the “priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus My Lord, and of becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him” (Philippians 3:8, Amplified).

The purpose for reading God’s Word is to change your life!

The Scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.

D. L. Moody

How To Get Started

With that in mind, it is important to remember that when you are reading the Bible, it’s best to read it slowly and thoughtfully. Highlight key verses. Reading is more than “just reading” … you need to think as well! “Reading” is not as intense as “studying”, but you are doing it with the intention of gaining something from it!

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipping for every good thing God wants us to do” —2 Timothy 3:16-17, NLT

Make your reading enjoyable!  Go on a “hunt” to find promises God has for you. This is especially easy if you are using an online resource like this App. You can simply type in a key word and off you go! Record the references so you can refer back to them later.

Many people find it helpful to keep a journal. You can record what you are reading and learning from the Bible as well as any other insights God gives you about your relationship with Him, how He is working in your life, and what He is doing in and through you. A journal can be a great reminder of God’s blessings and strength!

If this is your first adventure in reading the Bible, it can be easier to start in the New Testament, reading at least one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John). Many teachers recommend starting with John. The book of Acts tells about the actions of the early Christians. Acts is a “must read” for all Christians. After Acts, you’ll find the letters to the first Christian churches, which give instructions and guidance for daily living. And finally, in the book of Revelation, you will see how Christ is going to end all things in this world and begin ruling as “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

One way to read the Bible is to simply open it and read whatever is in front of you. You can definitely gain from this approach. But being a little more systematic will be more beneficial to you in the long run. If you can actually write down some of what you are reading and thinking, that can also be valuable.

Start your reading time with two sheets of paper. On one you write down the things God is teaching you as you read, and on the second you jot down the inevitable things that come to mind that you need to attend to. That will allow you to stay focused.

There is no pressure. Simply read until God shows you something, then stop and think.

Ask Yourself Questions

 As you read, ask yourself questions, and answer them! 

• What does this mean?
• What caused this situation?
• Why did God include this?
• Why is this important?
• Is this really true?
• What difference does knowing this make?
• What action should I take?
• What am I missing?
• What can I claim for myself?
• Am I really trusting God?

Use the R.E.C.A.P. Bible study method to ask key questions while reading a Bible passage:

R— Is there revelation about God that I should embrace?

E — Is there an example I should follow or avoid?

C— Is there a command I should obey?

A— Is there something I need to apply to my life?

P— Is there a promise I should claim?

Highlight Bible passages and code them with a R.E.C.A.P. letter for future review in Bible notes

Talk To God

Talk to the Lord about what you read and make some notes. When you start to read God’s Word on a regular basis, you will find yourself growing in your relationship with your Heavenly Father!

 As you read, talk to God about everything you are thinking. Cultivate the sense of His presence and His love. Worship Him. Thank Him for what you are reading and learning and thinking and experiencing. Give Him your intense attention and concentration Praise Him.

Decide On A Daily Plan

Many people find it helpful to have a daily reading program helps them read steadily through the entire Bible in a systematic way. There are many plans available!

Instead of starting in Genesis and reading straight through all the other books, some people find it more interesting to read in different places each day. Read as much or as little as you wish each time. Remember, you are reading for understanding and with the intent of getting to know God better.

There is no pressure. Simply read until God shows you something, then stop and think. Talk to the Lord about it and make some notes. Each day jot down the chapters that you read and then you will know where to start the next time. Modify the plan to suit your needs.

You can use the daily reading plan in Today’s Inspiration. Every day it selects a chapter from the Old Testament, one from the Gospels, and one from the Epistles.

Whatever method you choose to use, get started! When you start to read God’s Word on a regular basis, you will find yourself growing in your relationship with your Heavenly Father!

Hearing God’s Word is the simplest way to get God’s Word into your life … and it involves listening.

There are many ways you can hear God’s Word: At your Church, in a Bible Study, from a teacher in a Bible school, on Bible tapes and CDs and DVDs, by attending Christian Seminars, through a friend, listening to Christian radio, reading Christian books  … non-fiction as well as fiction, and by searching online Bible based web pages. (See “Listen to the Audio Bible“)

It is important that when you are listening to anything that is not scripture, such as a Christian speaker, that you make sure that person is a reliable source of God’s truth. Acts 17:11 says, “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth” (NLT).

Whenever you hear God’s Word, attempt to learn what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach you personally writing down your thoughts when possible. 

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ” —Romans 10:17, NIV

As Christians, we are disciples of Christ who are committed to learning His truth and following His directions. 

“As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people. Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right, but are to become Christlike in our character by renewing our mind with the truth of God’s Word” —Ephesians 4:17-18, CEV

Those are pretty bold words!

Romans 12:2 challenges us with a more positive approach with these words, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV).

Listening is the easiest way to get God’s Word into your mind, but it isn’t a totally passive endeavor! As you listen to God’s Word, ask questions to apply God’s truth in your life. (See “Renewing Your Mind” and “The R.E.C.A.P. Bible Study Method”)

Studying God’s Word can make a difference in your life! When you study God’s Word you will gain deeper insight into who God is and what He wants to do in your life. Each time you approach God’s Word in study, you need to pray for God’s direction and then, observe, interpret, and apply what you are reading.

“Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding. That’s right—if you make Insight your priority, and won’t take no for an answer, Searching for it like a prospector panning for gold, like an adventurer on a treasure hunt, Believe me, before you know it Fear-of-God will be yours; you’ll have come upon the Knowledge of God.”  —Proverbs 2:1-5, The Message

The reason you need to study God’s Word is to gain deeper insight into who God is and what He wants to do in your life!

 Study is more than just reading.  Just as reading the Bible involves more intentionality and thought than hearing it, so studying it requires more intentionality and thought than reading it. 

One way that you can achieve good results from your study time is to write down what you discover. Reading is faster than study and gives you the overall picture, but study requires that you think and remember. Yes, this is more time-consuming … but it will be worth the effort!

There are actually several ways you can study the Bible:

• A word (such as grace, faith, love, sin)
• A single verse (such as Hebrews 12:1, 1 John 1.5)
• A passage or chapter (such as Ephesians 1, or Ephesians 1:15-23, Proverbs 3)
• A book (any of 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament!)

A 4-Step Process

Before you begin your study, consider this 4-step process to help you gain the most from your time in God’s Word.

Step 1. Pray

Ask the Holy Spirit for insight and understanding! Open yourself up to what God wants you to see in His Word today.

Step 2. Observe

As you study the word, or verse, or passage or book you’ve chosen, you are looking for answers to the following questions?

• What does it say?
• What does it reveal about God?
• What does it reveal about having a more intimate relationship with God?
• What does this teach me about faith, hope and love?
• What new insights can I obtain about my new identity in Christ and how God has designed me?
• How does God want me to depend on Him for wisdom, strength, special abilities, and resources?
• What does this reveal about how God will meet my needs and accomplish His purposes?
• How can I resist Satan’s schemes and seek refuge in God from evil?
• How does God direct our steps toward the fulfillment of His specific plan for our life?

Not all of the study that you do will answer every one of these questions, but they provide a good framework for your thought and reflection.

Step 3. Interpret

As you read and think and reflect, consider “What does this mean?” Here a few other questions to help you identify the meaning of what you are studying:

• Is this passage to be interpreted literally or does it contain figurative words, phrases, or expressions?
• How does the context for this passage help in understanding its meaning?
• What other scriptures help to clarify or amplify the interpretation of this passage?
• What point is this trying to make?

Step 4. Apply

Here is the bottom line: What am I going to do with this new insight and understanding?

Specific Suggestions

Studying a Single Word

It is actually much easier to study a verse when you are first starting to study the Bible. If you choose to study a single word, you can use online searching or you will need a good Bible concordance which contains single words and a list of the verse where that word is used. What you are looking for is the different ways that word is used and what is being communicated.

Studying a Single Verse

Approach #1

Begin by reading the context of the verse … what comes before it and after it.

Next, ask yourself, “Who is speaking, to whom, and what is the situation?” 

Visualize yourself in the situation and customs of that time and place. If possible, read in several different translations of the Bible (this is easy to accomplish with on-line resources such as BibleHub.com). 

Look up key words in the dictionary and write down their definitions. Ask questions from the “Observe” step described earlier in this lesson. Make notes! Take your study through the Step 3 and Step 4 processes!

Approach #2

Another way to approach a verse study is to look at each word individually within the verse.  Here is an example using the first phrase of Psalm 118: 6, “The LORD is with me.” With this approach you the verse down the left side of your paper one word at a time. In some ways we are crossing over into the “Meditate” process of experience God’s Word, but it is important to remember that all of these approaches interact with one another … not one truly stand alone! As you look at the first word, write down as much as you can about that word. Then take the second word of the verse, and spend time thinking and writing about that word, and so on until you finish the verse or phrase.

The Lord the mighty, almighty, creator, sovereign, loving, glorious God. He is for me! “Is” — means right now, presently, an absolute certainty

“For”— purpose, goal, God knows me!, god has my best interests at heart, He is on my side, He knows what is best for me

“Me”— means personally, not in general, but specifically, by name.

It is awesome and exciting to contemplate “me” having such
intimacy…with God Himself!!

Approach #3

Read the passage in at least two different versions of the Bible and then write what it means to you personally.

Studying a Passage or Chapter

First, read the entire chapter. Next, make an overall outline of what you have just read. Then, give it a title. Now, determine which verse is most meaningful to you at this time in your life. Finally, consider what challenge you see in the overall passage.

Studying a Book

In many ways, the study of a book is similar to studying a passage or chapter, there’s just more of it at one time, but the process remains the same. Another great way to study a book of the Bible is to go through a study that has already been put together! These are available at various online sites or through a Christian book store.

There are five basic ways for you to grow in your knowledge and experience with God’s Word: Hear it, read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it. Memorizing God’s Word has tremendous benefits.

One of the most important reasons for memorizing Scripture is because our memories are short.  Research has shown that after 24 hours you accurately remember:

5% of what you hear

15% of what you read

35% of what you study

57% of what you see and hear

100% of what you memorize

Noted author, and counselor, Henry Brandt, once wrote: “I still consider Bible memorization the single most important aid in my Christian life and in my counseling.”

Dawson Trotman, past president of the Navigators said, “I know of no form of intake of the Word which pays greater dividends for the time invested than Scripture memory.”

In Matthew 4:1-10 we actually see Jesus overcoming Satan’s temptations by using scripture. He probably didn’t have the scriptures in written out form … he was using them because he had learned them as a child and could recite them! 

Here’s the story:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.”

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” (NLT)

It’s actually easy to memorize verses: 

• Start with one verse. 
• Write it down if possible.
• Repeat it several times.
• Say it in your own words. Identify why it is important.
• Repeat it to a friend or family member.
• Think about how you might apply it to your life.
• Once you have it memorized, review it every day for 30 days.
  

It will be yours to take with you wherever you go! 

Here are a few verses for you to memorize to get started!

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” – Psalm 119:9, 11, NIV

 “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” – Deuteronomy 11:18-19, NLT

“Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.” – Colossians 3:16, NLT

“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-29, NLT

People often say “I just can’t memorize things.” But that simply is not true! We memorize information all the time for business, sales presentations, stock market quotes, sports, and daily commitments. Athletes memorize whole play books, team standings, player stats, etc. It’s not memory that is lacking, it’s motivation.

As we’ve considered the different ways for you to grow in your relationship with God by hearing, reading, studying, and memorizing His Word, we’ve actually also been meditating on His truth, which is the focus of this lesson.

Meditating involves taking a prayerful, serious approach to reflecting on a specific verse or passage.  

As you’ve learned how to listen and read and study and memorize, you’ve also been meditating. But in this lesson we’re going to specifically focus on mediation as its own discipline.  There really is no better way to grow in your relationship with Christ than to meditate on God’s promises throughout the day.  Whenever something stressful happens (and it will), you can think about a verse that applies to your situation.  Meditating means you are giving extended, careful thought to God’s Word with the intent of conforming your life to His will. Meditating on God’s Word will result in knowing Him intimately and being obedient to Him in everything. 

Two questions to consider whenever you are meditating on a passage of scripture:

1. What is the meaning of this verse or passage based on its context?
2. How can/should this verse or passage affect my life?

Use these two questions right now as you consider Philippians 4:6-7: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (NLT).

Make sure your roots are deeply planted in God’s Word …

David Berkowitz was transformed because he replaced man’s viewpoint with God’s viewpoint. And, he believed God’s viewpoint! He meditated on God’s truth!

There really is no better way to abide in Christ than to meditate on God’s promises throughout the day.

Psalm 1:1-3 says, “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do” (NLT).

 Make sure your roots are deeply planted in God’s Word …  just like a tree that survivesand grows and bears fruit, because its roots tap deep into the soil below.

What are you presently doing to help your roots grow deep into God’s Word?

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.
I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feetfrom every evil path so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taughtme.
How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honeyto my mouth!
I gain understandingfrom your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. (NIV)

Promises:

Luke 6:45 says, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart” (NLT).

Meditating means thinking deeply about something. To meditate is to focus your thinking on something specific. It means to ponder, reflect, or mull over. You do it long enough that something changes (attitude, purpose, conviction) and then you will have the perspective and wisdom to get up and make changes. In other words, it causes life change! 

It is enormously important to think rightly and to have God’s perspective and discernment about everything, including money, Jesus, sin, marriage, sex, divorce, obedience, kids, work, honesty, trouble, myself, the future, and a host of other things. Think like Jesus thinks, have His mindset. Meditation on God’s Word will help you to do that. But …. it will take planning and time. If you don’t plan it, it won’t happen.

J. I. Packer in Knowing God said: “Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, thinking over, dwelling on, and applying to oneself the various things that one knows about the works, ways, purposes, and the promises of God. Its effect is to humble us as we contemplate God’s greatness and our own littleness—to encourage and reassure us as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of God as displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

So meditate, but don’t meditate on your problems, your irritations, your hurts, and/or your enemies. Rather, meditate on the truth of Scripture! The purpose is of meditation is life change. You want to experience God! Meditate until you not only understand it, but can’t wait to apply it!