Six things to help you get the most out of your bible reading

Praise the lord beloved!

I’ve been thinking! when  most of us gave our lives to Jesus, all we were advised to do is read the Word. Although this was great advise, no one really gave us some advise on how to rightly divide the word (2 Tim. 2:15). This may seem a minor error but it’s one that has had great negative consequences on the body of Christ. If the enemy can confuse you and stop your understanding of the word of God, he has just managed to cut off communication from your source. Because all you will be left with is a religious duty of reading the bible but not getting any revelation.

I believe every new members class should start with a class on rightly dividing the word. “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Tim. 2:15

Here are six things, I believe, will be helpful to you in getting the most out of your study. If you have been doing these, praise be to God. If you haven’t, i encourage you to start right away. They have been very helpful to me.

1. Approach the word with expectancy

We all know that the bible is not like any other book. Well, if that is so, then there is no reason we read it as we do any other book. We must understand that this is God speaking to us, and since God is Spirit and those that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth (John 4:24), we need to approach the word with our spirit man NOT our  natural man.

When we approach the word with our carnal mind, we are no different from that Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts. 8:26-40 who was reading the word but could not get anything from it. The carnal mind does not and can not understand the things of the spirit (Rom. 8:7, 1 Cor. 2:14). The word of God is spirit. Jesus said, “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” – John 6:63 NLT

As you approach the word of God, declare something like this.

“Father, I thank you for the opportunity to hear you speak to me. As I read your word, I acknowledge that this is one of the ways you speak to me. I am expectant to hear you. I ask for the eyes and ears of my spirit to be opened to you right now. I know according to what Jesus said that your words are spirit and minister life. Today, I receive the very life in your word into my life. As you speak to me, I also receive the grace to be willing and obedient to do everything you tell me in Jesus’ name”

Don’t just think it, intentionally and expectantly declare it so that your mind, body and any demons that may be around, hear it. Then dive into the word.

2. Involve the Holy Spirit.

One of the biggest challenges in the body of Christ is that most christians have no clue on who the Holy Spirit is and what He does in the life of a believer. Most christians know that there is God the father, Son and Holy Spirit, and have a relatively good understanding of the Father  and the Son but don’t understand the person of the Holy Spirit. I believe, without a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, you can not receive revelation of the word and therefore can not FULLY experience the power of God operating in your life.

In John 16, Jesus said that it was needful for him to go so that the Holy Spirit might come. Jesus told the disciples that he had many things to tell them but they could not bear them at the moment. Think about it. He had been with them for three years but they still did not really know who he was. How could he continue to reveal himself if they had not yet grasped the little he had revealed until then?

This is where the Holy Spirit helps us as the body of Christ. He is the one who opens our understanding to Jesus, the Word! Hallelujah!!

It is the Holy Spirit who knows the mind of God (1 Cor. 2:11) and He is the one who leads us into all truth (John 16:13). If you want to know what God is saying to you through the bible (or any other way), you need the help of the Holy Spirit. He is the one who knows everything about our Father and it pleased the Father to send Him to us.

3. Filter everything through the cross

“Filter everything through the cross” is a statement I got from my pastor and I just love it because it has been of great benefit to me. What this means is very simple yet powerful. Most people do not use this when reading the bible and so get themselves messed up. Well, thank God now you are going to get yourself out of the mess you might have been entangled in.

As we all know, the bible is divided into two testaments. The old testament and the new testament (another word that can be used for testament is covenant). Most christians do not pay attention to this difference and it has caused alot of confusion in many areas. We tend to approach the Father like the non christians (old testament people) did. When we read about people like Elijah, David, Daniel, Joseph etc, we seem to think those were christians. You will hear us pray for “double portions” of the anointing, “fire from heaven”. This is all because we seem not to understand that we are in a better covenant than the one the people of the old testament were in.

When reading the bible, its important for you to know that you live in the finished work of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus lived and fulfilled every part of the law that we were required to fulfill, he became sin for us (he took our place), paid the price, satisfied the wrath of God, took the keys from the devil, made a public display of the enemies defeat, rose from the dead and gave us back the authority that we had lost. PRAISE BE TO GOD, HALLELUYAAAAAAAH!

We are no longer old sinners saved by grace. We are the very children of God born from His loins and victorious here on this earth. The word says as Jesus is, so are we in this world. You can not live in two testaments. You must decide where you want to live. In the old testament (before Jesus’ death) or in the new testament (after the resurrection of Jesus)? If you truly want to get the best out of your bible reading and experience the power of the word of God, you must filter everything through the cross and if it does not make it to the other side, its “junk” -  let it go. Get out of your religious mind, repent and put on the mind of Christ so that you can start experiencing the new life.

I encourage you to read Romans, Galatians and Hebrews so you can get a better understanding of the new covenant and then read Ephesian and colossians to know who you are in Christ Jesus. Then learn to filter everything through the cross!

4. Character of God

Just like the confusion of the old and new testament, the other thing that confuses most people about the word of God is not knowing the character of God. We have all heard of how preachers will account things done by the devil to God. People say things like, God took my child to heaven, God gave me this disease to teach me, I’m poor so that I will keep trusting God instead of looking to riches, etc. People will even get scriptures out of context just to justify their opinions. They read the old testament, see how God dealt with the old testament people and come up with a wrong understanding of God.

Knowing the character of God and reading the bible with that in mind is very, very important. For example, We know from the word of God that God is Love. How can someone who loves you do bad things to you to teach you? People use scriptures like Hebrews 12:6 to back up their reasoning. Well, let me ask you a question my friends. How many of us would sit by and watch a parent put their child in the road to be run down by a car in an effort to teach them the dangers of playing in the road? What about cut off their lips so that they don’t use profanity again? None of us will sit there and just watch that kind of nonsense (may be some would – people are crazy) yet we say God, our Father, who is love, can do this!

We must realise that from the very beginning of mankind, the devil has been trying to sell us the wrong picture of God. He has been using the character assassination ticket for this long and it seems to be working well. My dear brother and sister, stop falling for this. Get to know the character of God and read the bible with the understanding that God is good, He is love, he can not lie, He has your best interest at heart, etc

5. Read the whole Text/Context to get the big picture

I have and continue to hear people quoting scriptures out of context. In an endeavour to use the word to conform to a situation, people will quote the bible and think they are right just because they have quoted scripture. One of the things I have learnt and has been a great benefit to me is to read the bible for myself. I used to just hear people preach and think of them as authorities on scripture and just trust their “sermons”. Not anymore. Because I was misled for a long time ( I don’t think any one preaches to mislead people. They just don’t know any better. I used to preach that way too!), I never take any man’s word. I go back and study what I have heard preached.

In Acts 17:11, we see that the people in Berea did the same thing. ” 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.”This is very important for each of us. This is how we all grow as we are supposed to (Eph. 4:11-16). When you hear the word being preached, take the time to go back and study it. This is how it will get access into your heart. If you find, after your study that the text was misplaced, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what he intended to teach you, but don’t take man’s word over God’s word.

In reading the whole context, its important to note that chapters and verses were put there by men and were in some cases put in the wrong places. This was done for easy reference. Take for example the epistles (letters). When people like Paul were writing the letters, they did not put any chapters or verses in the letters. It was just one letter written to the people. If you invest the time in reading the whole letter, you will get a better understanding of what he (the writer) was saying.

So, whether you are revising a sermon you heard or just doing your own bible study, its important to read the whole context to get the big picture.

6. Let go of you own opinions

What we think the word says and what the word says are two different things. This has really put us in a lot of mess.

We must realise that the devil uses our mind (where thoughts are processed and opinions formed) to “sell” us his ideas. It is the same trick he used in Eden when he talked to Eva and its the same trick he uses today. Thank God, though, that we can beat him at his own game by learning from what happened in the garden. If you take time to study the fall of man in genesis, you will realize that man messed up by listening to something that was added to what God had said.

The word says that God’s word has been tried (Ps. 12:6, 18:30, Prov. 30:5). It is to our advantage to realise that God’s word is the only thing that has been from the beginning and it will be the only thing that remains. your opinions may change based on circumstances or new revelation but God’s word is the same. instead of adding your opinions to the word, use the word to change your opinions or even better, get rid of your opinions and just rely on the word.

This is very hard for people because every one feels like their opinions matter and because opinions are to do with logic, they seem to make sense to the carnal mind. What we need to realise though is that God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours and so, we need to stop living at the “man level” and rise up to the level we have been called to – that is to sit together with Jesus in the heavenly places.

We have been given the mind of Christ so that we can grasp the truths the Holy Spirit reveals to us in order to live the life we have been designed to live as children of the most High God. Let us let go of our opinions and take God at his word. Just use the word to explain or interpret the word. Not your opinion.

I really believe that if you take theses six things and implement them in your bible study, they will be of great benefit to you.

Until next time,

Stay blessed & keep the faith!

Love you!

Moses Kangave