READ YOUR BIBLE!

"So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17

Turn with me if you will in your Bible to the book of John. Chapter 1. Verses 1& 2. 

When you have it; say amen. 

It reads:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning."

Hmm. Interesting. Why was the "W" in Word capitalized? Good Question. Let's continue in verse 14.

"Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory - the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the father."

Wait a minute, that sounds like...

JESUS! 

Is Jesus the Word of God?!

It sure looks like it. Jesus was with God in the beginning (because He is God). 

Jesus also came in the flesh to earth as the Son of God. Verse 14 says the Word came from the Father. Jesus is the Son. It's plain as day. Even after verse 14 it talks about how John the Baptist testified about him - emphasis on "Him" because John testified about the coming of this "Him" - who we know as Jesus - in the new testament. 

Aside from that extremely deep fact that you may or may not have known already... The Bible - also talks about The Bible - in The Bible. 

Hebrews 4:12 states "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." 

2 Timothy 3:16 states "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness"

The Bible is clearly no joke. It's not just a book. It's the Word of God. It's the truth. It sets the foundation of how we got here today and where we are going. From the book of Genesis, starting off with how mankind was created and how sin entered the world - to Revelations and how the world is going to end - it's packed with literally EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW. Any topic of life can be found in The Bible. All of the answers to life's questions. If The Bible never existed, what would we base our faith off of? "So then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17 <-- See, even The Bible knows how important it is. 

Even Jesus used the scriptures while being tempted in the wilderness by the enemy. (Read Matthew 4:1-11) There were 3 times where the enemy tried to misconstrue the Word and Jesus had to correct him with the actual word. (It was pretty dumb for the enemy to try to use the Word of God against God when clearly, "the Word was with God and the Word was fully God."" 

In fact, in the very first instance of the three, Matthew 4:4 says "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.'" 

Word.

This particular instance shows us a few key things about how important it is to read The Bible and KNOW IT:

1. The enemy is familiar with the scriptures, and he misconstrues it all the time. That's why it's important to actually know it for yourself so you can tell the difference. If he did it to Jesus, what makes you think he won't try it with you?

2. Having the actual Word of God engrained in our minds and in our hearts protects us from the attacks of unbelievers/doubters/the enemy. 

3.We need to know the words that are coming/have come from the mouth of God with as much (if not more) importance as eating food. It's what we literally live off of. 

Next time you have some quiet time try this:

First; pray. Enter with thanksgiving. Give God praises and worship Him. Nothing else. This will set the environment. 

Then; read your Bible. Really read it, don't skim through it. You can read a verse. You could read a chapter. It doesn't matter how long or short or what you read. Just make sure you really read it and take it in. Take notes if you have to along the way with questions and concerns you may have.

Then; pray again. This time pray for guidance and understanding. Tell God your concerns and ask for wisdom concerning whatever it is you're having trouble understanding. Ask for forgiveness. Be honest with God. He already knows what you're thinking before you even think it, so there's no point in trying to hold anything back. 

Then; listen. Listen to what God has to say. 

Finally; praise and worship Him again. He deserves it. 

If you get into a habit of doing this or some variation of this at some point each day - your relationship with God will increase as your knowledge increases. You'll feel better on the inside because your filling yourself up with His word. Your faith will increase.

Just to name a few.

There have been times where I've been reading The Bible and ideas have randomly popped into my mind to create or go in certain directions. There have been times where I've been going through something and just randomly opened up The Bible and it landed on some scriptures that spoke directly on my situation. There have been several times where a Bible verse that I learned, helped out a friend in need. 

What would I be without The Word? Who would I be without Jesus?

READ YOUR BIBLE! It's good for you! 

(imagine me saying that like a parent that wants you to eat your vegetables) 

God Bless.