When I first devoted my life to the Lord, I had no idea of the immense significance of the Bible. At that time, I only knew a handful of the Ten Commandments. I happened to attend a church that emphasized worship far above any Bible teaching. So, for the longest, I thought the Bible was a rule book.
It wasn’t until God began to reveal Himself to me that He stirred up in me this unquenchable thirst and hunger to know Him. Church alone just wasn’t enough to feed me. Worship alone wasn’t enough to reach Him.
Who was this God Almighty who knew me perfectly and loved me unconditionally? What did He desire from me? Where was my place in this world? Why was life so hard? How would my life change now that it was being held in His loving hands?
When I needed answers, the Holy Spirit drew me to God’s Word, the Holy Bible.
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 corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. –2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Bible is so much more than a rule book, a self-help manual, or an encyclopedia of facts about God and His people. It is God’s living, breathing, divine revelation of Himself to human beings. In 66 books, it tells of His grand plan of redemption for mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ.
What I didn’t know in the beginning of my spiritual walk with God was that in order to truly know God, I needed to know His Word. Knowing God through the Bible answers our deepest needs and life’s difficult questions.
- Knowing God through the Bible strengthens our faith in God and leads us to cling to His promises.
- Knowing God through the Bible transforms our view of our earthly and spiritual lives.
- But most of all, knowing God through the Bible, shows us Jesus, the Word of God personified.
It always amazes me to hear that for centuries, year after year, the Bible remains the number one selling book of all time. The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years with over 40 divinely-inspired authors who were from different time periods, occupations, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Yet, the Bible endures.
No matter the time, culture, political changes, social norms, spiritual diversity, or philosophical theories…God’s Word endures. God’s Word is just as He is…always true, error-free, relevant, unchanging, and uncompromising. In a world that is constantly changing, believers will always have an unchanging constant – God and His Word.
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. – Hebrews 4:12
We read the Bible, in order to understand God’s heart, to have an intimate and genuine encounter with Him, and inevitably to become more like Him.
We read the Bible to gain God’s power. God’s Word is the weapon we use to overcome temptation, sin, and our struggles in this broken world. It is the power that renews our minds and aligns our hearts with God. It is the power that transforms our mindset, our attitudes, and our behaviors.
We read the Bible, because it is our light in this dark, broken world. It directs our way to God and His ways when everything around us is chaotic and bleak. God’s Word makes our path clear and will accurately guide each of our choices and decisions. The sure way to find God in the messiness of life is to open up His Word.
We were created by God, for Him. But in order for us to know Him, we must know His Word. Knowing God intimately is worth the investment in time, energy, and sacrifice it takes to read and study His Word.
God’s Word will never fail us, because God never fails us.
God’s Word will endure, because God endures.
How can we pray for you as you seek God’s guidance and wisdom in His Word?
Peace and grace to you,
Terria serves on the LGG encourager and social media teams. She lives in Virginia with her husband. She is a proud mother of two beautiful girls in college. Her passion is igniting and empowering women to grab hold of God’s truth and cling to it. She can be found hard at work in military hospitals listening to patients’ stories, while sharing the love that God has poured out in her life. Despite the sometimes chaotic circumstances of Terria’s life, God always shows Himself strong and loving.
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Tertiary, Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I grew up in a church setting that used the King James Version. I had a very hard time understanding the words and there were no commentary notes at the bottom to assist in interpretation. I did not like reading, not realizing that
like you said, the Bible IS how we get to know God and gain His power! As an adult, I’m slowly beginning to comprehend this. Thanks again!
Terria…..my auto correct mispelled you name, sorry about that.
Patrice,
I know the feeling. My first Bible was a teen study Bible. I was an adult! But I needed to understand His Word. It was humbling, but I didn’t care what people thought. To this day, I still have that bible. I love it! Praying that both you and I will persevere to learn even more and more about God through His Word!❤️
~Terria
How do you use God’s Word when facing temptation?
Hi Sandy,
Your question is very broad so it’s difficult to answer without specifics. However, I am always tempted. Everyday, I face some sort of temptation. So this is what I do…
I have memorized these verses.
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
I force myself to remember that my temptation is not unique. Everyone faces temptation! I also remember that even though my temptation feels strong, God is stronger. He knows exactly what I can endure and he controls even the strength of the temptation. He won’t let me be tempted beyond my ability. And whatever temptation God allows, He also ALWAYS provides “the way of escape”—and He gives me the grace to keep from sinning. He won’t always remove the temptation, but He will give me the grace to “endure it” without falling. So I always look for the way of escape.
The other thing I do is study others in the Bible who face temptation. I read about King David
who was tempted when he saw Bathsheba and gave in to that temptation (2 Samuel 11:2-5). I look at the steps that led to the temptation. I also read about the consequences. I also read about King David avoiding the temptation to kill King Saul who tried to kill him. In 1 Samuel 24 David spares Saul’s life when he had opportunity and reason to kill him.
Another good example to read about is Joseph in Genesis who faced so much temptation but was able to avoid it. In Genesis 42, Joseph avoided the temptation to take revenge of his brothers when they had been so cruel to him.
So, basically I read God’s Word to remind myself of His promises about temptation. And I read examples of ppl in the Bible who gave in to temptation and the consequences of their choices. I also read of examples of ppl in the Bible who were able to avoid temptation and study how they were able to do that.
I pray this helps you! Please please please inbox me on Facebook or DM me in Instagram to share more specific details. Let me know if there is anything else I can share! ❤️
~Terria
Thank you for this blog post. It is such an encouragement! You asked for prayer requests, so I will ask you to pray for a firme who is doing this study with me. When she reads God’s Word she only sees the “bad news”, never the good news. She sees human effort, but never the grace of God. She sees God’s expectations, but never his mercy. Actually I have several friends like this. Please join me in praying that God breaks through to their hearts and minds as He did yours, giving them a hunger to know Him and the ability to find Him in His wonderful Word.
Hi Gayle,
I, too, have friends who have slowly drifted from God due to the hardships and painful circumstances of life. They have lost their love for God, and believe that He has lost His love for them. I pray for them daily. I will add your friends to my prayer. ❤️
Father God, I pray for Your daughters who are blinded, broken-hearted, and bruised by their disappointment and pain of this world. Lord, please don’t allow this world to squeeze out Your love in their hearts. Lord, open their hearts to be submerged in Your love, Your grace, and Your mercy. Allow them to taste of Your goodness. Send them godly tangible examples of Your goodness and kindness. Lord, help them to experience how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is for them. Draw them back to You. Increase their hunger and thirst for all that You are. Inspire them to love You with all their hearts, their souls, and the strength. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Yes, yes and yes! The early we start studying his word the better! But we me I was in my 40s before I final realized how important it was to take the time and read his word! You said just what I believe to be true. AMEN to that!!!!!
Hi Cindy!
I gave my life to the Lord as an adult. Like you, it took me years to understand just how powerful, how vital, and how meaningful the Bible would be to my life. I wish I could make the Bible plain and easy to understand for every woman I encounter so that they would truly see the power within it. It has been my dream and prayer…especially for young girls. The Bible has the answers to every question, every dilemma, every problem. How do we make people believe that, Cindy?!? I guess, prayer is a start. I pray that you and I are able to make a meaningful and godly impact with all the people we encounter so that they will begin to value the promises of God in His Word. Thank you so much for your encouragement! ❤️