NEWS

If you treat the Bible as any other book and do not apply it to your life, then it will be boring and you won’t understand why you ever need to read it. In one of His parables, Jesus said that some people hear the word and do it, and that is why they become wiser. When problems or life storms come into their lives, they go through them with dignity. It is because what they read does not remain theoretical; for them it is applicable and practical.

1. Pray for God to give you great hunger for God’s Word.

2. Follow a balanced ‘biblical diet’.

3. Adhere to some order in your studies.

When I hear the preaching of God’s Word, God speaks to me through someone else. When I read the Word, God speaks to me directly. There are things He wants to speak to me personally, without mediators. God wants me to fellowship with Him so that He can teach me. When you hear the word through the other preaching of people, you can hear things that you do not fully understand or you might even say you do not agree with some things. However, when you fellowship with God through the reading of His Word and God reveals some things to you, you cannot say it is someone else’s opinion.

Why are there so much fear, panic, disappointment, weariness and tiredness in the lives of many believers? It is because the Word of God does not abide in them. God wants us to be filled with the Word. When we read the word of God with the understanding that we need the word daily as our source of light and direction, then we are motivated to do read it even more. Since I want to be spiritually strong and able to overcome the wicked one, I want to have the understanding of God’s purpose for my life, I want His direction as to how to carry out my assignment and I want to walk in purity in my life – and for this very reason I read God’s Word and study it on a regular basis.

You and I are in the middle of spiritual battle and we need the weapon that would help us fight and overcome the enemy. God’s Word is His weapon, His sword. If the Word is in us, we will always be able to easily overcome temptation, sin and enemy.

If God’s Word abides in us, we will be able to say as Jesus said: «It is written! It is written! It is written!» But if you are not ‘in shape’ and do not know what is written in the Word, you won’t have the necessary courage to proclaim God’s Word over your life and situation.

People “dull of hearing” are not the ones who do not listen at all; they are the ones who are not able to grasp and comprehend.

When we feed on God’s Word, this Word helps us grow spiritually. When we do not do it, we stay spiritual babies. Looking at some churches we can see that they are full of spiritual babies. This situation does not bring joy to God, because He can’t rely on spiritual babies.

God wants us to be strong and healthy not only physically, but also spiritually. We do not need ‘spiritual fasts’. We can have physical fasts in order to gain spiritual power. But in order to become spiritually strong, we should daily feed on the Word. If you do not do it, you get weaker as a believer; you get weaker in your judgments and in your faith.

When we get weaker we must ‘eat’ spiritually; that is what God’s Word is there for: «…as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby» (1 Peter, 2:2).

God’s Word is treasure we must treat right; through it we have to be established in the eternal life given to us by God. It says in the Bible: «It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter» (Proverbs, 25:2).

God cleanses me through His Word, so I have to be absorbed in it daily. It might seem to you that you are not getting anything out of it, but it is not so. When we read the Word, we receive deep cleansing, just like people get clean when they bathe. It must be done as often as possible so we would stink spiritually. If you start to notice that you are getting quick-tempered, it means you need to wash it off. If you notice your heart closing up, it means you are not reading the Word and missing the cleansing. If you notice things that do not comply with Christian standards, for example, picking a quarrel, it is a sign of not being in the Word enough.

2. God’s Word is the best ‘cleansing agent’ for a human heart.

That is sufficient reason why we need to read God’s Word. The Word cleanses me. Jesus already cleansed me by His Blood when I got saved. I am clean and have access to God without any condemnation. Yet, I still need to experience daily cleansing.