Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is
truth.
The Word of the God, the Holy Bible, is the key that unlocks the
puzzles of life.
What are the things that cause us to stop and wonder why people
behave the way they do?
The key to understanding human nature and our actions, Who God is
and what He desires of us comprises the information we have access to in the
Bible. What many persons don't know is that this information can be unlocked.
The Bible itself answers all the questions as to how to unlock the treasures in the Word.
The secrets to handling everyday
situations are can be found between the covers of the Bible. They are the principles that we
should look for and practice, but our ability to discover these treasures is subjected
to a number of conditions.
Let’s look at these conditions.
Condition 1: What is the desire of your heart?
What do we need from God's Word? What is it that our hearts desire?
A desire is a craving, want
or longing for something natural like hunger, freedom,
sleep and to know Almighty God. Desires can also be considered evil
and be revealed through greed, arrogance and murder. Read more about desires here.
The word of God contains an immense amount of truth that
is able to set us free from all the bondage we face in this life and point us
to fulfillment whether we:
- desire
freedom from a secret sin or sinful habit we indulge in ever so often
- are suffering the consequences of mismanagement of our emotions
- hunger
for a cure for hopelessness and depression
- are
uncertain about the future
- seek
light in the darkness of this world
Our Father knows what we need and He will give it to us according
to our need. He will satisfy our desires according to His perfect will for us.
Review the scriptures based on your desires. Be real with the
Lord. Tell Him what you want and allow Him to reveal His will to you through
His Word. I have many testimonies of this happening in my life. It was a way that
the Lord taught me many lessons because I sought His counsel on the situations
and persons.
In our affliction, the word of God keeps us going!
Condition 2: Prayerfully search for the treasures.
The treasures we seek are distributed in various places throughout
the Word. They are revealed in the law,
the prophets, teachings and the stories.
In order for the teaching or
principle to be established, there needs to be support for it from
multiple places in the Bible.
For instance: In the Old Testament, before someone can be
convicted of any crime, an investigation must be carried out and there has
to be 2 or 3 witnesses to support the claim that the crime was committed by the
alleged perpetrator. This has to be done before
the perpetrator is convicted of the crime.
One witness shall not rise
up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth:
at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the
matter be established.
To the law and to the testimony: if
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in
them. Isaiah 8:20
Therefore we read the scriptures examining them line upon line and
precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. Isaiah 28:10,13
Christ’s Example
In St John 5:33-47, Christ used the same principle of using
multiple witnesses to testify of His identity:
1. He stated that John testified of Him as the Son of God
2. The miracles He performed
3. Many other scriptures testify of Christ
4. Moses prophesied about Christ
5. God Almighty plants the desire in our hearts so that we want to
know more about Christ.
Truth is in multiple places in the Bible.
The scenarios may vary in the Old and New Testaments but the
principles stay the same just like the nature of God never changes.
Condition 3: Obedience unlocks more revelation.
The more we lovingly obey what the Lord teaches us from His Word, the more truth/
principles He will reveal to us. When we
allow the Word of God to take root in our lives, we become changed from the
inside out. We learn and we grow, and we represent the kingdom of God Almighty
in a truthful and holy light.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works.
My Testimony
I am an intellectual. By that, I mean that I like to study. I like
when my cognitive domain is stimulated. This has allowed me to appreciate
studying the original contexts, some maps and genealogies found in the Bible
that establish the physical truth contained therein. I also started looking at
the original languages in order to understand and establish doctrine. Soon, I
started reading books I felt the Lord was impressing upon my spirit to read
like the Psalms, Isaiah and all the books of the New Testament. I was amazed at
what I was learning and the remarkable thing otherwise is that whenever I read the
same scriptures multiple times, I learn something new each time!
Now, understand this that nothing is wrong with expanding your knowledge
base. I enjoy educational pursuits. This is how my Heavenly Father created me! But, He soon revealed something to me. I
realized the Lord was communicating with me through 2 different persons I had encountered
at different times. They said to me that I should take the scriptures from the pages and secure them in my heart.
Now, remember that I admitted that I love knowledge but now the
Lord wanted to take things a step further. A step deeper. It was another life-changing
moment for me.
I started reading the Bible but, this time it was not for mental
stimulation. I started reading for transformation every time. Sometimes I read
the original languages when I encountered a word I found interesting or was repeated
in the passage of scripture; but the aim is for my life to reflect what is on
the page.
The Lord indeed said that I should be transformed by the renewing
of my mind! Romans 12: 2
Intentionally reading
the Bible to become transformed by it is where our reading and study time should be.
It’s Your Turn to Share
In the comments below, share:
- What is your testimony about how the Word of God has changed your life?
- Do you have a favourite Bible verse? What is it and why?
No comments:
Post a Comment