Understanding the Bible

Let’s face it; the Bible can be tough to understand. If you have been a student of the Bible for any length of time you have realized that some passages in Scripture are harder to discern than others. In my own life there has been numerous times that I have wrestled with a particular passage for some time striving to discover what that Scripture means. I want to give you the practical things that I do when I read the Bible which help me get the meaning of the text.

1. Pray- It is vitally important that you ask God to illuminate your mind to the truths of His Word. Because the Word is full of meaning, we need the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit in discerning what God wants us to learn from that passage. So, before you ever begin reading, make sure you ask for the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

2. Stay- It is always easy to go to a book that someone else has written and look at what they think the passage means however, I would challenge you not to do that initially. Kenneth Ridings, former President of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute, told us in class, “Never ever leave the text until you have a word from the text.” I have shelves of commentaries in my office that give me the opinion of other godly men, but I desire to know what God wants me to know. Don’t get frustrated to the point of leaving the text, but rather stay in the text. I would suggest reading the passage over and over until God illuminates your mind to the truth.

3. Write- Sometimes in my life reading the passage repeatedly has not been enough. There are times that I have prayed that God would illuminate my mind to the truth, I have read that particular passage dozens of times, but I still have no idea what God is telling me. When that takes place and I feel stuck, I take the time to write that passage. (Notice I said write not type! They still make paper and pens.) This can be strenuous but I have found a lot of advantages in doing this. One of the greatest advantages is you have to slow down. You cannot write as fast as you read therefore, it takes you more time to get through that passage. Also, writing the passage causes you to concentrate more on the words of the text. You concentrate more because you have to read the words and then write them on a piece of paper.

Most of the time, once I have taken these steps the Lord grants me the grace to discover the truths in the passage. I pray this helps you stay in the Word even when you feel the meaning is eluding you.

A Fresh Start

We all need a fresh start sometimes. I have spent some time looking back at my blog and wondered, "What was I thinking?" The Lord has continued to shape and prune me into what He desires me to be. By the way, I am not there by any stretch of the imagination. So, beginning next week, I will be updating this blog. The topics will range from the Bible, ministry, the church, family and who else knows! I am looking forward to this fresh start! I look forward to putting my thoughts and meditations on this blog. I hope you will take the journey with me. Let's grow together!