Studying God's Word

Satan is methodical and predictable. If Satan can’t convince you there is no God, or lead you to a false god, he will then try to convince you the Holy Bible is not God’s Word. Be ready for that challenge when the unbeliever throws that back at you.  Respectfully disagree and ask the unbeliever to sit down and go over the proofs I sent you that the Bible is indeed the unerring word of God. Ask them what do they have to lose? Tell them they have nothing to lose and everything to gain if you’re right.

If Satan can’t refute the Bible is God’s Word he will try to convince you the Bible contains so many errors it’s impossible to know what God really says. That is not true. Bible scholars agree the Bible is 99.9% accurate.  No ancient writing has been so meticulously translated and copied as the Bible. There are many thousands of copies of ancient Scripture, many from the first century or earlier, that consistently present God’s Word.  The few errors found were very minor mistakes that did not affect any church doctrine of faith.

If unbelievers tell you the Bible contains errors refute that argument. Ask them to show you or tell you what the errors are. They can’t do it because there aren’t any and they are just repeating talking points they heard from somebody else.  For 2000 years critics have been trying to discredit the Bible to no avail. The Bible has withstood ever analysis and every test thrown at it. The authenticity of the Bible is well documented so we can safely say the Bible is God’s revelation to man.

Satan’s ultimate goal is to keep man from seeking God by first denying there is a God and if that’s not possible then guide man to a false god. Satan is the god of this world and he has sponsored all the fake religions out there like Islam, Buddism, Hinduism, etc. Jehovah is the only God there is so please don’t fall for the argument all gods are the same and there is more than one way to heaven; there isn’t.

1 Peter 5:8 – Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

God tells us in Scripture He put eternity in our hearts when He made us so that we would seek Him out to fill that void in our hearts. If someone tells you they don’t believe in God ask them why because deep down they know there is something out there greater than themselves. Once you know what their stumbling block is you can tell them you can prove God exists and then pull out the physical proofs of God I’ve provided earlier.  Expect them to fall back on the theory of evolution that the education system has crammed down our throat all our lives to the point where most people accept evolution as fact. Ask the unbeliever to provide proof that the theory of evolution is correct.  They can’t.  Let them know you do have proof and then go through your proofs the Holy Bible is God’s Word which I provided earlier.

Isaiah 40:8 – The Word of God stands forever.

John 10:35 – The Scriptures cannot be broken.

Isaiah 55:11 – My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish that which I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Remember, Satan is the god of this world and he has blinded the unbeliever to the truth of God. There is not one shred of proof that the theory of evolution is valid. There is no evidence of any species having evolved one bit in recorded human history.  Have faith in God’s Word which says the world was made by God in the span of one week.  Once you get someone to question their beliefs you have a chance to prove to them the truth of God’s Word.  Our job is to lay out the facts and the rest is up to the Holy Spirit.

We can’t reach out and physically touch God anymore like the disciples could. When Jesus ascended He left us the Holy Spirit as a helper and the Holy Bible as a guide. If we plan to live a life of service to God we must organize our life around God’s Word.  Not only is this common sense it’s God’s command. As the Chinese say, a long journey begins with the first step, so immerse yourself in the Bible immediately and read it every day and pray for enlightenment. Try your best to follow God’s commands.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Matthew 24:13 – But whoever holds out to the end will be saved.

Philippians 4:11 – I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Ask for forgiveness when you fall and then get up and keep on going. God will build up your character and make you strong enough to endure anything this world can throw at you. The Bible is the very medium of life and the gateway to an eternity in heaven with God.  When any man reads or hears the word of God in the presence of the Holy Spirit eventually they will be convicted of their sin at which time the Father is revealed, leading them to believe and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Romans 10:9 – That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

2 Timothy 3:15 – And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The power contained in God’s Word, our Holy Bible, makes a nuclear bomb look like a firecracker. This earth will one day be destroyed by fire but God’s Word will stand forever. We know our citizenship is in heaven, yet God saw fit to create us and drop us into this hellhole we call earth. Why? So we can seek God, find salvation and live our lives to the glory of God Almighty.

Luke 21:33 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.

Micah 6:8 – What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

We are weak and can’t succeed on our own and God knows it. In His mercy, grace and wisdom God has given us the only tool we’ll ever need to overcome; the Holy Bible. Think of the Bible as a spiritual Swiss army knife. There is nothing the Bible can’t do. It contains God’s wisdom and power and through it we are saved unto eternal life.  The Bible is Christ-centered and a historical record of the unfolding of God’s salvation plan for man.  When we get to heaven we’ll be amazed at how much power is in God’s Word and how little it was utilized here on earth.

Matthew 1:22-23 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Philippians 3:20 – Our citizenship is in heaven.

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

The second greatest command of God (after the Great Commission) is that we pray. Prayer unlocks the storehouse of God’s riches. God wants to bless us and it’s a spiritual truth we first have to ask God to receive His blessing. We do not have because we do not ask. God always answers prayers, but  in ways that will benefit us and on His timetable.

James 4:2 – You do not have because you do not ask.

John 14:14 -If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

James 5:16 -The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Psalm 6:9 -The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

We must pray to God out of obedience. Because God hears our prayers and answers them we have an ongoing conversation with God. We’re communicating with the Almighty! When we talk with God we’re building an intimate relationship with Him. Jesus has commanded all His disciples to pray to God and set the example for us by frequently doing so Himself.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.

Colossians 4:2 – Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.

Matthew 6:6 – But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Ephesians 6:18 – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end and with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

We should be spending more time with God in prayer and asking for all things important to us because our prayers are not in vain. We should be praising God with our prayers. We become more Christ-like the more we pray which is a very good thing.  It is a divine privilege to be able to converse with the God of the universe anytime we want.  We learn to appreciate that by praying more it will strengthen our faith and our relationship with God. We were created to commune with God.

The word “fear” has a totally different definition in the Bible than we see in common usage today. It doesn’t mean to be afraid of God in the normal sense but rather to look upon God with “awe and reverence.”  All through the Bible we are told to “fear” the Lord which means it’s important,  It’s foundational in our relationship with God. We must never lose sight of the fact we are dealing with the all-powerful Creator of the universe.

Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 10:27 – The fear of the Lord prolongs life.

Proverbs 14:27 – The fear of the Lord is a foundation of life.

Psalm 2:11 – Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Job 6:14 – He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.

Once Jesus is Lord of our life our entire life should be devoted to love, worship and obedience to God. “Fear” of the Lord is essential for us to receive spiritual knowledge, understanding and wisdom.  In order to deepen our relationship with God we need to cultivate an attitude of “fearing” God. Meditate about the attributes of God to increase your fear. Use your prayer time to stoke you awe of God. To “fear” God is to be in a right relationship with Him.

Justification is the one time process of being “justified” or saved unto eternal life, which happens during our lifetime here on earth by our own free will choice. After we get to heaven God will free us from the presence of sin, which we call “glorification”. Justification and glorification are both actions taken by God for which we have no part.

Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Sanctification is the lifetime process of becoming more spiritually mature and emulating Christ over time. This is the period from our salvation to our death. While sanctification is still a process accomplished by God, this time we are required to participate.

Romans 8:29 – From all eternity God’s plan was for us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.

We become sanctified through relying on the Holy Spirit and exercising spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, Bible study, memorization of Scripture, giving and serving. We will never be able to quit sinning this side of heaven but we can sin less.  As we humbly walk through this life with our God our goal is to sin as little as possible and when we do sin to immediately ask God to forgive us, which Scripture says He will do.

John 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Our spiritual growth is empowered by the Holy Spirit but we must “show up” for God. We present ourselves before the Lord when we exercise spiritual discipline. We must initiate the sanctification process by giving God something to work with. If you do nothing to gain knowledge, understanding and wisdom you disobey God and you will remain on spiritual milk and not much use to God down here on earth. Disobedience equals lack of reward in heaven. The choice is yours.

All Christians should know well the three step process of salvation referred to as justification, sanctification and glorification. The heart of the gospel message is that we can be saved through faith in Christ. God saves us by His grace through our faith alone. This is a free gift of God that can’t be earned. Jesus Christ died a substitutionary and atoning death on the cross in our place and on our behalf.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The moment we believe in Jesus and place our trust in Him to be our Lord and Savior our eternal destination changes from hell to heaven. This is what we call “justification”. Through the spiritual truth of imputation the sins of all men were transferred, or imputed, onto Christ while He hung on the cross. Jesus bore the wrath of God for our sins.

Romans 5:1 – Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:7 – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Once we are freed from the penalty of sin, eternal death, we are regenerated by our new birth in Christ. We are “born again”. Justification is a one time instantaneous event through which we are saved. At that point our walk with God is just beginning.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

In return, Jesus Christ, the sinless one, the Son of God, imputed, or transferred, His righteousness onto us so that when God looks upon us He sees only the righteousness of His beloved Son. Our sins have been wiped clean. We have a God that loves us that much.

A recurring theme in the Bible is that we should always look back and remember what God has done for us in the past. Looking back on God’s fulfilled promises gives us confidence that God will be faithful to us now and in the future. We can count on God to keep His promises and to do what is right and perfect. Looking at what God has done will tell you what God will do because God never changes.

Malachi 3:6 – I am the Lord, I do not change.

Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Psalm 102.27 – But You are the same, and Your years will have no end.

James 1:17 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

It would be a mistake to focus only on the New Testament and ignore or gloss over the Old Testament as outdated because we are under the new blood covenant of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is part of God’s Word and is relevant and everlasting. Omit it at your peril. The Old Testament was validated in its entirety by Jesus during His ministry.

Matthew 5:17 – Do not think that I came to destroy the Law of the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

Matthew 5:18 – For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass away from the law till all is fulfilled.

While the Israelites were wandering in the desert of Sinai for forty years God gave them food from heaven each day (manna) so that the Israelites would learn to depend on Him for their daily physical sustenance.  God also wants us to learn to depend on Him, not for His benefit, but ours. Christians today are to lean on God for our daily spiritual sustenance through the Holy Spirit, the Bible and prayer. God is all we need!

John 6:32 – Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread of heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:33 – For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

John 6:35 – I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

John 6:41 – I am the bread which came down from heaven.

John 6:48 – I am the bread of life.

The Bible uses bread as a metaphor for life; complete nourishment your body needs to remain healthy, but in a spiritual context. Remember what I said earlier about the Bible. If God repeats anything in His Word it’s important for us to know.  The more God repeats a spiritual truth the more important it is. Five times within 16 verses of the book of John God tells us He is the bread of life which is all we need. That’s like God screaming at the top of His lungs and pointing His finger at something we should take note of.