Armor! Part 4

A Clear Vision of the Armor we should wear

Class 4- 1 hour- How to get into the Word of God and WHY?

This is not our last class but almost as important as the last class. It’s the power of the Word of God.  And how in the world we learn how to use it. 

Just like you plug in your phone or Ipad to have power, you need to plug into the Word so you have power to fight the enemy.  You can easily be fooled into a truth that is not the truth.

You need the Truth, not to be swayed this way and that way like the trees in the wind.  You need the TRUTH of GOD so you know the Truth and won't be swayed by others who decided their truth should be your truth.  You could say, like now?  Nope, I am speaking through the WORD of God and it is not designed to please me, it's designed to disciple me and to teach me what is true.  That devil is a sneaky one, he will take and pervert the WORD of God for his own good.  You have to know it.  I MEAN KNOW IT!  Deep, abiding faith and deep down know the Word of God.  

Find your Bible, yep, you.  Did you get it?  I will wait...

Now hold up your Bible (no, this is originated by Joel Osteen).  Repeat after me please.  This is my Bible, I am what it says I am, I have what is says I have.  I can do what it says I can do.  It is the incorruptible, indestructible, ever living, ever breathing WORD of God.  My mind is alert, my heart is receptive and my ears are open.  I will never be the same in Jesus' mighty name, Amen. 

How many of you read your Bible?  How many of you set aside a specific time to read it?  If you do, great!  What is working for you?  If you are reading it but not allowing the Lord to soak into your soul or heart because you are doing it out of religiosity, STOP!

Stop right where you are! Breathe!  Now let's talk about this.  Even the Pharisees knew the WORD of the Lord and they became legalistic.  They stopped everyone for doing the "wrong" thing, even Jesus!

Now, lets dig a bit and see what you think we should do after this. 

So, today we will talk about how it is part of our sword.  Why it’s important and how we can effectively read the Word and get something out of it.  We again will be using other authors and some great tools to allow us to dig in deeper. 

I had heard the other day that many people come to the Lord in the toughest times.  They may begin their walk with him, their prayer life increases, their need to find a place to worship this God that they found.  They need answers to their questions. 

So how do we get into the Word? 

How do we even start?

Again, I asked many I know what they thought of reading their Bibles.

Our eldest daughter Jessica said this about that: I think learning to read the bible is more difficult for me and I first tackled it has a timeline and history lesson. Getting side notes to set the scene for the social climate and customs for the Old Testament helps understanding of it. The Story by Max Lucado goes thru the bible on a historical time line instead by books was good for me to understand better. Also, my bible explains what each book of the bible is about, author, etc. which I like. It isn't easy understanding the bible, interpreting its meaning from the ancient language it originated from. I often will read section of the bible after a sermon or some kind instructional so that I can see its meaning and not fear I am misinterpreting it. The New Testament is much easier to read I think. I will often look up a key word too, if it is something I want learn about and go to the scriptures written with that word. Let me know if you need anything else:)Jess

My cousin Utahna states that her reading is like this: as far as reading His word, I have been negligent in the past, but as I grew deeper with our Lord in prayer, my hunger for all things Godly increased...God's Word satisfies that craving💕

My Friend Darcy- How did you learn to read your Bible?

I watched a girl her Bible at camp every night before bed.  I asked her about it – she told me it helps her to feel better.  I started doing that and did so off and on through my life.  I spent years and years in the Psalms and Proverbs, and at one point I even spent a lot of time in the devotion section because reading the actual Bible felt difficult and painful for someone who followed God, just not closely.  Now I am in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and it has been the best thing to get me to think deeply about scripture.  I just took a class and it reminded me to read the Bible for connection only not fill in the blank studies.  This is where I do experience hearing from God the most.

What tools do you use for both?

For prayer: Journal, wrote, praying out loud and inviting friends to pray also.  For Bible reading: The concordance, I also pray before I read for God to show me what He wants me to see.  All of these things produce areas to practice humility because I can be led astray from these disciplines as easily as anyone that in and of itself is what puts God in to perspective for me.  He always takes me back and for this I am grateful.



From Teri- a friend since High school- I don’t believe I learned to pray or read Gods Word by an exact outline. Yes of course to me the basics are yes read the Word each day. Pray and worship Him all go together! And the more you do these the closer you get to our loving Father Jesus Christ and that is a personal experience that teaches you. I’ve read the Word of God for years and years. And yes many of those years were reading the Word daily. But I never understood or comprehended it personally. You know where it comes alive and isn’t boring until I was baptized. I was already saved when I got baptized. That is, I had already verbally accepted God as my savior. Said out loud that I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Baptism was to show others what was going on inside of me and boy let me tell you after that God opened the eyes of my heart!! I comprehended the Word and couldn’t get enough of it.  It wasn’t boring and that totally shocked me!!  I’m not saying this will happen to everyone else, because it is truly an individual relationship with Our God. But for everyone I can say that a tool I recommend is when life gets hard for whatever reason if I just stop and read a few verses here and there even if it’s like every twenty minutes (this is beside my daily reading)
 All of these amazing women, some came out of denominations that were legalistic or lacked, some came to Jesus because of a major issue, and some grew up in the faith.  All ARE Loved BY Jesus!  They are important in the Kingdom and so are you, the reader!
 
 So, maybe you’re asking yourself, that’s all good but how do you get into the word?

I must confess, at times I want so badly to just soak in and read the Word.  I want to take it in like a long hot bath.  But my mind runs so fast it’s hard to keep it running slow enough to sit and do one thing at a time.  But when I break it down into bite size morsels, I can take it slower and relax enough to get something out of it.  One tool I have found that really gets me into the Word is a Bible Study Journal called Quieting Your Heart by Darlene Schacht, The Time-Warp Wife.  It’s awesome for me.  I can read as much or as little, I can write it down, what God’s doing in it, who God is in it, things I am thankful for and what I learned from it. 

Sometimes my pride gets in the way and reading it, ah well, “it’s just that I have taught it for so long there is thing new”. Nonetheless that is false and a lie.  Because there is always something that I did not know or did not apply to my own life. 

So, how can I teach you if I haven’t read it myself?  Well, that would be shameful wouldn't it?  I do read it almost daily.  How?  I will read something and it triggers a question or a scripture that has been shared and I go digging, then I become to dig digger.  So, here’s a question for you?  How did you get to learn about someone or something?  You asked questions, you studied, you dug in to find the answers.   You sit down for just a few minutes and ask the Lord to show you where He desires you.  Time and again, he has taken me into Psalms when I have struggled so hard understanding myself or why Lord, WHY!  At times He has prompted me into Proverbs to help me gain wisdom and understanding.  I love Wisdom.  Take a peek starting with Proverbs 1 and see for yourself.   It is written by Solomon, David's son who really did seek the Lord.  You will see that he talks about wisdom right in the 2nd verse.

I know this is a lot to take in, but we are not done yet.  Do you have your Bible?  Have you looked up any of these verses or have you taken the words on the page as truths? 

Any time anyone gives you a scripture, be it a Pastor, friend, website, blog, look it up.  Do not take the word of man over the WORD of the Lord. 
The Lord is amazing, but if we don't dig in, we will never know for our very self that He is.  If we take our Pastor's word for it or even my word for it, we will not find out that He is loving.  Yes, he can be judging, because that is his position in our lives.  How can we ever be a better us if we are not disciplined to be better? 

One of the ways we can learn is to use the SOAP method, especially if you really want to know HIM.  It's a way to dig in and let your brain understand and really get it.  I admit to you, I have not use this method because I am learning to journal it and that works for me. 
We have to learn what type of learning works for us.  When we open it in a flash, read it and close it again, are we really understanding what we are learning?  Do we really soak in what God desires for us and our life?  I am not so sure. 
On the other hand, maybe that is all you have time for today.  

From Stormie Omartian

No spiritual battle can be fought and won without our greatest weapon – the Word of God.
God's Word was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is God-breathed. Each writer of the Bible was moved by the Spirit as his gifts and intellect were used by God to speak to them and through them. The Word of God is so powerful that it is a double-edged sword in our hands (Hebrews 4:12). That means it is a defensive as well as offensive weapon. As prayer warriors, we need both.
Excerpt taken from page 105 of The Power of a Prayer Warrior http://bit.ly/1Uwsb3Z

 I love Rachel Wojo and her blog.  She is an incredible woman of God who teaches the things we need to know. Her blog is http://rachelwojo.com/bible-study-beginners/

She says “In the past two weeks, I’ve received the same question from so many of you. That question has been:

How do I begin to read and study the Bible for myself?

So today on Whimsical Wednesday, we’re doing something a little less whimsical and a little more practical- Bible Study for Beginners. I’m outlining the same information in this post that I send to each email request so that we can all read, share and learn together. Here we go.

The first question often asked, especially through the Bible Reading Challenge, is:

If I’m a beginner reader of the Bible, where do I start?

The first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels- they are the story of Christ’s life from his disciples, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The book of John is written very simply and easy to understand. John also wrote three letters called I John, II John and III John.

My recommendation for beginner readers is to begin with the epistles of I, II and III John, then move on to the book of John. It’s always helpful to have a reading plan so that you can be accountable to follow through on your intentions. At Biblegateway.com you can find a printable Bible reading plan for the book of John. Now I know it’s called “Children’s Bible Reading Plan,” but this plan is great for anyone who wants to begin to read the Bible. You can also find this plan in the Olive Tree Bible App.

My next recommendations for a beginner to read the Bible, after the book of John, are:

I John, II John, & III John

Matthew

Mark

Luke

After completing the above, you could easily begin any formalized reading plan, such M’Cheyne, which is the one I am using for the Bible Reading Challenge. And there are multiple others listed right here.

So after determining where to begin to read the Bible, the next question I receive most is:

How do I study the Bible?

One of the easiest ways to study the Bible is using this simple Bible study guide– 4 questions you can use for any chapter of the Bible.

Precept Ministries offers a simple Bible study guide for the entire Bible, which you can find here.

I have 4 simple Bible study tips you can find here for when you feel that you’d like to dig in more than a simple guide.

So we’ve answered two of the questions I frequently receive via email! Yay! And now I would LOVE it if you’d share your simple Bible study plans, tips, and guides with us, especially anything that might help beginners since this post is geared towards those who are new to studying the Bible.

Happy Wednesday!

Rachel”

Those 4 questions? 

She goes on to say Today I’m excited to give you a simple Bible study guide for any chapter of the Bible. When reading through the Bible in larger segments as we are doing in the Bible Reading Challenge for this year, it can feel like too much to study the Bible in depth or be involved in a structured study at the same time.

I’ve found that I can manage participating in a structured study for 4-8 weeks while doing the Bible Reading Challenge, but then I need to take a break for a few weeks or more. For the last several summers, I’ve found that the summer is a time when I really need a structured Bible study. The accountability and Christian interaction that structured Bible studies provide is priceless.

This summer, however, with our family events and my ministry commitments, I believe that through prayer, I have peace about focusing on the Bible Reading Challenge without leading or participating in a structured Bible study. Therefore, I’m going to add a little more thought into what I’m doing daily for the Bible Reading Challenge.

All of the above strategy for Bible reading and spiritual growth is just my summary of what has worked for me. Everyone is different! Your schedule, your current life demands, God’s whisper to your heart…all of those play a role in determining what method and what study will work for you. Having said all that, today I wanted to provide the questions I typically ask myself as I study a Bible chapter. Each day I’m going to read through the four chapters of the Bible Reading challenge and then choose one chapter of the four to answer the following journal questions:

1.    Which verse in this chapter stood out as I read through the passage?

2.     How can I summarize this chapter in three or four sentences?

3.     What does this chapter or the verse I chose in question 1 mean to me?

4.     How can I apply this chapter or the verse from question 1 today?

Often for question number 4, I don’t answer the question at the end of the reading, but I think, pray and meditate on it for a while or off and on throughout the day and then write in my journal or type in my app when I have a few moments.

I grew up thinking through the Bible study steps of observation, interpretation, and application. I’m sure those original steps belong to a well-known teacher; I just learned them from my pastor while I was a teenager.   Feel free to customize the questions to your own preferences or make your own list of questions from scratch, but my hope is that the thoughts in this short guide will assist you in daily reading and studying God’s Word either in a group study or on your own.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… —Matthew 11:29

“Whom the Lord loves He chastens…” (Hebrews 12:6). How petty our complaining is! Our Lord begins to bring us to the point where we can have fellowship with Him, only to hear us moan and groan, saying, “Oh Lord, just let me be like other people!” Jesus is asking us to get beside Him and take one end of the yoke, so that we can pull together. That’s why Jesus says to us, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Are you closely identified with the Lord Jesus like that? If so, you will thank God when you feel the pressure of His hand upon you.

“…to those who have no might He increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29). God comes and takes us out of our emotionalism, and then our complaining turns into a hymn of praise. The only way to know the strength of God is to take the yoke of Jesus upon us and to learn from Him.

“…the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Where do the saints get their joy? If we did not know some Christians well, we might think from just observing them that they have no burdens at all to bear. But we must lift the veil from our eyes. The fact that the peace, light, and joy of God is in them is proof that a burden is there as well. The burden that God places on us squeezes the grapes in our lives and produces the wine, but most of us see only the wine and not the burden. No power on earth or in hell can conquer the Spirit of God living within the human spirit; it creates an inner invincibility. Wisdom From Oswald Chamber

If your life is producing only a whine, instead of the wine, then ruthlessly kick it out. It is definitely a crime for a Christian to be weak in God’s strength.



What I would show you is not the Gospels first, but James.  James is the brother of Jesus, father is Joseph.   Then I would take on Romans and then one of the Gospels, John, then Mark, then Matthew and then Luke.  I would then precede to Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon, 1, 2, 3 John.  Then decide what stirs your heart.  Don't just read through them because you want to get done but read through them because you want to change your heart for HIM in created you. 

 

Okay, we are almost done!

We are going to go digging into the word for a bit to understand a little more about where the books are.

Are you ready?

Let’s go find James 4: 1-7

Okay, let’s go to Titus 3: 4-7

Let’s run to Colossians 1:3-23

Just a few more, just to get your fingers and your heart ready to do this without me. 

Ephesians 4: 17-5:1

Proverbs 1:8-33

Now, most people run from these because it just seems either boring or too much work.  But we are going to tackle the hard things of reading in a book or two that will enlighten your senses.

Let’s roll over to the book of 1 Chronicles 3

Lastly, we are heading into 2 Samuel 23

That wasn’t so bad was it?  It allows us awaken our spirit and it also allows us to come into His presence through understanding that we are His and we desire to know more. 

In some denominations they are told you can’t understand the Bible so don’t try.  That’s really sad because of so many reasons.  With so many versions of the Bible, and now The Story, you can read and understand it.

Ask God to give you a hunger for His Word, his teaching, his magnificent Word.  Grow with Him and in Him.

 

Lastly from…

Pursuing Purity.com

I know a lot of people that don’t read the bible for many reasons such as:

1. “It’s too hard to understand.”

2. “I don’t know where to start.”

3. “It’s boring.”

Let’s talk about this!

Excuse #1 “It’s too hard to understand.”

Let me just say that there are A LOT of bible translations out there! Some are easy to read and others are hard. Each translation has a specific reading level. Here are the common used ones by grade level highest to lowest:

1. King James Version (KJV) Reading level: 12th grade (This has the ‘thy, thou, shalt, etc.’ vocabulary)

2. New American Standard Bible (NASB) Reading level: 11th grade

3. New King James Version (NKJV) Reading level: 9th grade

4. English Standard Version (ESV) Reading level: 8th grade

5. New International Version (NIV) Reading level: 7th grade

6. New Living Translation (NLT) Reading level: 6th grade

Check out what your bible version is!

Excuse #2 “I don’t know where to start.”

There is no ‘right’ place on where to start. But here are some recommendations.

1. Read the story of Jesus

You can read the story of Jesus in either Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. I recommend reading John.

2. Start with Proverbs or Psalms

These books are good to start out with for beginners. They are easy to read and great for life application. It’s more instructive rather than a story line.

 Excuse #3 “It’s boring.”

I think one of the reasons why people say it’s boring is because they are unfamiliar with the different categories that the bible contains. I mean, if I opened the bible to Deuteronomy and started reading, I would fall asleep too! Certain books of the bible are a breeze to go through and some aren’t. Here is a quick rundown of the different categories in the bible (in order).

OLD TESTAMENT

1. The Law (the first 5 books)

Genesis (creation story), Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.

2. History

Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther

3. Poetry (FYI: No rhyming here!)

Job, Psalms, Proverbs (AKA The book of wisdom), Ecclesiastes, and Songs of Solomon

4. Major Prophets

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel

5. Minor Prophets

Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi

NEW TESTAMENT

6. The Gospels (Story of Jesus)

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John- you can compare these too, because each has their own version of who Jesus is and what they remember.

7. Church History

Acts

8. Paul’s Letters to the Churches

Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1&2 Thessalonians

9. Paul’s Letters to Friends

1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon

10. General Letters

Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, Jude, and Revelation

Each category is different. Some are written like a story and others are written like a letter.

Hope this helps!

From Love God Greatly blog, Whitney.

When God is left out, our wisdom becomes worldly. It doesn’t take long, does it? The longer we spend time away from God’s Word – especially in times of doubt – the more we let the world’s words and ways take over in our hearts and minds instead of Truth. Beloved, the world’s wisdom never, ever satisfies. But wisdom from God is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. – James 3:17

When God is left out, our witness suffers. Our lives are constantly telling a story – pointing others either to or away from Christ. When we leave God out of our answers to this life, we are not only contributing to our own futility; we also miss the opportunity to speak hope and truth to a dying world. God has called us to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Matthew 28:19). How can we preach the gospel to the lost if we can’t even preach it to ourselves? 

When God is left out, our souls are left longing. Augustine summarized it best: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they can find rest in You.” Even when Solomon acknowledged that wisdom is better than folly, his heart was still restless at the thought of death that comes to all. Similarly, our tendency towards gospel-amnesia takes our focus off of the fact that for the believer, death is not the end… and that whatever we acquire in this world can never compare to a relationship with God and eternity in heaven with Him.

Let’s Talk: Where in the details of your life have you left God out of the equation? 

The good news is that in Chapter 2 verse 24 God’s name is mentioned once again. Trust me, you’ll hear the difference. His name exceeds anything that this world could ever offer. Our hearts don’t have to be restless anymore. Let’s put God back into our conversations and fully live in and proclaim this sure hope to the world!

·         I am competent not in my own abilities but because He has made me competent by His Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:5–6)

·         I abide in Christ, He abides in me, and I bear much fruit. (John 15:5)

·         I have the mind of Christ; therefore, I act in a way that is consistent with His actions. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

·         He will never leave me nor will He forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5)

·         I do no look with disdain upon my weaknesses. I see them as an opportunity for God to display His powerful strength and grace through me. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

·         There is no weapon formed against me that can prosper, and every tongue that rises up against me in judgment shall be condemned. (Isaiah 54:17)

·         The Spirit indwells me; therefore, I am the temple of the living God. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

·         The One who is in me is greater than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

·         As an obedient daughter of the Lord and receive the prosperous abundance and blessing that He will bestow on me. (Deuteronomy 30:8–9)

·         I walk by the Spirit and do not fulfill the desires of my flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

·         I am enabled to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22–23)

·         The Lord guards my going out and my coming in, today and forever. (Psalm 121:8)

·         I have been made in the very image and likeness of God Himself. This is my heritage. (Genesis 1:27)

·         I have not been given the spirit of this world; rather, I have the Spirit of God that I might know the mind and will of God for me. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

·         My steps have been ordained and ordered by the Lord. (Psalm 37:23)

·         I am a necessary and useful part of the body of Christ, and I will use my spiritual gifts to edify others. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

·         I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

·         I have been given victory in Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

·         I am meek, and I inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

·         My ambition is to be pleasing to Him and Him alone. (2 Corinthians 5:9)

·         Rivers of living water flow out of my inner being. (John 7:37)

·         I have been chosen by God to bring forth fruit that shall remain. (John 15:16)

·         I am a brand new person. My old sin nature has passed away, and everything has become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

·         No matter my past, I am forgiven of my sins because of the lavishness of His grace upon me. (Ephesians 1:7) 

·         I have been given every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:3)

·         I am known, chosen, redeemed, forgiven, fearfully and wonderfully made, adopted into the family of God.

·         Whatever I ask for in prayer according to the Father’s will, I believe that I have received it. (Mark 11:24)

·         I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. I am one of God’s own people. (1 Peter 2:9)


http://www.mistyleask.com/tips-faithfully-study-bible/


Once you’ve taken the steps to establish a Bible study routine, now you must strive to be faithful. Setting up a schedule or routine for your Bible study is often the easy part. When life gets going and days are full is when being faithful can become challenging. This is when being intentional with our daily to dos and commitments becomes necessary.

Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips that have helped me study the Bible more faithfully. There are days that I haven’t spent time in God’s word due to my lack of planning, sickness, etc. When I follow the tips below I find that I am more faithful in my Bible study. It is my prayer that these tips are helpful to you today. It is so important that we are faithful in our Bible study time with the Lord.

Make a Commitment to God

Choosing to study the Bible faithfully requires a commitment to the Lord, to be in His word daily as much as possible. Whether you set a particular time aside each day or simply decide to read before bed, the time of day doesn’t matter…it’s about committing to spend time in God’s word faithfully.

Find an Accountability Partner

Having someone in your life that will encourage you to be in God’s word each day is very important! Life does throw us curve balls, time slips away throughout the day, etc. This is why having an accountability partner is key! Your husband, best friend or parent are great options for encouraging you to be in God’s word daily. If these are not an option, I encourage you to check out Good Morning Girls!

Set a Reminder

The truth is that life gets busy and we get focused on the needs of today. While our intentions to faithfully study the Bible are good, life just happens sometimes and if we’re not careful, Bible study can be passed up.
Whether you use your cell phone calendar, your PC calendar, a kitchen calendar or a pen and your palm, put a reminder for your Bible study time where you won’t miss it each day! Mine is on my to do list!

Try Out New Ways to Study the Bible

Don’t feel tied down to just one method of studying the Bible. There are SO many ways to study the Bible, try out different ones to see which methods work best for you.
What inspires you to dig into God’s word each day? Start there! 

Next week I’m going to share some of my favorite ways to study the Bible! There is one method that I saw recently that I really want to try that I’ll share with you too!
Remember, it’s not the time of day, the quantity of time or the method of Bible study that matters, it’s simply being faithful in studying the Bible daily.







 Just know, I am so happy you are here!  Pastor Jaye












'If you desire to go deeper into scriptures you're studying.  Go to www.biblehub.com  It's wonderful and is full of different commentaries, dictionaries, different perspectives from different writers.  It's a powerhouse to help you keep your armor on and deep ever deeper.











 

 

I