How To Study God's Word

Jeremiah 30:21 says "I will bring him near and he will come close to me, for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?"

If a carpenter is up on a ladder trying to work on a roof, does he get down from his ladder each time he needs a nail and look through the whole pile to choose just the right one? Or, does he carry the nails close to him in a belt that while he is on the ladder working he can easily reach in and grab the nearest… most available nail?

This is much of what the Lord is saying in Jeremiah 30:21. Which of us will come close to Jesus, and devote ourselves to being close to him…and available for him to use? This is the person who the Lord will use. J The Lord will use the person who is devoted to Him and who makes himself available and who yields his will and his life to Jesus....allowing Him to be Lord.

Proverbs 8:32-34 "Now then, my sons, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching DAILY at my doors, waiting at my doorway."

So, the first thing that I would encourage you to do to be close and to become more available to the Lord, is to spend time DAILY in God's Word, praying and waiting upon the Lord and His direction and voice for your life.

There is no hard and fast "rule" about what time of day, but I have found and heard from many others that spending time first thing in the morning, that this is the best way to start your day…before it quickly begins to "unravel". J  As I choose to count it important to draw close to the Lord, and give him the "first fruits" of my day and time and effort, He blesses it in such a way that is so amazing. We often feel as busy wives and mothers that if we get up early, we'll never have enough energy to make it through our day. This is not what I've found. I have instead seen the opposite be true….that the benefits of spending this early morning time with Jesus, FAR outweighs the few minutes of sleep I would have gotten.

If we only pray, without reading God's Word, we can be easily confused or deceived thinking we are hearing God's voice, when we may not be. We need to both read God's Word AND pray. In this way we will have the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us to have knowledge, wisdom, discernment and understanding from the Scriptures. It is a more balanced approach.

In our family we choose a book of the Bible and we switch back and forth between the Old Testament and the New Testament.  For instance I just finished James and am now in Nehemiah. If you spend between 30 to 60 min. a day reading God's Word you can easily finish the whole Bible in just one year. If you do this every year, you will begin to have God's Word written upon your heart in a wonderful way. His Word will become like a wonderful, godly "filter" that everything you see, hear, and read will be filtered through. All of us have MANY decisions we must make each and every day. We often find ourselves wishing we knew what was right  to do and what decision would be right. The more time we spend reading God's Word, and seeking his face, waiting upon him, knowing his principles the more we'll know what to do that would be right, good and biblical as we go throughout our day. 

Each morning I pray and ask the Lord to show me what he has for me.

It might be:

1. Something new and more wonderful about Himself.
2. It might be a promise of God
3. It might be a direction to follow or a command to obey
4. Or it might be a correction, or something I need to confess and make right between God and whomever else I've offended
5. Or instruction

Being alert and attentive and having an attitude of studying and purposefulness while I read really helps.  We need to have an attitude of expectancy and anticipation while we read. We don't read to just "check it off our list" of daily to do's. We read, to deepen our relationship with Christ and to KNOW Him and His principles so we can apply them to our lives.

As I read, I am concentrating.  I don't fret or worry about what I do not yet understand, instead I focus on what the Lord does make clear to me or what he does cause to "stand out" to me. The more I've read and the more I've tried to apply what the Lord has shown me, the more my understanding has grown. As we are faithful stewards of the small amount of truth we understand, the Lord is faithful to give us more wisdom, discernment and understanding!

As you read a section or passage of Scripture you are asking yourself 3 questions.

1. What is going on in this passage? What are the main facts?
2. What does it mean? What are the lessons to be learned?
3. What does it mean to me, personally? How am I going to take this Scripture and allow it to become my flesh…apart of my life?

These three questions helps us to begin to discern what God's truths are, and how to apply them to our lives by the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit.

I love that God makes it possible for anyone who is able to read to be able to learn about Him and to know his truth and his principles. He has not made it difficult or something that we cannot attain….we just need to be willing to be disciplined and read His Word that he has so graciously and lovingly given us.

Sometimes it helps to personalize the passage you're reading inserting the first person or your specific name.

Pray and ask the Lord to give you wisdom and discernment and show you ways to apply his principles and truth to your life.  He is faithful. He says he will give us wisdom if we ask for it. James 1:5

As I read Scripture, I stop when something "stands out" to me. If it is something wonderful that the Lord has done, I will stop and pray and thank God and praise him. If it is something the Lord tells me that I should be doing and I realize that I'm not...I will stop and pray and confess it to the Lord and seek his help and forgiveness. And I can ask him for what to do instead or for how to apply that truth to my life. I pray all through my Bible reading time...not just at the beginning and end. I am praying throughout my time of reading in God's Word each morning. This is what helps me to respond to the Holy Spirit's leading and guiding quickly.

Question #1 "What is going on here?" the answer is that some men come from Judah to talk with Nehemiah. They want him to help the remnant of Jews that are in Jerusalem. They are appealing to Nehemiah for his help in rebuilding the walls and in helping the people who are living in the broken down, unprotected city of Jerusalem. The people are in distress and are troubled. Nehemiah's reaction is one of humility and of immediately seeking the Lord. Nehemiah looks to God first, as he prayed and fasted and then he goes before the King, he is serving under. The king grants him this privilege. He gives Nehemiah papers so that he can get lumber from the king's forest. So God, moved within the heart of this king to not only grant this appeal, and let Nehemiah go…but to also to provide for some of the needs in the rebuilding as well!

Nehemiah mourned and he fasted…before God. He then confessed his sins and the sins of his people. He recounts God's commands to his people and the punishment that God said would happen, if they did not obey. Basically Nehemiah's saying "we did what we knew we shouldn't do and you punished us the way you said you would and the way you should have done". He's being humble before God and honest and real. Then he makes an appeal to the Lord, that he would find favor before the King to go and help his people in Jerusalem. He praises God for his mercy and his love for his people.

When Nehemiah goes before the king, the king asks him why he looks troubled (the love of his people were weighing heavy on Nehemiah's heart). Again, Nehemiah looks up and seeks help from the Lord first, BEFORE answering…then he shares with the king in a humble, honoring way that he would like to go and help restore the walls of Jerusalem and help his people. In the end the king grants his desire, and Nehemiah realizes that it is because God's gracious hand was upon him that he found favor with the king and is now able to go and help the people of Jerusalem.

Question #2 "What does it mean, what are the lessons to be learned?" So, for me the lessons that stood out to me in these few verses, is that Nehemiah has a heart for his people.

He loves who God loves. He has a heart for God. He responds by immediately turning to the Lord and seeking his wisdom and discernment. He responds with humility. And with a desire to help. He didn't hear about the need and wrongly think "it's not my problem." Or "serves them right!" or "too bad, they should have obeyed!" He has love, mercy and compassion upon the people of Jerusalem. He looks to God and he mourns, fasts and prays. He didn't just do what he thought was best….he looked to the Lord to see what God's directions were and to make an appeal for his people before God. He doesn't just pray asking God for things first...he begins where we should all begin...by being humble before the Lord. He doesn't just ask God to do what he wants him to do…he first confesses his sins and the sins of the people. He recounts God's commands to his people and the punishment that God said would happen, if they did not obey his directions to them. Basically Nehemiah's saying we did what we knew we shouldn't do and you punished us the way you said you would and the way you should have done. He's being humble before God and honest and real. Then he makes an appeal to the Lord, that he would find favor before the King to go and help God's people in Jerusalem. He praises God for his mercy and his love for his people.

When he goes before the king, and the king asks him what is wrong…before Nehemiah speaks…he again, looks to the Lord! This is a man of prayer! Then he humbly and respectfully answers the king.

The final thing is that after the king shows Nehemiah great favor by allowing him to go and by helping Nehemiah by giving him resources to help with the rebuilding…what is Nehemiah's reaction? He is again, humble and gives God glory! He says that the success was because of God's hand being upon him!

*Most of the time now, as I study God's Word, the 2nd question and the 3rd are tied together in my mind and heart. The lessons to be learned and how I feel the Lord would have me apply it kind of go together as I am praying to him and seeking him. But I it is good to have it seperated in the beginning so you can begin to learn what you're looking for.

Question #3 is "How can I apply what I read to my life?" We need to ask the Lord to search our hearts and to show us how this truth needs to be applied to our lives. He will give us wisdom, and discernment if we ask. James 1:5

For me this passage in Nehemiah, was a reminder to be QUICK to look to the Lord when hearing of a need and to seek his wisdom first and foremost, and to wait upon his direction and leading before doing anything.

Reading this passage reminded me again and caused me to be soooo very grateful for how gracious and loving our God is! How when we sin, while he may need to discipline us. He does so out of love and he is gracious and merciful with us. He does not treat us as our sins FULLY deserve. He remembers that we are weak, that we are "dust" Ps. 103:14. He disciplines but he also gives us grace and mercy. This truth just continues to make me soooo very thankful and grateful to the Lord and it truly humbles me.

I was reminded of the importance of praying BEFORE we answer others. As Nehemiah did before answering the king. I know in my own life, I have sometimes struggled with this. It is always good for me to be reminded of the truth of needing to give thought to my answers and my ways.

Pro. 14:15 "But a prudent man gives thought to his steps"

Pro. 21:29 "an upright man gives thought to his ways."

Pro. 21:23 "He who guards his mouth and his tongue, keeps himself from calamity."

I need to count it important to be humble and respectful…to be conscious of wanting to honor and please God with the words I speak to others.

*I realized that I had not stopped and prayed and given thought before answering someone and I needed to go and make it right with the Lord and them. As we read God's Word, the Holy Spirit can use the truth we're reading to convict us and to show us things we need to confess and make right. The Word of God holds up God's truths and his standard and his principles and then the Holy Spirit helps us to see and reveals to us sin that may be in our lives that we need to get rid of through God's grace. It is sooo very healing. When we allow the Holy Spirit and God's grace to help us be humble….we receive God's help and his grace and forgiveness and it is such a sweet, sweet blessing to be right with the Lord and to have his sweet peace. God opposes the proud, but gives grace (help) to the humble. James 4:6

There is no condemnation for us as believers. Romans 8:1 As we humble ourselves and seek to make it right with God and others…we can experience God's freedom in our hearts and souls and his sweet healing.

Also I was reminded, to give God glory when things go well. When the meeting went well between Nehemiah and the king….the first thing that Nehemiah did in verse 8 was to give the glory to God. He says "And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests." It was something that was so apart of Nehemiah's thought process…so "woven" into his thoughts and written upon his heart, that it was an immediate response…to recognize that it was the LORD that had given him favor and that the LORD'S hand had been upon him that had given him success! All the good in my life is ALL Jesus! This reminder again, causes me to have GREAT thankfulness and gratitude toward the Lord and ALL he has done and will do in my life! It brings me HUGE joy too, to think on these things!

Underline in your Bible the verse or verses that "stood out" to you.  Sometimes we feel bad underlining in our Bible. We somehow feel it might be wrong. But it isn't! J As you underline, you are helping those words to stand out so you can remember them and use them in your life.

You may even want to write down this verse or verses on a little slip of paper or an index card each day and carry it in your pocket. See if you can remember what you read that morning 15 min. later, or 30 min. or hours later. This helps you to meditate upon what the Lord showed you, and purpose to remember it. Writing it down also helps you to apply it to your life. We can't apply what we don't even remember! Another helpful tool is to keep a journal, and write down daily what verses the Lord caused to "stand out" to you and write down how you feel the Lord would have you apply it to your life. J

Using an exhaustive concordance, commentaries, and the Greek and Hebrew meanings of words will also help you to gain deeper understanding and knowledge. But I would encourage you to limit the use of these things and instead pray and allow the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding of what you're reading in God's Word.  I will also sometimes use a dictionary to look up a certain word in the verse or verses the Lord gave me. For instance when it says for fathers to not exasperate their children in Eph. Chapter 6. I got the dictionary out and looked up the meaning of "exasperate". If we as parents were not supposed to do this to our children, I wanted to make sure I fully understood what it meant. But I have truly seen the Lord be so very faithful over the years to help me glean understanding and wisdom as I just rely upon Him and his Holy Spirit without using a bunch of other "tools".

James 1:22-25 has been very helpful for me in my life.

It says "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it ~ he will be blessed in what he does."

John 15:4-5 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither, can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me he can do nothing."

One way to remain in Jesus is to spend time with him each day, abiding in Him. As we read his love letters to us, through the Bible and as we pray and seek his face, we are choosing to count it important to spend time with Jesus, to draw close to Him. The more we get to know Jesus, the more we'll love him. The more we love Jesus, the more we'll desire to obey Him.

I pray that this helps and encourages each of you. The number one thing that has GREATLY changed my life is spending daily time with Jesus in His Word and in praying and talking with Him.

I pray that each of you will be richly blessed as you choose to begin to make daily time with the Lord in His Word a discipline in your life. You will NEVER regret this time you spend with Jesus!

The more you read, the more you pray, the more you apply what you're learning…the more you'll understand and the more you'll grow spiritually. It is from the constant use of applying God's truths to our lives that we become spiritually mature. J

God bless each of you!

With much love,

Lori