Psalm 119:18-19 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wonderous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
Many Christians say they don’t read the bible because they can’t understand it. On the other hand, non-christian scholars read it just for the facts. But the Bible is the miraculous living word, Jesus Christ, the Power which God uses to transform our lives. It shows us the different facets of God, describes who He is and who He is not; what He commands and what He will not tolerate. He speaks through His word, therefore, the more you commune with Him through it, the deeper your relationship with Him. Reading His word places you in His will, in obedience, because He commands us to read it.
the Bible is the Truth that changes Facts~Terri
Facts are the science of things such as the sun will rise and set at certain times; if you read the Bible you’ll learn about God; and love knows no pain. But the Bible is Truth and teaches that God can defy time, gravity, space, logic, people and every “thing” he created to bless you. He will also allow pain in our lives to move us into who He created us to be. You many learn about God from reading the Bible, be only God will allow you to know Him in His sovereign timing.
We must be careful about accepting different translations of the Bible just to get more knowledge. God wants a relationship with us based on the truth of His word not a bunch of knowledge (the 4-1-1 on the characters of the Bible). Knowledge and truth are two different things. Bible stories are not soap operas. We are not to be so interested in the ins and outs, the details and the data of the stories that we lose the truth and conviction for our lives. God’s living word is pure, glorified manna for our situations today.
I was in a church years ago and the pastor was saying things that just didn’t feel right in my spirit. As this continued, I began to ask God to tell me the truth about what this pastor was saying. About a week later, the spirit told me to “step away from the church”. I did, and received many calls from the pastor, pastor’s wife and members questioning my leaving. I told them that God only told me to step away and didn’t give me any more information – which was true. But after I stepped away, God told me to read the bible starting with Genesis. I had never read the entire Bible. It was the summer, and my daughter was visiting family members, so I had 3 months straight to read. I read the bible cover to cover and I learned Truth because as I read, God revealed His word revealing the myths in our churches as He convicted me about my life walk and clarified His precepts and statutes in the Bible. That freed me from “religious facts” and I’ve been different ever since because I know the Truth.
The only way we can know the truth about God is to read what He says about Himself – not the gossip from what others say. We’re not reading to only know what He said, but also how He said it. His spiritual Words are life and feed you at whatever stage you are on your spiritual walk. The words He uses are for specific reasons for you to unfold the mysteries of His kingdom and for your life. These words are out of the mouth of God and anything else is hearsay. I’m not discounting other materials like books that people have written and even blogs like mine which speak about our Father, but the Christian walk is a personal walk. The testimonies of others can build confidence, but you need to read the Bible to build a relationship with Christ. Bible reading sets the foundation for God to move in your life, and when He does, you’ll be able to trust what you see. You can’t judge what anybody says about God unless you are also reading about Him on your own.
The Holy Bible was authored by God and updated by Jesus, but the writing was done by prophets and apostles that He directed. Some religions have gone through many updates and modifications in order to clarify or edit data in their original religious texts. Christianity has one book, the Bible, and we have the Holy Spirit to clarify everything that is written. No update Needed.
ask Him for Understanding of His Word ~Terri
There are many translations and interpretations of the Bible in attempt to simplify God’s word. If God said it, He can also simply it if we ask for understanding. After God revealed His word to me many years ago, I realized I don’t need man’s interpretation because I can go straight to the source (the Holy Spirit – my interpreter). God will never deny you a closer walk with Him. If He doesn’t explain something right away, we need to ponder it in our hearts until He reveals it.
God reveals His word as we move along. I can sometimes read past a passage for years, but then one day He will open my eyes and it comes alive and becomes a permanent Truth in my spirit. God will explain in due time just as He did with our ancestors who had nothing else to read except the King James Bible.
There is no substitute for reading the Bible. It is the primary source for the Christian and the only book that God anointed. It trumps all instructions, books, prophets and preachers. The Bible is the Truth of God and is mandatory food for survival. It is our measuring stick for Truth as we go through life listening to others but meditating on Him. If you don’t read the Bible every day, you won’t have knowledge or power, or bear fruit and will soon shrivel up and die.
The Bible is not a book in which you can add, multiply, nor modify God’s word. It is the Truth that stands the test of time just the way it is. It is not meant to be fused, blended, or incorporated with any other beliefs or practices. The Bible is written just the way God meant it. God doesn’t change. He has not changed and will not change. His Word won’t change. So, we don’t need to change our doctrine to accommodate or to be acceptable. His truth still marches on…
