As a believer, the Word of God helps you identify God’s will for your life (Hosea 4:6a). It is also a weapon for spiritual warfare; in fact, the only offensive weapon you have as a Christian against the enemy (Ephesians 6:11-17). It keeps you from sin (Ps. 119:9, 11) and builds your faith in Christ (Rom. 10:17). The lack of study of the word of God is an important element that causes lukewarmness in the life of Christians. Many Christians become complacent about the Word of God. They feel they know a lot because of their constant listening and familiarity with God’s Word. Therefore, they deny the access of the Word of God to their lives and this is dangerous for Christian growth and maturity.
How many of us take time to study the Word for ourselves and by ourselves? Many times we do not wait for God to speak to us; we are very quick to read the messages in our devotional guides. Most of the hours we spend in the presence of God is during church services and meetings. That shouldn’t be the case; it should rather be during our personal times. Yes, fellowship with other believers is important, but more important is our daily personal communion with God. Today, we are too dependent on preaching tapes and Christian literature. They are good, but we need to take advantage of God speaking to us personally through his Word. Can we not learn from the Bereans who received the word of God and investigated what was preached? (Acts 17:11-12) Beloved, you need to get serious about your personal moments with God.
Do not have the perception that you know everything. The more you study God’s Word, the more revelation you receive, the more you grow in faith, and the more you grow spiritually (that is, when you put what you study into practice). Ephesians 1:17, 18 reveals that we need the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we can know God better and, enlightening the eyes of our hearts, we can know the hope to which He has called us. Let Psalm 119:18 be a part of his daily prayer: “Open my eyes that I may see the wonders of your law.”
Learning from the Bereans
Three things described the Bereans: they received the word of God with enthusiasm (Acts 17:11); they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what they were taught was true (Acts 17:11); and they believed what was preached (Acts 17:12).
Receiving the word of God
Receiving the word of God requires willingness and mental preparation. You have to let go of all distractions. How do you feel when you are having a very interesting conversation with a friend and someone just interrupts uninvited or without permission and starts talking to your friend while you are watching? I guess that sounds annoying. Just as you don’t want anyone to interrupt your beautiful conversation, God wants your undivided attention when you communicate with Him. The Bible says that Ezra prepared his heart to seek God’s will and do it (Ezra 7:10). How prepared is your heart to receive the word of God? How willing are you to do God’s will? If you are truly willing to receive from God, you must be serious and eliminate all forms of distraction. Consider turning off your phone every time you communicate with God; it will do you a lot of good. Sometimes we wonder, “What if there is an emergency and someone is trying to reach me?” God can handle every emergency, so give it your full attention.
Searching the Scriptures
Searching the Scriptures goes beyond finding evidence for what your pastor says in his sermons. It involves a careful study of the Word to know its truth, seek direction, and know God’s will and obey it. The Youth Guild of the Ghana Presbyterian Church has as its motto: “Know his will and do it.” This should be one of the main reasons for searching the Scriptures: not to find verses of Scripture that justify sin; not use scripture verses for arguments and unnecessary babble; not to use scripture verses to curse our enemies, but “do your best to present yourself approved to God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). they searched the scriptures every day to be sure of what they were being taught (Acts 17:11).
Believing in the Word
What does it mean to believe in the Word? It means fully accepting, agreeing with, and obeying what is written in God’s Word. It is not just accepting, agreeing with, or obeying just one part of God’s Word. It is not his Biblical knowledge that qualifies him as a believer of God’s Word. There are theologians who are not even Christians. It is not just about knowing but about doing and obeying. It is as if the unbelievers said: “I know Jesus.” What they mean is that they have heard of Jesus but have not believed in Him or made Him Lord of their lives. Even demons know Jesus Christ (Acts 19:15; Mark 5:6-8). The Bible says that Jesus is the Word (John 1:1, 14). This confirms that believing in the Word means believing in Jesus Christ. It is impossible to believe in Jesus Christ without believing in the Word of God. So, in order to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of lords, you must accept, agree with, and obey the Word of God. The Bereans clearly believed what was written. How many times do we want to receive something different from what is clearly written; how often we want to twist God’s word to fit our sermons; how often we misapply some verses of scripture to revival issues, fundraising issues, and crusade issues. These things have made many Christians deficient in the word of God.
Let’s get up and go back to study the scriptures.
Copyright(c)2010 by Michael Okyere Asante