I thought it might be fun this week to repost my top blogs over the last few years. There is a tremendous amount of response I get from my blog and I am so grateful to everyone who reads them and is inspired by them. My hope is to encourage you and challenge you to live the life God has created you to live. Enjoy these old posts that you may remember or may have missed…

Here is #5 of My Top 5 Most Viewed Blog Posts…

S.T.O.P Reading Your Bible…

One of the greatest ways God’s speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible.  It is impossible to know God without knowing His Word.  His Word is who He is.  You may experience God’s presence, but you cannot truly know Him without His Word.

“If you want to get to know God get to know His Word.”

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Stop reading your bible…don’t just read the Bible, live the Bible.  Too many people fly through their Bible reading.  Yes, they are reading it, but are they really getting it? So I say, S.T.O.P. reading the Bible and start to devour it.

S = Slow Down

T = Take Time

O = Obey It

P = Pray It

It is through the hearing and reading of God’s word that we begin to open the lines of communication to God.  The Bible is the telephone that connects us to God.  Through God’s Word we have a conversation with Him.  He shows us His heart and His ways through the principles in His Word.  The Word of God will reveal the will of God for your life.

Not only does the Word help us to know God, it is also food to our spirit.  No one would eat on the first day of the month and expect to be full for the rest of the month.  They would begin to break down and lose their strength through malnutrition over time.  In the same way, we would break down without the Word of God within us.  We spiritually survive and thrive from the nutrients of God’s word.  That is why Jesus said in the Beatitudes…

Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst of righteousness, for they will be filled.” 

The Beatitudes are the attitudes we should live by.  The Bible equates the Word of the Lord as being like food for our spirit.  When Satan tempted Jesus with bread in the wilderness while He was fasting, Jesus said,

Matthew 4:4

“It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

The Bible is our source of strength.  As you get into the Word of God, the Word of God gets into you.  As the Word is in you, you will begin to know the heart of God and hear His voice through His Word. Famous evangelist F.F. Bosworth said, “Most Christians feed their bodies three hot meals a day, their spirits one cold snack a week, and they wonder why they are so weak in faith.”

So what is your diet plan for God’s Word? What are you going to do to get a healthy dose of nutrition for your Spirit? Don’t just pick up the Bible when you feel like it, discipline yourself to get into it.  If you want inspiration, just read God’s Word.  If you want information, study God’s Word.  However, if you want integration, apply God’s Word into your life.  Integrate the principles found in God’s Word into the fabric of your actions, attitude, and life.

Job 23:12

I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread. 

Here are some ways you can dig into God’s Word.  I challenge you to pick one of these Bible study methods.  Spend some time in God’s Word so His Word can get in you.

1. Character Study 

Dig into God’s Word through a character study.  Pick a character that you are inspired or intrigued by and learn about their journey and how it applies to you.

Examples: Abraham     Moses     David     Isaiah     Nehemiah     Jesus     Paul

2. Word Study

Dig into God’s Word through a word study.  Pick a word that you are curious or dealing with and find everything the Bible has to say about that word.

Examples: Love     Faith     Serve     Forgive     Holiness     Marriage     Money     

3. Topical Study

Dig into God’s Word through a topical study.  Pick a topic that you want to know more about and find where these topics come up in the Bible.

Example: Finances     Healing     Prayer     Gifts of the Spirit     Heaven     Relationships     Sex  

4. Book Study

Dig into God’s Word through a book study.  Pick a book of the Bible you want to “unpack” and spend your time uncovering the historical content, the characters, the setting, and the application.

Example: Genesis     Isaiah     Psalm     Proverbs     Romans     James

6. Devotional Study

Dig into God’s Word through a devotional study.  Pick a devotional book as a guide for you, or just pick up the Bible and read whatever you are feeling in the moment.

Examples: Inspirational Reading     Meditating On A Particular Verse     Read A Proverb/Psalm Each Day

7. Historical Study

Dig into God’s Word through a historical study.  Take certain topics or stories in the Bible and research all the historical content of that particular event or people.

Examples: Children of Israel     The Tabernacle     The Life of Jesus     Geography of the Bible     Paul’s Journey