"Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path."
Psalm 119:105
and a light for my path."
Psalm 119:105
#8. Get in the Word
As my church is in the middle of a series called "All In" in which we are reading through the book of Acts together, I've never been more in love with the Word of God, and I love so much that the importance of being in the Word is something that was very clearly highlighted at Passion 2012.
From the first session to the last, the focus on reading the Bible and asking the Lord to speak through it was evident. I've never been part of something quite as special as standing with 45,000 people as Ephesians was read over us in complete belief that the Lord was moving and speaking. It was beautiful.
But what is even more beautiful is that you don't need 45,000 people or Lecrae and Beth Moore to be in the room with you to hear from God through His Word. The Bible is God's gift to you, and He wants you to use it independently as well as corporately.
In our community group at Passion, we learned to read the Word with intentionality. Brad Horton reminded us that the key to understanding is diving into the context. You have to know what is going on in the history of what you are reading to best understand its meaning. I recently invested in a study Bible that truly equips me to better understand the context of the Bible, and it allows me to more clearly hear what the Lord is trying to tell me as I read. We also learned to read passages with three goals in mind: 1. Find out what it says. 2. Find out what it means. 3. Find out what it means to me. This takes time, yes...but reading the Bible isn't a race. Sometimes depth is more important that distance. It doesn't really matter if you read the entire Bible if you don't understand what any of it means and you never take the time to reflect on what the Lord is trying to teach you through it.
There is power in the Word of God. Not only does it teach you, but it equips you. It equips you to share the Gospel. It equips you to fight the war against sin. It equips you to be able to fall into God's arms when your whole world seems to be crashing down around you. It enables you to see Him in every situation. It centers you. Do NOT underestimate the importance of the Bible. It is essential.
Spend some quiet, intentional time with the Lord and His Word. Ask Him to speak to you. Be prepared to hear from Him. He wants you to hear Him more than you ever want to listen.
From the first session to the last, the focus on reading the Bible and asking the Lord to speak through it was evident. I've never been part of something quite as special as standing with 45,000 people as Ephesians was read over us in complete belief that the Lord was moving and speaking. It was beautiful.
But what is even more beautiful is that you don't need 45,000 people or Lecrae and Beth Moore to be in the room with you to hear from God through His Word. The Bible is God's gift to you, and He wants you to use it independently as well as corporately.
In our community group at Passion, we learned to read the Word with intentionality. Brad Horton reminded us that the key to understanding is diving into the context. You have to know what is going on in the history of what you are reading to best understand its meaning. I recently invested in a study Bible that truly equips me to better understand the context of the Bible, and it allows me to more clearly hear what the Lord is trying to tell me as I read. We also learned to read passages with three goals in mind: 1. Find out what it says. 2. Find out what it means. 3. Find out what it means to me. This takes time, yes...but reading the Bible isn't a race. Sometimes depth is more important that distance. It doesn't really matter if you read the entire Bible if you don't understand what any of it means and you never take the time to reflect on what the Lord is trying to teach you through it.
There is power in the Word of God. Not only does it teach you, but it equips you. It equips you to share the Gospel. It equips you to fight the war against sin. It equips you to be able to fall into God's arms when your whole world seems to be crashing down around you. It enables you to see Him in every situation. It centers you. Do NOT underestimate the importance of the Bible. It is essential.
Spend some quiet, intentional time with the Lord and His Word. Ask Him to speak to you. Be prepared to hear from Him. He wants you to hear Him more than you ever want to listen.
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