Why Do You Read The Bible

Why Do You Read The Bible?

2/6/21

If someone asked you this question what would be your response?  I can imagine that the answers would be so wide and varied that it could result in thousands of answers.  It has been obvious over the years that the reasons that we read the Bible no longer take precedence over daily lives which means that this eternal Source Book no longer is considered important.  Yet, we seem to question the fact that our improprieties, indignities, and all-around problems seem to increase as each sunrise occurs.  Maybe we should reconsider reading, studying, and applying God's Word into our lives again for when we do God guarantees that our lives will change and settle down to the level He created us to operate within.  But until we decide to do this, our issues shall continue to grow and overcome our peace and existence with the fear and turmoil of the world and its ruler.  There is time to change our hearts, even when our lives are falling apart, for God says that He never will leave us even when times are bad.

My wife and I recently spent the weekend at my brother's house, we had a fabulous time with them as always.  We all gather around the table and just converse back and forth about anything and everything, it does not matter what is said or conveyed, it is a great time of getting to be around family and just sharing family time with them.  There was no special reason for our visit, just the fact that they are now close enough to visit on a regular basis and it is a delight for everyone involved including the kids and our animals.  All of our kids put together range basically the same even though my girls are now married and gone from home, my brother still has two at home.  They are great kids that express themselves quite well and sometimes these expressions are vivid enough to warrant questions from their uncle.  Over the years these two have been through a bunch and have struggled with many issues over this time period, both personal and social struggles.  My brother and his family went to church and know about God, but their relationship with God is scarce and basically null, keep this in mind as you read.

I was listening to my niece talk about her new counselor that she was getting and how excited she was about meeting her and getting started back with counseling sessions.  To be honest, she has been doing wonderful without them but as time has settled in her new living town things have been once again stirred up within her life.  She has never been taught the Word of God about spiritual warfare and how to combat it, thus she has been involved in some very painful rituals that sunk her heart into deep depths.  She no longer requires such rituals and is clean from that, but her house is empty and it needs to be filled with God and not the world for we know exactly what occurs when the world is allowed back into a clean house.  Anyway, during a break in the conversation, I asked her a simple question and it was this: how many times a week do you read your Bible?  It did not take long for her to respond with: once a week on Sundays when I go to church.  Her answer took me back a bit but really did not surprise me for I know how the enemy works and how he loves to return to the scene with new buddies and tactics.

It is this fact about Satan and how he gains access to a clean house that God wants to show us in this article.  For the sole purpose of understanding the Bible is for us to know how to fight off the wiles of the devil.  It does not matter how young or old you may be, our battles in this life have spiritual origins and if we do not know how to combat them properly they will continue to return and to gain on a regular basis.  The Bible is our only defense for such attacks and it is also our only weapon to have present in our hearts when then attacks occur, God did not leave us defenseless after sin entered into our lives but we cannot thoroughly defend ourselves if we continue to return to our faults.  Turning to secular counselors and therapists will not do you one ounce of good because all they know to do is to fight physically and no true healing or victory comes from the physical.  God tells us this through the verse He gave us for this article:

Psalm 32:8

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."

Hebrew

"I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you."

I always love it when God places Scripture specifics into these articles for it serves to us as a reminder that God wants to teach us His Ways so that our lives will be extraordinary in His sight and very noticeable in the world too.  It seems like we have completely gone astray from God and have consequently lost interest in His Word and subsequently become blind and ignorant of His guidance.  I cannot help but focus on the first portion of this Scripture when it specifically states that God will instruct and teach us in the way that we need to go, not have the world teach us its ways or any other polytheistic god in its ways either.  When God makes statements such as this it is for a reason and every time He mentions this position it means that we have fallen away in some aspect of our lives and we need to be placed back on track.  However, this may sound like a good idea but when it comes to implementing it back into our lives the correction process seems to be a tad uncomfortable.

God will always direct us back to His Ways according to His Word for the Bible is His definition and Ways of existence.  God does not waiver on this pattern nor does He invite us or try to persuade us in following any other path of correction.  The Hebrew word "teach" that is used here literally means to cast, to throw, to set, to point out, and is specific in its direction too.  Its construction is of a singular mode and in the first person which means that it follows that singular first person's lead, just as it says so at the beginning of this verse.  When makes a statement such as this it is for a plan or purpose, so we can also come to the agreement that there should be a reason why we should understand how to receive such instruction and teaching too.

God is not ignorant in the methods and ways of His enemy which is our enemy too.  God was there and ready to combat Lucifer when he wanted his name changed due to the fact that he wanted to be higher than God.  God knew from the beginning that there needed to be defensive and offensive plans already in process when the time came for mankind to be created; it was not by chance God had put everything in order first.  The means by which we acquire these plans of God for our lives comes by one way, and that is through studying and reading the Bible.  Any military general does not achieve that title and rank by haphazardly approaching their responsibilities; no, they continuously study methods and ways to overcome and defeat the enemy.  It is a continuous and ardent path that is maintained in order to ensure victory is achieved because if it just a plan that is hastily or flippantly thrown together it is a sure-fire way of ending in defeat.

It is this process of studying with an eternal passion that is required so that our lives can be guaranteed victory.  See, Satan knows the Bible and the potential we have when we understand its content and the power that we have in its content.  It is this potential that he wants to be silenced and to be kept away from our lives because he also knows that if we understand this life of the Bible we will be able to bring life to the lost, which is exactly what Jesus commanded us to do.  Reading the Bible does not make you a stronger Christian all it does is allows you to be open to attacks from the enemy without a true and sensible defense against him.  Do you know how many therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists would be put out of business if we truly accepted the Word of God as our relationship standard with people?  We do not read the Bible for aggressive behavior toward people either, we study its content so that we may become alive in Christ so that we may commune with others and share its message to them on a routine basis.

This is the reason my niece's answer disturbed me in such a way because she did not wish to read the Bible for instruction and teaching but to complete it as a situational disguise to those sitting next to her.  How many of us read the Bible in such a manner?  For a very long time in my life, I used to read the Bible in the same manner, and at the same time, I did not understand why my life was going nowhere and why I was continually receiving spiritual direct hit after spiritual direct hit.  I was a sitting duck and there was nothing I did that helped my situation but to sink deeper and deeper into a horrid pit.  I may have looked like my life was in perfect order on the outside but my inner life was a complete mess that was beaten up so badly that I could not even function correctly in the spirit.

This verse tells us that God is the One that gives us spiritual help and teaching, and when we apply this knowledge to our spiritual lives it shall automatically strengthen our physical lives as well.  Protection inside and outside is what we crave and need and this verse confirms that God is the only one who can provide such protection.  With all of the turmoil in this world that has crossed our eyes so far and those tumultuous days that still lie ahead, there is no way possible that we can read the Bible on a sporadic timetable, we need that Word every day and we need to study its content to exercise our minds and hearts so that we understand its meaning as it was written to be.

Church, you know where God is going with this article's content.  Where are the ones who have been saved for a long time?  Shouldn't we have the same fire within us as the new Christian?  Then why are we not applying this Truth from our hearts?  We no longer can claim the world as our friend and then try to stomp out its ways, we must declare that God is Supreme Ruler over our lives at ALL times and live according to the Bible.  This example alone will draw the curious when they see the difference in our attitudes and conduct, then we shall have the perfect opportunity to witness to these beautiful people who need Jesus.  This is how you change the world, by reading and studying the Bible every day, spending time in its pages, taking notes, and burning God's Word in our hearts.  There is no way that we can understand what is going on around us if we do not know the words of the Bible.  People scream and cry for answers but we have none to give, that is a very telling state Church and a very eternal sad one as well.  The proof of our lack of faith and commitment is portrayed every day with our silence concerning what the world is building and we shall be held accountable for our non-actions.

We can still change things Church, but we have no time left to do it, so in other words, get to it!  Forget the petty physical differences that separate us and teach God's Word to those who need it.  To do such a command, we need to study the Bible in its full and holy attributes, not the physical ideologies we want it to be.  The world teaches slavery to its utmost but God's Word teaches us and tells us that we do not have to live as defeated slaves to a failed and defeated master.  Study God's Word every day, it does not matter how you do it, but just do it!  When we have the Bible alive within us we will have a desire to share it with others and to serve them with the Truth about their lives.  The Bible has never been about "duty" but it has always been about life, a life of freedom from the spiritual sickness and disease of the world.  This should be our message of life and this should be the reason why you would want to read the Bible.

DLB