Receive, Ingest & Digest The Word

      In order to apply the Word of God to our lives and live it out the way He wants us to live it out, we need to do three things before the Word can flow through us and exude from us. We need to receive the Word. We need to Ingest the Word. We need to Digest the Word. 

     1. Receiving The Word 

Romans 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."

•  We receive the Word by hearing the Word. We hear it not only with our physical ears, but with out spiritual ears. This hearing can only be done in the Spirit; it is not an action we can control. 
• We receive the Word into our hearts when we believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son. 
• We receive the Word when we accept Him as Lord and Savior of our souls. 
• We receive the Word when we into ourselves when we confess out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

     2. Ingesting The Word

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

• We ingest the Word when we take it into our mouths. Scripture tells us to "taste and see that the Lord is Good". (Psalm 34:8) Does that mean we eat our Bibles? Not hardly. It means to open our Bible and read what God wants us to hear every single day. 
• It is entirely possible to read your Bible all the way through in one year. Do we have to understand it all all at once? No. We just need to begin reading at the beginning of the Bible and read it all the way through to the end of Revelation. I know a woman who has read it all the way through several times in a month! (not me, though I am filled with awe at her hunger).

     3. Digesting The Word

1 Timothy 4:15 "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all."

• We digest the Word when we meditate on the Word.
• We digest the Word when we pray over the Word we are reading, asking God to open our eyes to what He wants us to understand. 
• We digest the Word when we dig deeper into the Word, studying it out for ourselves. 
• We open our Bible at home and double check that what the minister is saying is the Truth of the Word for ourselves.
• We read the Bible in order to know the Word; that discernment of right and wrong be made apparent to us. 

The Spirit of God is constantly stirring the Word within us once the Word is in us, like a chef stirs the stew until it is ready to be served and eaten. So, I pray, Holy Spirit move through me. Stir me. Use me. Make me ready to stand on the Word. Make me able to share the gospel even more so. Amen. 

Intelligent Worship -- Seek God -- Part 2

 Now that we recognize the Authority of the One True God, we earnestly desire to know Him better, so we Seek Him out, craving with all our hearts to hear His voice more clearly, that we may understand His Word more readily.

Isaiah 55:6

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Luke 11:9-10

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 

In Isaiah 55 it is the Lord God Who is speaking. From verse one all the way through, we read and hear the Lord God speaking to us: from the promise to the warning to the reward. 

The Lord God will not always be found for one day He will not only pull His church from the face of the earth, but His Holy Spirit will leave, too. He will be sought by many who waited to long to surrender their hearts and their decision to believe in Him will be at the cost of their lives. 

Revelation 14:14-20

They who do not take the mark of the beast will be made to suffer and be killed for their decision. Many will refuse to take it and not still not believe the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. But those people who do believe will be added to the growing list of martyrs whose names are written in the Book of Life (Revelation 17:6). 

You know, once you start reading Revelation it's really hard to stop. Seeking the Lord is fulfilling to the heart and the spirit of me, as it surely and hopefully is to you, too. 

David wrote in Psalm 34:8 "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" To 'taste' here means 'to perceive, to know, to examine by tasting' in small quantities at a time to the goodness of the Lord. 

Synonyms for 'taste': Perceive, Discern, Savor (upon the {spiritual} tongue); Understanding, Desire, Heart; Appreciate, Have Knowledge Of. 

When I seek God, I want to know more than I already know. I started studying deeply before I became a minister of the Word. Just reading my Bible every day wasn't enough: I had to know, I craved the meat of the Word because I was growing up in Him exponentially. I still am. Some days I run, some days I walk, but every day I am in the Word. It is as much a part of me as breathing is. 

Philippians 1:20-21

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. or to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Heart of Discerning

 

HEART OF DISCERNMENT
Proverbs 18:15
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks it out.
Who has the heart of discerning?

                                               The believer. (Romans 10:9)

                                                          What is the heart? 

             The soul: our will, our attitude, our intelligence/intellect.                                             (Romans 10:10)

How do we acquire knowledge?
From God. (Daniel 1:17).

                              And through spending time with God in prayer and                                        daily Bible reading. (Deuteronomy 4:29;                   Psalm 27:8; Psalm 119:2; Isaiah 55:6; Jeremiah 29:13;

1 Thessalonians 5:17; 1 Timothy 2:8; 2 Timothy 1:3)

Who are the wise?
They who fear the LORD (Proverbs 9:10).

                      How do we hear this knowledge we are seeking?

Through the hearing of the Word, whether we read our Bibles out loud or when we hear the full Truth of the Word preached in our churches. (Romans 10:17)

--

Picky Eaters, I Mean Readers

We cannot know The Word by just reading our Bibles. We must believe The Word is True. We must receive The Word into our hearts. We must apply The Word to our lives. We must live The Word faithfully on a daily basis. 

Anyone can read the printed surface of their Bible and think they know what it means, even if they don't believe it. But that is not how The Word of God is going to be determined to be True. 

We need God's Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of God's Holy Word to us whenever we read our Bibles, which must be done faithfully on our parts. No matter which translation is used, God's Word 'does not return void', right? So, regardless of which version is read by the seeker, we still need the Translator of God's Word to reveal what God is saying to us. 

We need God's Holy Spirit flowing through us and spreading God's Word in our lives and thoughts and emotions: strengthening us, guiding/leading us, helping us be the people of God, Christ's Ambassadors to the world we live in. And we need Him now. 

But we cannot have God's Holy Spirit, The Comforter, unless we first believe God's Word, Jesus Christ, is Lord. And then we must repent of our sins, the wickedness we have committed against The Word of God, be forgiven by God and receive Jesus Christ into our hearts. 
>Acknowledge Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son.
>Believe that Jesus Christ became sin and died on the cross in our place, conquered death and the grave; rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb. 
>Commit our hearts and our lives to serving His purpose.
>Delight ourselves in The Word of God by studying it out and praying that it is fully revealed to our understanding.

Fat and Flourishing

Matthew 4:4 "Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that The LORD is good: Blessed is the man that trusts in Him."

Acts 17:11 "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received The Word with all readiness of mind, and searched The Scriptures daily, whether these things were so."

What do these verses all have in common? Bible Study is for everyone, not just preachers, teachers, evangelists, apostles. Everyone should have access to a Bible that they may do more than just read it, but study it out for themselves. And not on your own understanding of it should you rely, but through The Holy Spirit of God, for it is He who draws, or woos, you to God. 

--Many Read, Few Feed by Bishop Taylor Smith--

"If we want to be fat and flourishing we must feed much on God's Word. Many read, few feed. The Bible is silent to the careless, but to the digger, rich. You cannot be noble unless you love your Bible."

Having access to the internet we now have access to the Bible, in any language. My favorite site is Bible Hub. There I have access to not only the Bible in my language, but Strong's Exhaustive Concordance Bible. It is an easy site to navigate. 

For instance, this is Psalm 34:8. Acts 17:11. Matthew 4:4. Now you are beginning to study out what God is saying to you. As I am. 

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." 

That's us. The people who hunger for The Word of God shall be filled with The Word of God. Because "(we) searched the Scriptures daily". 

"Father, open the eyes of our hearts with Your precious Holy Spirit. Pour Him out upon us, and fill us, that we may know and understand what You want us to see." Amen. 

Humble Servants

This pride thing in God's kingdom needs to stop. Where are the humble servants? The field hands?

Stop being a 'proud member' in the kingdom. Start being a hands on family member in the kingdom of God: it's about doing God's work according to God's plan, God's blueprint for seeing His kingdom grow.

It's about loving each other with the love of Christ. Let God judge the heart and get out of the way. "Love one another the way I have loved you." is what Jesus tells us in John 15:12. This section of John tells us how to love like Jesus loves us. Expect to be hated, but do not hate in return. 

If you read something that claims to be Christian, but does not line up with the full gospel Truth of God's Word, then that post is a lie, a false teaching by a false prophet or false teacher. It is the wolf in sheep's clothing that seeks to deceive and bring about your downfall. You can't let that happen. I can't let that happen. As individuals, we are responsible for what we read, what we learn, what we see. 

Be informed: read your Bible. Study it using accurate study tools. In my little office here I am surrounded by beloved authors of well-known study guides. To my left I have a Who's Who in the Bible, maps, and histories. To my left sits my Vine's, my Nave's; Matthew Henry's Commentary and an illustrated Bible dictionary. My Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is on my side table, within arm's reach. 

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance contains every single word in the Bible, even "the" "and" "a"; how many and what a particular word means in the context of the passage of Scripture. 

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary is a Scriptural archaeological book: it gives us visual aids, which is helpful for me, as I am a visual learner. When I am shown how to do something, whether work related or hobby related, then I am more capable of completing the objective than if I had simply read the How To Manual. 

 Nave's Topical Bible compartments Scriptures relating to one topic, whereas Vine's Complete Expository Bible sorts Scriptures according to catch words or phrases. While each does not contain the whole of Scripture, they are excellent helpers in digging deeper into God's Word. 

And while reading your Bible and studying it will help you know more of God's Word, it will still not be enough to guide you in God's ways. We need God's Holy Spirit to reveal God to us in God's Word. We read in Psalm 119 that God's Word is a light to our path and a lamp to our feet, but unless the switch is flipped, the light won't shine. Not only will we stumble and fall, but we may not even be aware that we have left God's pathway. We need The Holy Spirit to guide us every step of the Way in God's Will. 

I want the whole Bread of Life, not just a slice here or a crumb there. I thirst for The Living Water that is Jesus Christ. In God's Word my hunger and thirst are quenched. Do you know that I can sit for hours reading and studying God's Word and not even be aware that that much time has passed? 

We read in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." I want to be a workman approved by God. With the aid of The Holy Spirit of God I will rightly divide the word of truth and seek God with my whole heart, not just my head. 

No more wading pools or shallow end for me: I'm swimming out int deeper waters, where, like Ezekiel, I will be carried when my feet no longer touch ground. 

My Basic Bible Study Tools

I don’t know about you but these are my basic Bible Study tools. Each one is vital in its place and what I consider absolutely necessary.

1. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. Hard to read the title on this one cause it has seen a lot of use over the years. It not only tells you what a word means, but how many of that word is in the Bible and which verse that word is located in.

2. King James Version Study Bible. Has a concise concordance on each page detailing aspects of Scripture, plus mid-column cross references to other verses located elsewhere. This is my umpteenth Bible, but not the only one I use. I have a giant print Bible just for reading, but usually end up using for study as well.

3. Matthew Henry’s Commentary. In-depth study on each book of the Bible. There are other commentaries out there, but this is my favorite.

4. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.

5. Nave’s Topical Bible.

6. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

7. The Complete Who’s Who in The Bible.

8. Concise Bible Atlas. I also use The MacMillan Bible Atlas. Helps me study locations in the Bible and get an idea of where people are and were.

9. I also use a dictionary, but prefer www.dictionary.com for that. Which also includes :

10. Roget’s International Thesaurus. See other words which can be used instead of word you already have.

In addition to these, I also use an online study site: http://biblehub.com/biblos.htm

I am very blessed to have these tools at hand. I have used them to teach Youth Bible Studies, lead devotions, teach Adult Sunday School, teach small children, preach the gospel and share my in-depth studies online. God is good to me. So I can be good to you.

Kiss The Son

This one was first shared on Facebook last week with a few verses only, then sent via email with differing verses. You know why? Everything gets delivered fresh.

(KJV) Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Psalm 2:12

Has your relationship with Jesus Christ been so sweet, that you just caress your Bible and kiss it? The devil tried to make me feel silly and stupid when I began doing this. He will use any means whatsoever, any tactic, to separate you and I from Jesus. Satan is jealous of God, he always has been; and he is out to destroy whoever belongs to, or is trying to draw near to, God and His Son Jesus Christ. Don't let this snake destroy you. 

What is The Holy Bible? It is The Word of God in print, enabling individuals to READ The Word of God. This Holy Bible that is so carelessly tossed aside by some, is cherished by others. We know: The Word of God is Jesus Christ. In John 1:1-4, 14-17 we see that this is true:

1In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. ... 14And The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of The Father,) full of grace and truth. 15John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. 16And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18No man hath seen God at any time; The Only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him. 

That Holy Bible IS The Holy Word of God. In print. Under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, The Holy Scriptures were given to men to write. Today, The Holy Bible is printed in thousands of languages and dialects. But not all tongues have heard The Good News, the gospel of salvation. What is The Good News? The gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. And what are Christ's first words after preparing for the ministry which was given Him by His Father? 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Matthew 4:1-9 is the way in which Jesus prepared for ministry. Matthew 4:17 17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

Another word for kingdom is sovereignty. Jesus was preaching The Good News, 'Repent (turn from your wicked ways back to God): for the Kingdom (The Sovereignty) of heaven is at hand (near, close). Words that bring conviction on a person's heart are not scary once you know what they mean. It is not the meaning of the word that bothers us, though: it's the after we repent part: change. This universe is in constant motion, change is inevitable. When our immediate universe is confronted by The Holy Spirit, we need to walk through that spirit of fear and allow ourselves to be changed by The Word of God. 

Repent. Turn away from your sins. Turn back to God. It is a 180-degree turn. It is turning our back on wickedness and evil and facing our God with our hearts wide open. We say, Lord God, I am a sinner. I know I have been disobedient to Your Word. I know I have broken Your law. I am a terrible person. Oh Lord, please forgive me. I did not know before. I was ignorant of Your Word and of You. Please, Lord, take the wicked desires from my heart and replace them with Your Word, with Your Son. Wash me clean, Lord. I believe that Your Son is True. I believe that Jesus Christ is The Only Begotten Son of The Father. I believe that He died for me on that cross; that instead of me being humiliated, tortured and killed, Jesus took my place and died in my stead. I believe that three days later, Christ rose from the dead and walked out of the grave, then later ascended into heaven, where He is interceding on my behalf. Please, God, let me live. In You, with You and for You. Your Word says to see You a person must be holy, so Lord make me holy, 'cause I want to see You. Thank You and Praise You God for Your merciful kindness to me. I who once was lost in my sins am now saved in Your grace. Teach me Your Ways and Your Word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Recognizing that Christ is The Sovereignty of heaven, one would hope that repentance would be instantaneous. But, unfortunately, many who see that this is so will walk away from The Truth. Because not only is their sight unclear, their heart is too full of themselves to make room for one more, especially if that one more is going to change the life they enjoy living. See, we have to want to be changed more strongly than we want to be who we were before we got saved. I bet some of you are put off by the word saved, too. 

There are terms in The Word of God that throw people off, scare them away. It is not God's fault that these terms are off-putting to people: it is the fault of the wolves in sheep's clothing who have infiltrated churches and misused and abused The Scriptures to suit themselves. These people are also known to God as false prophets, false teachers, liars. I am not one of these people: I am one of God's people. You can see when you study Your Word that what I share with you is Truth. Do not raise me up, nor lower me down to their level; it is not I who receives praise, God gets the glory for everything I do. 

We have already seen what Repent means. Saved? John 3:16, 17 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Romans 5:6-11 6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Ephesians 2:1-10 1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Saved from what? The wrath of God. How? Through faith. And faith simply means to believe God Is and that His Word is True. Hebrews 11:1 describes what faith is: 1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is both substance and evidence for the believer, the one who believes that God Is and that His Word is True. 

Saved by grace. And what is grace? It is the gift of God. It is God's lovingkindness exemplified in Christ Jesus, through Him we are saved from the wrath of God. 

God's wrath is for God's enemies. Through Jesus Christ, The Only Begotten Son of The Father, we are saved from that wrath. Nothing you or I, nor any one else, can save us. Only Jesus can save us from God's wrath. And what does God ask us to do in order to receive that gift? Believe. Repent. 

Abide With Me

1 Samuel 22:23 “Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeks my life seeks your life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.”

John 15:4-7,10-11 “(4) Abide in Me, and I and in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in Me. (5) I am The Vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing. (6) If a man abide not in Me, he is cast fort as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (7) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you....(10) If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, abide in His love. (11) These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”

Abide: dwell, remain, settle, marry, continue to dwell in, inhabit in, bring again to place, remain, return; to stay in a given place, state, relation or expectancy, endure, be present, remain, dwell, be present, stand, tarry for.

(The first definitions are for the word 'abide' in The Old Testament and the second for The New Testament, regarding the three verses given)

     Do you realize as we have studied this together that all three Persons in the Trinity are referred to here? And that born again Christians are they who remain in the branch referred to in John 15? Living for Jesus and living in Jesus are the same. Just being a nice person or glorifying yourself with 'acts of kindness' are not growing you in Jesus. Once you become a born again Christian, it is up to you to open your Bible and read God's Word every day. Do you know that sometimes I get caught up in reading and studying I lose track of time? My husband's day begins at 5 am and ends at 9 pm. He leaves here at 5:30 am and gets back home around 4 pm. One day when I was deep study, he came home and I said, “What are you doing home so early?” and he just gave me a funny look, so I looked at the clock on my computer. Yup. It was 4 pm. His normal return home time. Eight hours of pure bliss had passed through the clock, but to me it was as if I had barely started. Those days are rare and deeply coveted.

     Abiding in Christ is a glorious way to go through life. No one's life is perfect. No one can obtain pure delight in their alone time unless they are alone with Jesus. Being alone by yourself without Jesus, in the chaos of your thoughts, can bring you down. But being alone with Jesus, chaos flees, for it doesn't stand a chance where the Light shines; chaos is darkness and death; Jesus is light and life.

     My life is not perfect, but my Savior is. It is His perfection that lives in me by faith, by believing on Him for my Lord and Savior. Every thing that Jesus Christ is, lives in me by faith in Him. I may not always let His light shine through, but every time I repent of this, I get stronger. I do not want to be cut off from The Branch, nor thrown into the fire. I read God's Word, and keep God's Word in my heart, and am actively applying God's Word to my life, including my family and my children in this, for they are in my life, too.

     Yes, you can memorize Scripture, either passages or individual verses; you can know all The Books of The Bible in order and still not know Jesus Christ. You can go to church, hear the preacher's sermon, and walk right out that door living the same old life you always lived. You have not changed because you have not listened, nor applied the message of salvation that was preached. Our actions determine our outcomes when we hear God's Word spoken or preached.

     If we feel a prick in our thoughts, or our heart, when we hear the message given, and do nothing, our hearts become harder and our ears deafer; we have only strengthened our resolve not to give in to weakness. For that is how some people view born again Christians, people too weak to stand on their own that they must need God to stand for them. Oh you fools! It is the weak God uses to bring down the fool. It is the weak God uses to reach the prideful, the annoyed, the depressed, the confused, the rich, the poor, the sanctimonious, the politician, the lobbyist, the doctor, the lawyer, the lost, the found. It is the weak in themselves who are strong in Christ. It is the weak who admit they are weak who come to the altar and kneel before God to repent of their wicked ways, their sins, and receive forgiveness from God and acceptance into His family. At that moment the weak become strong. For Jesus is now living in their hearts through their faith in and on Him. His blood has washed away the sins repented of and now the weak which you decry are made strong in Him who was crucified and rose from the grave.

     Abide in Him and Him only, as I and my family abide in Him and Him only. For each person who comes to God and believes on The Name of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ for salvation must work out their own after they believe. Which means you and I and every other believer must learn to live in Jesus. He already knows how to live in us, but we are learning to live in Him. This is why no two Christians are alike: each is responsible for their own growth, for seeking to grow in the things of God, for seeking to grow in The Word of God: searching His Word, in prayer and love, on how to be more like Jesus.

     Do you know God's perfect will for your life? Me, either. But I do know that God's first will for any one's life is be saved. 1 Timothy 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved; and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” So, what is truth? John 14:6 “And Jesus said unto them, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes unto The Father but by Me.” Jesus is Truth. So, 'to come unto the knowledge of the truth', is to come to know Jesus, to believe Jesus, to learn to live in Jesus as He lives in us, when we believe.

     If you want to know God's will for your life after you are saved, then I expect you will study His Word. If you are not able to access a Bible where you live, while there are many Bible sites, I would recommend Bible Hub Library . This is the one my husband and I use to study with; it has more tools than I have on my bookshelf. And it's free to use by any one. As I walk through The Word in my study times, I will continue to share what I receive.

Just Another Book?

If the devil knows the Scriptures better than you do, what are you going to do about it? 

When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he abused Scripture by taunting Him with it. But Jesus used Scripture to send the devil packing. 

Start your New Year off right. Get your Bible off the shelf, pray over it and ask God to guide you in your understanding of it, and begin to apply it to your life. Otherwise, it's just another book on the rack.

I'm an overcoming Christian and my desire is that you are, too. I am overcome by the Amazing Grace God has for me. And I overcome the enemies of God using the Scripture as my level, my shield and my sword. 

GENESIS: BOOK OF BEGINNINGS. 
EXODUS: BOOK OF DELIVERANCE
LEVITICUS: BOOK OF WORSHIP INSTRUCTIONS-HOLINESS, SACRIFICE, ATONEMENT
NUMBERS: BOOK OF GENEALOGIES; LIVING IN THE WILDERNESS/ PREPARATION TO ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND
DEUTERONOMY: BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE AND BLESSINGS

(are you hungry yet?)

JOSHUA: BOOK OF CONQUEST-OVERCOMING OPPOSITION AND SHARING THE REWARDS
JUDGES: BOOK OF MILITARY HEROES WHOM GOD RAISED UP TO DELIVER AN IMMORAL PEOPLE
RUTH: BOOK OF FRIENDSHIP-THE DEMONSTRATION AND REWARDS OF BEING A FRIEND

1 & 2 SAMUEL: BOOK OF TRANSITION OF GOVERNMENT
1 & 2 KINGS: HISTORY BOOKS OF GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE IN A 400 YEAR SPAN
1 & 2 CHRONICLES: BOOKS OF HOPE

(gonna have to re_read my Bible again, all the way through!)

EZRA: BOOK OF RESTORATION OF THE REMNANT OF GOD'S COVENANT PEOPLE
NEHEMIAH: BOOK OF COURAGEOUS, RESOURCEFUL LEADERSHIP
ESTHER: BOOK OF GOD'S PRESERVATION OF HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE
JOB: BOOK OF 'WHY THE RIGHTEOUS SUFFER'-REVEALING THE CHARACTER OF GOD

PSALMS: BOOK OF PRAYERS, SONGS AND HYMNS-FOCUSING ON GOD IN EVERY SITUATION, CIRCUMSTANCE AND TRIAL

PROVERBS: BOOK OF APPLIED PRACTICAL WISDOM

ECCLESIASTES: QUESTIONING THE MEANING OF LIFE

SONG OF SOLOMON: BOOK OF AUTHENTIC LOVE

ISAIAH: BOOK ON THE HOLINESS OF GOD/SALVATION IS OF GOD

JEREMIAH: BOOK OF THE NEW COVENANT-GRACE AND FORGIVENESS WRITTEN IN THE HEART

LAMENTATIONS: SORROWING OVER GOD'S JUDGMENT OF HIS SINFUL PEOPLE-THE RESULTS OF IDOLATRY AND UNFAITHFULNESS

EZEKIEL: BOOK OF JUDGMENT & RESTORATION-INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY OF FORGIVENESS AND GRACE

DANIEL: EMPHASIZING THE TRUTH THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL OF HISTORY

HOSEA: BOOK OF STEADFAST LOVE

JOEL: PROPHETIC OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ON GOD'S PEOPLE-REPENT AND RECEIVE

AMOS: BOOK OF REPENTANCE, WORSHIP AND CHANGED LIVES

OBADIAH: BOOK OF GOD'S JUDGMENT AGAINST ISRAEL'S ENEMIES

JONAH: BOOK OF REVELATION OF GOD'S HEART-MESSAGE OF GRACE FOR ALL PEOPLE, NOT JUST SOME; STEPS TO REVIVAL

MICAH: BOOK OF ACCOUNTABILITY

NAHUM: CALLED TO HOLINESS AS A WAY OF LIFE

HABAKKUK: CALLED TO FAITH IN DAILY LIVING

ZEPHANIAH: CALLED TO SERVE AS GOD'S COVENANT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD

HAGGAI: CALLED TO AUTHENTIC WORSHIP

ZECHARIAH: CALLED TO AUTHENTIC FAITH-REPENTANCE, REVIVAL, RESTORATION

MALACHI: CALLED AGAIN TO AUTHENTIC WORSHIP-REBUKED FOR SHALLOW WORSHIP

MATTHEW: REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST AS THE PROMISED MESSIAH/DETERMINING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" AND "KINGDOM OF GOD"

MARK: REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST AS THE SON OF GOD AND THE SON OF MAN

LUKE: REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST IS GOOD NEWS-GOSPEL OF JOY, GOSPEL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, GOSPEL OF PRAYER

JOHN: BOOK OF RELATIONSHIPS BASED IN OUR LOVE FOR GOD AND GOD'S LOVE FOR US

ACTS: REVEALING THE PERSON AND PURPOSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

ROMANS: PROCLAIMING GOD'S POWER TO SAVE ALL PEOPLE

1 & 2 CORINTHIANS: LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IN A NON-CHRISTIAN ENVIRONMENT

GALATIANS: JUSTIFICATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

EPHESIANS: REVEALING THE UNION & BOND OF CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

PHILIPPIANS: LIVING A JOY-FILLED CHRIST-CENTERED LIFE

COLOSSIANS: REVEALING THE MAJESTY OF CHRIST

1 & 2 THESSALONIANS: PREPARING FOR CHRIST'S RETURN

1 & 2 TIMOTHY: THE PURPOSE AND POWER OF SCRIPTURE 

TITUS: REMINDED TO 'HOLD FAST' (like superglue) TO THE GOSPEL OF OUR SALVATION

PHILEMON: REVEALING OUR RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER IN CHRIST

HEBREWS: REVEALING THE AUTHORITY AND FINALITY OF JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR

JAMES: PRACTICAL & TRUE RELIGION VS. COUNTERFEIT RELIGION

1 & 2 PETER: LIVING A LIFE OF HOPE AND JOY IN THE MIDST OF CONFLICT

1, 2, 3 JOHN: LIVING A LIFE OF ACTIVE LOVE AND FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

JUDE: DEFENDING GODLY FAITH AGAINST UNGODLY FALSE TEACHINGS 

REVELATION: REVEALING GOD'S MAJESTY, POWER AND AUTHORITY

(this was a wonderful study today. took 3 hours just to get this far) I love my BIBLE!