How to Read the Bible

I wanted to pen out a few guidelines for reading the Bible that I have used over the years.

• Choose a Time to Read:  Just like you should have daily time to workout and eat meals, you should carve out a specific time to read, daily.  Even on the weekends you should read your Bible.  In the beginning, it might need to be scheduled.  Think of it as water and food, you need it daily. Once you start consistently, you will see  God working in crazy ways and won't be able to stop.

• Pray:  Literally pray for yourself to be cleared before you start.  Use a few minutes to repent of things you know you need to be cleared of and ask God to show/reveal things to you through the Spirit.  READ ONLY with the Spirit.  The Bible is not just like any other book.  It's God's Word.  You need His Spirit to understand and be given revelation.  You need to understand why we hide the word in our hearts, not mindlessly spit out verses.  We all know someone that knows so much about the Bible, but knows nothing about Christ and doesn't even obey the Word they have memorized.

• Read with the intent to CHANGE yourself, not others.  Don't think about who needs to hear this or how so and so doesn't do this.  Think about what God wants YOU to do with this WORD.   The Word is Alive, so reading the same verses over 5 years will speak to you differently.  What other people do-- does not change you.  God does.  We are not called to react, but just act accordingly to the Spirit that leads us.  Conflict?  We are called to walk through it even if the other person isn't led.  Shed the thoughts that you do things because other people do things...that is not how we live.  In the simple form, Jess just came in saying Jose was so mean to her but she wasn't mean back because that is not what Jesus wants her to do.

• Self- Reflect:  As you read the Word, continually ask God, do I do this?  Do I not do this?  Do I act like this character, whether it is godly or not?  What would be God's reaction to my situation?  What does He say I should do?  Shouldn't do?  Are these my views?  Do I need to ask others what I need to change to line up with this Word?  If you don't read, you do not change.  

• Length:  Don't read to rush through and get a certain amount done a day.  Some days I barely get through 3 verses in 2 hours because I am praying and asking God for revelation on it and in my life situations. Other days I'll read complete books.  Some days I read for 15min if that is all I have time for.  Other days, I read for 4 hours. When God is getting ready to do something in me, I am pulled to the Word in the morning and at night.  There is no set amount of time to me, I just make sure that I am reading daily.   

• Be Flexible:  Pray and ask God where to read daily.  Start there, but when the next day comes, do not feel like you always have to start and finish a book unless you feel pulled to do that. Once again, pray about it.  If you don't have a Study Bible, use Google to search for background info on the book you are reading.  If you are new to reading and do not know the Bible stories, I would recommend starting and finishing books to understand the whole story.  I would also say that it is good to read the Bible in Chronological order at some point, too. Google the list.  Pray about using the Bible Project on YouTube.  It's the best.  I used it all the time. The whole book is ALIVE and everyday you should be in it, that is how you are changed and renewed.  

• Get a Bible: Not just one that is on your phone.  I have never met anyone that was spiritually healthy that only used a Bible on their phone.  You should be highlighting, writing, underlining, making notes, circling, writing dates, etc in there. 

• Truth:  As believers in Christ, we have to accept all of the Bible as Truth.  All of it.  Believing in Christ means that we believe that the Bible is Truth.  As you read, ask yourself if you believe it.  Remember your opinion doesn't matter.  Your flesh is hostile to God.  There are many things I still ask God to show me revelation in because I do not understand, but I must believe it is all true.  That is what you signed up for, so there is no room to say you don't believe some of it.

• Applies to You:  Whatever Jesus says about His believers, belongs to us.  We must fully accept the power and authority that lives inside of us.  When He says you are new, you must believe you are made new.  You must believe Jesus more than the devil.  Sound weird? Sound like a given? It must be said.  Why do so many sulk and live in misery?  They believe the devil's lies more than Truth.  That's unacceptable.  

• Obey:  Start doing it.  In order to call yourself a Christ follower...you have to follow Christ and His teachings.  Sounds so simple, yet missing.  Would you call yourself a vegetarian, yet eat meat?  Would you call yourself a bowler yet not know how to play, never learned the rules and system, and do not play the game?  Doesn't that sounds crazy? If you aren't following Jesus, maybe you aren't a follower?  I have no idea, it's a good question.  Jesus said you obey Him. Your advice to others should only be from the Spirit's directing and Biblical advice.  How can you give counsel if you don't read and obey?  These are hard questions that will make you change.

• Pray:  Start praying about everything, all the time.  Your work is not separate.  Your kids are not separate.  Your relationships are not separate.  All of the decisions in those things should be prayed through, aligned to the Word, and discerned with the Spirit.  I am amazed at people making decisions because they are a part of a system.  Logic and human ways of doing things come into play a lot.  Before moving here, I could have stay 4 more months to have my student loans paid for by my county, but God said move.  Sounds so foolish to the human mind, yet God had a crazy plan.  Out of the blue a donor called me and asked to pay off my student loans. To date, they have been paid in full.  AMEN!!  There is no room for logic and following human patterns.  God has a plan, come get in IT.

• Start: Today.   Adopt this new mantra:  It's not about me.  Because it isn't.  That is what you choose when you accepted Christ.  Even where you choose to go to church shouldn't be "up to you"...It's up to God.  Where does HE want to USE you?  You are to be used to DO for Him now.  You might be an amazing teacher, but He doesn't have that anymore for you.  You might be a popular lawyer, but he's sweeping that out from under you to move you to Africa.  You might be a missionary that is not following Him but claiming you are in this "adventure," and He is calling you to back out of your organization to fix yourself first.  I do not know what He has for you, but nor will you, if you do not seek His face...(and that should scare the living daylights out of you.)  

Why should you do this?  Because when you finally decide to live the way He says, you find peace. You find rest.  You find victory.  You find the Path.  You realize the consequence isn't yours.  It's God's.  To anyone that is head of household (husband, mom, single) knows the responsibility is on them.  It's daunting to run the house and have sole responsibility.  But in Christ, it's not daunting.   When you can rest in the fact that you followed the leading of the Spirit and did as you were led, you are released from the responsibility.  Then, when you don't understand circumstances, you wont find yourself saying you did something wrong.  You just rest in this is what God has for me right now.

I had a vision weeks ago.  There were two rooms. One was of just a few people happy and filled with joy socializing.  The other room was of people sitting on the floor bound to their spot;  it was dark and ugly in there.  When I walked in, I got down next to one of them and said, "You have NO CHAINS, get up!"  The person said, "Oh, but I do, I can't move.  I am in chains, I can't get up from here!  I am stuck here!!" I touched her arm and said, "LOOK!  Nothing is there!"  Sadly, she wouldn't listen.

Our Lord and Savior came and was beaten to almost death slowly, then crucified.  He didn't endure so you could live a crappy life in chains to the devil.  He set you free.  You will learn what it really means to suffer, but it wont be for false claims that do not even exist, it will be for the KINGDOM of God.

The Word of God cannot be chained.  It goes out and it changes, it's not empty.  Get reading.