Studying the Bible Without Resources

In the pursuit of bible study, there are a plethora of resources available... there are commentaries, books written by pastors or other inspired leaders, bible study groups, bible courses, sermons, videos, devotionals and more. All of these are definitely useful and inspiring towards growing in knowledge of the bible...but whether a person is just starting to get to know the bible or they are a seasoned student of the bible, the number of resources can become overwhelming and even distracting.

Have you considered stripping everything else away and just sitting with God's word in your hands? Those man-made resources are great, but we need to make sure that we don't lean on them so strongly that we are no longer leaving room for the Lord to teach us HIS word which HE wrote and inspired. We read this truth in ‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16‭-‬17‬,

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

The bible is THE root source of our learning. God provides His word to equip us. It is our personal users manual for our life. And since it is GOD’S ’s word, it is a complete and perfect teaching...lacking nothing.

Secondly, we also need to leave room, or opportunity, for the Spirit to lead us, guide us, and teach us as we read God's word. We read about this power of the Holy Spirit in I John 2:27,

"You have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true."

As we read passages in the bible, we may feel that we don't quite understand what is being communicated in the word, but we need to have patience as the Holy Spirit will reveal a greater understanding as we grow spiritually. The next time ww read a particular passage that we have read dozens of times, we may have an "aha" moment and see something completely new. It is amazing how the Spirit works and how the scripture really is alive and active as Apostle Paul tells us in ‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬.

Our Heavenly Father has definitely inspired many supplemental resources of learning which are supported by His infallible word. And there is nothing wrong with utilizing those resources or joining a bible study group or listening to inspired speakers.

But let us take time EACH DAY to turn off the noise of all the outside resources and sit with our great teacher as we read His word and open ourselves to being led by the Holy Spirit. The Lord tells us in ‭Psalms‬ ‭32:8‬,

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."

As we follow His lead, we will discover more, develop a closer connection to the Holy Spirit and grow closer to our Heavenly Father and the Word who was with God from the beginning before creation, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
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The mission of Daily God Gems is to share God's word and be a source of encouragement, peace, love and unity in Messiah. Visit us at www.facebook.com/dailygodgems and www.dailygodgems.com