Not all the time that I read the bible was I divinely urged, but never once has it failed to speak God’s heart into my own. The Holy Spirit is drawn to a person who is full of the holy Word. Prayerfully spending time with the Word of God has been my greatest motivating forces right from my childhood days.

Here are four progressive steps you could take too, in your journey in understanding the Lord through the power of His Word:

1. Soaking In the Word
The Word of God should be part of the daily diet of every born again Christian. Quoting Matthew 4:4 (NLT), But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.“ Any day when you do not have enough amount of the Word running through your spiritual veins, you are susceptible to spiritual weakness.

The way I do this is by reading and listening to the scriptures together. I use the Youversion audio bible on my phone to listen to and soak in the Word through my ears, while my eyes simultaneously feast on the same Word. You do not have to give yourself time as you cannot expect yourself to understand or interpret every verse you read when studying initially.

2. Meditating On the Word
Another command we see in the scriptures, especially in the Old Testament is the commandment to meditate upon the scriptures. Quoting Joshua 1:8 (NLT) “Study this Book of Instructions continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

The Old Testament was more about meditating upon the Word of God, while the New Testament is more about receiving revelations from it by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. However, the key to receiving a revelation is that one should continually read and also meditate on the Word of God.

3. Memorizing the Word
This is one of the most neglected areas of teaching today, especially due to the over dependence of our generation on technology and media to look up a verse. However, memorizing scriptures is one of the keys to overcome sin and temptations that wage war against us daily. Quoting Psalm 119:11 (NLT) “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Make it a habit to memorize at a rate of one verse a day or week as your mind allows. As time passes by, this will turn out to be the greatest treasure you possess.

4. Interpreting the Word
Eph. 6:17 calls the word of God as the Sword of the Spirit. It is very essential to get acquainted with your sword to be able to use it in a time of spiritual need. It is not enough that you read, meditate and memorize the scriptures, but also be able to efficiently interpret the same. Apostle Paul charges Timothy; “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.“ (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP) You can read more about, “Interpreting scriptures and the tools you could use” in my next post.

Read, Meditate, Memorize, Interpret!

Can you make the Word of God an indispensable part of your daily living? Could you share here the challenges you face and the encouragement you receive for the same? We look forward to hearing from you!