Posts Tagged 'daily bible reading'

The Power of Scripture

JESUS SPEAKING

    So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you continue in my word then you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8: 31-32.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

   God, in His wisdom, has chosen to use language (words) to reveal Himself to mankind. The written and spoken words of God and of His only Son Jesus Christ are recorded within the pages of The Holy Bible. These words have the power to grant eternal life; to purify and to heal; to transform and to enlighten. The word of God can do so many things; but unless it is harnessed and utilized, it isn’t likely to produce any meaningful change. Daily scripture reading is essential for the growth of the believer; a dusty bible is a reflection of the heart of its owner.
   Francis A. Schaffer was a brilliant 20th century American scholar and theorist. As a young adult he had been eagerly studying the works of the Greek philosophers. In his quest for knowledge he had been exposed to many interesting questions; for which there were no answers (he was drowning in theory, speculation, and conjecture.) At this same time he was also attending a very liberal church on the weekends, which failed to provide him with the answers he desired (because they did not preach bible based sermons.) ‘He thought, “I wonder whether I should stop calling myself a Christian, and discard the bible?” Then he reconsidered; choosing instead to face the fact that he had never actually read the bible.’ In desperation he began reading the scriptures for himself; with every turn of the page, his amazement grew. He had finally found the answers to his questions. His curiosity had led him to a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Francis Schaffer never stopped reading his bible. He chose to commit the rest of his life to helping others discover the truth that he had received from God.
   Nearly 130 million books have been written throughout human history. Every year 50,000 new titles are published. Yet in a sea of literary works, only the Holy Bible contains the truth. The bible transforms lives; it creates affection, produces kindness, and generates love; it relieves addictions, and delivers from despair; it can heal the sick and bring hope to the hopeless; it contains the answers to life’s deepest questions; it is a powerful tool; yet like all tools, it can do nothing unless it is put to use. Read God’s word and discover your purpose. Grab hold of the promises of God and never let go. Open His Holy Scriptures and you will neither stumble nor stray from the path of everlasting life.
    “Lord Heavenly Father, show us the importance of daily bible reading. May we cling to Your words as a dying man clings to his last breath. Instill in us the desire to seek You. May we be transformed through the power of Your word. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, that we may be more like Your Son; may others see our lives and praise Your Name. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Daily Bible Reading is Essential

JESUS SPEAKING

   ‘Now Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”  (Mathew 4: 1-4.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

   After being baptized, Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, where Satan tried to tempt and control Him through manipulation.  He called into question Jesus’ deity, and appealed to His bodily desires for food.  The Lord replied by quoting a single scripture, saying “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  There are bodily needs and there are spiritual needs; the stomach requires food, but the heart and the spirit require the word of God.

     Some years ago, I engaged in a conversation with a woman whose spirit was decayed and dying.  She couldn’t stop doing drugs but continued to profess her faith in God.  When asked if she was reading the bible every day, she replied, “No.”  Oddly enough, when told that daily bible reading would bring about a transformation in her life, she didn’t seem to believe what I was saying.  When asked what had occurred when she did practice daily bible reading in the past, she roughly replied, “I would read it for a while, and then my life would get better, and then I’d stop reading it, and I’d go out and revert back to my old ways.”  She, like many others, had failed to understand the truth of what is revealed in this scripture; that the spirit needs to be fed with the bible every single day.  The spirit controls the body, and when the spirit is starved, it becomes weak; permitting our fleshly desires to take control.  Human beings are then guided by their immediate appetites for food, for sex, for drugs and alcohol, etc.  Regaining control simply requires an adequate dose of daily bible reading.

     Today, we all need to be feasting on the word of God.  It takes very little time to read some proverbs, or dive into the gospels.  Every day we spend a half an hour or more eating food; does opening up the bible for ten minutes and consuming the word of God seem too difficult?  Give God’s word a chance in your life.  Make it a part of who you are, and you will find a strength to overcome and endure anything that may come your way.

    “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask and pray that You would give us a hunger for Your word.   Give us a desire to feed our spirits with Your divine power.  Provide new insights for us as we read, that we might be excited by every new truth we uncover.  We love you Father, we praise You, and we thank You; and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen!”  God bless all of you!

Daily Bible Reading

JESUS SPEAKING

      ‘Now Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Mathew 4: 1-4.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

      After being baptized, Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days, where Satan tried to tempt and control him through manipulation.  He called into question Jesus’ deity, and appealed to his bodily desires for food.  The Lord replied by quoting a single scripture, saying “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  There are bodily needs and there are spiritual needs; the stomach requires food, but the heart (spirit) requires the word of God.

      Some years ago, I had been ministering to a woman who was almost spiritually dead.  She couldn’t stop doing drugs but continued to profess her faith in God.  When asked if she was reading the bible every day, she replied, “No.”  Oddly enough, when told that daily bible reading would bring about a transformation in her life, she didn’t seem to believe what I was saying.  When asked what had occurred when she did practice daily bible reading in the past, she roughly replied, “I would read it for a while, and then my life would get better, and then I’d stop reading it, and I’d go out and revert back to my old ways.”  She, like many others had failed to understand the truth of what is revealed in this scripture; that the spirit needs to be fed with the bible every day; not two days a week, or one week out of a month, but daily.  The spirit controls the body, and when the sprit is starved, it becomes weak; permitting the fleshly desires take control.  Human beings are then guided by their immediate appetites for food, for sex, for drugs and alcohol, etc.  Regaining control simply requires an adequate dose of daily bible reading.

      Today, we all need to be feeding ourselves with the word of God.  How much time does it take to read a proverb, or to go through a portion of scripture?  Every day we spend a half an hour or more eating food; does opening the bible for ten minutes and consuming the word of God seem too difficult?  Give God’s word a chance in your life.  Make it a part of who you are, and you will find a strength to overcome and endure anything that may come your way.

      “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You today and we ask and pray that You would give us a hunger for Your word.   Give us a desire to feed our spirits with Your divine power.  Provide for us new insights as we read, that we might be excited by every new truth we uncover.  We love you Father, we praise You, and we thank You; and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen!”  God bless all of you.


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