How do you approach your Bible? Do you approach it with fear and apprehension or with confidence and excitement? How you begin your study directly impacts how you will end it. Do you end it hungry for more or running for the hills? If your answer is running for the hills, this is for you. If your answer is hungry for more, this is for you too.
The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.
– Psalm 33:6
Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek equate the word breath with God’s Spirit. When God speaks, His breath (His Spirit) follows His Words. The same thing happens when we talk; our breath follows our words. The Word of the Lord and the Spirit from His mouth created the whole universe! Think about it. When God said, “Let there be light,” His Spirit went forth from His mouth, and there was light. (Genesis 1:3). God’s Word and His Spirit are His creative instruments. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that “all Scripture is God-breathed.” God’s Word is His breath; it is His Spirit.
When you read your Bible with an open heart, allowing it to “judge the thoughts and attitudes of your heart” (Hebrews 4:12), all the creative power of Almighty God is at work in you. That right there is breathtaking, my friends (did you see what I did there?)! God used nothing but His Word and His Spirit to create the universe. That same Word and Spirit are available to us when we read the Bible. Never set limits on what God can create for you in your life through His Word! (Derek Prince, God’s Word Your Inexhaustible Resource) Let me repeat that. NEVER SET LIMITS ON WHAT GOD CAN CREATE FOR YOU IN YOUR LIFE THROUGH HIS WORD!
Opening your Bible is the best thing you will do today. But before you open it and wield your sword, you should align your heart with God’s heart through prayer. You can pray about three things before diving into the Word.
Open My Eyes So That I May See
Without supernatural help, there is no understanding of Scripture. Unbelievers reject God’s teachings and revelations because they don’t make sense to them. They are incapable of understanding the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:14) because they don’t have the supernatural assistance of Holy Spirit. But the good news is that we can understand God’s Word because God sent the Holy Spirit to teach all things to those who believe in His Son (John 14:26).
So before you open the Word, ask God to give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know God better (Ephesians 1:17). Pray for Him to open your eyes to see the wonderful truths in His instructions (Psalm 119:18). Ask Him to open your mind to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).
Guide Me Into All Truth
Daily, we are inundated with information: the news, the internet, and social media. It is impossible to find the truth unless you know the truth. But what is the truth? We need a lie detector to help us sort it all out. God’s Word is our lie detector: it exposes the lies and uncovers the truth. His Word is the truth (Psalm 119:160, John 17:17). It is our road map, guiding us to our true north, and helping us find our way through the maze of lies.
His Word not only shows us the truth about the world but also about ourselves. It burns away wrong thinking and helps us take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). It helps us stand firm against the lies of the enemy when all we can do is stand. But we must know His truth for His truth to work in us.
Ask God to guide you into all truth (John 16:13). Ask Him to sanctify you with His truth as you read His Word (John 17:17). Finally, pray that He will teach you His way so that you will walk and live in His Truth (Psalm 86:11).
“We are dealing with God’s thoughts: we are obligated to take the greatest pains to understand them truly and to explain them clearly.”
– D.A. Carson
Help Me Correctly Handle Your Word of Truth
There are many pastors and Bible teachers out there. Some preach and teach the Word of God accurately. Others do not. They have let the world’s values cloud their vision of the Word. The Word is Truth, which never changes, even if the world does.
In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul gave Timothy some good advice. He said, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” That is good advice for all of us.
Paul is possibly (next to Jesus) the greatest teacher of all time. Yet, the Berean Jews were said to be of more noble character than others “for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” You see, it is not just about fact-checking the teacher, good or not; it is about studying the Word for ourselves – that is how we get it deep inside of us and grow into a worker who has no need to be ashamed.
To correctly handle God’s Word of Truth, we must try to understand what God has said and not “lean on our own understanding” by allowing our own opinions and views to blur what God has written.
Ask God to teach you how to study His Word. Pray for Him not to let you be deceived by false teachings. Ask Him to show you when your opinions and views are clouding your vision of His Truth. Pray that He will help you accurately represent His truth to others.
After you pray these things, open the Word of God and welcome it to judge the thoughts and attitudes of your heart. Allow it to teach you, to change you. Don’t limit what God can do for you through His Word. Receive His Truth with eagerness!
“The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”
– D.L. Moody
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Making Him Known June 22, 2025 3:39 pm