How Should I Approach The Word of God?

Hello dear readers, thank you for joining me again today. I hope you expect to be blessed by this post.

Over the last two Fridays, we have discussed the word of God, its impact, and its nature and today’s post is on how you should approach the word of God. You probably are wondering, “why the focus on the word of God?” Well, let me put it simply, it is because the word is spirit and it is LIFE. Also, many of us have so neglected the word our lives no longer bear fruits.

Now, as powerful and alive as the word is, it may not benefit you if it is approached wrongly. Let me point out clearly that this post is not to teach methods but to exalt attitude and posture. The word is powerful and alive yet the Pharisees were blind to it… The word is Light yet the two gentlemen on the road to Emmaus were blind to “Him”. Dear reader, the question then is “how should I approach the word of God, that I may be blessed?”

Let’s visit the scriptures and then go from there

1 Peter 2:1-2 (KJV)

“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”

Contrary to some opinions, this scripture is not referring to baby Christians. Apostle Peter using “babes” and “milk” here doesn’t mean he was talking to baby Christians. He used this as an illustration for the kind of posture they should have. As a matter of fact, this letter was written to all believers in the Roman province of Turkey at the beginning of Nero’s persecution of Christians, encouraging them to remain faithful. Comforting and giving them hope.

So then how do I approach the word? Let’s dive in

1. REPENTANT

1 Peter 2:1 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

At first while preparing this post, I was only going to use verse 2 until I realised verse 2 is a continuation of verse 1. This means that this is a very important thing to do. I call it “The opening posture”.

You must repent of all these and You must have a repentant heart.

Many people are not ready to repent of their evil even when convicted of it by the scripture. So because they are unrepentant, the word of God remains unfruitful in them. Listen to me, if the word of God is to benefit you, from your heart, make sure you lay aside (this means to confess and to regard as evil and put away from you) all these evil.
You might say “but I don’t know if I can do it” that’s where prayer comes in.
The point is let your heart be broken before the word of God. Because the word is a seed and it must be sown on good soil (a heart cleansed by Jesus’ blood) for it to bear fruit.

2. ATTITUDE

The attitude you are expected to have is “Like new born babes”.

Again let me say that this is not talking about your spiritual stature, instead it’s talking about the approach and attitude towards the word of God.

Babies are meek and if you are not meek, you cannot receive the word that is able to save. The Bible says In James 1:21
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”

(Notice it begins with repentance also)

Meekness is humility, exalting His word above everything else you think you know. Submit to the Lordship of His word and He will open Himself up to you.

(see also psalm 119:130 that says the word gives understanding to the simple).

How can I be simple? Start with a prayer of repentance, acknowledge his lordship, with your heart and words, ask Him to help you submit to Him. Then take His word and watch it open up to you like a chocolate wrapper.

Babies are Helpless. This is an attitude we must portray from our hearts. Bring yourself through prayer, testimonies and self acknowledging that without God’s instruction (Word), you remain in darkness though you have been transformed to light but you’ll continue to walk in darkness if you lack the word. The acknowledgement of this truth will break you and cause you to depend on God for that daily “word”. (think about it, all the times you’ve tried it on your own, see how many mistakes you’ve made. All the times you’ve chosen your own way instead of the word, see all the mess… Thank God all things work together)

Depending on God for daily word is another thing to talk about; depending on Him for your daily word. People think it’s just about taking the Bible and reading, oh no!! No matter how much of the Bible you read, if God doesn’t send His word to you, you will be void of life. You have to depend on Him for that bread of life. Acknowledge in your heart your insufficiency to find life and ask Him to speak His word to your heart…This is achieved by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

Kai!!! You must understand that I’m not trying to communicate knowledge to you. I want your heart to quake by the word of God you’re reading here so that you can begin to experience real transformation in life.

Don’t just pick your Bible and read. Understand that the spirit and life doesn’t come from the letter, grace doesn’t come from the letter. Be helpless enough to say “Give me, oh Father, my bread for today“. Amen.

Medically speaking, new born babies (like our scripture qualifies us) are safe(r) taking breast milk (which I believe is the purest form of milk for new born babies). As a believer then, you must know that the only thing safe for you to consume is the word of God. Listen, even if you are a professional in your field, no matter what you have to read for the sake of profession, you must exalt the word of God above all other Knowledge. There is a scriptural way to run business, there’s a scriptural way to run a home etc…. Seek only the pure milk of God’s word.

let me drop this for your meditation and move on (Matthew 19:14
“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”)

3. APPETITE

“desire the sincere milk of the word”

Hear this and receive it in your heart “RELIGION IS THE KILLER OF SPIRITUAL DESIRE”

When religion is involved, the life of that activity is choked. Dear reader, you must desire. It’s one thing when you’re hungry and you go and cook and it’s another thing when you are called to cook because it’s your turn to cook according to the weekly cooking schedule.

The word is sweet… Sometimes it may come in bitter, but once you swallow it (believe, accept and live by it) it becomes sweet like honey. Sometimes it will come in sweet but bitter in your stomach. Desire the word which is able to save you, build you, change you, transform you.

This is why I dealt with the nature of the word last week so that we can have reasons not to go religiously to study the Bible.

Pray and ask God for hunger for the knowledge of His ways… Pray for the desire to know His Truth and Way (do you know this was the prayer of Moses? It was granted him and he saw the glory of God).

Matthew 5:6 Says “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Hunger is always satisfied.

Therefore, ask of Him who works in us to desire.

4. GOAL

This is the final point on how to approach the word of God.

What is your purpose expected to be?

“that ye may grow thereby:”

Every point I have made so far involves purity of the mind and posture. The purity of your motive however cannot be overemphasized.

You should hear the selfish, egotistic, ridiculous, self absorbed reasons people have for studying the word of God. But Apostle Peter is teaching you and I to search our hearts thoroughly, put your motive under serious search. The word of God is meant for your spiritual growth, which will eventually affect all other things around and about you. Many people study out of guilt, some for promotion in church, others for the singular purpose of preaching while some just want to feel among, to be able to quote some verses by heart. Of course you can do all these, no one will stop you but the word can’t benefit you. So it’s like having a box full of money, you do everything with that box except to open it and make use of the money in it and you are drowning in needs and debts. Stop playing around the box and open it.

I encourage to say this prayer… Lord help me lay aside all evil and give me a meek heart that is hungry for your living bread.

Precious Reader, to close this edition, I want you to know it is the will of God for you to know Him and come into the full image of Jesus the Anointed One. He has made available the word as a major expression of such amazing Grace. So let us put aside self confidence and depend on His word. Let us never get too familiar with the word that we don’t think anything good can come out of it. Let us approach with the right posture. I say again, let us approach and engage the living word.

Take the posture required today and your Life will experience and express the life of God.

Shalom.

Thank you for joining me today, see you next week as we talk about Bible study methods; how to study the Bible.

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Photo source: https://images.app.goo.gl/9DUvVked5zJaYUW66

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