Shew thyself Approved

Sunday July 28th, 2014


2 Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

When I ask many of the youth I come across, if or how they study the bible these are many of their responses:

1. "I don't need to read the bible."  This translates to them feeling they have read enough of the bible and that most of the scriptures they have not memorized, will magically appear in their spirit or mind. Although God is not a magician, they feel meditating on the Word of God(Joshua 1:8), a commandment by God,  doesn't apply to them. 

The sad truth is the verse that God could use to quicken them through out the day, these people will never receive because they have not taken the time to open Gods words and receive something from it.

2. I haven't read it yet today. I only read it at night. This translates to they have not made or don't plan to make adequate time for the Lord, who they may or may not acknowledge. Just like above, to have the Lord dwell richly in our hearts(Colossians 3:16) we must commune with Him through out the day. For God to communicate with us, to truly help us every step of the way, in both our happy and weak times we must read His words in the Bible and pray them in during the day and at night. That is why God also tells us in the very beginning of  the book of Psalm written by a man, God himself classified as a man after His own heart,

Psalm 1:2

 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3. Lastly, I am too tired and I just don't have time to read the bible. Reading the bible, like choosing to wake up, go somewhere, go to work, doing anything, is a Choice. You can choose to follow and worship Jesus today or choose to not. If you don't make time to read the bible you will not. As a believer in Christ, our lifeline to God is reading the bible and praying. There is no way around it. To become as strong in faith like Abraham, Ruth, Paul, Esther, John the baptist, and so many great man and woman of God is by reading and taking up the ways of the bible that has been put together for us to read plus,

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

For those curious on why the bible is a text that holds validity. You can read about it's historical credibility HERE  and HERE . You can also watch a very well versed theologian explain it's historical credibility. Plus you can see the manifestation of how the words of the Bible holds true in the lives of myself and many others who have been converted and live a life sold out to Jesus Christ.

Now that we have helped those who were on the fence of believing if the bible was credible enough, let's talk about why many people in my generation find it so hard to read the bible. Many desire to, but when they want to create time something else takes their attention. The answer is simple, its one of the above three excuses, but it's also because there is a spiritual battle for your soul. The Lord reaches out to bring you on His side and  the dark forces also want you to be pulled to their side! The bible talks so much about how the youth will become tired, and weak; these then are the times the dark forces will come and steal the desire to read the only book where you can gain both wisdom and eternal life!

Isaiah 40:30-31

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

Ecclesiastes 12:1

 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Psalm 119:9

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

Personal story. I grew up with parents, but a mother who loved the Lord and so I was a church kid(till a parent left the church at 14, and I had a choice whether or not to go, another story). I read the bible growing up and was encouraged to, but when you give your life to the Lord and become Born Again you have to re-read and re-learn everything in the word  because you have a measure of the Holy Spirit in you! The Holy Spirit now helps you truly understand the scriptures and apply it to your specific life situation or for wisdom in the future. So, I was assigned to first read John, the most practical of the gospels. I went home that Sunday I received Jesus so fired up to the read the word. Then I opened the bible so ready to devour it but the devil started fighting. I couldn't concentrate. So then "I prayed Lord help me concentrate, I want to Learn who You are." Then the Lord put it in my spirit out of no where to watch the story of John, while listening to the King James Version(my favorite version of the bible) So I go on YouTube search "Book of John movie" or something very close, and end up reading and studying the book of John the entire night through a dramatization, while taking notes. I then proceeded the next day to read the other three gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke while listening to them audible(didn't need the video ) and writing down what the Lord was speaking to me each time. I found a way for me to be able to inject the word of God into my soul. Now, I am able to read the bible without any audio or movie, and even music because I have grown a deep love for the text. I just bask in the Holy Spirit speaking to me with silence around me. Just as God showed me ways that worked for me, He will show you too.

Now how does my morning routine go? I battled early on with picking up my phone first before the bible. I always remembered to pray and thank God for waking me up, but I wanted the Word of God to be what I consumed next. Putting my phone somewhere far wasn't working either. That annoyed me. Like many of us we like our phones close to us. I too had always kept the physical bible under my pillow, but because I was again picking my phone up, this is what I now do. I downloaded the bible app on my phone and put the verse of the day widget, they also have a full long text bible reading widget and placed it on the screen I see once I click my phones unlock button. So when I unlock my phone the Verse of the day is what I see first! I memorize it and that's the verse I choose to mediate on through out the day. Quiet time doesn't necessarily have to be right after you wake up, but you want to inject something from the word before you leave your house, or really interact with family. Because someone is waiting to test you! You want to pass that test! People may not read the bible but they read us and our reactions!  At night I am really tired, so instead of forcing myself to read a long passage. God favors a little too. I downloaded the "Uplifting Psalms" app, which randomizes Psalms and I read one and pray the words in and go to bed. It's been a blessing.  

The Bible app also has:
  • Bible Reading Plans
  • Devotionals
  • Over 20 Translations of the bible in English
  • Other language translations
  • Audio voice-overs on most translations
You can also choose to pick a devotional to read in the morning. My church sells Higher Everyday youth and adult devotionals. I personally will read these devotionals later on in the day after I have read the bible and gotten my own revelation and interpretation from the God himself, free from mans opinions. You gotta own your own walk in Christ, God will judge you solo.
Aside from quiet time, I regularly will read my physical bible through out the day or read the bible on my app. I also carry my physical bible everywhere with me. Mine is a little big, so I would recommend a nice travel size. It's also great to be able to use to witness to anyone God allows you to come across during the day, so you two can look at the word together. The phone may not be big enough. Plus I see the physical bible as my literal sword. Not sure if anyone heard of the man who escaped a bullet to his heart, due to his bible being in his shirt pocket...YES! God is so real and so good! I also have Jesus outings, where I take my bible and journal and go to the movies, have a picnic, do my favorite things and read! It's precious. I also don't miss my church's bible studies. If you want to grow in the word of God you have to learn from people who God has raised up to teach the bible. God tells His leaders special revelations. I have really grown. I also do the Proverbs challenge, everyday. I love gaining wisdom and Proverbs is the book of wisdom. On the numerical date of the day, I would read the chapter of Proverbs. So on July 28th, I would read Proverbs 28 and meditate on it. I also read parts of the bible I find comfort in, and read a pattern of books and chapters the spirit is yielding me to read. 
So Practical ways to help you read the bible and get devotional(Quiet time) with God, day and night:
  • Find a bible study or follow mine HERE, which gets posted every Monday night
  • Download Pandora, set the alarm option to wake up to a station with your favorite gospel artist, to get you in the mood to read the bible.
  • Start with worship music before reading the bible
  • Download Uplifting Psalms and Uplifting Proverbs app.

  • Put scriptures on your phone and computer backgrounds.
  • Set apart a day or time where you can get deep in the word. 
  • Buy a study bible you enjoy, KJV(closest version to the truth), to get insight.
    • (KJV Relationship Bible)
  • Always have a journal, laptop, tablet, or phone to take notes while reading.
It's important to note, before you start reading the bible we must invite God in and ask for His help in gaining revelation. We must pray before we read. Always.

Hope this helps to the many who have asked me how I study the bible and for those on a journey to read and understand the bible in its entirety. God will expect all Christians to know every word in the bible on judgement day.

Reading the word is doable, can be enjoyably and while reading it shows us our reflection. My prayer is we will allow God's reflection to be our reflections. God Bless you for reading.


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From your Sister in Christ ,


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