Why Is Our Nation Suffering?

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Ultimately, political leaders and secular authorities are not responsible for the rise or fall of their nation. Our presidents and representatives don’t have the kind of power it takes to ruin and restore our country. That kind of responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of God’s people! God declared that all it would take to heal a nation is for His people to truly seek Him and turn from their wicked ways!

Is our nation being healed? Can we see the restoration of American morality and culture? If we are still in a downward spiral, doesn’t that indicate that the American church needs to do something different? If this nation rises and falls because of the spiritual health of the American believer - isn’t it about time we pay attention to what God told us to do?

If we want this nation to be healed, the first thing we’re told to do is humble ourselves. We need to come to the realization that our ways haven’t worked! Church-growth programs, seeker sensitive churches, secular lifestyles, and wishy-washy faith is not going to save this nation. Church invites aren’t going to cut it! If we want a real revival, we have to understand that our own ways of running the church, of running our families, and of running our lives haven’t worked! Are you willing to admit this?

Once we humble ourselves, the next step is to seek His face. We simply don’t do this anymore! Do you want proof? How many believers do you think spend time every day in prayer? How many believers do you think read their bible daily - let alone “study to show themselves approved”? Yet, this is the only answer for our country! Why are we so quick to blame President Obama and our congress for the state of our nation, and yet so slow to do the one thing that brings healing?

If I were you, I wouldn’t let anything stop me from seeking God! I would make it my first priority in my life! And then, whenever someone starts to complain about the way this country is heading, I would ask them if they’ve humbled themselves and are seeking God. After all, this is the only answer!

Finally (you knew this was coming!), we have to turn from our wicked ways! This is why we need to humble ourselves. If we stay in our pride, we’d be quick to say, “I’m a Christian! I don’t have any wicked ways!” But this is God speaking to His people! We need to turn from our wickedness, Christians! It’s time to clean house in our own lives, in our families, and in our churches.

It’s the wickedness of God’s people that’s hurting this nation! And it’s only the repentance of God’s people that will heal it!
We need to learn what wickedness is!

In Numbers 16:25-26, Dathan and Abiram were called wicked for conspiring against the men that God put in authority. It is wicked to rebel against the authority that God delegated to certain men. I go a little more in depth on that here.

Psalm 37:21 says that the wicked man borrows and doesn’t pay back. Did you know that it is wicked to owe money to someone and then go spend it on something else?

Psalm 52:7 says that it is wickedness to trust in your money. Whether you have a little or a lot, we are required to look to God, not our possessions, for life!

Proverbs 6:12-14 speaks of a wicked man that “sows discord among brothers.” Gossip - even when it’s true - is wickedness! Love will cover a multitude of sins!

Jesus said in Matthew 16:4 that it is a wicked thing to look for signs instead of simply believing what God has already said!

According to Matthew 18:32-33, it is wicked to harbor unforgiveness toward anyone. Jesus forgave us of more than we will ever realize! We are required to sincerely forgive our brothers and sisters!

When we do these things - humble ourselves, seek God’s face, and turn from the wickedness we’ve been doing - God’s promise is forgiveness and healing for this nation. Do you realize that millions of people in this country are counting on us to get it right?

Where Did Jesus Go?

It’s been taught for years. It was in the apostles creed of the catholic church. Many well-known preachers still believe it. When Jesus died, He went to Hell for us, fought with the Devil, and took his keys away from him. Sure, this makes for a dramatic message - but it’s not in the Bible! Scripture shows us exactly what Jesus did between the cross and the resurrection, and Hell was never part of that! This has always been a man-made teaching that played on our emotions!
 
Let’s look at a little background first.
 
Whenever anyone died in the Old Testament, they went to a place called Sheol, located deep in the belly of the earth.
 
Psalm 18:5 - “The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.”
 
Psalm 116:3 - “The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow.”
 
At first glance, it seems like Sheol is actually Hell. This gives support to the belief that Jesus went to Hell, since Psalm 16:10 prophesied about Jesus, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” So we can clearly see that Jesus was in Sheol...so doesn’t that mean that He did go to Hell?
 
Well...no. When we read the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), we find out that there are two parts of Sheol. There is “Abraham’s Lap” - also known as “Paradise.” It was where the righteous dead went. It was a place of comfort. It was a place where the righteous went to wait for the resurrection. The other part of Sheol was “Hades” - also known as “Hell.” It was where the wicked went after death. It was a place of torment, a place of fire, where a single drop of water was considered comfort.
 
The Bible says in Ephesians 4:9 declares that Jesus descended to the lower parts of the earth after His death. So which one of these compartments did He go to? The answer is so simple, everyone knows it. In fact, Jesus tells us in His own words! When He spoke to the repentant thief on the cross, do you remember what He said? “This day, you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Jesus went straight from the cross to Paradise! He never went to Hell!
 
While Jesus was in Paradise, the Bible says in 1 Peter 4:6, “For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit” and again 1 Peter 3:19-20, “He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient...”
 
While Jesus was in Paradise, He preached the Gospel, the Good News of what He just did, to the Old Testament saints. He let them know that the promise that they were waiting for had come to pass at last! But remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man? There was a chasm between Paradise and Hell that no one could cross - but there was communication going on back and forth! So while Jesus preached to the righteous dead, the “spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient” were also able to listen. For them, though, it was anything but good news! The promise that they had rejected had come to pass...and they were still on the wrong side.
 
After three days of preaching the Gospel to the righteous men and women in Paradise, Jesus broke the power of death by rising up from the grave! He “led captivity captive” according to Ephesians 4:8. When He resurrected, He brought all the righteous men and women with Him! For a little while, until He went back to Heaven, the saints of the Old Testament were walking around on earth! Don’t believe me? Look it up for yourself - it’s in Matthew 27:52-53!
 
Now, the only part of Sheol being used is Hell. 2 Corinthians 5:8 tells us what happens to the righteous dead now, “to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” Now we go straight to Heaven!
 
This may not seem like a crucial issue. And as I said before, many good preachers still believe that Jesus went to Hell. But it strikes at the heart of Jesus’ sacrifice - was the cross enough? Did Jesus do everything He needed to do on the cross, or did He still have to go to Hell and beat the devil?
 
Colossians 2:14-15 is clear about where Jesus’ victory over Satan and his army took place, “Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” It was at the cross! When He bore our sin, when He bore our sickness, when He died in our place - that was the victory He came for!
 
As He breathed His last breath on the cross, He told us that was enough! Remember what He said! “It is finished!” Everything He was going to do for us was done at that moment!

Biblical Racism

I don’t know about you, but I get annoyed when someone tries to use the Bible to support their own racial bigotries. I’m also tired of the so-called “tolerant” crowd claiming that the Bible is primitive and prejudiced. The simple fact is this - the Bible was way ahead of its time concerning ethnic issues!

Have you ever heard someone claim that the mark of Cain (Genesis 4:15) was dark skin? Believe it or not, that is still being taught! Or, how about the “curse of Ham?” Did you know that people are teaching that Ham’s curse was black skin? That is truly unbelievable to me!

First of all, read Genesis 4:15! “And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.” Tell me, where in this verse is skin color? It was simply a mark, that’s all! Besides, this passage is irrelevant for modern racists, since Cain’s family line was wiped out in the flood!

But what about the curse of Ham? It is true, after all, that Ham is the ancestor of the African people groups. Could there be something to this argument? Not at all! Read what Noah actually said! Genesis 9:25 says, “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” Canaan was Ham’s son - Ham was never cursed! In fact, part of Canaan’s curse was to serve his brothers, the rest of Ham’s kids - including the Africans’ ancestors! Ham’s sin in Genesis 9 brought a curse on his son Canaan, who was probably already following in the footsteps of his father. But notice that it was the Canaanites that bore this curse. Besides, there is no reference to skin color!

Another argument racists use is that God forbid the Israelites to intermarry with other races. Well, yes and no. God forbid them to marry the Canaanites - but not because of race or skin color! it was an issue of loyalty, the Canaanites were pagans! But you often see Canaanites who did give their loyalties to God. Rahab was one of them. So was Uriah the Hittite, one of David’s mighty men. God wasn’t concerned about racial purity, he was concerned about spiritual loyalty!

For more information about God’s view on intermarriage, check out this post.

You see, God does not care about ethnicity, color, or culture. We all came from Adam through Noah! Acts 17:26 says, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” God breaks down man-made barriers again in Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek (racial discrimination), there is neither slave nor free (social and economic discrimination), there is neither male nor female (gender discrimination); for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

In God’s eyes there are only two races. You can already see that at the end of Galatians 3:28 - “you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Spiritually speaking, all those in Christ Jesus are one race. That means those who are not in Him are the other spiritual race.

Let’s go to 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 to examine this further. “And so it is written,“The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.”

Do you see the two spiritual races here? We were all born into the race of Adam - that is natural humanity. Everyone who belongs to this race shares the same fate, to die and be judged for their sin. But those of us who were born again, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, have been born into a new race - the “last Adam’s” race! We are no longer merely natural humans, we have a recreated spirit! When our body dies, our spirit goes to be with Jesus! Our fate is to spend eternity with our Savior.

These are the only two races of people God sees. Aren’t you glad that this kind of race can change? You don’t have to live your life in Adam’s race anymore! 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” There you have it, the fate of both races. Which one do you want a part of?

Winning Souls?

I think there are more man-made doctrines in the church than we realize. These are teachings that we’ve learned for years that have no basis in the Bible. They’ve just been emotionally exciting messages, but that’s all. Teachings like “Jesus went to hell to fight the devil and take his keys from him” or “Timothy and Titus were pastors” - things you can’t find in the Bible, but we’ve preached them because we can relate to them emotionally.


One of these man-made subjects is the teaching that we need to “go win souls.” It sounds good, the motivation behind it (reaching the lost for Jesus) is good, it’s led to some good results - but I think it’s also done a lot of harm.


First of all, remember what your soul is! If you haven’t read it yet - read my last post. Jesus doesn’t save your soul! Your soul isn’t born again, your spirit is! You are responsible for saving your soul through God’s Word! Remember James 1:21, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” It is your habit of reading God’s Word daily that will save your soul!


So where did the concept of “winning souls” come from? One verse - Proverbs 11:30: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.” Notice the context, this isn’t talking about witnessing - it’s about doing what’s right! The Hebrew word for soul that is used here is “nephesh.” It simply means a natural type of life. It is often translated life or breath. Every living breathing animal has nephesh...it is simply the natural kind of life. Literally, it is the seat of the emotions, the place for thinking, and the activity of the will.


Keeping the phrase “wins souls” in context with “the fruit of the righteous” - we can see that it’s really talking about winning your soul! It’s moving past your natural life and normal way of thinking into the righteous way way of doing things! Do you see how this verse lines up with James 1:21?


Now, I know it sounds like I’m being overly technical and splitting hairs. But I believe that focusing on “winning souls” has been detrimental to the church! We’ve put the entire focus of the church on winning people to Jesus - but we’ve forgotten what should come next!


Jesus never called His church to win souls! Matthew 28:19-20 records the mission that Jesus gave to the church: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Do you see “winning souls” in that passage? Do you even see “witnessing” or “salvation messages” in that passage? What do you see there? Making disciples!


Don’t get me wrong, the salvation of a sinner is huge! It’s like the birth of a child...it’s necessary for life! But you don’t give birth to a baby and then say, “Congratulations kid, see you in a week!” Your goal isn’t the birth, it’s the life! You want that child to grow up, mature, make the right choices and ultimately produce and raise kids on their own! It’s the same with being born again.


We’ve missed it when we go out and lead a person to Jesus, and then leave them on their own. Our job - the commission given to us by Jesus Himself - is to disciple them. How do we do that? By “teaching them all things that I have commanded you.”


The believer’s calling is to take people from being a sinner, leading them into the new birth, and then taking them under his or her wing and discipling them. You do realize, after all, that once you lead someone to Jesus, you’re responsible to help them grow? The new birth is only the beginning of what you should be taking them through - with the ultimate goal of producing a mature believer that can repeat the process with another person!


I’m a product of this. My pastor wasn’t content that I was saved - he wanted me to mature in the faith. He took me under his wing and taught me how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. As I grew, he taught me how to do the work of ministry. And now I’m teaching other people the things he taught me!


I believe that every believer, every follower of Jesus should be becoming a disciple! They should be learning His way of doing things. They should be learning to discipline themselves to do what’s right. They should be submitted to ministers who are growing themselves. And every believer should be discipling someone else! We have too many babies in the church that aren’t growing up! It’s time for someone to come along side of them and raise them up!

The Whole You

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

There's more to you than meets the eye! You were made in the very image of God! Just like God is three in one (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), you are also made up of three parts. Your spirit, your soul and your body.

Your spirit is the real you. Instead of saying that you have a spirit, it would be better to say you are a spirit. When 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” - it is referring to the spirit of a believer. You see, when you were born again, your spirit was re-created. Your old, dead, sinful spirit is gone – now you have been remade!

You serve God with your spirit – Romans 1:9 “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son.” Your spirit is your connection to everything in the spiritual world. This is the part of us that connects with God in worship. John 4:24 says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” In fact, everything in the kingdom of God – everything in our new life – must me done from the spirit.

Your body is the most obvious part of you. It is the place that your spirit lives. Although your body is part of you, it isn't the real you. The best way to say this is, you are a spirit and you live in a body. When you gave your life to Jesus, your body remained the same. Except for supernatural incidents of God's power, your body is subject to the laws of nature. One day, God will recreate your body in the same way He recreated your spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:35-45 states that this will take place at the rapture.

You use your body to connect to the physical world. You see, you feel, you taste, you hear and you touch with your body. You use your body for transportation in this world and manipulation of things in this world. When your body is governed by your new spirit, good things happen! But problems come when the third part of you takes control.

The third part of you is your soul. You are a spirit, you live in a body, and you have a soul. Your soul is made up of your reasoning, your emotions, and your desires. Any time you think something through, your using your soul. Any time you feel sad, mad or glad – that is the emotional part of your soul. When you see something you really want, or when you're facing something you really don't want to do – that's your soul too.

Before you were a believer, your soul was in charge. You were governed by you limited thinking, you were paralyzed or energized by your emotions, and you did whatever you wanted to do. Now you have a brand new spirit that wants to obey God's word. The problem is, your soul is still the same! You see, God recreated your spirit when you got saved, He's going to recreate your body at the rapture, but He's given you the responsibility of renewing your mind!

Often, when we talk about salvation, we use the wrong terms. We speak about Jesus “saving our souls.” The reality is, He saved our spirit when we got saved – but our soul was still as degenerate as ever! The salvation of our souls is a process! James 1:21 says, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” The only thing that is going to save your soul is a constant, steady diet of God's Word!

As long as your soul (your mind) is unsaved, it is God's enemy! Romans 8:7 says, “Because the carnal (degenerate, unsaved, un-renewed) mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” So how do we get our soul to do what's right? It has to be renewed by God's Word!

Romans 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

As we continue to take in God's Word, our soul is renewed. You start to notice that it's easier to obey God. That's because, as your soul is recreated by God's Word, it begins to line up with your spirit.

Your new spirit always wants to obey God. In Matthew 26:41 Jesus said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Your flesh will obey whatever is stronger, either your spirit or your soul.

So let your Spirit man be stronger than your soul! Don't let your emotions control you any more – instead learn how to be controlled by God's Word and God's Spirit. Don't let the natural things that you desire drive you, instead learn how to desire what you read in the Bible. Don't let you reasoning and your intellect to talk you out of obeying God.

Let God's Word have the final say in your spirit, your soul and your body!

Why It's Important (Standing Up for Jesus' Virgin Birth)

Psalm 89:35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness. I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before us.”

Psalm 132:11 “The Lord has sworn in truth unto David that He will not turn from it. ‘Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.”

David was a man after God’s heart. He understood the grace and the love of God more than anyone else in the Old Testament. He was the one who wrote, “Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven.” (Psalm 32). He was the one who inspired Proverbs 4. He was the one who first desired to build a permanent place to worship God – a “house” if you will. God responded to this desire of David’s by promising an everlasting “house” for David; a descendant from his own body Who will rule forever – the Messiah. That promise is what we see in Psalm 89:35 and 132:11; the Messiah would come from David’s line.

Although David had many sons (so many that it takes three verses to list them  all! – 2 Samuel 5:14-16), his royal lineage passed through his son Solomon. Solomon was famous for being the richest king ever. He was also the wisest, writing the majority of the book of Proverbs, as well as Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. But he wasn’t completely sold out to God like his father was – eventually “marrying” a thousand women! His mistakes split the kingdom during the reign of his son, Rehoboam. But still God preserved the lineage of David; and his descendant ruled the tribe of Judah for centuries.

Enter Jeconiah, king of Judah, and son of the famous King Josiah. Jeconiah was a desperately wicked king during what could only be considered the dark ages of the kingdom. He continued in his wickedness despite repeated warnings from the prophet Jeremiah. His stubbornness and unrepentant heart led to this judgment from God through Jeremiah.

Is this man Jeconiah a despised broken idol? Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? Why then are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? O earth, earth, earth! Hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD, Write this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah. (emphasis added) Jeremiah 22:28-30

Rabbis today still call this the greatest theological problem in Jewish history. None of Jeconiah’s descendants could sit on David’s throne! How can God promise that the Messiah would come from David’s body and sit on his throne, and then pronounce a curse like this on one of his descendants? Many orthodox Jews who understand this have simply given up; stating that the Messiah simply can’t come now. What a tragic way of reading the Old Testament!

However, God had an amazing plan to circumnavigate Jeconiah’s curse! His answer? The virgin birth of Jesus Christ! You see, Jesus’ virgin birth protects His divinity (He had no natural father) and fulfills scripture (Isaiah 7:14). But this miraculous event also confirmed that the Messiah would come from David’s family line!

In Matthew chapter 1 we see that Jesus’ adoptive father, Joseph, is descended from Solomon. When he adopted Jesus, he gave Him the legal rights to David’s throne. David’s kingdom was rightfully Jesus’. So there you have it, Someone who wasn’t in Solomon’s line of kings now had the right to David’s throne. Problem solved, right?

Let’s read those verses again.

Psalm 89:35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness. I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before us.”

Psalm 132:11 “The Lord has sworn in truth unto David that He will not turn from it. ‘Of the fruit of thy body (natural descendants) will I set upon thy throne.”

Do you see it? The promised Messiah had to be David’s physical descendant, not simply his legal heir. If Jesus was only adopted into David’s legal line, He would be the fulfillment of David’s promise? So what’s the answer?

Matthew and Luke both record Jesus’ genealogy. They both write Joseph as the Jesus’ adopted father. But Matthew wrote that Joseph’s father was Joseph - Luke said it was Heli. In fact, the entire list of names is different from David to Joseph! Surely one of them must be mistaken, right?

Not at all! You see, Heli wasn’t Joseph’s father…he was Mary’s. Heli had two daughters (Matthew 27:56; John 19:25). Mary, Jesus’ mother was the older. Zebedee’s wife, the mother of James and John was the younger.  According to Numbers 27, when a man had only daughters, his inheritance and his family line pass on to the man who marries his oldest daughter. This is why Luke lists Joseph as the son of Heli (Mary’s father) even though Matthew says he is the son of Jacob.

Why does this matter? Follow Luke’s list of Mary’s family back to David - She came from his son Nathan! So, although Jesus’ only physical relative (His mother) did come from David, but not from the cursed royal lineage! Jesus is the physical descendant of David by birth, and the royal heir to David’s throne by adoption! God, in His mercy, worked around the curse that Jeconiah brought on his family!

For unto us a child is born (natural birth), unto us a son is given (adoption): and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

The Messiah had to be born and adopted!

The Most Valuable Thing You'll Ever Own

I love my Bible! I take it everywhere I go. I love the way it looks and feels. I know it’s a book. I know I could get dozens more just like it. But to me, that book is the most important thing I own. It’s where I find God’s Word to me. It’s where I find His revelation to me! It’s more than just ink and paper, it’s my life!
 
We’ve lost something in the church. We’ve lost the passion we once had for God’s Word. We in western countries have forgotten what it’s like to give up everything for this book!
 
There was a time when the Bible was only written in Latin. Corrupt and domineering priests declared it was “too sacred” for the common language. As a result, the church was forced into ignorance of God’s Word and His will. Many of God’s men and woman were killed by “the church” because they owned and were reading God’s Word in English. They died for that book - the same book most people just throw on the table from Sunday to Sunday.
 
How many of those pilgrims died in this new world because that book was more important to them than the word of the king? How many American soldiers died in the Revolution, knowingly giving their lives for the right to read and study that book?
 
Even today, how many people around the world would give up everything to have God’s entire Word? How many people risk their lives to own, read and carry this book? They’re dying just because they’re meeting together to read that book! All this while western Christians loose focus when the pastor reads more than one verse in church!
 
We need to fall in love with God’s Word again! We need to understand what it is - this is the very heart and nature of God, written down for us! John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” I know it’s talking about Jesus, the Word made flesh - but you can’t miss the fact that it’s talking about God’s Word!
 
Everything you can ever learn about God’s nature, everything you can learn about His plan, everything you’ll ever find out about His will and His power - it has all been written down for you in that book! 2 Peter 1:3 declares that we find everything we need for life and godliness when we find the knowledge of God. We find that in His word!
 
We need to recognize that it’s impossible for God to lie - that His Word is truth! Stop focusing so much on “what He meant” and just read what He said! We’ve done God’s word a disservice by using the world around us to interpret it. Instead, we should allow His Word to interpret the world around us!
 
I don’t know about you, but my Bible goes with me everywhere! Work, shopping, to family or friends; my Bible is usually tucked under my arm! I feel absolutely naked if I go somewhere and leave it at home. After all, what if I need to dig into it to answer a question? And if I find myself waiting somewhere - of course I’m going to dive into it!
 
It is definitely noticeable to me when I have a day without reading that book! My entire attitude changes. I become irritable, selfish, and lazy...but reading God’s Word daily keeps me on the right track! I crave those words! I know now why the Psalmist said God’s Word was sweeter to him than honey!
 
Have you lost your fire for God’s Word? Has it been days since you opened it just to read? Do you find it rather monotonous and boring? Then it’s time you fall in love with it again!
How do you do that? How can you start to love the Bible again?
 
First, you need to pray. Ask God to stir up your spiritual hunger again. If you’re going to grow spiritually, you have to “desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow by it.” So ask God for that hunger again!
 
Second, you need to act on that hunger! Read it! Whether you feel like it or not, whether you understand it or not - get your nose in there! The more you read, you begin to develop a taste for it! You start making connections from what you’re reading to what you’ve read before! When you read the Bible daily, your pastor’s messages start to resonate with what you’ve read! It becomes exciting - you just have to start the process!
 
Finally, if you find yourself struggling to pick up the Bible and read it, find Psalm 119. Most people know this only as the longest chapter in the Bible. But it’s so much more than it’s length! This beautiful Psalm shows the importance of God’s Word in every one of its 176 verses! When you read it, read it like a prayer. If there’s one thing that will light you passion for the Bible, it’s that!
In fact, let me close with one of my favorite verses from Psalm 119 - verse 18. I pray this every time I open my Bible. “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”