Pray Before Reading

 Rightly Dividing The Word

The most important aspect of understanding God's word and His plans is to ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand what you are reading from His perspective, not from your flesh.

The flesh literally profits NOTHING:

John 6:63 NKJV — “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

When you truly embrace that the word, end time plans, Gospel, prophets, Psalms, and the law aren't something to be "figured out" but rather living words meant to lead you, then a freedom to understand comes in to your heart.

I picture the Bible being a set of words, sentences, phrases, concepts, and stories God wants to use to instruct me.

Sometimes he uses a word. He might confirm a thought He spoke to me by showing me a word.

Sometimes He uses a sentence.  He might light on one sentence in a morning devotional time that jumps out at me and opens my heart to hear His instruction or direction.

Sometimes He uses a concept. He will take me to three or four places right in a row and tell me to find what they have in common.

Sometimes He uses a story. God uses the same Bible many ways.  Think about the New Testament and the way it quotes the Old.  Often, without the Holy Spirit, it can be hard to see the direct connection.  Followers of Jesus all have to know the Holy Spirit to rightly divide the word. The Bible itself testifies to this.

The Bible should be conversation material with God, not a text book.  

No one. Ever. Will study their way into the Kingdom! If that were possible, the Pharisees would have found redemption outside of Jesus. 

John 5:38-40 NKJV — “But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

God didn't sacrifice His only begotten for just dumb people that weren't diligent enough to study or bright enough to put the pieces together, but for all people. No one can study their way into truth.  They must come to Jesus, who is truth, and He uses the written word in a very specific way:

2 Timothy 3:12-17 NKJV — Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

You know you are using the Bible rightly, not when everyone agrees with what you've learned, but when it leads you to persecution... To seeing things the flesh cannot receive and only Spirit can illuminate.

As you read the Bible, keep this in mind. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the Bible passages from His perspective.  Let go of yours.

This simple prayer will change everything about how you read the Bible and live your life.