Today we will be having a family conversation and for the most part it will require all of our active participation.
It's an open and safe space so please feel free to be as vulnerable as you need to be. Especially if you recognize that you need help in this area.
Before we begin, let us pray:
Our Heavenly Father we thank You for today.
We thank You for a wonderful weekend.
We thank You for another day to stay at Your feet, learn, find strength in You and in one another.
We ask that tonight You bring help and understanding. Speak to us tonight, speak Your heart. Help us be vulnerable before You and find answers to burning questions.
Let this conversation spark every much-needed change and transformation in us by the help of Your precious Holy Spirit.
In Jesus name
Amen.
1. How many of us struggle with Studying our Bibles?
2. How many of us struggle with sharing what we study?
Blessing: 1&2
Soumi: 1
Bisi Kalejaiye: 1&2
Samson: For me, I slightly struggle with 1. Getting work done, clearing my schedules and taking time to open the Bible. However, sharing isn't a problem. Once I study, I get to share.
Ayodele: I struggle with both but it's the opposite for me. I read but I don't take notes sometimes. Sometimes I take notes and it's disjointed so I don't share on those days.
Omoniola: Well mine isn’t even stated here. I get to read and study. But I struggle with understanding and remembering what I read later on
Teemah: 2. Most times it is putting my thoughts and learnings together to share.
It sometimes makes sense to me when I scribble out things however, getting to share with people is always the hardest. Not everyone gets to see what I saw or understands the way I do.
Patricia: Number 2 is my problem, also that I don’t follow Bible studies every day, so most times I check the group I am far behind of what is going on.
Bukola: So for me, it will be 1. I share o but I also partially struggle with studying. Before the sharing happens, sometimes there's a tussle on the actual study. But once I get past that initial tussle, it's free flow into studying and then sharing. Sometimes it's that I'm too tired and I feel like I can't comprehend anything at that time. Other times, I simply don't feel like it at the time🙈
Thanks for sharing and being vulnerable guys.
Like I said, we're here to help one another. From what we've said so far, these are some common reasons why people struggle to study/share:
- Procrastination
- Boredom
- Time
- Lack of understanding
- Not taking notes/remembering
- Differing views
- Too far behind
So, I'm going to ask another question. Remember I said it's a conversation and we will all be actively participating.
What does the Bible mean to us?
No dictionary meaning now. I mean to you personally.
What significance does the Bible hold for you?
What is the Bible? (Not the physical Bible)
What is this thing we call the word of God?
Temitope: The Bible to me symbolizes, the only way to understand the heart of God to me. I see it as the only manual that helps guide/navigate life
Omoniolu: Well to me the Bible means guide and God's words for us
Peace: The Bible means a guide to me, to understand the heart of God. To help us live right.
Rosemary: It is a direction and guide to know God's ways
Bisi Kalejaiye: The bible to me is life's manual
Soumi: The Bible for me is a manual on how to live and behave in a way that is pleasing to God.
From what we've said, the Bible is:
- The ONLY way to understand the heart of God and know His ways.
- Life's Manual/A guide to living right
- Direction
I'm going to add mine:
- It is God's love letter to me.
- It is God's revelation of Himself to me
When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable.
That's why we first have to understand the significance of this Bible before we can address anything. If not, tomorrow we will be back with the same challenges.
Many times believers put studying the Bible as last in order of importance in a Christian's life.
It's Prayer then Bible Study.
I want us tonight to first throw that thought out the window.
None is more important than the other.
None is less significant.
In fact, I love that our Sunday School song which goes, "Read your Bible, pray every day if you want to grow"
It is a progression.
Read your Bible, then pray
Read your Bible, then you will know WHAT to pray
Read your Bible then you will know HOW to pray
I'm going to add, "Read your Bible then you will know IF you should pray" 🌚
There's something the Holy Spirit shared with me sometime last year and it completely changed my outlook on Bible Study.
He said, "If you find yourself struggling in your prayer life, first check your study life."
Now we've said the Bible holds so much significance in our lives;
It is Life's Manual, God's guide, a revelation of God's heart and ways to us, a revelation of Himself to us.
If the Bible really holds this much significance to us, why then do we feel comfortable going about our days without studying it?
So first thing I'd like us to do and take as classwork (not assignment so you won't forget 🌚)
Write either in your journal or in your phone's notepad, what the Bible means to you.
Do it now if you can.
Write down as many as you can think of.
You can also take ideas from what others have shared.
Here's why, we are bringing into perspective how much of a lifeline the Bible is to us so we take it more seriously.
It is a trick of the enemy to diminish the importance of the study of the word to a believer.
Think of it as when life support is unplugged from a person in a coma that can't breathe for themselves.
[8] This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. [9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 AMP
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:8-9 NKJV
But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Psalms 1:2-3 NLT
Starting with Joshua 1
This Book of the Law (the Bible for us today), shall not depart from you mouth (heart, mind, soul, spirit), you shall meditate on it day and night till you become one with it such that you begin to walk in one accord with what it holds.
You walk in step with God's guidance.
You meditate on God's revelation of Himself till you begin to act and look like Him.
You fixate on life's manual so that you know exactly what to do and how to live right, in a way pleasing to God.
You live a life that fulfills its purpose
It's not even just to read, you study, meditate, and fixate on it till the words and guides inside of it become a lifestyle to you.
Only then will your way be prosperous and successful.
I hope we know that Prosperity and Success to the believer is completely different from what the world has labeled it to be.
There is a prosperity of the soul
There is a successful life, a life that has achieved its goal, a life that fulfills purpose.
But all of this is gotten through your meditation and studying of this Life's manual.
Ps. 1:2-3
If we take from verse 1,
Blessed (happy, cheerful, satisfied, fulfilled) is the man whose delight is in the Law of the Lord (the Bible), who meditates on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank.
For this, I went back to my notes when we studied this chapter because I remember I saw something profound in this scripture.
I went to Google what happens to trees planted by water and here is what I found;
"Water is essential to all life. A tree planted by water is going to flourish. It's not going to worry about the heat of the sun because there is no worry about drought."
This is the lot of those who study the word and meditate on it.
I don't know about you but I want this lot for myself.
I don't want to have to worry about heat or the economy, I don't want to have to be anxious every day about one thing or the other.
But there's one key to this and it is to Study the word.
So if you're tired of being anxious, afraid, and losing peace, this is one of the keys, a major key if I might add- Study your Bible.
It is a lifeline we cannot afford to live without.
I'm going to go a bit further to state a few reasons more why it is pertinent for us to study. We simply can't afford not to.
If you've ever gone a day without eating and you start seeing stars or you want to faint, all that weakness you feel is what your spirit feels when you don't feed it with the word.
And P. Rems said something recently, whatever happens in the physical has already taken place first in the Spirit.
Sometimes all that anxiety, worry, fear, weakness, being overwhelmed and tiredness you feel physically is because your spirit has been drained for a while. It is something that began in the spirit already and is only just now starting to rear its head in the physical.
More Reasons Why You Should Study:
1. Spiritual Growth
Anything that doesn't grow will die. That's the rule of life, whether spiritual or physical.
Something P. Rems used to say that stuck in my head for a while, "If you don't pray you will die."
I want to add, "If you don't study the word, you will die"
"If you don't grow, you will die"
You just have to grow as a believer. Contrary to what we think, it's not an option.ðŸ˜
You can't say Lord I'm okay with where I am.
It's either you're growing or you're dying. And there's no growth without Study of that which ought to guide you into maturity.
2. Life's Manual
We've already covered this but I'm just going to give an example. Imagine you buy a very expensive and complex machine that you really need but you don't read the manual to figure out how it works. Two things are likely to happen;
It's either you use it wrong and it blows up in your face or you underutilize it.
I remember buying this Yam Pounder machine at home. I read the manual and watched YouTube videos just to figure it out. I saw a comment that mentioned they put something the wrong way and it messed up what they were making.
Think of this in application to what could happen to your life or what is probably already happening because you haven't studied.
3. Builds Your Prayer life
The word is alive! So alive!
If you study the word and take time to meditate on at least a verse, there's no way you won't be spurred into prayer.
God's very word and breath are inside of this Bible. It is very alive! Something will just jump at you, and sometimes you will feel something leap inside of your Spirit as if your Spirit has been waiting for that word and before you know it, you've entered prayer.
I've lost count of how many times I've had prayer encounters just from studying the Bible and before I know I've prayed for a stretch.
Sometimes, it doesn't even happen immediately, it may be hours or days later and you find yourself praying something you read some time ago.
Again, if you are struggling with prayer, this is your cue to pick up your Bible today!
4. Knowing what, how and if you should pray
James said we ask and do not receive because we ask amiss.
I listened to a sermon on Friday and I remember the preacher talking about prayer and he said something like "Find the will of God in scriptures."
It's not that you're not praying o, but you're not praying the Father's will.
But how will you pray the Father's will if you do not know what that will is?
For instance, we've been declaring the Lord's promises are kept.
Question: What exactly are the Lord's promises?
(I asked myself this today actually 😂ðŸ˜)
Sometimes our prayers can be so vague, and lacking in depth because we don't even know what we're asking or how to back up with scriptures.
The word carries in it what and how to pray especially concerning particular situations.
Classwork/Assignment 2: Take a look at your prayer points and find scriptures that back them.
On Knowing "if we should even pray"
Sometimes what is between us and our solution or answers or breakthroughs, is a word in the scripture.
Just one!
Sometimes we're waiting for the road to Damascus encounter for direction or answers or we're fasting and praying 40 days for something that is inside the Bible. Just open it! Ask the Lord to guide you to it.
So many times I've prayed the Lord something and all He would give me is a scripture that settles it completely.
Sometimes it is while studying, I'm not even necessarily looking for anything I'm just studying and boom, answer/direction in one verse or chapter!
Prayer is not the only master key, the Bible also is.
5. Building a Word Bank
I discussed this with someone earlier this week. Sometimes in studying the word, what you are doing unknowingly is building a Word bank.
A bank as we know it, is where you keep/store/save money until the time you need it.
Your spirit is a bank for the word. Again, the word is very alive.
So for those of us who said we don't understand when we read sometimes, it's okay(sometimes). Or we don't necessarily have anything to share after studying, it's also okay, sometimes
What happens is that your spirit takes the word in. Whether you know it or not. On the day that you need it, it will pour out of you!
I've seen this to be the case many times and I'm speaking from my experience also now.
Sometimes I get into random conversations with people, we can be talking about the most mundane things, e.g. food or even a sport and somehow scripture will jump out 😂😂
Me I'll be wondering when I even knew or memorized the scriptureðŸ˜
Also when you're praying sometimes your spirit is searching a scripture inside of its bank so you can pray right. But if the bank is empty, it won't find anything.
I saw a post recently of someone saying they were trying to memorize 13 scriptures in a day or so. Not to say it's not impossible but it's not feasible. The easiest way to memorize scripture is to study it, not necessarily with that intention but upon study and meditation, it will find its way to stick in your spirit.
Sometimes I paraphrase or I can't remember the exact place in the scripture but I know it is there so when I'm praying or speaking to someone it is with conviction.
Again, it is a bank. Even when the enemy comes to attack your mind, what you have in your arsenal, first, is the word.
See the case of Jesus when the devil tempted him.
6. Recognizing the voice of the Spirit
The Spirit will never tell you anything that contradicts the word. But you may not know for sure if you do not first know what He can and cannot say. If you do not know the word.
7. Knowing God
We said the Bible is God's revelation of Himself to us. How do we hope to know God if we do not study Him through the scriptures?
There is no knowing God without the Bible. Anybody that presents any other way that does not involve reading your Bible please throw it away. Even the Holy Spirit that is inside of you will always, always point you to scriptures. Why do we think that is?
Why you should share:
For those of us who struggle with sharing, put these in perspective also:
1. It expands your study/what you know
When you come out to share, there's something about teaching or sharing with others that breaks things down to you even more. There are times when I come here to share and I find myself gaining even more understanding as I do so.
2. Help another person grow (Iron sharpeneth Iron)
One of the things that drives us as a family is the will/ mission to help one another. Your sharing helps others who can't understand, do so. There are times I've read and didn't understand, I came here to read from those who shared and it became a light bulb moment for me. Regardless of how vague you think it is. Just share. It's not always about you.
3. A word for someone
You never can tell who needs the word you're sharing. I've seen people comment under what others share and mention how it was what they needed at the time. What you share can bring healing, peace, direction, clarity, etc. Again, it's not always about you.
4. Accountability and Discipline in Study
Coming out to share as often as possible, keeps you disciplined and gives you a sense of being accountable.
When you want to refrain from studying, when you remember that you're sharing, you will pick up that Bible. As a family, we're also accountable to one another. I can easily send a DM to someone and say, you've not shared in a while are you still studying? Not to chastise you but out of concern as family.
5. Growth
When I look back on my studies from way back and I check what I share now, I see so much growth in my understanding of the scriptures. There's much more depth because I've made myself accountable by making sure I share here as often as possible, building discipline in my study also. This cuts across every other area also, I daily grow more confident in speaking to people and even in prayers. All of this stems from consistent study. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
How To Build Discipline
1. Have an understanding of what the Bible is to you, have a reverence for it. It's God's love letter to you.
2. Dear procrastinators, be intentional. Create time for it. If you can be on IG for 30 minutes, you can study for 30 minutes.
3. Set an alarm if you need to.
4. Get an accountability partner (sometimes I reach out to members of the admin to keep me in check when I'm lagging, sometimes we do a general check-in on the admin)
5. Get a book for your Bible Study. I cannot overemphasize the importance of actually writing things down. For those that struggle with remembering or putting together their thoughts, write down as you are studying. Don't study now, write later. If you can, get an actual book. If you can't, your digital notepad works also. Just make sure you have it down somewhere.
6. Please, PLEASE get a physical Bible!
On Sharing:
- Don't be afraid to share. Trust me, no one's judging you. We're all here to learn.
- We sometimes have discussions about our varying answers and submissions. If you think you're getting things that are beyond you, reach out to an admin and share with them first and they would advise.
- Feel free to ask questions when you don't understand.
- It doesn't matter if you are 25 chapters behind, study and share from what is being shared the day you remember. Find some other time, maybe weekends to catch up. The goal is consistency and growth, not bragging rights.
- Finally, again, there is growth in sharing even.
So please, for your good and for others, study the word and share!
We're not trying to keep the group active or busy, it is to help you and help one another!
Lastly, a tip
Pray before you study
Make a sincere prayer to God and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand, teach and show you what He wills for you to see through the word per time.
I end with this scripture;
Psalms 119:105 NKJV
[105] Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
Let us Pray:
Heavenly Father we thank You for Your most timely word tonight.
Thank You for showing us again the great significance of Studying Your word, and the pleasures and blessings inside of it also.
We ask for the help of your precious Spirit in helping us not just become more consistent but also spark joy inside of us whenever we think of the word.
Oh, that truly we may delight greatly in Your word!
Lord we ask that you help us by Your Spirit to understand whenever we study.
Spirit of God, teach us, guide us, HELP us!
May tonight be the start of a transformation for us with regard to our desire and intentionality in studying Your word.
In Jesus name
Amen.