Do I Really NEED to Read the Bible?

Have you ever wondered if it's really all that important for you to be reading the Bible on your own? Can studying the Scripture really make a difference in your day to day life or are sermons and podcasts enough? Well, we were created to have relationships. More importantly, we were created to have a relationship with God. God wants to hear from YOU and speak to YOU. Sadly, we often get so busy doing, that we neglect to make time to just be with Him. God speaks to us through the bible and we cultivate our relationship with Him by reading it. When we allow time and space in which to read and ponder scripture, that is when its' power begins to impact our life.

God speaks to us through the bible and we cultivate our relationship with Him by reading it.

Now, that's doesn't mean that other preachers and speakers of the Scriptures can't be used by God to get our attention, but it's not the same as you reading the Bible on your own. The Bible states that "the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." -Hebrews 4:1

In other words, the bible reads us and speaks to us right where we are and tells us just what we need to hear. We need the bible to speak to us because it gives us clarity for life, caution, help with decisions, patience, relieves anxiety, and gives us wisdom and understanding. The bible is different from a self-help book because God is involved in the process. God is the one who speaks to us through the words in the bible and touches our hearts.

As adults we don’t always have someone to turn our head away from temptations. If we are reading God’s word and praying for Him to work in our life, areas of concern can be revealed before they get out of hand. God gives us chances to turn from those things that might ruin our lives privately before they become known to the world.

Sin is always revealed in the end. Reading God’s word and spending time with Him, is a sort of self-check system to keep us on the right track.

If we aren’t getting truth from the scripture, we are most likely getting it from an unreliable source. With so much confusing input from the world, we have to have a place to set our feet with confidence, so that we aren’t swayed by every new idea that comes our way. And there will be many! Short scripture reading and meditation is one of the most powerful ways for us to hear from God and to discern the truth in our lives.

It would be wonderful if the thoughts running through our minds were always aligned with the truth but of course that’s just simply not true. In fact the things in our minds can be outright lies and extremely detrimental to ourselves and others. That is why it is of the utmost importance that we give our mind something to meditate on. Not something that could be harmful or false, but rather words that would only give life. You absolutely cannot do this without placing God and reading His words at the top of your daily to do list.

God wants the BEST for you. His ways of blessing us are what we really need. Remember this when you feel like you don’t have time to read the bible. Don’t waste time trying by trial and error to figure things out when God has a plan and a way. Let Him speak to you.

We have to focus on words that give life. They have to be truth. They have to be words that challenge us to grow.

He must be our guide.