One of the greatest ways God speaks to us is through His Word. It is impossible to truly know Him without knowing His Word. His Word is who He is. You may experience God’s presence at times in your life, but you will never fully develop a relationship with Him without His Word. If you want to get to know God, get to know His Word!

 John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 It is through the hearing and reading of God’s Word that we begin to open the lines of communication with Him. The Bible is our telephone line to God. Through it, we have conversations with Him. He shows us His heart and His ways through the principles in His word. As the Word of God is revealed in our heart, the heart of God is revealed in our life. If we are not in His Word, our line becomes disconnected. There is nothing worse than getting disconnected from someone you are in the middle of a conversation with, but that is what happens when we lose our connection with His Word. If we are not in His Word we will miss out on incredible conversations with our Creator. Not only does the Word help us to know God and connect with Him, it is also food for our spirit. A person would not choose to eat only on the first day of each month and expect to be full for the rest of the month. If they did this, their body would begin to break down and lose strength as malnutrition set in. In the same way, we break down without consistently feeding ourselves with the Word of God. We spiritually survive and thrive from the nutrients of God’s Word. That is why Jesus said in the Beatitudes…

 Matthew 5:6

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst of righteousness, for they will be filled.” 

 The Beatitudes are the attitudes we should live by. The Bible equates the Word of the Lord with being food for our spirit. As Jesus was fasting in the wilderness, Satan tempted Him with many things. One of which was to turn stones into bread. Jesus said,

 Matthew 4:4

“It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

 The Bible is our source of strength, more powerful than the energy food gives us. As you get into the Word of God, the Word of God gets into you. As the Word is in you, you will begin to know the heart of God and hear His voice through it.Famous evangelist, F.F. Bosworth, said, “Most Christians feed their bodies three hot meals a day, their spirits one cold snack a week, and they wonder why they are so weak in faith.” We need to have a diet plan for God’s Word in our life. What are we going to do to get a healthy dose of nutrition for our Spirit? We can’t just pick up the Bible when we feel like it, we must discipline ourselves to get into it daily. I have found that there are 3 ways we can approach learning and growing in God’s word. By the way, if you are not growing you will not be going anywhere with your life. Anything that is healthy grows. Anything that is decaying is dying. So we have to learn how to grow in life. Grow in our knowledge, in our understanding, in our gifts, in our personality, in our relationships, in our purpose, etc… I believe one of the greatest ways someone grows and certainly one of the fastest ways to grow is to read. Reading God’s Word will take you further than you will ever go on your own. You can ride on the wings of those who have gone before, and know more about the subject you are growing in. Reading is growing, and growing is going forward. I have found over the years that many people either don’t read enough, or don’t let what their reading change them. Many people have read MANY books but never let it change them. So here is a quick thought I have developed about reading especially when it comes to God’s word. If you want INSPIRATION just simply read If you want INFORMATION study what you read If you want TRANSFORMATION live what you read INSPIRATION: Reading in and of itself will at best inspire you, but fade away over time. Many people just simply read and the content never gets beyond their eyes. They feel good about reading but forget everything a few hours later. There is nothing wrong with just reading, but there is more to reading than just reading. Inspiration is great but there is more than just being inspired. INFORMATION: If you want to go to the next level beyond simply reading start to study what you read. Take time to get information. This goes beyond your eyes and into your mind.  Information fills our minds and gets stored in there for situations that will happen one day. It is a way of collecting information in the library of our mind. Studying is great, as it gets information to us, and we have to be informed in order to be in the know. However, information is not the pinnacle of reading. TRANSFORMATION: If you want to truly take God’s Word and let it change your life you have to live out the principles you are learning. Too many people don’t take what they read and live it. Transformational reading enters through the eyes, marinates in our mind but then transfers to our heart. And when our heart is impacted our actions follow. If you want to transform your life in the most powerful way, live out what you are reading about. Reading will help transform you into who you are called to be. I remember the first time I started to read the New Testament when I was in high school. We had a huge snowstorm that kept us trapped inside for weeks with no school, no nothing to do. So I picked up my Bible for the first time and began to read the Gospels. I could not put it down. It literally transformed my life. It was so much more than just inspiration and information. It gave me the principles to live by and that transformed me into who I am today, I will never forget that time in my life.

 Job 23:12

I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread. 

 Here are some ways you can dig into God’s Word. If you do not already have a method of your own, I challenge you to pick one of these Bible study methods. Spend some time getting into God’s Word so that His Word can get into you.

• Character Study 

Pick a character that you are inspired or intrigued by, and learn about their journey and how it applies to you. Examples: Abraham     Moses     David     Isaiah     Nehemiah     Jesus     Paul

• Word Study

Pick a word that you are curious about and find everything the Bible has to say about it. Examples: Love     Faith     Serve     Forgive     Holiness     Marriage     Money     

• Topical Study

Pick a topic that you want to know more about and find where these topics come up in the Bible. Example: Finances     Healing     Prayer     Gifts of the Spirit     Heaven     Relationships     Sex  

• Book Study

Pick a book of the Bible you want to “unpack”, and spend your time uncovering the historical content, the characters, the setting, and the application. Example: Genesis     Isaiah     Psalm     Proverbs     Romans     James

• Devotional Study

Pick up a devotional book as a guide for you. Examples: Inspirational Reading     Meditating On A Particular Verse     Read A Proverb/Psalm Each Day

• Historical Study

Take certain topics or stories in the Bible and research all the historical content of that particular event or people. Examples: Children of Israel     The Tabernacle     The Life of Jesus     Geography of the Bible     Paul’s Journey