Discover the essential first step to read the Bible effectively: preparing the state of your heart. Learn why reading the Holy Bible demands a free spirit, and how unforgiveness, envy, or sin can prevent you from hearing God’s voice and receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit.
📖 The Holy Bible Blog Series
How have you been reading your Bible in the past? Many are frustrated in their Bible study because of their inability to see beyond the original letters of the Bible.
They have an experience of reading mere literature because they are reading with the senses. They search for revelations in the history and stories of the Scripture, yet can’t find any because they are not approaching the matter of Bible reading effectively.
The very first step to read the Holy Bible effectively is to know the importance of the Holy Spirit and the state of your heart.
The Holy Spirit is essential to effective Bible reading, for He is the Teacher (John 14:26) who was promised by Jesus to teach us the deep things of God. He is the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation (Ephesians 1:17), yet many are not experiencing what Jesus promised because they are not doing their Bible study right.
The Bible is Spirit-Inspired, Not Just Literature
Literature is the letter; some say it is Scripture. One fact that makes the Holy Bible – Word of God so unique and special is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Bible can just be the letter if it is not inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). Which one is your Bible – the Bible you consider as a letter or the one inspired by the Spirit? That is the question you need to ask yourself.
When you are reading the Bible, you are reading the Holy Spirit.
“As the Lord breathed His Spirit into certain men, so He breathed His Spirit into certain books.” – TB Joshua
Holy men were carried by the Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God. God speaks to us through His Word by His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the most sensitive of beings and is easily hurt by lack of attention and regard (Ephesians 4:30). Before reading the Bible, we need to seek the attention of the Holy Spirit because the Word of God itself is the tool in His hands. The thoughts of the Bible are from the Spirit; the language is from men.
Step to Read the Bible Effectively: Barriers to Hearing God
Why does the Bible not come alive to some of us nowadays? We are facing a big challenge: ignorance of the things of the Spirit.
The Bible can no longer come alive because we read the Bible with so much unforgiveness, envy, and jealousy. There is no Bible, there is no Christianity. There is no Bible, there is no believer.
The question is: What is the state of your heart while reading the Bible? Citing Psalm 66:18 – when you conceal sin, keep the pain of the past, unforgiveness, hatred, envy, or jealous – and you take the Bible to read, you are not reading the Holy Bible, but you are reading mere literature. Don’t forget, when you open the Bible and read, you are hearing God talk.
Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
You will not hear God if you regard sin, keep the pain of the past, or harbor unforgiveness and hatred in your heart. The Holy Bible demands the state of your heart before reading it.
You cannot hold grudges, pick up the Bible, and begin to read. When your heart is disturbed, you cannot hear God. Literature may not demand the state of your heart; you may be crying or hold offense and read literature. But the Spirit inspires the Bible (the Scripture) and demands the state of your heart.
Step to Read the Bible Effectively: Cultivating a Free Spirit for Revelation
You must develop your relationship with the Holy Ghost by reading your Bible daily without grudges. To develop this relationship, you must read your Bible with a free spirit. If not, you are reading history.
When the Word dominates your mouth, it will dominate your heart. If the Word dominates your heart, it will influence your conduct and character.
Read the Bible as often as possible (Joshua 1:8).
You can begin by pleading the Blood of Jesus over every root of bitterness, envy, jealousy, or any form of sins that have locked up your heart hindering you from hearing God’s voice.
It is also important you also meditate before reading the Bible – “Free my heart to follow you, hear your voice, and understand your Word“.
You should also know that if we do not read the Holy Bible as a believer, we quench the Holy Spirit and without the Holy Spirit, you cannot obey the Word of God you have read or heard.
Keep meditating on it until you remove every barrier between your heart and the Spirit of God, making it a reality.
Snippet for the Next Episode
Next in the series on “Step to Read the Holy Bible Effectively,” we move from preparing your heart to the practical application of reading the Word.
Join us for Step 2: How to Read, where we will share knowledge for effective Bible study, including reading methods and how to actively engage with the text to receive deeper understanding and revelation from the Holy Spirit.