Thursdays In the Truth: Common Lies About Reading the Bible

Common Lies About Reading the Bible:

1.  I need a degree.

2.  There is a special way to read the Bible and I don’t know it.

3.  I am not smart enough.

4.  I need to know how to use lexicons and commentaries to read the Bible.

5.  I don’t understand the Bible so I am not going to get anything out of it.

6.  I read but it doesn’t make sense.

7.  I don’t have enough time.

Before we start, let's just get the time issue out of the way.  We all have 24 hours in a day.  We all choose to spend our time in different ways, but one thing is true for everyone, we spend time doing what is important to us.  We find the time needed to do what we want to do.  It comes down to your priorities.  If you want to make time for God, you will.  If God is not a priority, you won't find time for Him.

Above are just a few of the excuses and lies I hear for not reading the Bible.  Satan is good at getting us to believe his lies.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy… John 10:10  Satan’s whole goal is to convince you that you don’t have time, you are not smart enough, the Bible doesn’t apply today, the list goes on.  He will use anything he can to keep you from reading your Bible.

So where do you begin?  Spend some time praying before you open your Bible and ask God to help you to understand what you are reading.  Luke 24:45 says, Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  The Message says it this way, He went on to open their understanding of the Word of God, showing them how to read their Bibles this way.  Jesus is actually speaking here.  He had just been crucified on the cross and rose again.  He appeared to his disciples.  His DICSIPLES.  The men that knew him better than anyone else, the ones he had spent so much time with.  Jesus opened THEIR minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  If he is willing to do that for his disciples, who had spent so much time with Him and should have known by now, won’t he do that for you?

There is no magic way to read the Bible.  There is no set way that works for everyone, but I can tell you that if you open your Bible, and ask God to give you understanding, He will.  There are days I read and nothing pops out at me, and I might not even understand what I am reading, but I stay faithful.  Most of the time, something hits me when I read or I learn something new, whether it is gaining knowledge or being convicted or hearing a truth I needed to hear at that moment.  For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

Stop believing the lies.  Stop convincing yourself that you can’t read the Bible or don’t have time.  Make time.  Ask God for wisdom and understanding.  Get a friend to do it with you if you need the accountability.  We cannot expect to know what God is calling us to do or how to handle life and all the situations we are thrown if we are not investing our time and energy connecting to Him.