Growing up in a Christian environment, especially in the United States, it is easy to lose sight of the importance of the Bible. It was instilled in me at an early age to read my Bible to learn about Jesus. I always loved reading, so reading my Bible was never a tough task for me. However, I know for some reading the Bible seems to be a tedious task. If that’s you, I want to pose the question, why is reading the Bible important?
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Psalm 119:11
I have gone through times in my life where I read the Bible much more fleetingly than I do now. I attended a Christian high school and college, so thankfully I was never able to stay away from it for too long. My sophomore and junior year of college were two years where I rarely read my Bible, and it’s interesting for me think back and realize those were the worst two years of my life! I strayed far from God’s path for me.
I put myself in harm’s way physically, spiritually, and emotionally during that time.
That two year gap of trying to survive on my own without God held me back from the promises that God wanted to give me. When I finally decided to try things God’s way, everything fell into place. My life began to make sense again when I started to stand on God’s promises and obey Him. Any guesses on where I found those promises?
Enough about me, let’s go over why reading the Bible is important for YOU.
How does reading the Bible change us and our lives?
6 Reasons To Read The Bible Every Day
1. The Bible Is God’s Words To Us
God still speaks. (Read about how you know when God is speaking to you in my blog post here) God often speaks to us now through His word. He has written the manual for life and given it to us in the form of the Bible. The Bible is a primary way for us to fellowship with the Lord and hear His voice.
2. The Bible Shows Us God’s Will For Our Lives
I am a firm believer that God has a perfect plan for our earthly lives, but He also gives us free will. When we stick to the plan He has for our life, we are under the wings of His protection (Jeremiah 29:11). Everything in our life is moving towards the purpose He has for us. When we stray from the plan, our lives start moving away from God towards destruction. The great thing about God is His grace. We can never stray too far for His grace. Reading the Bible gives us the parameters and guidelines we need to make the right decisions in our lives. It helps us to discern what God wants our lives to look like and what He is calling us to do.
3. The Bible Gives Us Power To Overcome
First of all, the blood of Jesus gives us the power to overcome all sin and the temptations of the enemy. We learn about what Jesus did through reading the Bible. The Bible is truly an epic love story where God wins and gets the girl at the end. He overcame sin and death for us. He wants us to live a life that is truly “set free.” If you are in a life of repetitive sin, you aren’t free. The Bible says in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” To be filled with the truth of freedom and combat the lies of bondage from the enemy, we MUST read the Bible.
4. The Bible Sanctifies Us
Sanctification is the Greek word “Hagiosmos,” which also means holiness. To sanctify literally means “to make holy.” The dictionary defines sanctification as “to purify or free from sin.” The Bible teaches us how to be holy. When we believe in Jesus and are saved, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us as we read the word of God and obey Him. God’s ultimate goal is for us to be holy and for us to be with Him because that is what He created us for.
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
5. The Bible Is Full Of God’s Promises
As Christians, we live our lives based upon the promises of God. In order to live a life free in Jesus Christ, we have to know what those promises are! Some things God promised us in the Bible are rest (Matthew 11:28-29), strength (Isaiah 40:31), and that he will fight for you (Exodus 14:14). There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of promises God has made to us in the Bible. We need those promises to make it through life.
When I am going through a tough season and it feels like everything is working against me, I can stand on the promise of Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
6. The Bible Fills Us Up
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus tells Satan, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 where Moses is recounting how God fed the Israelites when they were wandering in the wilderness. Even though he had been fasting for 40 days, Jesus had the strength to resist the temptation of sin and the enemy because he was “filled up” with the Word of God. Ephesians 6:10-18 talks about putting on the armor of God to so you can “resist the enemy in the time of evil.” Paul tells us, “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” When we are filled with the Word of God, we stop trying to find fulfillment in earthly things.
Why is Reading the Bible Important?
There are many reasons why reading the Bible is important, these are just a few. I have found that the best and most satisfying seasons of my life are when I am close to God. Your relationship with God will always be as close as you want it to be. God will continue to pursue you in this life, but He won’t force Himself upon you. He allows us to choose Him or to reject Him.
As we read the Bible and spend time in prayer, we come to know and understand God.
We come to realize He isn’t a God who is sitting in the clouds ruling with an iron scepter. He is a humble, merciful, just, gracious, loving, and gentle God. God LOVES us SO much that He sent His Son to die on the cross to take away our sins (John 3:16). He gave us the chance to be with Him forever.
The last thing I want to tell you is that the Bible is a gift, it’s not a chore. Honestly, even at this point in my life sometimes it is hard to read the Bible. My flesh would rather watch TV, go to bed, or scroll Instagram, but my heart needs it. I’ve come to the point in my life where I need God’s word every day. I need to be filled up and equipped to take on the day at hand.
If You Don’t Have One, Get Yourself A Bible Below.
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