The living word of god in my life

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Are you wondering, how the Bible can change your life? How the word of God can completely transform you?

When I was in grade school, I was part of a team that would memorize Bible verses for competition. The training involved sitting on my porch, eating Lemonhead candy while practicing Bible flash cards.

I hate to admit it, but I mostly read the Bible to win the competition not realizing how the Bible can change your life.

As a teenager, I continued reading and memorizing the Bible but did not fully grasp the depth, relevance, and love the Bible offered.

If you are reflecting on how the Bible can change your life remember, it is the living Word of God. Reading the Bible to know Christ better strengthens your love, faith, and relationship with Jesus. The Bible is life-giving and changes you.

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

John 1:1 NASB

It is a difficult concept to embrace that God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the words of God (the Bible) are all connected. When you read the Bible, this Holy connection with God feels like someone is talking directly to you through the anointed words.

Have you ever felt God speaking to you through the Bible? I have.

The Bible has changed my life through the stories and hope found in its words. When feeling lost and unable to find comfort, I open the Bible and read about the characters, Jesus, and other scripture that bring guidance and peace.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the inspired words of the Bible. When we deny ourselves the power of the Bible we are also missing out on an important way to hear God’s voice. The Bible is like a loud speaker for God’s voice in your life.

I can’t begin to count the number of times the power found in the Bible has been made evident by an answered question, answered prayer, new revelation, or clarity on a decision; that is how the Bible can change your life.

What Happens When you Read the Bible Every Day?

Many things in life are hard to totally understand until you experience them for yourself; such as marriage, parenthood, grief, and loss.

What happens when you read the Bible every day? Similar to other habits, we won’t understand or realize the impact it will have until we start reading the Bible every day and make it part of our daily routine.

If you think about what you do every day (what you see, hear, taste, and smell), there are positive and negative life consequences to your choices.

Our diet, exercise routine, and the people who surround us are good examples of daily investments that produce either positive or negative consequences.

“People are creatures of habit, and routines offer a way to promote health and wellness through structure and organization. Having a routine can greatly improve your health. Everyone is unique.

Not everyone requires a fully scheduled day to reap the health benefits of a routine, so make the choices that work for you, knowing they’ll only make you healthier and more efficient with your time.”

Northwestern Medicine

Reading the Bible every day has amazing positive consequences on our hearts, mind, and soul!

We can experience spiritual growth even if reading the Bible comes from a heart of obligation; that is how powerful God’s word is. But when we read the Bible and pray from a heart of love and desire to know Jesus, we grow, change, and become more like Christ. This is how we see a change in our life.

“Read your Bible daily.  Do not be content to skim through a chapter merely to satisfy your conscience. Hide the Word of God in your heart. It comforts, guides, corrects, and encourages; all we need is there.”

Billy Graham

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

Acts 17:11 NKJV

How the Bible can Change Your Life

I have witnessed so many examples of how the Bible can change your life. The more I invest in reading and studying the Bible the closer I grow to God and understand His story and experience Godly contentment.

How the Bible can change your life is best explained through scripture.

Four Major Benefits of Reading the Bible

1. Bible Verses for Comfort

Reading the Bible in conjunction with prayer and singing worship songs provides deep comfort to my soul. When I am feeling a sense of disappointment, discouragement, or despair, I turn to a few Bible verses to find comfort.

How the Bible can change your life? It affirms how much God cares for you and brings supernatural peace and comfort to your soul.

Psalm 34:18 “The  Lord  is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”

John 14:1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

1. Bible Verses for Wisdom

When we sit down to read the Bible with the intention of learning and gaining wisdom, God shows up, and we gain a deeper understanding of who He is.

Here are a few scriptures that remind me of the wisdom available through Jesus in the Bible.

How the Bible can change your life? It provides wisdom and guidance.

Proverbs 2:6 “For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.”

James 1:5 ^“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.”

1. Bible Verses for Strength

After fasting, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness, and each time He is tempted He uses scripture to find strength and resist the enemy. Christ’s strength is available to us through reading the Bible and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

When you feel like giving up, God’s words can help you persevere.

How the Bible can change your life? It provides strength and courage to keep going and be encouraged.

Philippians 4:13 “For I can do everything through Christ,^[a]  who gives me strength.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

Exodus 15:2 “The  Lord  is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him””my father’s God, and I will exalt him!”

1 Corinthians 10:13  ^“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

1. Bible Verses about Connecting with God

The greatest benefit of studying the Bible is a stronger connection and relationship with Jesus. The more time we spend reading the Bible the stronger our identity in Christ becomes.

When we walk confidently in our identity, we are able to love and forgive others, and our gifts and mission become clear. Also the closer we grow to Christ the more we desire to read His word.

How the Bible can change your life? The greatest benefit is a stronger connection with God.

Hebrews 11:6 “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

John 1:1 “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “So the Word became human  and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

Turning to the Bible during times of struggle, to gain wisdom, or to connect with God, helps you understand and experience how the Bible can change your life.

The Bible and a love for its words are a natural extension of your desire to honor the great sacrifice of Christ and know Him better.

Why is the Bible Important?

The Bible has been the most influential book in my life. It has guided me as I have surrendered and released control to God.

Why is the Bible important? It solidifies our relationship with Christ, builds trust, and is the “manual” we use to develop our transformed identity and find our Godly purpose.

I would say that is pretty important. But why is it so easy to read other things more than the Bible?

One of the biggest competitors in the race for our attention is social media.

In an excerpt from an article on Social Media’s effect on our mental health by Mclean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, the reason we spend so much time on social media is explained:

“Social media has a reinforcing nature. Using it activates the brain’s reward center by releasing dopamine, a “feel-good chemical”:The platforms are designed to be addictive and are associated with  anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments. According to the Pew Research Center,  69% of adults and 81% of teens  in the U.S. use social media.

This puts a large amount of the population at an increased risk of feeling anxious, depressed, or ill over their social media use. But what makes users come back for more even when it can literally make them feel sick?

“When the outcome is unpredictable, the behavior is more likely to repeat,” Sperling says. “Think of a slot machine: if game players knew they never were going to get money by playing the game, then they never would play. The idea of a potential future reward keeps the machines in use. The same goes for social media sites.

One does not know how many likes a picture will get, who will ‘like’ the picture, and when the picture will receive likes. The unknown outcome and the possibility of a desired outcome can keep users engaged with the sites.”

I am not anti-social media, but I try to be a good steward of my time (not always successfully!) I know the positive influence the Bible has on my life, but I cannot say the same for the time I spend on social media.

Having this type of research reminds me to be intentional with my time and what I am allowing myself to be exposed to.

Social media is powerful and can lead to negative results. But the power found in the words of God is stronger and leads to positive results which answers the question of why is the Bible important.

“Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:17 NLT

How the Bible can Change Your Life

Studying the Bible for me takes place alone, in small groups, and in church. All three methods have taught me many lessons.

How and where you read the Bible doesn’t affect how reading the Bible can change your life as long as you start somewhere.

As a child, I did not win the Bible competition, but what I did win was of greater value in my life. Seeds of truth were planted and grew inside my heart for a lifetime.

Reading and studying the Bible has changed my life by drawing me closer to God, helping me hear His voice, gain wisdom and trust Him more. Only through God’s grace and truth have I learned that the Bible can transform my life to shine the light of Christ on others.

I would love to hear how reading the Bible changed your life!

Introduction/Background:

I have a question for you, «why are the lives of so many believers not transformed?» «Why do believers experience such a lack of spiritual power & satisfaction in their lives?» Now I want you to make it personal. Ask yourself, “why am I not being transformed by the Word?” “Why am I lacking spiritual power and satisfaction in my life?”

I believe it is the direct result of not letting the Word of God truly influence our faith and actions.

There are so many passages in the Bible that teach about the believer’s interaction with the Word of God. Romans 10:17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Peter 2:2.

The focus for this morning is Hebrews 4 verses 12 & 13. (read) But before we get to our application, we need to look at a few things about the text.

v. 12a — “living & powerful”: The word “living” (zon) is placed in the first position in the original language. This gives it emphasis and importance. The Word of God is no dead letter, but as the word of the living God it cannot itself fail to be living. As the living word it continues through each age with compelling relevance. “Gipsy Smith told of a man who said he had received no inspiration from the Bible although he had “gone through it several times.” “Let it go through you once,” replied Smith, “then you will tell a different story!”

The word translated “powerful” (energes) is the word from which we get energy and energetic. The word literally means “at work.” it has the thought of effective or active.

The Word of God is not dead or lifeless as is a law which is no longer enforced.

The Word of God, is unlike any other book you have in your home or in the library. The Library of Congress lays claims to being the largest library in the world, with more than 130 million items on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 29 million books and other printed materials, 2.7 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.8 million maps, and 58 million manuscripts. Yet among all these volumes the only ones that can lay claims to being alive and powerful are copies of the Bible. This places the Bible in a unique category all to itself.

— v. 12b — “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division. . . marrow.”

In the Roman world there were two distinctly different swords. There was the large sword, it was long, heavy and destructive. While a single edged sword can chop off your head well enough, it was not good for close in fighting.

The second type was a short sword (machaira), it was lightweight and double-edged and deadly because it cut both ways. The soldier could not only use it in a slicing motion but also thrust it. This is what Peter used to cut off the ear of the servant of the High priest in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of Jesus’ arrest (Mark 14:47).

— v. 12c — “discerner. . . heart.” The word “discerner” is best translated as “critic.” The Word of God is a critic of the leanings and suggestions of the heart. How many have felt this dimension of God’s word where it has been faithfully preached! How often has it happened that you have seen the whole of your own character, and some of the most private transactions of your life, held up as if it were in public view by the preacher; and yet you absolutely know he has no clue as to your situation! You might have even supposed that one of your neighbors must have privately informed the preacher of your character and conduct; but it was the word of God, which, by the direction and energy of the Holy Spirit, thus searched you out, was a critical examiner of the leanings and suggestions of your heart, and had pursued you through all your public haunts and private ways. Every genuine minister of the Gospel has witnessed such effects as these under his ministry in repeated instances.

— v. 13a — “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him.”

Before evil can be destroyed, it must be revealed. Some of older folks may remember the radio show «The Shadow.» Remember the tag line, «What evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.»

But denial that God knows our sin is mere folly.

Once, while on a visit to England, a wealthy Chinese businessman was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. So he decided to purchase one of these devices and take it back to China. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day he examined some rice he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay, he discovered that tiny living creatures were crawling in it. Since he was especially fond of this staple food in his daily diet, he wondered what to do. Finally he concluded that there was only one way out of his dilemma—he would destroy the instrument that caused him to discover the distasteful fact! So he smashed the microscope to pieces.

«How foolish,» you say. But many people do the same thing with the Word of God. They hate it and would like to get rid of it because it reveals their evil nature.

— v. 13b — “. . . Him to whom we must give account.”

Our account; our reckoning is to be with God, before whom all is naked and open. We cannot pass off hypocrisy for sincerity. He will judge us according to truth, not according to appearances; and his sentence, therefore, will be just. A man who is to be tried by one “who knows all about him,” should be a pure and holy man.

The Word can speak right to our situation: comfort, wisdom, challenge, encouragement, insight.

The real question is not “What?” (what does the Word say?) because it’s a big book and different parts will speak to different people on different days because they’re in different situations.

The real question is “How?”/how can I get into a position where I can hear what the Word has to say and can harness its power in my life?

How can we see that power in our lives? How can we harness this power?

Key idea: For the Word to truly be the Word of God it must be living within us. Lettings its power energize us. And letting it penetrate our hearts to reveal the sin within that we may come clean with God.

Application:

Approach the Word believing it lives and speaks.

We must see the Word of God not just great literature/not just like every other book.

Ill: One of the most dramatic examples of the Bible’s divine ability to transform men and women involved the famous mutiny on the “Bounty.” Following their rebellion against the notorious Captain Bligh, nine mutineers, along with the Tahatian men and women who accompanied them, found their way to Pitcairn Island, a tiny dot in the South Pacific only two miles long and a mile wide. Ten years later, drink and fighting had left only one man alive – John Adams. Eleven women and 23 children made up the rest of the Island’s population.

So far this is the familiar story made famous in the book and motion picture. But the rest of the story is even more remark-able. About this time, Adams came across the “Bounty’s” Bible in the bottom of an old chest. He began to read it, and the divine power of God’s Word reached into the heart of that hardened murderer on a tiny volcanic speck in the vast Pacific Ocean—and changed his life forever. The peace and love that Adams found in the Bible entirely replaced the old life of quarreling, brawling, and liquor. He began to teach the children from the Bible until every person on the island had experienced the same amazing change that he had found. Today, with a population of slightly less than 100, nearly every person on Pitcairn Island is a Christian. — SOURCE: Signs of the Times, August, 1988, p. 5.

Desire to become skilled with it, knowing it’s your only offensive weapon.

— becoming skilled: getting familiar with the Word/knowing where to find passages that deal with certain situations or issues/learning how to hear God speak/memorizing parts/learning how to study it.

You cannot rely on the me or any other preacher to tell you everything you need to know about the Word. Once a week is not enough and even then I may not be preaching a sermon that touches on what you’re dealing with right now.

The sword is an offensive weapon. When a Roman soldier drew his sword it was not to just block the blows of his opponent, but to disarm and most likely kill him.

Many of us are getting clobbered by the enemy, not because we don’t have a weapon to fight him with, but because we don’t know how to use the weapon.

Can you imagine a soldier going into Iraq without knowing how to operate his weapon?

How often do we complain about a problem in our lives and ask God to give us the victory, when in fact the answer is right in our hands, but we haven’t checked the book.

Open the Word knowing it will get personal.

Some read basically for trivia knowledge, but we must read it for life transformation.

Be thankful that the Word was given to help us avoid sin and disobedience, not to tell us we’ve sinned and then leave us stuck in our sin. To many people will avoid certain passages because they know that they will be convicting. Or people will say that those passages were just for that time, again because

Quit pretending God doesn’t know about your sin.

Whatever your secret sin is, you’ve got to be willing to confess it if God is going to speak to you powerfully through the Word. Unconfessed sin in your life is a giant wall between you & God.

Treat what you’re reading not merely today’s word, but the final Word.

Sometimes we can get caught up in “what’s the application to my life today”. Application is definitely good and necessary, but the Word is much more than that.

The Bible doesn’t merely speak to your situation, but it clues you in on Kingdom Come. It should ignite a vision for a life and a hope that is far different than what the world is proposing. A vision of Christ and His Kingdom.

Conclusion:

The power of the living Word if you let it will transform your life. But you must let. Even if you know that it is going to cut like a sword.

We can not think that God does not see what we do. He does. We need to not be afraid of what it will do.

We need to also know that we will be accountable for our actions whether we want to admit it or not.

He said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46–47)

The word of God is not a trifle; it is a matter of life and death. If you treat the Scriptures as a trifle or as empty words, you forfeit life.

Even our physical life depends on God’s word, because by his word we were created (Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 11:3), and “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

And our spiritual life begins by the word of God: “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). “You have been born again . . . through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

Not only do we begin to live by God’s word, but we also go on living by God’s word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3).

So our physical life is created and upheld by the word of God, and our spiritual life is quickened and sustained by the word of God. How many stories could be gathered to bear witness to the life-giving power of the word of God!

Indeed, the Bible is “no empty word for you” — it is your life! The foundation of all joy is life. Nothing is more fundamental than sheer existence — our creation and our preservation.

All this is owing to the word of God’s power. By that same power, he has spoken in Scripture for the creation and sustenance of our spiritual life. Therefore, the Bible is no empty word, but is your very life — the foundation and kindling of your joy!