Do you struggle with reading your Bible?

 

 Are you reading a commentary such as "Our Daily Bread" or some other devotional every day and considering that your daily Bible reading? Devotionals should be in addition to actual Bible reading and not instead of it. Pick up your Bibles first. Be influenced by the Bible first, and not someone else's interpretation of it. Read your Bibles every day, always picking up today where you left off yesterday.

To receive Jocelyn's newsletters, subscribe HERE.

To receive an announcement from Amazon whenever a new book is released by Jocelyn Andersen, subscribe to Her Amazon author's page.

To Contact Jocelyn: Use the contact form in the sidebar to leave comments on her books, to reach her with questions, or to request for her to come and speak at your group.

What is the missing ingredient in your walk with Christ?

Are you reading your Bible every day, always picking up today where you left off yesterday?

A pastor who does not read his Bible every day, dismissed this very sound biblical counsel [and justified his lackadaisical attitude towards daily fellowship with God through His Word] by telling me that it is my gift of teaching that singles me out and draws me into the Word of God every single day. 

I was stunned by the implication that I am somehow special among Christians because of this discipline in my life. The suggestion that daily Bible reading is a rare and unnecessary habit for "average" Christians [and this coming from a pastor, a shepherd of God's flock!] astounded me.

I begged to differ with him. It is not my gift of teaching that draws me into the Word of God every morning along with my first sip of coffee. It is my desire to know my Creator, to put Him first by visiting with Him every day, and to walk in victory and fellowship with Him. That is what draws me into His awesome LIFE-GIVING Word. 

Jesus is the WORD [In the beginning was the WORD...] and he said, "The WORD I speak to you is Spirit and is LIFE. I recall Jesus' answer when Satan came tempting him, trying to trip him up and bring him down; He said, "It is WRITTEN!" 

Spiritual warfare begins and ends with having knowledge of, faith in, and standing on, the WRITTEN WORD OF GOD. 

How can we know what is WRITTEN, unless we read it?

How do I know if I am hearing the Word of God in my spirit [and not the voice of a stranger] if I do not have knowledge of the WRITTEN Word of God? 

Isaiah, who prophetically saw further into the future than any other biblical writer, compared everything that claimed to be knowledge of God, with what had already been WRITTEN. 

My gift of teaching? That is not the reason I open my Bible and read every day, always picking up today where I left off yesterday, but my hope and prayer is that the Holy Spirit can use my gift to win souls, make disciples, and bring strength and encourage to his people through the power of the Written WORD OF GOD.

Why Do I Believe in God?

 What is the hope that is in Me? Why do I believe the gospel, the good news that Jesus is real and that he lived, died, and rose from the dead? Why do I have hope that I too will be raised from the dead, and that Jesus will come again to this earth and bring peace to it?

   Why do I believe, aside from the fact that he revealed himself to me with such awesome clarity, that I cannot deny him, aside from the fact that I have received countless answers to prayers for myself and others, aside from the fact that I have received healing after healing and amazing provision, according to his good promises, and even miracles at his mighty hand [read about my miracle ]? I have experienced all these things. I can attest that they are true. 

   But aside from my own amazing personal experiences, what objective proof do I have that God is real?

   After God revealed himself to me in a BIG way, he began confirming my personal experiences with him. He did this through his Word, which I began reading every day since 1981. The Bible is where I learned about my Creator, where he invited me to put him to the test, and taught me how to do that.   

   Through his Holy Spirit, through his written Word, and through people, and circumstances, and even trials in my life, my Father in Heaven held on to me as I began taking baby-steps in faith, as I learned how to walk, and finally to run. He patiently taught me and raised me up in faith, to the point, that in a time of acute danger and physical injury, I could hold on to his faithfulness and experience a breathtaking miracle.

      My God and his written Word, have withstood the years of testing in my life, decades of reading, questioning, researching, and studying. I can attest to the astounding power of the living Word of God to bring passion and purpose into my life. 

   Historians, archeologists, geologists, biologist, physicists, astrophysicists, astronomers, and more, attest also, to the accuracy of the Holy Bible. To date, no historical or scientific discovery has discounted the Bible, but rather, every single one affirms it.   

  Historically, there is more evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ than for any other ancient person or event. 

   The biblical prophets are batting a thousand. Bible prophecy is one of God's great signs that he is real. He has yet to be proven wrong. Things God revealed through his ancient prophets for their day were fulfilled with amazing accuracy. Some of his prophets spoke of things to come in the far distant future. The accuracy, to date, of God's prophets is good reason to believe that he is real and that his Bible is true. 

   For his children, for those who choose to belong to him, that is very good news.

   He promises Eternal Life. He promises help and hope for the present. He promises to come again to raise the dead, to change and catch up the living, and to finally bring peace to the earth. He promises a spectacular future for all who love him.  

   That is my blessed hope.   

   Do I write this from a position of privilege and absence of adversity, where life has always been easy for me? No. I have experienced much adversity--devastating adversity. But God has always been faithful. People have crushed and disappointed me, but God has never let me down.

   Yes, I believe in God. 

   I love HIM. I walk with HIM. I talk with HIM...And HE is always with me.

I Was a Defeated and Backslidden Christian!

 

  For many years I lived a defeated, back-slidden, Christian life. What I mean by that, is that what I thought constituted being a good Christian, just didn't work for me. I felt like a constant failure in Christian living and was seriously considering ditching the God of the Bible and embracing the religion of atheism.
   Then, one day, God sent a woman named Ruth Young from Chatsworth, GA to knock on my door (one of those "visits" back-slidden Christians hate so much!). She was sent to ask me if I ever read my Bible.
   I didn't. But her question intrigued me. So instead of answering her, I asked her a question back.
   I said, "Have you ever read your Bible all the way through?"
   Her answer blew me away: "Oh Honey, if you read four chapters a day, you will  read the entire Bible through every year and the New Testament twice. I have been doing that for 25 years!"
   I did the math.
   This was earth-shaking, life-changing, and transforming advice for me--because up to that point, I had viewed the Bible as an impossible book to read all the way through (and I am a reader!), and I did not know anyone who had done it.I don't know that I believed my pastors had done it.
   Ruth Young's testimony opened up a whole new world of possibility to me as far as a relationship with my Creator was concerned. I was born again at the age of six, but up to the day God's woman from Chatsworth, GA knocked on my door, I had only approached my Savior from a religious perspective...and religion was not working for me.
   What I needed was a relationship.
   But how can you have a relationship with someone you barely know?

   Her obedience, testimony, and wise counsel changed the course of my life.
   Some will say, "But look at the marital unfaithfulness, abuse, and domestic violence you suffered, for years after that? How can you call that a transformed life?
   My response: "Can you imagine what my life would have been like if I had gone through these things without knowing God and being confident of his love and help? No one says Christians will always make the right decisions or never experience abuse or suffering. I know that I would not be alive, today, and serving God with confidence in His Word, His love, and His peace in my heart, had that moment in my life never happened, where Ruth Young obeyed the Holy Spirit of God by making and uninvited (and I felt at the time, unwelcome) appearance at my front door." 

  Since 1981, I have followed her advice. I read my Bible every day, always picking up today where I left off yesterday. I made a commitment, in 1981, to establish time with the Lord, in His Word, every day. I have kept that commitment. 
   It was much more difficult at first than it is now.
   At first it was a discipline that I knew my relationship and faithfulness to God absolutely depended on. Some mornings, I felt like reading my Bible and other mornings (probably most mornings at the time) I did not feel like reading my Bible. I overcame this reluctance on morning I just "didn't feel like it," by telling myself that I "needed it even more today," because I didn't feel like it. And that was so true.
   Today, my morning-time in the Word of God is like mother's milk. I look forward to it even before I go to be the night before. That is the transforming power of the Written Word of God, when approached as part of a relationship and not a religious duty.  

   My daily visit with the LORD OF ALL THE EARTH (not limited to just one), always begins in the morning. And the Holy Spirit always meets me, as I grab my coffee and my Bible. The Word of God seeping into my spirit and sleepy consciousness, never fails to inspire and strengthen me for the day ahead.
   This is a daily--moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, one day at a time--walk with God. And without fail, after just a few moments, Jesus and I are having a good visit. It is always more than just reading—It really is a deeply personal time that I spend together with my Savior.

   Some may object, claiming that getting ready for work (and children off to school) makes morning time for the Bible impossible.

   My response: You cannot afford not to make time for Jesus and your own personal growth in your relationship with Him (this will carry over into every area of your life).

   When my children were young, my personal time had to be finished before 6am in order to get them out of bed and ready for school. Then, for many years after that, I had to be ready for work five mornings a week. 

   Sometimes my job required me to travel extensively. At one point, I was on the road for six weeks out of the eight!  My morning visit with God traveled with me—I did not leave my routine at home. The value of establishing that daily habit stood me in good stead during some very hectic times in my life, when I might have otherwise let fall to the wayside the very thing I needed most.

   On another occasion I was required to work from 8:00 each morning to almost midnight each night, in addition to the hour commute each way. During that time, I never wavered in my routine. I became disciplined to make time for the Word of God despite work schedules, business, or family obligations.

   Make time for your personal relationship with your Savior, through getting to know Him and His will, by reading His Word. You cannot afford to neglect this part of your relationship with your Savior. Do this every day, always picking up today where you left off yesterday. Do not allow the television, radio, or internet activity (social media, email, etc.,) to be the thing that starts your day each morning. Put God and His Word FIRST.

   Each of us makes time for things that are truly important to us. Try making and keeping a commitment to know your Savior and his Bible better. Spend time with him on a daily basis, and see if that does not make a wonderful difference in your life.
   For me, it really was as simple as that.

 Author and speaker, Jocelyn Andersen, is an eclectic Christian writer. She is a Bible teacher who writes about many subjects including Bible prophecy and equality of the sexes. She is best known for her advocacy in domestic violence awareness. Her book, Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence, has been a staple in the library of resources on that subject.  

To receive an announcement from Amazon whenever a new book is released by Jocelyn Andersen, subscribe to Her Amazon author's page.

To Contact Jocelyn: Use the contact form in the sidebar of her blog at www.jocelynandersen.com to leave comments on her books, to reach her with questions, or to request for her to speak at your group.