“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” – 1 Peter 2:2
1 Peter 2:2 serves to remind us that just as every little child needs milk to grow, every believer should crave spiritual milk to grow in the faith. Believers are encouraged to make the Word of God a priority and must live by it thereby. Furthermore, when believers do this, the Word becomes a lamp unto their feet and a light for their path (Psalms 119:105). How can believers, therefore, better understand God’s Word and reap its blessings and promise of guidance?
By having an intimate relationship with God through His Word. As John 1:1 puts it:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” – John 1:1
While introducing God as the Word, John’s first verse establishes numerous essential truths, including the Word’s existence from the beginning of creation and the Word’s presence with God, as well as God Himself being the very Word. This means that when we connect with the Word of God, we are connecting with God Himself. This sets a beautiful opportunity to interact with God daily. There are various steps believers can take in their daily lives to ensure they are interacting with God, and building an intimate relationship with Him through His Word. Such include:
1. True repentance
“…but what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. – Romans 10:8-11 NKJV
It is critical to profess true repentance because the Bible repeatedly states that sin leads to death and destruction. There are consequences to going against God’s design on how believers should live and obey Him, and destruction completely separates believers from Him and leaves them in disharmony with Him. True repentance allows believers to live in harmony with God and acknowledge His sovereignty in their lives. Additionally, it is only through true repentance that believers can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit which will lead them into all truth and guide them in the way that they should go, and how they should interact with God’s Word.
2. Having dedicated study time.
The Bible is a spiritual textbook that necessitates time spent studying it. Believers should make bible study regimens just as they make study regimens for academic endeavors. This helps edify the soul and ensures that the believer meditates on the Word day and night.
3. Spending time in prayer
Each believer needs to spend time in prayer before reading the Word of God, asking the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth as promised in John 16:13. Furthermore, prayer brings the acknowledgment of the fact that scripture is inspired by God Himself. “For the prophecy did not come by the will of man in old-time, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” – 2 Peter 1:21
4. Being diligent.
Believers must be diligent in their study of the Bible. The same diligence practiced in areas of work, education, and daily activities must be applied in greater measure when studying the Word of God. Diligent study and dedication to God’s Word is one way a believer can learn about God’s will for their lives.
5. Practicing the Word.
“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” – James 1:23-25
James 1:23-25 explains why we should not only be hearers of the Word, but also doers, for it is through practicing the Word that we become like God.
Each Believer should, therefore, first accept Christ as their personal Savior, pray before reading His Word, endeavor to be diligent in Bible study and finally, practice what the Word of God says. Through this, believers can understand God’s Word better, increase in faith and find true joy in fellowship with God.
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