My talented wife Dianne has published her fourth book, Unlock Your Bible.
Her book is designed to help everyday believers dig into the book and discover its treasures in a new way.
This book will reinvigorate your Bible reading routine and deepen your love for the Scriptures.
Whether you want to dive into the gospels. weave through Revelation our just muse in the Psalms, Di’s book will help you.
You can buy Unlock Your Bible on Amazon today.
Here is an excerpt from her book.
You can approach, learn about, know, understand, gain revelation on, and apply the truths found in the word of God.
Here are seven creative approaches to reinvigorate your bible reading routine.
1. Doctrinally
You can know your Bible doctrinally.
Doctrine is a set of beliefs.
It is usually taught in a new believer’s class.
All Christian denominations hold two of the same foundational doctrines.
- The Godhead consists of three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Additional to these are doctrines which are held and taught by your chosen denominational stream or church.
2. Theologically
You can know your Bible theologically by undertaking an in-depth study of the word at a Bible college.
3. Factually
You can know your Bible factually.
This is knowing facts contained in the word of God by knowing the names of people in the Bible, events that took place or locations where specific events transpired.
Name three people in the Bible and one fact you know about them.
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Name three events which have been recorded in the Bible.
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Name three locations where a specific occurrence transpired and what it was.
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4. Principles for life
You can know your Bible in principles for life.
The word of God contains multiple principles for living life well.
Look at each of these five verses and describe the life principle you discover.
Matthew 7:1 Judge not that you be not judged.
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Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.
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James 5:12 Do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your yes be yes, and your no be no.
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Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
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Matthew 18: 21-22 Then Peter came to him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’
Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’
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What would be one Biblical principle that you have successfully applied in your life?
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5. Insight and revelation
You can know your Bible by insight and revelation where Holy Spirit becomes involved more intensely in opening the eyes of your understanding and lifting the veil enabling comprehension of the word.
(Ephesians 1:15-21 and 2 Corinthians 3:16)
Holy Spirit will take the written word and cause it to come alive for you.
He illumines it to shift from being head knowledge, or a truth you know, to become something you believe.
Here’s an example:
You know in your head knowledge that Jesus died on the cross to forgive your sin.
Holy Spirit will bring revelation to this head knowledge moving it to become an unshakeable belief of your sin being forgiven in accordance with 1 John 1:9.
Here’s another example:
You know in your head knowledge that through Jesus you have been adopted into the family of God. God is your heavenly Father.
Holy Spirit will bring revelation to this head knowledge moving it to become an unshakeable belief of God being your heavenly Father in accordance with Romans 8:15.
Jesus set out some of the activity of Holy Spirit in his teaching in John 16:7-15.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.
However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come,
he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own
authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and
he will tell you things to come.
he will glorify me,
he will take of what is mine and declare it to you.
Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Nothing he tells you is a lie.
Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.
Holy Spirit is God’s messenger. God speaks and Holy Spirit takes that word and declares it to you.
Holy Spirit will glorify Jesus.
Following Jesus’ ascension into heaven, Holy Spirit arrived quite dramatically on earth on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-4)
When you pray a prayer of surrender to give your life to Jesus, Holy Spirit will come to dwell within.
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. (Romans 8:9)
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
The possibilities of what Holy Spirit can and will reveal to you from the word are inexhaustible.
Just when you think, ‘I’ve exhausted all I can out of this verse or chapter’ he will lift the veil further to reveal something you have not previously seen.
6. Up close or expanded view
You can know your Bible from an up close or expanded view.
Anne Ortlund put it this way in her book Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman.
To study a mountain, you can get down on your hands and knees with a magnifying glass and see what kind of worms and bugs it has, whether the soil is sandy or rocky, and what kind of plants grow on it.
Or you can go up in a helicopter and study the mountain’s topography, its watershed, its timberline and so on.
You can study your Bible both ways.
Sometimes on your hands and knees, examining one verse or one word in detail.
Or at other times sweeping through it to see the peaks and valleys.
You’ll see entirely different things each way.
7. Experientially
You can know your Bible experientially.
One way to achieve this is to write out in full, or in part, an individual Bible book.
This will cause you to slow right down and ponder as you write.
You will be able to place yourself into the events as they unfold.
You will be able to feel what the characters are experiencing.
You may feel Jacob’s trepidation as he returned to his homeland to reconcile with his brother Esau.
Or you may feel the weight of the leadership mantle now on Joshua, which previously was on Moses, to lead the children of Israel into the promised land.
You hear the jeering and feel the criticism hurled at Noah while he was building the ark.
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20 you will find some additional reasons for writing out scripture.
When each new king was appointed to office it was a requirement to write out for himself a copy of the law.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life,
That he may learn to fear the Lord his God.
That he may be careful to observe all the words of this law and these
statutes.
That his heart may not be lifted above his brethren.
That he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or the left.
That he may prolong his days in his kingdom.
Which of these seven methods is your most enjoyable way of exploring the word of God? You can choose more than one.
Doctrinally, theologically, factually, principles for life, insight, and revelation, up close or expanded view, experiencedly.
You can buy Unlock Your Bible on Amazon today and add some spark to your Bible reading rotuine.
