Practice makes permanent is as true a statement as it gets. The old phrase we are familiar with is practice makes perfect. However, practice does not make perfect if you are not practicing correctly. As a child, I took piano lessons, and I loved playing the piano. There was only one thing standing in my way of being a good pianist and that was me. I could play by ear, meaning I could hear something and play it without music. So, most of the time that is what I did but when it came time for my lessons with my teacher, I had to go exactly by what was written and that was impossible without practicing the music the correct way. Needless to say, I never became a great pianist. I can play but if I have never heard the song, it takes me a while to get my timing right. Today we will look at this principle in the aspect of studying God’s word.
In the spiritual world, we tend to do the same thing that I was doing with my music. Especially when studying God’s word. We tend to skim passages that are familiar to us as if we already know everything about it. If we have heard the story and know the ending, we do not pay as much attention to the passage and therefore we miss so much that God still has for us.
When we study there are some things that we must remember. We must understand the power of God’s word. It is alive! In Hebrews 4:12 we find God’s word is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. We cannot escape the eye of God. If we study His word, He will expose us to ourselves. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Any insincerity or hypocrisy that we hold in our minds and hearts will be revealed to us as we read and meditate on His word. The word of God is God speaking to us. Because a person who is born again has the Holy Spirit living within them. We hold the source within us to help us understand.
The word “quick” means “living,” It is full of living power, active in penetrating the heart. God is truth and His word will reveal the truth to us about Him and about our relationship with Him. It is all-powerful. Nothing can cause our conscience to come to reality like His word. As we see ourselves the way God does, it will bring us to a point of repentance or rebellion against the truth. His word also allows us to see Him for who He is, and this should humble us and cause us to fall on our knees and say as the prophet Isaiah did in Isaiah 6:5 “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
His words are sharper than any two-edged sword. A sword sharp on both sides will cut in any direction. Anything it touches will be laid open. It will reveal to us the deepest thoughts and some inward feelings we did not realize existed within us.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.”
God’s word has all the power that is needed to change us and make us like His Son, but if we do not study in a manner where we can gain the most benefit, we will not find His perfect will and our sloppy studying will produce permanent results that are not good.
The first thing to do for the best results is to find a quiet place where you can be alone with the Lord. If you have little ones running around this may be difficult. However, I remember a story about Suzanna Wesley who had 19 children in a pioneer house, with not many doors, and very little space. Yet, when she would hold her apron up to her face the kids knew to get quiet, momma was talking to God. How did she do this? She had disciplined her children, not an easy task, but a very profitable one for everyone. She could pray and study in peace, concentrate on what God’s word said, and make her request known to God.
Second, set aside at least an hour if you intend to dig deep enough to feed your soul. It may be that you have 15 minutes in the morning to start your day and have your deep study time after you put the kids to bed. Again, this is another act of you disciplining yourself and your kids. Just like it takes time to get to know a friend, a spouse, or whomever, it also takes time to get to know God.
Third, study in context. Find out the setting of the passage, who is speaking and who are they speaking to. Don’t pull verses out of context and try to make them say what you want them to. This is how false religions start, they pull one verse and use it wrong but because it is in the Bible people follow blindly and are led astray.
Fourth, get some good study tools. I use e-sword. It is a free download to your computer where you can have access to commentaries, dictionaries, and all sorts of tools to help you get the original meaning of the text. You will have the Hebrew and Greek words and their meaning at your fingertips so you will know for sure what the text says.
Fifth, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply God’s word to your life. This is probably the most important step to achieving a study that is permanent and profitable.
Last, there are no shortcuts to becoming a student of the word and being able to apply it to your life and live it out day to day. It will take work and a desire to know God. I encourage you to study perfectly and stop cheating yourself and leaving yourself vulnerable to Satan’s lies and attacks. God has provided everything you need to be as close to Him as you want to be. One day you will stand before Him and give an account for your study time with Him. Your excuses will not fly with Him. After all He has done for you, don’t you want to know Him better?
