Reading the Bible for Knowledge/Education over a Spiritual Fix

[SocialArtist]

To be honest since October 2011.. I have changed my Bible reading habits. Growing up, you know during my Youth Group days.. I thought that I should be getting some sort of spiritual fix out of it. The truth is after years and years of bible study between 2006-2008.. my habits did evolve. Ultimately, I look at reading the bible as a way to grow in education and knowledge of the word. Through my reading I have come to understand God, Jesus and gain a higher perspective. It's been through obtaining this knowledge and education that my FAITH and TRUST has grown on a more natural level. I'll read 1-2 chapters a night before bed and notice over time my perspective is sharper.

Over the years, I've come to know people who claim they read the Bible and just don't feel anything. Other says they do get deep in the spirit. The truth is, both always happen.. but during different reading sessions. Sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. The key is like anything .. reading consistently .. staying dedicated.

Sometimes I'm just not into it.. other nights I'll feel the holy spirit activate and I'll really get into it. God and the Bible isn't void if your spiritual veins aren't pumping that particular reading. You can read generally or feel average or even keel while reading still obtain knowledge.

 

[RedTent]

This is exactly what I have been wondering about today! I met a man today who was very knowledgeable about God, and although he reads his bible often, he kept saying that “God let him know”. He seemed to think a lot of what he knew of God came through prayer and the Holy Spirit.

I know people who say they have read the bible many times and don’t seem to have a clue about God or His principles. I met my Savior through scripture, alone at night. I couldn’t understand a word of the bible and I was determined I would. I read a chapter a night if it killed me. One night what God was saying opened up to me and right there in my bedroom I gave my life to Christ.

Many years later, when I was 80, I found someone who explained the OT to me. It was the “torahclass” website. I thought the OT was full of killing, that learning their laws meant not having faith in Christ’s saving grace, and that the sacrificial system had nothing of Christ in it but was wrong, and besides I couldn’t quite understand it. What a blessing understanding that scripture is, and how it deepened my faith in my Savior!

 

[enochson]

I used to read it to get a reavelation form god now I have to put it down because of to much reavelation and I get a over load. law- grace

 

[Tommy4Christ]

There are many factors in receiving and loving the truth, I believe one will be complacent and dead to the word of God, when they have fallen into false teachings and ways, we are called to:

Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man does not work out the righteousness of God.
Jas 1:21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and overflowing of evil, receive in meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Most under the lie have no desire to read the word, it becomes a chore, and they do not understand all the verses calling them to repent, forsake all known sin, crucify your flesh with Christ, sin no more, and many more scriptures that are clouded by original sin, imputation, OSAS, Calvinism, etc...
If you have truly repented as described above, then you will have a huge hunger for truth!

The Hunger Within!​

What’s the Difference between someone who has Truly encountered God and your average church goers who got saved by ‘Receiving’ Jesus? It’s Simply the Difference between Answering the Hunger Within by Seeking out God and finding Him and relying on someone else to TELL you what to Believe in.
Jesus Said: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened Mt7:7-8
Most people are satisfied with a nominal recognition of God and the false assurance that comes with attaching yourself to church where everyone has accepted a Standard Fashion of Religion they call Christian and no one challenges it. Whatever the Pastor says is Gospel and the Church itself is just a security blanket where you feel good about yourself and have fun with others. In some respects you may try to reform your behavior accordingly for appearances, but inside you remain the same: ‘Cold, Empty, Dry and Dead to God!’
What has happened to put our churches into this Present state of decay? Why can’t you find anyone anywhere who REALLY has a handle on God other than some notion of Doctrine handed down to them by tradition? Why is it that everyone who professes to be a Christian is somewhere between Dead and Lukewarm, including the pastors? Personalities aside here, I know that some forms of Christianity are more attractive than others and the teachers more charismatic and interesting. But aside from the hype and show in some churches, what is there really to sink your teeth into?
Present Day Christianity is a Joke for a reason. They haven’t become the laughing stock of hell by accident! NO! Hell has prevailed! The JOKE is WHAT they Teach as the Gospel and expect people to actually BELIEVE they are Getting Saved from something by RECEIVING Jesus! When in Reality they are doing Nothing More than joining themselves to a System of LIES that numbs their Minds to Truth. The Sad part is that MOST of them THINK they’re actually performing a great service for God’s Kingdom!
One of the BIGGEST Mistakes you can make personally, is going into this System ASSUMING you will find the Right Path to God. NOTHING they are Teaching in any of these churches has ANYTHING to do with the Bible or the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By the time these Teachers get done convincing you they know what they talking about you will be in the grips of a STRONG Delusion that is almost impossible to break free of. That’s why it’s so important for you to Make Sure you’ve had a Genuine encounter with God, have truly Repentance of your sins and been forgiven by Grace. How is that going to happen?
Of a TRUTH it’s NOT Going to happen inside a church! If you are going to inherit Eternal Life, as the Bible says and NOT some fairly tale religion based on lies, you MUST meet up with God. You must begin on the SOLID ROCK of Truth and find God on His Terms, not yours, or based on some church doctrine. If God exists and rewards those who diligently seek after Him…..YOU MUST be fully capable of doing so! Sin has NOT rendered you incapable of Obeying God or Stopping your wrong doing. The Bible CLEARLY Instructs you to Do so, the Gospel in churches says ‘Trust’ you are saved, But the Bible says PROVE your Faith by your DEEDS!
Those who begin on this Solid Ground with Christ, it’s been my experience, that they Serve and Obey God in His Word with diligent Zeal, Crave His Righteousness, Strive to DO the Right thing, and testify of heart Purity….JUST as the Scriptures confirm. A Church Convert seldom stops sinning, has no interest whatsoever in the Word of God, lest of all Obeying it. They basically know three things: ‘It’s Not of Works’, ‘No one is Perfect’, and ‘You Can’t Judge!’ Beyond that they THINK God has Saved them in their sins and that no one, including God, expects them to ever stop sinning until they die and go to heaven.
Of course there are the rare exceptions that ‘Get Saved’ and go on to a form of maturity in the church of their choice. These are the ones who usually become Pastors, Teachers, Deacons, leaders of some sort. They learn to defend their Doctrinal stance, quote scripture and ‘APPEAR’ as though understand the deeper things of God. The others look up to them and rely on their ‘knowledge’ to support the complacent standards of the church. Therefore the Myth perpetuates itself and gains creditability.
These Converts are not the lest bit concerned about Deception, or the constant Warnings in Scripture to ‘Be Not Deceived!’ They Came into the church under the Lie, it stands to reason they are NOT going to beware of the VERY thing they THINK has Saved them! That’s the beauty of this Mess. It brings them in Deceived, Keeps them in Darkness and ignorance and NEVER questions the fallacy of it all. As the Scripture says: ‘The Conscience becomes seared and the heart hardened in sin.’
The Church has a famous reputation for ‘Shooting the wounded.’ What I mean by this are those who have sincerely encounter God through Repentance and faith, had a genuine experience of Conversion, Stopped sinning and then Join themselves to a fellowship hoping to find mutual support and enlightenment. Their Conversion experience has left them wounded in spirit (Poor in spirit) Seeking God, Desiring His Truth and Righteousness and a Close, worthy Walk with Christ. The Church has NO IDEA Whatsoever what has happened to them, other than they have ‘Received’ Jesus and now show up on Sunday. The Standard fare is to Get them Adapted to the Low Standards as quickly as possible so their ‘Witness’ won’t be such a Glaring Contrast to the other church members and someone will start asking questions.
This is where you (If indeed YOU Are this person!) face the Greatest Danger of all on your Journey toward eternal life. Jesus Version of the Gospel Put it this way: Matt7:13-14, ““Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
The WAY is Difficult because the False Prophets Stand at the Gate Barking like Dogs to Keep you away! The VERY NEXT thing He Says is a WARNING! “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves!” Mt7:15
WHO are these False Prophets or Savage wolves, but the Religious System that REJECTED Jesus to begin with? They APPEAR as Lambs! NEVER forgot that! Of Course they are 100% Convinced they are RIGHT and Truly Following God….(every religious system since Christ thought the Same thing!) Naturally they can quote Scripture, answer all your objections, even LOOK like the Real thing! But I’m trying to give you a Heads up here. DON’T Go into this Mess BLIND, Assuming you’ve found God’s people!!! You will be sitting yourself up for a FALL. Truth and Error Cannot Mix! Darkness and Light cannot abide together!
As a young Convert, you face the Greatest peril of all. You’re ONLY Hope is to NEVER allow that Hunger inside you for God to waver or grow cold. It’s your Life Line to eternity! You are in the System, among the DEAD and Dying, under the influence of the Lie. You’re a Sheep among wolves! I know this is a Heavy Responsibility at the outset and much of it seems Radical to you, unnecessary, over the edge. But if you want to Avoid the common mistakes that could indeed prove fatal to your soul, Take it with a grain of salt and HEED the Warning. Others have been there before you! Profit from the Voice of Experience.
Let the Condition of the Church Converts be a Constant reminder to you what you’re engaged in. Never concede to their Standards or resign yourself to the ‘Receive Jesus’ Message. You may not be able to silence all their arguments or answer all their objections, but Truth will always prevail if you don’t compromise with sin. Remember you’re Different precisely because you responded to God on His Terms and DIDN’T Get Saved inside a church! If you are a Church Convert NONE of this will matter to you anyway. Chances are you came from a Church Family, with a long line of folks who all ‘Got Saved’ in similar manner and have been ‘Praying’ for you to do the same thing.
You were already under the influence of the Lie BEFORE your supposed Conversion, so there’s not going to be any huge change in your desires or behavior after you do come to Christ. The added dimension will be now you THINK you’re Saved, like all the others, and attend church more often. But inside you are just as cold and dead to God as anyone, secretly hoping that these occasional nut bags that come along ‘Filled with the Spirit’ or ‘On Fire for God!’ are really the Deceived ones trying to break up the church.
Read Matt10, when the Lord Sent out His Disciples for the first time. THIS is what you can expect IF you hold to the Truth. Separation, turmoil, misunderstanding. Friends will desert you, family alienate you. At times it will be a Lonely walk and your heart will be constantly burdened for the lost and deceived that seem so impossible to reach. Prepare yourself for these things, Don’t expect to avoid them unless you give in to the Lie and become one of them! It was your Hunger for God that brought you to Real Salvation to begin with DON’T Fall into the trap that you can then Skate your Way into the Kingdom with the Dead and Lukewarm. They are in that Condition for a Reason! NEVER forget it! The BEST thing you could do is Get out of the System altogether, Study your Bible, Keep Seeking God and Learn how to Contend. I know it can be Difficult at times and if you’re alone at home, without even the support of a spouse, it’s VERY Difficult. Most people you know will think you have gone off your rocker, including your family. But Remember, ‘What don’t kill you will Make you Stronger!’ If you learn to stand alone at the outset you can get through the worst of times when the chips are down.
Basically the churches work within a Structure, using formulas restricted by time. Some Conduct altar calls during Sunday services, others do not. Some put a great emphasis on Water Baptism, Communion or foot washing. The universal Assumption is that ANYONE who Professes to ‘Believe’ in Jesus is a ‘Christian’ and is welcome under the big tent, regardless of their behavior or doctrine. NO ONE is going to expose sin, insist on any Conditions or do anything that would cause ill feeling and send someone home angry. That’s why when YOU Come along they will either have bring you down to their level or eliminate you from the fellowship. The Possibility of them being proved Wrong is too Great a Risk to let you to stick around.
You must be ready to break ties with these people at a moment’s notice. Don’t get tangled up in sentimentalities. I know some of them are nicer people than others and you really like them, but Bottom line…THEY BELIEVE the LIE! And when push comes to shove they will reject the Truth and follow the IMAGE. (they Already have! Exchanged the truth for a lie! And been given over to Delusion!) You Can’t help them when they WON’T HELP themselves!
Think about it: Will they Read their Bibles? MOST of them won’t even bring a Bible to Study Class with them. Do they have ANY Understanding of True Repentance and faith according to the Scriptures? Not a Clue! Do they CARE that Deception is everywhere and the False Teachers have the Platforms? They FLOCK to hear them! Along with attending the most popular concerts, latest hype seminars, and anything that comes down the pike they are truly in La La Land and nothing can reach them. You MUST understand that God has NOTHING to do with any of it! No Matter how touchy, feely it seems. Emotions are meaningless, people cry when they watch movies!
An Encounter with God BEGINS with the Person AMENDING the Evil of his Doings! The scriptures teach repentance comes before salvation.(2Cor.7:10) Conversion comes before forgiveness.(Mk.4:12) And repentance comes before remission.(Lk.24:27) Since the nature of a true repentance produces the STOPPING of sin. the CLEARING of wrong doing, a change of mind, inclinations, desires...so must the conduct change!...The result of a crisis conviction in the soul is a vindication and purification of heart by Christ blood through faith!(Acts15:9;1Pet.1:22;Heb.9:22;Eph.1:7;Col.1:14) Since sin is CHOICE, NOT NATURE it must be stopped in repentance!(Isa.55:7;2Cor.7:10-11)
NONE of this is Happening inside the Churches! They Preach a COMPLETELY Different Gospel! Your Presence among them is futile. But since Experience is always the best teacher, nothing I can say or show you will make a difference in getting you OUT of this Mess. Like everyone else, you will have to run your course and find out on your own that your effort is being wasted on the dead. I can only offer my advice based on past experiences. It’s difficult to quill the enthusiasm felt by a New Convert, whose eyes are open and heart is on fire for God. But I offer the following suggestions to any who would hear:
NEVER Compromise with the Born in Sin Message!
Stay OUT of Commentaries, Books, Study material, until you are Firmly Grounded in the Faith!
DON’T Get Caught up in the Church Hype, Music, Sports, Activities, Dinners & Think its Serving God!
Take NO Sides in the Doctrinal in-house Debates between Church goers.
PROVE and TEST Everything by Scripture BEFORE you Make your Decisions!
Don’t Support the Lie with your time, money, effort or agreement.
Be Prepared to Walk away at any time, no regrets. You Cannot Fear being alone.
The Churches are a Lost Cause and have been for Centuries. You Risk a Great Deal remaining among them. We are NOT Prophets, Sent of God to awaken them! We are Sojourners in a Strange Land.
www.standingthegap.org

 

[enochson]

this is a nature of the new man not a list of laws made by the old man of do's and don't. THERE ARE NO LIST IN THE NEW CREATION THE PARTIAL WAS DONE AWAY ANY LIST IS THE PARTIAL.

 

[shininglight]

Sometimes I like to read the Bible like I would a science book. The Bible is spiritual science and I like to study it in-depth when possible. I have actually had people criticize me in a round about way because they feel I take too much of an academic approach to the Bible, and I don't allow the Holy Spirit to guide me. I think that is nonsense....you can use your brain as the Holy Spirit guides you....it doesn't have to be one or the other.

 

[SocialArtist]

Sometimes I like to read the Bible like I would a science book. The Bible is spiritual science and I like to study it in-depth when possible. I have actually had people criticize me in a round about way because they feel I take too much of an academic approach to the Bible, and I don't allow the Holy Spirit to guide me. I think that is nonsense....you can use your brain as the Holy Spirit guides you....it doesn't have to be one or the other.

Exactly.. God created our minds to RECEIVE what we learn through our eyes and our mind. So it can be as simple as sitting down and reading.