It is challenging to find personal applications from some passages of the Bible. While the application of many verses is clear, how does one make a personal application of "so and so was the son of so and so"?
In an internet article, Pastor Rick Warren suggested a set of questions every believer might ask of the verses they read. He organized these questions into an acronym SPACE-PETS. The first letter represented a keyword of the question that should be asked of the passage or verse. By asking these questions and prayerfully reflecting on the answers, each believer can discover new ways to be a "doer of the Word."
This Bible study method doesn't guarantee that every verse or passage has a direct personal application, but asking these questions certainly opens up the Word to a very large number of possibilities.
S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S
In the verses that I am reading….
S Is there a SIN to confess? Does God’s Word make you aware of something you need to make right with God?
P Is there a PROMISE to claim? Ask yourself if the passage you’ve read contains a universal promise. Ask whether you’ve met all the conditions of the promise.
A Is there an ATTITUDE to change? Is there something about which you need to think differently? Do you need to work on a negative attitude, worry, guilt, fear, loneliness, bitterness, pride, apathy, or ego?
C Is there a COMMAND to obey? Is there a command you need to obey or principle to apply, or process to follow no matter how you feel?
E Is there an EXAMPLE to follow? Are there positive examples to follow or negative examples to avoid?
P Is there a PRAYER to pray? Paul, David, Solomon, Elijah, and Isaiah, among others, have recorded prayers in the Bible.
E Is there an ERROR to avoid? It’s wise to learn from experience, and it’s even more sensible to learn from the experience of others! What can you learn from the mistakes of those in Scripture?
T Is there a TRUTH to believe? Often, we’ll read something in Scripture that we can’t do anything about. We simply have to believe what it says about God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the past, the future, Heaven, Hell, or other topics in the Bible.
S Is there SOMETHING for which to praise God? You can always find something in a passage you can be grateful to God for, like something God has protected you from or something God has done.
In an internet article, Pastor Rick Warren suggested a set of questions every believer might ask of the verses they read. He organized these questions into an acronym SPACE-PETS. The first letter represented a keyword of the question that should be asked of the passage or verse. By asking these questions and prayerfully reflecting on the answers, each believer can discover new ways to be a "doer of the Word."
This Bible study method doesn't guarantee that every verse or passage has a direct personal application, but asking these questions certainly opens up the Word to a very large number of possibilities.
S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S
In the verses that I am reading….
S Is there a SIN to confess? Does God’s Word make you aware of something you need to make right with God?
P Is there a PROMISE to claim? Ask yourself if the passage you’ve read contains a universal promise. Ask whether you’ve met all the conditions of the promise.
A Is there an ATTITUDE to change? Is there something about which you need to think differently? Do you need to work on a negative attitude, worry, guilt, fear, loneliness, bitterness, pride, apathy, or ego?
C Is there a COMMAND to obey? Is there a command you need to obey or principle to apply, or process to follow no matter how you feel?
E Is there an EXAMPLE to follow? Are there positive examples to follow or negative examples to avoid?
P Is there a PRAYER to pray? Paul, David, Solomon, Elijah, and Isaiah, among others, have recorded prayers in the Bible.
E Is there an ERROR to avoid? It’s wise to learn from experience, and it’s even more sensible to learn from the experience of others! What can you learn from the mistakes of those in Scripture?
T Is there a TRUTH to believe? Often, we’ll read something in Scripture that we can’t do anything about. We simply have to believe what it says about God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the past, the future, Heaven, Hell, or other topics in the Bible.
S Is there SOMETHING for which to praise God? You can always find something in a passage you can be grateful to God for, like something God has protected you from or something God has done.
-
4
- Show all
