Study 1: Manual for life

The Bible is God’s love letter to us, as He does not just want to see us become Christians, and then let us get on with living by ourselves. So He sent us the Comforter in the form of the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all Truth and will make the Bible come to life for us on a daily basis (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Jesus Christ (the Word of God) is revealed in the Bible, is the focus of the Bible, and ministers His Life through the Bible. “..You alone have the words that give eternal life…..” John 6:68-69. We can see from this that the Word of God lasts forever and so always meets all our needs.

Why is the Bible so important?

1.    To have wisdom to help our friends deal with their problems. “…holding out to them the Word of life…..” Philippians 2:16

2.    The Bible gives us real life peace, direction, and encouragement, which no situation can remove from us. “….The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4.

3.    We receive spiritual victory when we live by the Word of God. “So use every piece of God’s armour to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. To do this, you will need the strong belt of Truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. You will also need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God. Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with Him, reminding Him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere”. Ephesians 6:13-18.

4.    The Word gives us direction of how to pray for ourselves and others. “I have not stopped giving thanks for you remembering you in my prayers………I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened…..” Ephesians 1:15-22; 3:14-21.

5.    The Word is vital for giving us guidance “Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling”. Psalm 119:105.

6.    If we are given any words of prophecy for our personal situation we can check them against the Word and find they are the same. A prophecy will only confirm what God has already been speaking to you about and is never contrary to the Word of God. (2 Peter 1:19-21)

The Bible is a treasure chest of promises, ministering faith and the life of God to His people.

It has the answer to life’s problems.7,000 promises for love, health, wisdom, wealth and success. Find the promise for your situation. NOW?

We must hear God’s Word to enable our faith to grow, Romans 10:17. Therefore,

1.    We need to read the Bible daily (Psalm 119:96-97; Acts 17:11).

2.    We need to study and search the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 5:11-14).

3.    We need to know, obey and believe the Bible (Matthew 7:24-27; 2 Timothy 3:15)

4.    We need to use the Word as a weapon against our enemy the devil (Ephesians 6:17)

5.    To resist temptation (Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11, 1 Corinthians 10:13).

6.    To receive spiritual victory Ephesians 6:10-18 especially verses 12 and 17).

The Bible is an action book. “Be doers of the word and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves into deception by reasoning contrary to the truth.” James 1:22.

The Bible needs the Holy Spirit to interpret it to us. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God for they are foolish to him, and he cannot understand them” 1 Corinthians 2:14. So unless we are born again of the Holy Spirit of God we will find it difficult to get God’s full depth of meaning from the Bible, as the lines of communication with God are broken.

The Bible must be spoken to put power into the Word. “The Word of God should not depart out of your mouth (never stop speaking it), but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it: for then you shall deal wisely and have good success.” Joshua 1:8.

If God has ever spoken to you through His Word then thank Him and ask Him to continue speaking to you, taking Samuel’s words; “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10).

God is speaking to you all the time as you were created to have fellowship with the Father. It just means we need to be quiet and listen, and listen and listen.

“….The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63

 

Home Challenges for the Joyful Woman No:01.

1.    Read the notes and highlight the parts that show why the Bible is important to you.

 

 

 

2.    Stop and consider now the amount of time you can give each week to studying “The Joyful Woman“. What do you expect to gain from studying in this way?

 

 

3.    Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to be successful in this new venture.

 

 

4.    Read Proverbs 31:10-31 as many times as possible. Which verse bests describes the sort of woman you are today?

 

 

5.    Write a sentence describing how you feel about yourself.

 

 

6.    Share an experience from your own childhood concerning low self-esteem.

 

 

7.    Share how having faith in Jesus Christ has helped you accept yourself.

 

 

8.    What impresses you most about the character of the woman in Proverbs 31? (Don’t think too long, as the teaching will be covering a different point every week).

 

 

9.    What do you feel are your own gifts and unique abilities? If you have a problem thinking about these then ask someone who knows you well to help you consider the truth about your uniqueness.

 

 

10.   Write out your own strengths and weaknesses. Making sure the list of strengths is longer than the list of weaknesses! Persevere; you’ll be surprised how terrific you are!

GOD HAS NEVER MADE ANY RUBBISH, AND HE HASN’T STARTED WITH YOU! Psalm 139:14

 

 

11.   Have you ever wanted to be like another Christian? Why? Say, “sorry” to God now! Thank Him for the wonderful, unique person He made when He made you. God loves you so much just the way you are, and He loves you too much to leave you like that!

 

 

12.   Memorise a verse from Proverbs 31:10-31. Which one have you chosen? Write it out here.

 

13.   Answer True or False to the following questions. If you can give verses from the Bible to back up your answer that will help you.