Study 6: Manual for Life

The Bible is God’s love letter to us, as He does not just want to see us saved, 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 for ever and so always meets all our needs.

Why is the Bible so important?

1.  The Bible is the inspired Word of God. “For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God.” 2 Peter 1:20-21.

2.  As we see prophesy fulfilled we know that it is true. “it was necessary for the Scriptures to come true… for this was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David.” Acts 1:16.

3.  God uses the Bible to speak to us daily. “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword… it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart… Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13.

4.  The Bible is our food for everyday life. Jesus replied, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in Me will never thirst.” John 6:30-35.

5.  The Bible straightens out our thinking. “The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful… it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

6.  The Bible helps us to stop sinning. “I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.” Psalm 119:11

7.  The Bible enables us to have wisdom to help our friends deal with their problems. “…holding out to them the word of life.” Philippians 2:16

8.  The Bible gives us real life, peace, direction, and encouragement that no situation can remove from us. “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63. “These things that were written in the Scriptures so long ago are to teach us patience and to encourage us so that we will look forward expectantly to the time when God will conquer sin and death.” Romans 15:4.

9.  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. But 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. And you will 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.

10.  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.

11. 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.

12. If we are given any words of prophecy for our personal situation we can check them against God’s 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. Seven thousand promises of wealth, wisdom, health and success. Find the promise for your situation. NOW?

We must hear God’s Word to enable our faith to grow.  Therefore,

1.  We must read the Bible daily (Psalm 119:96-97; Acts 17:11).
2.  We must study and search the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15, Hebrews 5:11-14).
3.  We must know, obey and believe the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15)
4.  We must use God’s word as a weapon against our enemy the devil:
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, 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

  

06 Living with Jesus – Challenge Questions

1. Check back through your previous studies and see what you have done with what you have learnt so far.

 

 

Read the first six points about God’s word.

2.  Which point makes you recognise that God’s word is so important in your life?

 

 

3. Read the Bible verses that go with these points. Do any verses really speak to you? If you do not enjoy reading the Bible very much ask the Father to put the desire in your heart. He wants you to do things in love, not pressure.

 

 

Read the points 7–12 and look up the verses with them.

4.  Are there any verses that give you a real sense of peace and well-being? Write them down here or in the front of your Bible where you can find them any time.

 

 

5.  Has God given you any personal promises for your own life? Has any person spoken into your life? Is it in line with what the Bible says? Write it down where you can remind yourself often.

 

 

6.  Read Genesis 1:3; Genesis 1:6-11; What did God say and what happened as a result of what He said?

 

 

7.  What was the result of Jesus speaking the Word? (Mark 4:39; Luke 7:11-15.).

 

 

8.  What do you believe would be the result of the Word spoken out of your mouth? (Proverbs 18:21).

 

 

9. Recognising how powerful God’s word is, what plan are you going to make today to spend time reading it? Speak out what is pleasing to God and in agreement with Him over yourself, your family and your finances, health and friends.

 

 

Answer the following question with “True” or “False”. If you have a scripture from the study, please add this.