It is important that we see the Importance of Studying the word.Because the bible tells us to study the word to show ourselves approved.In 2nd Timothy 2:15 it tells us this in the King James VersionStudy to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth And then in looking at the 16th verse of 2nd Timothy2nd Timothy 2:16But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.What does it mean to study to show ourselves approved? In answering that question I want to focus onWhat does it mean to study to show thyself approved unto God? The apostle Paul wrote to the evangelist Timothy, Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). This verse well­illustrates the need for understanding that word meanings may change, and we must be ever on guard against misapplying or twisting scripture, even when we try to teach the truth. The rendering, study to show thyself approved unto God is found only in the King James Version, translated in the year 1611. In 1611 the word study meant strive, or be diligent. Thus the New American Standard Bible renders the verse, Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. The New International Version renders the verse, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.Bible study is very important, but 2 Timothy 2:15 is not just a command to study the Bible. Being an approved workman involves much more. Paul wanted Timothy to understand that to be a workman that God could approve, he would have to be diligent in his service to God. God is not the kind of Master that accepts shoddy work! By earnestly applying himself in service, Timothy would not need to be ashamed as he stood before God in the day of judgment. To be that diligent, approved workman, he would have to correctly handle the word of truth, what the King James Version renders, rightly dividing the word of truth. Of necessity, correctly handling the Bible, the word of truth will involve much study, contemplation, and prayer. It will involve bringing an open mind, an open heart, and a faithful life to the word of truth. Implied in the correct handling is the proper understanding of the divisions between the Old and the New Covenants, understanding that the New Testament is the rule of faith and practice for Christians today.The goal of being an approved workman should be the goal of all of God's children. In the verses immediately before 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul stressed the importance of living faithfully before God, even to the point of suffering. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us (2 Timothy 2:12). He then told Timothy, Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers (2 Timothy 2:14). The evangelist Timothy was to remind his hearers of the sacrifice of Christ, the need for serving Him, and the need to work diligently to be approved workmen before God. The diligent application of all our energy to the service of God will allow us to join Timothy standing before God without shame. Nothing will help

us more to please God than to handle carefully and correctly God's written word. We should look to the written word of God with the same reverence as the psalmist who wrote, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). In my understanding of the question I asked and answered through the way that it was answered According to the Good News Transalation for 2nd Timothy 2:15 Do your best to win full approval in God's sight, as a worker who is not ashamed of his work, one who correctly teaches the message of God's truth. In my understanding if we study the word of God to show ourselves approved and if we know the word of God is true, and what we believe about it and if we seperate truth from non­truth, and focus noton our own opinions and views teaching othersand preaching to others Gods truth we have no reason to be ashamed forteaching and preaching the word of God, and telling others about it.If you let the word teach you it will teach others.This is why we must study the word of God and allow the word of Godin our hearts and in our minds and live the word of God andby studying the word of God our life will show the word of God isour life.And God and his word will speak for us And as we hold on to God and his word we will not fall for false doctrinesand we can prove the word and show the word to otherswe can rightly divide the word of truth and God will approve of itbecause it is is rightly divided through him in us."By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible" (Heb 11:3 NAS).The spoken word of God is the very substance of all things seen and unseen in the natural and spiritual realms. We literally live in and through every spoken word of God; we are surrounded in Him, this is why nothing is impossible to those who believe in His power. All He has to do is speak a word and it manifests itself in the natural realm. When Jesus told Peter to go fishing and there would be a gold coin in the fish’s mouth, it was done because of the power of His word! Over and over we see Jesus speaking a word of manifestation and it was done. "But the centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed" (Matt 8:8 NAS). And the man was healed by the word of the Lord!Some would tell us that all things were created out of nothing, but according to Hebrews all things came out of God Himself because He is the substance that makes manifest all things. Everything that is built from the atom to the universe must have a structural system of some kind that holds it all together. A building must have a foundation that

goes into the earth and keeps it stable and strong even as the human body has a bone structure that keeps us upright. If a leg bone breaks we can place no weight upon it because the skin and muscle cannot hold our weight.The same is true of the earth and the heavenly realms. "Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens arethe work of Your hands" (Ps 102:25 NKJV). The word of God is like a foundation and a structure system that upholds allthings that are seen and unseen by His power. His word is the building block of all things, including the planets floating around in the universe so perfectly! The word of God is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ Who made all things and Who holds it all together in Himself, He is the Logos or the expression of God the Father. The word logos comes from the Greek word legos, which means, "To lay forth." God Himself is the building block of the earth and the universe and they cannot be destroyed by the power of man. When we know Who our foundation is and Who we are founded upon, then we are capable of doing anything through the power of His word. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us, and because of that, no spoken word of God is impossible to us!ABIDING IN JESUS"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5­6 NAS).Jesus must be our everything! When He fills us with the Holy Spirit we are immersed in Him and now our mind must be renewed daily and our body must put on the immortality of God. Jesus not only wants our heart; He wants to saturate every part of our being with His presence so that He can be manifested in through us. This is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus; His glory [likeness] will be manifesting through us!God has already spoken our destiny into being through His word, all we have to do is claim His revealed promises to us and then we must walk it out in faith as we rest in His spoken word to bring the fulfillment. This is what Abraham had learned in his years of wondering in the desert, God was faithful to all that He had spoken to him. We are the carriers of God’s word even as the Ark of the Covenant carried the word of God within it. But now Jesus the living word lives and abides in us, Who alone posses the word of God. If we believe in Him and the word that He has spoken to us, we can trust that there will be a manifestation of all that He has promised. His promises may not come to pass as we may think or even in our allotted time on earth. We can see this in the life of Abraham; God’s word did come to pass in its own time. As in the life of Joseph our trials only purify God’s spoken word in us, His word will burn away all that is not ofHim. Our trials are only working for our good so that we can give more of ourselves to God in the midst of the fires that we go through. We must understand that these purifying fires are perfecting us for the fulfillment of His word in us, which is where the real battle takes place. If we do not get offended at God in the process we will pass the test and receive Him as our reward.BEING CLOTHED IN THE WORD"But put on (be clothed in) the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts" (Rom 13:14 NAS).Adam and Eve lost their spiritual covering [clothing] of light when they disobeyed God and found themselves naked and grasping for fig leaves to cover themselves from their sin and shame. God knew that they needed more then leaves to cover their sin so He made garments of skin that had blood on them to cover their sin. Just as God instructed Moses to sprinkle the children of Israel with the blood of the sacrificial lamb (See Ex 24:8). This was a shadow of things to come representing the perfect blood of Jesus that washes away all our sin and does not just cover it. We must keep on the garments of Christ and keeping them clean from the stains of sin or we too will be found naked before Him.We must chose daily to put on the likeness of Jesus by spending time in His presence and being cleansed of any sin that would defile us. We can then ask Him to fill us with His Spirit and His power to live a holy life. This is the only way

that we will ever be an overcomer and come to know Him in His fullness, because every Christian has been given a white garment to cover their shame of sin. If we do not understand this truth about our ongoing purification with His blood and word, we will be overcome with guilt and condemnation rather than trusting in the power of His cross to forgive our sin. The white garment that we have been given is the exact likeness of Jesus, which we are covered in. (See Rev. 3:18, 19:14). We are covered with the word of God because we are clothed in Him! There is nothing in the entire universe that can overcome His word. Therefore nothing can overcome us as we are staying pure and close to Him everyday in His will. This is the power that we have been given!After preaching one Sunday a lady came up to me and said, "As you were speaking I could see the word of God imprinted upon your garments and you would just speak them forth." This word began to resonate in me for days because I knew that this was right. I then began to pray about this word and this message was birthed in me. These verses of Scripture were given to me to solidify the word of the Lord in my heart."And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. ­­ And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:13, 16 NAS).The name that is written in His garment proves Who He is, King and Lord over all. Nothing can, nor, will be ever able to stand in the way of the Word of God that is riding on a white horse with His chosen ones. The same white garment will be on His bride and they will be riding together in the likeness of King and Lord of all because they carry His likeness. Once the bride has the full revelation of His word written in their heart and mind, they will then have full access to all thepower of His word that is available to them. Great care and great caution must be mixed with great humility and grace for us to weld the power of God and not to stumble over our pride.CLOTHED IN WHITE"He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments" (Rev 3:5 NAS).Let’s say I gave you a white shirt that you could never take off and you had to wear it until you died. What kind of condition would that shirt be in? And how long would it take you to get it dirty? I have worn a brand new white shirt for several hours and it was filthy from sweat around my collar and the under arms in a matter of minutes. Now just think what that shirt would look like and smell like if we had to wear it everyday? There would be nothing left of the shirt because it would fall apart after a short while!Now the real question herein lays, why would God give us a white spiritual garment in a sin filled world with us having sin in our bodies and expecting us to keep it clean? He doesn’t! That answer may shock you, but if you think about it who could keep it clean but Jesus alone?Our white garments have been given to us to cover our shame and nakedness from the man of sin that lives inside of us. We all have darkness and evil lingering in our being and if we focus on it we will be overcome by it. If it were not for the grace of God we all would be living a wicked life of sin and death. But we are covered! "… And white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed…" (Rev 3:18 NAS). When we do not put on the garment of the Lord Jesus Christ and are living like the world with no restraints to our sin, we are living naked in the spirit realm for all to see our sin and the darkness that is inside of us. This gives the enemy an open door and the right to attack our shortcomings with his evil horde.The word of God never tells us that we will not get our garments dirty, but that we are to keep them clean in the blood ofthe Lamb. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life…" (Rev 22:14 NAS). It does not say, blessed are those who do not get their garments dirty, but it does say, blessed are those who wash and keep their garments without spot or wrinkle. In order for this to come about we must come to Him daily or by the minute if we have to be cleansed in His blood, by asking for His forgiveness and pardon from our sin. Jesus comes

back riding on a white horse with His garment dripping blood. (see Rev. 19:13). Why is His garment dripping with blood you ask? Because He is coming back, to not only forgive the nations of their sin and shame, but also to deliver them from the power of sin.When we wear a garment in public that we have recently stained we try to hide it from other people seeing it because we think it will cause us shame in their eyes. Shame means, "A painful emotion caused by a strong sense of guilt, embarrassment, unworthiness." When I was a child and did something really bad my mom use to rub her two fore fingers together and say, "Shame, shame on you!" Even though I did not understand what that meant, I still knew I had done something wrong and would have to pay for my transgression when my dad came home. Many of God’s people live in a shame based lifestyle, never being free from sin and shame when Jesus paid the price for it long ago.All the stains of sin on our white garment have been washed away by the blood of Jesus if we will come to Him daily. Many people let satan cram the stain back into their face every time they try to draw closer to God. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1 NAS). We are now washed and we are now clean, so do not let another minute go by without claiming your rightful place in Jesus, because you are clean in Him!PARTAKING OF THE WORD"For [it is] impossible for those once enlightened, having tasted also of the heavenly gift, and partakers having became of the Holy Spirit, and did taste the good saying of God, the powers also of the coming age, and having fallen away, again to renew [them] to reformation, having crucified again to themselves the Son of God, and exposed to public shame" (Heb 6:4­6 YLT).When we receive the word of God by revelation into our heart, we have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and of the living Word of God, which will change us into His likeness. And as we obey Him we are changed into the same likeness and glory of His character little by little through the experience of the Word in us. If we choose not to obey the revelationgiven to us, that very Word will judge us as unfaithful in the end. Being enemies of the cross of Christ because we have refused to follow Him and to pay the price. As truth is being revealed in us we are being fully clothed with the experiential revelation of His glory. We must live and feed on the Word Himself, He becoming our spiritual meat in due season to give us strength. No longer does the dead letter of the word [religion] appeal to us because we have partakenof fresh meat from the throne of God and are now eating from His banqueting table continually.Those who live by the word that proceeds out of the mouth of God become life­giving people to give the bread of life to all those who have ears to hear. We can receive the word of life from each other by the revelation of His Spirit that is in His people, this is what I call heart to heart ministry. It may come from a conversation, a book, or some other media venue that God uses to speak to us. Life begets life and death begets death so we must find where the river of God is flowing and get into it and drink from the living waters of life there.As I was writing this article the Lord began to speak to me very clearly with this word."There is a great contradiction in My church, now the great separation will take place among My people like never before. Most will chose the letter of the law because they do not know me. Death will overtake them until they see the life of My living Word in My chosen ones. Then they too will come to life and love the revelation of My Word. You must love the revelation of My Word because it is the revelation of Jesus. The revelation of My Word is the revelation of My power within you. Is not My Word the power to break the hard rock of the human heart?""The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear" (Matt 13:41­43 NAS).

Take notice to what He said, the angels would take out all the stumbling blocks in HIS KINGDOM. He said nothing aboutthe kingdoms of men be judged first, but we know that judgment comes to the house of God first, then to the world. His word created all things and in the end it will judge everything in the human heart; His word is a furnace of fire that will melt every hard heart.THE UNVEILING OF JESUS"Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness" (Gen 1:3­4 NAS).The greatest privilege of my life is to know and grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. He will always be the first and foremost revelation of God to the earth as when the Father revealed Him in the book of Genesis. Jesus is the only true light of the world and when the earth was in the vacuum of darkness Jesus was revealed as the light of the world. We know that Jesus the Word is the light of the world because He reveals the darkness of sin in us through His word, so that we are not ensnared to the sin of this world. God’s word is truly a light unto our path that we are to follow, but so many of us get sidetracked because we do not remain close to the Light in our everyday walk.Before Adam and Eve sinned they were covered with the light of God’s Word/Jesus was upon them as their protection from sin. "He wraps himself in light as with a garment" (Ps 104:2 NIV). But they rejected the light of God’s Word by not to eating from the tree of life, which was Jesus and they chose to walk in the path of darkness and the nakedness of sin. We know that Adam walked with God in the cool of the day before his fall and we guess that he walked with Him after the fall when he saw how the enemy beguiled him. God’s presence and word was the only safe harbor for him from the enemy’s plan. Adam’s son Cain fell into this trap by killing his brother, even though God had warned him not to give into the enemy’s plan for his life.In these times that we live in the full revelation of Jesus is not only coming to deliver His people completely from sin, butto be manifested in and through them so that they to are the light of the world. "You are the light of the world" (Matt 5:14NAS). What a calling, what a destiny that He has for us! Even though the darkness is over the face of all people on the earth, a great light is about to shine into all the recesses of darkness and our enemy will have no place to hide. We know that we have that garment of light as our covering from sin and death because Jesus has shined His great light in us. "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned" (Matt 4:16 NAS). Hallelujah!The word is made flesh, Emmanuel, God is with us. This is what the world is about to see in the people of God as He manifests His glory through them. We along with the world will be in awe and wonder of the great works of our God.GETTING READY FOR THE POWER"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev 19:7­8 NAS).By us walking with Jesus daily and our garments being clean and white, we are prepared for the coming of Jesus with great power and glory in and through His people. Soon the church and the world will know the power of His Christ and they will gladly bow their knee to Him out of love for our Lord and His goodness to them.His power and glory is promised to an overcoming generation, but in order for us to qualify one must have on the garment of His likeness and purity. Not everyone will have faith to receive these garments from Him, because they look at the darkness in their own heart and feel disqualified, unworthy, unusable, and shameful. This is why Jesus said in Luke 18:8, "… However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" The question I need to ask myselfis, "Will He find His faith in me to believe for His purity and power?" We all must realize that none of us qualifies in and

of ourselves, the only other thing we can do is cling to the cross, which prepares us for this great calling.If you are reading this and God has given you understanding in it. I can assure you that you are the qualified of the Lordand are now being prepared to manifest the glory of Jesus Christ through your life and ministry. Let the truth of God’s word wash away all the lies of the enemy and his shame that is keeping you grounded rather than ascending into the heavens with Jesus. For that is where His glory dwells! In Conclusion to the Importance of Studying the word "By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible" (Heb 11:3 NAS). God is the one who spoke the word and when the word was spoken what could notbe seen without the word became visible with the word. 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.n many ways the statement that God is light is the thesis of the epistle. It includes a definition of God's character as well as implications for the life of Christian discipleship. In fact, to lay bare the relationship between the character of God as light and Christian life as "walking in the light" is the whole point of the first part of the epistle.God is light is not a particularly startling statement. Indeed, this asser tion would be at home in many of the world's religions, including those within the orbit of John's first­century world (compare Grayston 1984:46­47). Who would quarrel with depicting the Deity, the greatest power and greatest good in the world, with the symbol of light? In fact, John may have used the word deliberately, aware of both the simple power of the statement and its broad appeal.But we should also remember the Old Testament imagery to which John appeals. We can summarize the references to light in the Old Testament under three main headings. First, light attends and character izes God's self­manifestation (Ex 3:1­6; 13:21­22; Ps 104:4). The psalmist pictures God clothed in garments of light (Ps 104:2; compare 1 Tim 6:16), an appropriate symbol for the One who is pure, righteous and holy. Second, God's revelation through the spoken and written word gives light. That word offers moral guidance and direction for living in accordance with God's will. Often quoted in this connection are verses from the Psalms: "Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps 119:105, 130; 43:3; 56:13; Prov 6:23; Job 24:13; 29:3; Is 2:5; Dan 5:11, 14). Just as light shows people where to walk when it is dark, so God shows the way in which human beings are to walk: "in your light we see light" (Ps 36:9). Third, light symbolizes God's salvation. The psalmist celebrates God who is "my light and my salvation" (27:1; 18:28), and light is a favorite image of the prophet Isaiah to depict God's saving activity on behalf of the people of God (9:1; 58:8, 10; 60:1, 19­20).These images are of course related: as light shows the way in darkness, so also by virtue of God's revelation are we able to know God and the path in which we are to walk, a path that leads to God. To have knowledge of God and to walk in the way that God requires constitutes sal vation. And this is the message, the word of eternal life (1:1), which the author of the epistle has heard and declares (v. 5). The Elder takes particular pains to note that it comes ultimately from Jesus (from him;compare 1:1, "that which was from the beginning"), even if the exact form of these words cannot be found recorded in any one Gospel (compare Jn 8:12; 9:5; 17:3). But the work and words of Jesus were testimo nies to the God who is light.Lest there be any misunderstanding, John emphatically restates the point: in him there is no darkness at all. God is

pure light, not diluted or mixed in any way with evil, hatred, untruth, ignorance or hostility. God is light is not a theoreticalassertion about the nature of God, but a statement that drives us to the heart of what God is like. God is pure light, and for John this statement rings with implications for the Christian life. Thus it is crucial that we correctly grasp this basic truth.Now, if we agree that God is pure light, how does it help us answer the question, What does God want of us? John's answer comes here in absolute terms: light and darkness are as incompatible in the Christian as they are in God (see the discussion of dualism in the introduction). We can picture this with two circles. One contains in it truth (1:6, 8; 2:21), love (3:1; 4:7­12), righteousness (1:9; 2:1, 29; 3:7), eternal life (1:2; 2:17, 25), hope (3:3), purity (1:7, 9; 3:3) and confidence (2:28; 3:21; 4:17). This is God's sphere of light, and the children of light walk in it. In biblical thought walking (1:6­7) is a synonym for living (Prov 6:23; Ps 1). Thus to say that Christians walk in the light is another way of saying that Christian life is lived within the circle of God's light. In it we catch a vision of God, and we are able to discern and follow the way of righteousness and truth that is salvation and life. C. S. Lewis put it this way: "We believe that the sun is in the sky at midday in summer not because we can clearly see the sun (in fact, we cannot) but because we can see everything else" (Lewis 1947:133). We cannot see the light; but by and in the light we see everything else.Alongside this circle lies another that circumscribes all that is antithet ical to the goodness of light. In this circle are falsehood (1:6, 8), hatred (1:9; 3:13, 15; 4:20), impurity (1:7, 9), fear (4:18) and sinfulness (2:16). This is the sphere of evil, what is called the "world" (2:15­17; 3:3) and "darkness" (1:6; 2:6, 8). It consists of all that God is not and is inimical to God and the circle of light.These two circles share nothing in common. They do not overlap at all. God has no fellowship with darkness, for God is pure light. God is wholly righteous. And the children of God are to walk in the light and not in darkness. To walk in the lightmeans to shape one's whole being, all one's actions, decisions, thoughts and beliefs by the standard of the God who is light, even as a circle gives shape to empty space. It does not mean to be perfect, as God is perfect, for the author's statements about human sinfulness (1:8, 10) do not allow such an interpretation. Rather, to walk in the light means to live continually guided by and committed to the God who is light. What God wants of us is that we shape our lives not by an external norm or by some arbitrary standard, but in conformity with the very character and heart of God.And here is where the image of the circle is helpful. Prior to drawing a circle on paper, there is only blank space. But a circle includes and excludes space, just as the circle of God's light includes and excludes certain actions and behaviors. The circle gives shape to space, and so serves as a boundary. And, indeed, the most obvious feature of a circle is this outer boundary. But circles themselves are not defined or con structed from their edges, but from a fixed and known center. So to understand the boundary of the circle of God's light, we do well to focus on the center, not on the edges. The commitment that John seeks, that we walk in the light,consists of focusing ever more closely on the center of the circle of light, which is God, and learning to live in conformity with that center. Where there is no center, the edges blur and fade away. Where there is a living center, the boundaries need not be a matter of constant worry and concern.Here is where we might be tempted to quit, to give up or to say, "If that's what God wants, that leaves me out. I can't ever be like God." But the Elder is not yet through with his discussion about what it means to follow the God who is light. In the next section, he has to deal with the problem of human sinfulness. If Christians can become light, as God is light, then they need to know how to do so. But John seems to assume that this is not the ideal or goal. We are to walk in the light; we are never told to be light. And yet some people in John's church may have made just this assumption: If God is light, then aren't we also light as well? The next section explains how not to understand the assertion God is light. It also offers encouragement to those who might feel that just as God's ways are not our ways, so in this life

God's character can never be completely ours. To add something else I want to add in dealing with the Importance of studyingthe word and studying to show ourselves approved There is a difference between reading and studying the wordthat is reading is just looking at what the bible says But studying it is finding more about what you are reading or have read And then two more things I want to add as apart of my Conclusiontwo questionsWhy do people not study the word?How do we study the word? The reason why people do not study the word because they do not feel the needfor the them to do so.They look at the bible as being a book, they look at it as being a book of made­upstories, a book of fairytales, a book of non­truth and of non­importance. How do we study the word? In answering this question this is the last part to what I am focusing onfor the Importance of Studying the wordHow to study the Bible this will be the focus for the conclusion to answer the last questionAs believers, most of us have probably heard over and over how important it is for us to study the Word of God. But all too often we don’t really understand why and consequently have a difficult time really getting started. So before we get into the how­tos of Bible study, let’s look at why studying the Word is vital to our Christian growth and maturity.What a majority of Christians don’t realize is that the Word of God is alive! The Word can really affect and have a life­changing impact on your day­to­day living. God reveals Himself through His Word.As He reveals Himself to you, you can expect your life to change because you are getting to know God Himself, not justabout Him. The reason we study the Bible is that we may know God, know His ways and walk in them. Then we can truly live a successful Christian life.The Bible is a personal message from Almighty God Himself—straight from heaven—to you. The main theme of this message is Jesus—even in the Old Testament. Jesus is the living Word, the message of God to all mankind.Ever since the Fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden, God was unwilling to leave us in our sin and live without us. So He had a plan—the plan of redemption—when He gave His Son to pay the price for our sin on the Cross and thereby bring us back into fellowship with Him. Glory to God! So look for Jesus in every book of the Bible. All scriptures either point to the Cross or look back on it.Settle in your mind that, while the Bible is God’s inspired Word, it was also meant to be down­to­earth. Don’t just

reverently give it a place of honor on a bookshelf, but treat the Word as your personal hands­on reference book on life—a how­to book for everyday living. Get rid of the negative idea that it is just a set of rules.God’s Word is our very source of liberty. God sent His Word to set us free, not to bind us up and load us down. So read the Word with a positive attitude, approaching it as an open door to freedom, not as a list of dos and don’ts.Knowing why studying the Bible is important will hopefully make it easier for you to make that quality decision followed by pure and simple grit­your­teeth determination. We suggest treating this period of study as an appointment that you’re required to attend. Then, every day, follow through by building your schedule around this appointment—and not the other way around. Soon, you’ll develop a desire to attend your study and it will become easier and easier. And if youmiss an appointment once in a while, don’t worry, just get back in the flow.As you get started studying, it is wise to use a Bible you feel free to write in and take notes. Start underlining scriptures that have significance and special meaning to you. This will help personalize the Word for you. Marking these scriptures will also help you find them more readily when you need them.At your appointment, one of the best ways to “dig” into the Word is to find a subject or certain scriptures you need to understand. Pray for understanding and discernment of the scriptures. Allow the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Word of God, to reveal it to you. Read and think about each word in each scripture. You can check meanings, too, by using a concordance to study the Greek or Hebrew root words and their meanings.An important part of your study of the Word is meditation. To meditate means to think deeply and continuously, ponder or reflect. It also means to murmur, to mutter and to converse with oneself. This takes some time. Read the scripture over and over again as you pray in the spirit. Meditation brings your spirit and your mind together and builds a capacity for your faith to be released (Romans 10:17). Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your understanding so you can comprehend the deep things of God. Then expect the Lord to do it. Expect Him to meet you on the level of your need and reveal His Word to you.When starting out, spend the majority of your time in the New Testament (primarily in the letters the Apostle Paul wrote to the early churches). In light of this, we suggest you look for and underline phrases such as “in Him,” “in whom” and “in Christ.” These phrases are found 134 times in the New Testament from Acts to Revelation. Every one of them has something to offer you personally because according to Ephesians 2:6, you are in Christ!Make what God says the authority in your life. That means we shouldn’t just believe what God says to us in His Word, but we should also act on it. Acting on it is what produces results (Matthew 7:24­27). Part of acting on the Word includes speaking it. You will find that what you really believe in your heart is what you speak all the time—and what youspeak determines what happens in your life (Mark 11:23).Once you start speaking God’s Word about your needs, do not speak anything contrary to it. For example, if you need healing, do not let the focus of your words be about your sickness. Rather, confess what the Word says about it: “By His stripes I am healed according to Isaiah 53:4­5.”Like a sponge, soak in as much Word as possible. Then, when you are faced with a situation that requires the wisdom of God, the life of God will flow from you—through your words—to meet any man’s need on any level. And that’s the best way to study the Word—with the intent of helping and loving others as well as yourself.To help in your study, we recommend the following:

1. Young’s Analytical Concordance—a great help in finding verses that pertain to specific situations or needs. It contains the Hebrew and Greek word translations

2. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance—a dictionary of the Hebrew, Chaldee and Greek words.3. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words—a dictionary for scriptural words and meanings.

4. Expositions of Holy Scripture by Alexander Maclaren—a 17­volume series that includes sermons and expositions from almost every book of the Bible, and the most comprehensive index of any major expositional work.

You can also use many different translations of the Bible during your study time. To start out, you may want to use the King James Version and The Amplified Bible. Brother Copeland does the majority of his studying in these two versions. He also recommends the Worrell, Goodspeed and Wuest’s Expanded Translation. All of these helps and versions of the Bible can be found in almost any local Christian bookstore.You can use the books and tapes of other ministers; however, do not allow them to take the place of your personal study time. Take what they have learned and allow the Holy Spirit to add to it. And, of course, no matter what material you study, be sure it lines up with God’s Word.Here are some steps to follow in studying the Word:Apply the Word to yourself personally.

Allow the Holy Spirit to make the Word a reality in your heart. Carefully ponder how the Word applies to your everyday life. Dwell on how the Word changes your situation. See yourself as God sees you. Realize the integrity of God’s Word.

So in all this the Importance of studying the word has been concludedin all that has been presented to you, and presented for you.