HOW TO GRASP GOD’S WORD

To effectively grasp a book, you need to actively engage the Five Fingers. In the same way, to grasp God’s Word, the five fingers of your right hand would be required. Here the fingers stand for: hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on God’s Word.

1 Hearing

This is one way to learn God’s Word. Romans 10:17 says: ‘So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ You can listen to messages, audio, video and VCDs of anointed men and women of God. It is very helpful, but your knowledge of God should not be restricted to hearing only. Educationists tell us that we only retain six to ten percent of what we hear. A believer who relies only on messages he or she hears, would be living on a very meager spiritual diet that will leave his spirit starving.

2 Reading

This is an important way of knowing God. In the Old Testament, any king who was chosen to lead God’s people was required to read God’s Word every day. Deuteronomy 17:19 says: ‘And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them.’

God’s Word is the source of our energy. Just as physical energy is generated by physical food, so is spiritual energy generated by reading the Bible. Educationists say that we retain 20% to 25% of what we read.

World evangelist Dr Billy Graham suggests reading five Psalms and a chapter of Proverbs daily alongside other portions of Scripture. This way, you will be able to read through Psalms and Proverbs every month. Psalms help us to cultivate our relationship with God, while Proverbs enable us to develop a right relationship with our fellow human being.

3 Studying

To study is to work at what we read with the purpose of understanding, retaining and utilizing the information. We retain about 50% of what we study. In 2 Timothy 2:15 we are commanded to study to show ourselves approved unto God.

There is great depth in God’s Word. When you read, you only scratch the surface. But when you study, you dig into its hidden treasures. To study means that you record every fresh revelation you receive while you are busy with God’s Word. It also means asking and answering questions when you read it. It means comparing one verse with another, and looking up a topic and learning all you can about it. As you discover the truth in the Bible, take care to put them into practice.