Focus on the FundamentalsSample

Fundamental 6—Reading the Bible (Sword of the Spirit) (Eph 6:17) We have the incarnate Word (Jesus as Logos), God’s spoken Word (the Holy Spirit), and God’s written Word (the Bible). The daily fundamental of the sword of the Spirit is simply reading the Bible daily. If you leave your sword at home or refuse to pick it up, you can’t attack the enemy. Note that this is the only offensive weapon in the armor of God. Every Christian wants to know the will of God for their life. If you want to know the will of God, know the Word of God! Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” As Christians, we are justified by faith in Christ through His righteousness and not our own, but we still live with our flesh nature that is being renewed through the process of sanctification. The Word of God puts us in alignment with what is holy, right, and pure. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) says that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The Bible tells a rich tapestry of God’s redemptive plan. It is also our foundation for knowing God and knowing how we need to respond to God and each other. We need a relationship with God and through experience we grow that over time. However, trying to throw out the Bible in order to have “experiential knowledge” only about God is a fool’s errand. We cannot know who God is and what He expects of us without the Bible as our foundation. It’s important to read the Word and get the Word in you. Jesus is the Bread of Life, and the Bible is our daily bread. You cannot eat one meal a month and survive. You cannot read the Bible once a week and expect to flourish spiritually. Even if you don’t remember what you ate last week, it nourished you for when you needed it. You can never read the Bible once and be done with it because the Holy Spirit can quicken new things to you every time you read it. What routines do you have around reading the Bible daily, and more importantly, are they working? Do you read the Bible even when you don’t “feel” like it? What is your favorite verse in the Bible? Read that again today out loud.