How To Study The Bible

SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES We live in a world today that has become tangled up in a massive web of self achievements and self ambitions. A world which has over the centuries been engaged in its own battle, which some prefer to call, “Survival of the fittest”. In the midst of it all, millions of people have lost focus of the most important thing in life – The Word of God! God has given us His word so that we can build a more solid foundation for success, prosperity and peace in our lives. There are lot things that constitute a strong challenge – others call it problems – to the wellbeing or socio– economic welfare of people all over the world today. As a member of His glorious family, . But God has designed you to be the head and not the tail, to be above and not beneath. A pacesetter in a world that is struggling to in an unrighteous manner to make a the most of life, a world manipulating all they can to make ends meet. The purpose why God gave us “The Bible” was so that we can take time to discover the secrets of His kingdom which are able to make winners of socalled losers on the earth, thereby manifesting our earthly dominion over all barriers and obstacles of life. Many Christians, today, have become so wrapped in their personal ambitions and dreams, that they don’t have time for the very thing (The Word) that was packaged to make life more interesting, though challenging, but profitable to them. You were not designed to be among the “company” that struggle to make ends meet in life. You were created for “greatness” and nothing less. God’s word is full of wisdom keys that can make your life very colourful.

There is a possibility that you also may have been caught up in the busy traffic of life’s so called “survival programme”, that you have not been able to give more time as you would like to the study of God’s. Bible Study Made Easy has been packaged together in such a way, as to save you time of trying to locate certain scriptures or topics from the bible alone, so that you can maximally use the short time that has been left you by your so called “busy schedule”, so that you can focus your energy and time on, going straight to the point. This study material was not designed to make you a lazy searcher, but a focused one. I have given you the skeleton, so that you can put the flesh on it through your personal study, I pray that you will find this material useful for the enhancement of your study life.

David Odunaiya

INTRODUCTION The kingdom of God is full of treasures. Treasures that are able to make your life here on the earth prosperous and fulfilling, also it will make you an enviable personality on the earth. These treasures of God are hidden deep down in His word, which we also know as the scriptures. Locating where they are, and opening up yourself to them will make you a sign and a wonder to your generation. “In whom (Jesus - The Word of God) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. Colossians 2:3 The treasures of God are not found by those, who just read God’s word for fun or to pass away time. But by people who have placed the right value on it. People who are ready to pay the price, and approach the word of God with an expectation in their heart, believing that every single minute spent searching the depth of God's word will leave an indelible mark in their lives. Remember the God who said, "do not cast your pearls before swine…” – (people who have no value for it) - will not cast His treasure before those who have no value for it either. Searching the scriptures is like "launching into the deep". Peter toiled all night, until Jesus told him to launch into the deep (Luke 5: 4 – 7). Have you been believing God, for an end to your toils and struggles? Then it time for you to go on a search for the keys that unlock the doors of the supernatural in your favor. Jesus said in Mathew 16:19, that, “"And I will give you the KEYS of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" I encourage you today to become a searcher of God's treasures. Let the word become your thirst. The answers you have been looking for are located deep down in the scriptures, so quit scratching the surface. Allow the Holy Ghost to take you on an adventure in the realms of the spirit, where your faith can accomplish the impossible.

This material is designed to help you understand what searching the scriptures all is about so that you can have the best of times in God’s presence every time you sit at His word.

EXPLAINING THE SCRIPTURES ? The word “Scriptures” is another word used to refer to “The Word of God” 2 Tim 3:15-16. In other words “The Bible” is full of scriptures, and these scriptures are not the word of men, but the word of God. So any where in the bible where you see the word “Scriptures”, just substitute it with the word “The Word of God”.

WRITTEN BY MEN , BUT INSPIRED BY GOD The bible was written by men, but by the inspiration of The Holy Spirit. In other words The Holy Spirit authored the bible through the hands of men. 2 Peter 1:19-21 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

THE SPOKEN AND THE WRITTEN WORD God spoke His word through the Holy Spirit, who then inspire certain men (chosen vessels) , to put these words down in a written form. This written form is what we refer to as “The scriptures”. The words that proceed out of the mouth of God are not ordinary words, they are “spirit and life” – John 6:63. It is quick (alive) and powerful – Hebrews 4:12. The reason why the written word had to be inspired by the Holy Ghost among many others, was so that, it will not just be mere words, but words which could carry the same life and power as the spoken word. In other words, the “scriptures” is the word of God in a written form. It carries the very life and power that makes God who He is.

David had this to say about the scriptures in Psalms 119

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 9. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

PART TWO BENEFITS OF SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES? 1. It helps you to discover your rights and privileges in Christ. John 8 : 32; 2 Peter 1 : 2 – 3; Acts 20 : 32; Ephesians 1:17-21. 2. It gives you the wisdom to deal with challenging issues in your life. 2 Timothy 3:16; Proverbs 8:12-16; Ecclesiastes 10:10; 8:1; Proverbs 4:20-22. 3. It increases your knowledge of the personality of Jesus, and also gives you more insight into the principles that govern His Kingdom. Philippians 3:7-10; John 5:39; Luke 24:13-27. 4. It builds up your faith, and enhances your supernatural mentality. Romans 10:17; John 10:34-35; Acts 20:32. 5. It gives you the solid foundation, you need to withstand and overcome the challenges of life, and all the adversities of the devil and his kingdom of darkness. Mathew 7:24-27; 2 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 6:10-18;{ Psalms 119:130 + John 1:1-5 } 6. It gives you a first hand knowledge of God’s promises for your life, and all the blessings attached to the covenant He has made with you through His Son Jesus Christ. 2 Peter1:2-4; Isaiah 34:16; Genesis 12:1-4; Psalms 89:34-37; Exodus 23:26-27; Deuteronomy 28:1-13. 7. It will put, in your hand the keys you need to unlock your destiny in God. Mathew 16:16-19. 8. It adds honour and dignity to your life. Proverbs 25:2

HOW TO SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES During Jesus’ time here on the earth, He shared many parables with His disciples and the multitudes that thronged around Him. These parables contained divine truths and principles that governed God’s kingdom. It is with one of such parables that I would like to share with you some of the keys you will need to get the best out of your study time in God’s presence. THE PARABLE OF THE LOST COIN LUKE 15:8-9 “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she LOSE ONE PIECE, doth not light a candle, and SWEEP THE HOUSE and SEEK DILIGENTLY till she find it?”

Hidden in this parable are divine keys that will help you know what it takes to get the best from your search in the word of God. KEY #1 Search The Scriptures Like Someone Who Is Looking For That missing part of your Life. The Bible did not say the woman was having fun or messing around. She was looking for something that was lost, something that was missing in her life. In Genesis chapter 3, we saw how Adam and Eve lost the heritage that God gave Man through sin. But in Ephesians 1: 7-11, we are told that Jesus, by His blood has reconnected us back to that heritage and has given us a far better inheritance! The details of our new inheritance is hidden deep down in the sea of God’s word, and we have to search it out diligently to be able to enjoy it. God has planned your life in such a way that you will always need Him to do something new in your life. One way or the other, there will always be something missing in your life, but the answer can always be found in God’s word , and no other place .

Make up your mind what you are looking for before you begin to search for it. Then you will see God take care of your needs. The question that you need to ask yourself is this, “why was the woman searching the house and nt anywhere else? The answer to that is simple. She strongly believed that the coin she was looking for was hiding somewhere in the house. So likewise you must have a strong conviction that the answers to your problems can only and I mean only be located in the word of God.

KEY #2 Search The Scriptures With A Non-Chalant Attitude. This woman had ten silver coins and she had just lost one of them, not two nor three or nine, just one coin. But she placed so much value on that one coin, to the point, that she was ready to put aside the other nine coins she had, momentarily, in order to locate the one that was lost. Let’s look at it this way, she had lost one coin, but she still had nine with her. In other words she still had 90% of her possessions with her. She could have just said to herself, “I cannot bother to waste my time looking for just one coin, at least I still have nine left” This woman refused to settle for nine coins. She started out with ten coins and she was not ready to live with just nine. She refused to settle for less than the best, because that would have made her a mediocre. Also, after searching the house for five or ten minutes, she could have given up the search. But the bible, says, “, and SWEEP THE HOUSE and seek diligently TILL SHE FIND IT?” She did not end her search until she found what she was looking for. Searching the scriptures with a passive attitude will not get you anywhere. God has promised, that, if you seek, you will find – Mathew 7:7. You have to search for it with the whole of your heart -

KEY #3 You Need To Search The Scriptures With A Lighted Spirit. The Bible says, the woman lighted a candle. In other words before she began her search she first of all lighted a candle. Before you embank on a word search you must also light your candle. I know you will wonder what this means. Let’s take look at what the word has to say. Psalms 18:27 “For thou wilt light MY CANDLE: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness”.

Proverbs 20:27 “The SPIRIT OF MAN is THE CANDLE of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly”.

The woman lighted a candle, because she needed some kind of illumination, to enable her to have a successful search. The above scripture says that your spirit is “the candle of the LORD”. This in other words means, that your spirit man must be illuminated for you to be able to find what you are looking for in the word of God. The woman lighted her candle so that she could see where her lost coin was. The treasures of God are hidden away in the Bible, away from the physical eyes of men – Mark 4:11-12, Colossians 2:3, 1 Corinthians 2:9. Your spiritual eyes (the eyes of your spirit) need to be illuminated to enable you to see the things that are hidden. Paul had this to say in Ephesians 1:17-19;

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of your understanding: THE EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING BEING ENLIGHTENED; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the workings of His mighty power,…” The only biblical way of enlightening or illuminating your spirit man is by engaging the ministry of the HOLY SPIRIT. He is the one that opens our eyes to the things that are hidden deep down in the word of God. 2 Corinthians 2:9-10; Psalms 119:18. His ministry is to reveal the secrets of God to us. In other words you have no access to your heavenly heritage without His help – John 14:26; 16:7-15. It takes a lighted spirit to see into the realm of the spirit. The Holy Spirit sets our spirit aglow with revelation and insights. He will show you where the treasures are. This why you need to recognise, and acknowledge His ministry every time you settle down to study the word. TWO WAYS TO DO THAT ARE: 1. Acknowledge His presence in the place of study through praise and worship. 2. Ask Him to open your eyes of understanding, so that you can see the things that are hidden behind the written word.

KEY #4 Sweep Through The Bible Until You Find What You Are Looking For. The bible says, the woman swept the house. We all know that a house has several apartments; room(s), bathroom, living room, kitchen etc. She did not just search one place she combed the entire house.

The Bible is the book that houses the word of God, and it has many compartments (books – chapters and verses). You need to comb the entire bible until you find the answers you are looking for. In Genesis 13:14, God told Abraham to look Northward, Southward, Eastward and Westward. And this is exactly what you have to do when searching the scriptures. You need to look from Genesis to Malachi and from Mathew to Revelation until you find “IT”. There will be times when you will be studying a particular subject matter in the New Testament and the Holy Ghost will take you back to the Old Testament to establish its foundation, or in order to establish or substantiate a principle or truth. He guides you where to search so that you would not keep toiling like Peter did in Luke chapter five. KEY #5 You Need To Search With A Business-Like Mentality. The phrase “Seek Diligently” connotes hard work, business-like attitude. It is not enough to seek, you need to seek diligent, and that is the only way to prove that you mean business. Proverbs 22:29, says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mere men”. Diligence is one of the vital ingredients for greatness in life. When you settle down to study, you need to detach yourself from every kind of distraction so that you can focus on the business at hand. Study time is not the time to remember the people who you haven’t gone to visit for a long time, or the things you forgot to do, or need to buy. It is a time when your heart has to connect with the spirit behind the word. Mike Murdoch said, “Failure is a result of broken focus”. Diligence involves single-mindedness.

THINGS THAT WILL AID YOU IN YOUR SEARCH 1. Concordances. 2. Bible commentaries. 3. Expository dictionaries.

4. Relevant books and tapes. 5. Note book, etc.

CONCLUSION: I believe that this material has been of great of blessing to you, and has opened you up to a new dimension of walking with God. This material was put together for the purpose of assisting in your personal bible study. Building your life on the word is not an option, but a must if you are to fulfil your God-given destiny here on the earth. Other materials all being put together for your benefit, and as soon as they are ready, it will be a privilege to send them to you. Till then remain blessed in His presence, I leave you now with this wisdom key:

# Until The Word Finds A Place In Your Heart, Your Place On The Earth Is Not Guaranteed

David Odunaiya Word of The Spirit London, UK +44 7894734411 [email protected]