SUPERNATURAL POWER FOR EVERYDAY READING
Have you tried to read these books only to slump back confused or snoozed? First, let me recommend a better pre-bible coffee game. I like Stumptown Roasters and Peixoto Coffee via pour over. Juuuuust Kidding! But only kind of...
More than caffeination you need Illumination!
You need a theology of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in believers. He offers the ministry of illumination. That means he enlightens our minds with clear understanding of the Bible (John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16) The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God, breathed out Scripture, and illuminates it to us. He "opens and unveils our minds and attunes our hearts so that we understand...so that we grasp as reality for ourselves what the sacred text sets forth" (J.I. Packer).
How do we press into the Spirit's leading as we read the Bible? I'd like to offer three ideas:
01. PRAY BEFORE READING.
When God's people were in Exile God told them through the prophet Jeremiah, "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD..." If God wanted to be sought by His people who were in active and punishable rebellion, how much more does He want us to seek Him in the morning as we open the Bible? Dependence is the goal. Ask the Holy Spirit who authored scripture to reveal it's meaning and to apply it to your life today.
02. REPENT OF SIN.
One of the main jobs of the Holy Spirit is bring about conviction in our hearts (John 16:8). Let's not forget the Spirit's name: the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Galatians 5:22-23). So, to walk by the Holy Spirit is to repent when He convicts, and to align ourselves with His righteousness.
02. LISTEN AFTER READING.
As consider how the text applies to your life, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you seek to live in light of the text. Quiet your heart and try to listen to where the Holy Spirit is convicting you, how He is prompting you toward obedience, and who He is calling you to reach with the Gospel. The Holy Spirit is and has always been a speaking God. The question is are we listening intently enough to hear Him clearly through His Word?