Where He Stops Me

   The Bible is a living word, as relevant today as it has ever been.


   The Bible can be a daunting thing to pick up if you're not properly acquainted.

   In my "wayward years" I'd pull out my old Bible from time to time and flip back and forth, but inevitably I became confused and overwhelmed. It seemed so remote.

    After surrendering my life to Christ, I longed to know how to go about reading the Bible in a way that was meaningful. I so longed to experience the joy of understanding that I've heard many others speak of.

   I'm learning to go to my Father in prayer when I'm in need of guidance, so I prayed that He would show me a meaningful way to read the Bible so that I could understand and apply His word, and let it change me.

   A few days later He answered my prayer with a book called, "Lord, Change Me!" by Evelyn Christenson.

   It that book, she relates a way to go about reading the Bible, and it has changed the way I look at the unassuming book sitting next to my bed.

   Evelyn believes that the Bible is the living word, as relevant today as it has ever been. The idea is to read only until God stops you. The Holy Spirit will nudge us as we come upon a verse or a single word that urges us to "STOP!", and we'd do well to listen.

   She goes on to say that where we have been stopped is a message specifically for us. So when the Holy Spirit gives a little nudge saying, "There, stop there", resist the urge to read on, and simply let the phrase you have just read seep in. Then pray, ask, read it again, and pray some more, as you suck out all of the meaning that was intended for you.  

   The understanding might be immediate, or it may take prayer and meditation for the message to hit home.

   So I have undertaken to use this "where He stops me" approach to reading God's word, and already the Bible feels more friendly and less intimidating to pick up.

   Thank You, Lord!

   I'll be posting along my journey of reading the Bible until He stops me. Watch out for those posts to come!

   What are some personal ways you approach Bible study?