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How to Get the Most out of Bible Study
by Greg Laurie

After preaching his Sunday morning sermon, a local pastor was approached by a visitor who said, "Sir, I would give the world to know the Bible as you do." The pastor looked at him and said, "And the world is exactly what it will cost you."

Would you give the world to know more about the Bible? By that I mean are you willing to sacrifice the worldly things in your life for the Word of God? Unfortunately, too many believers today will not read the Bible, but they'll spend hours a day soaking in the ways of the world. They don't realize that success or failure in the Christian life is dependent on how much of the Bible we get into our hearts and minds on a regular basis. If we are not getting into the Word of God, it is only going to be a matter of time until we fall apart spiritually.

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul calls the Bible the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). Let me ask you right now, what shape is your spiritual sword in? Is it polished from daily use, as you study the Scriptures? Is it sharpened on the anvil of experience? Have you applied its truths to your life? Or, is it rusty from a lack of preparation or dulled by disobedience?

Many of us have never taken our swords out of their sheaths. They are stuck in there. Some of them are rusted shut. We have to get out our swords and use them. As Christians, we need to develop a good working knowledge of the Scriptures or we are going to become a casualty in the spiritual battle. To help you experience victory in this spiritual battle, I want to share with you three principles from Proverbs chapter 2, which will show you how to sharpen your spiritual sword.

According to Proverbs 2:1, the first principle to sharpening our spiritual swords is to listen to God and treasure His instructions. The idea is that we should come with eagerness to God's Word. In the book of Acts we read of the believers who gladly received Peter's words about Christ and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching (see Acts 2:41–42). These believers desired the Word of God. Notice the Bible says they gladly received Peter's teachings about Christ. We too should have a hunger for the Bible and desire for it to be in our lives. We need to look forward to hearing the Word.

When you go to visit a doctor, one of the first things he or she will often ask is whether or not you have an appetite. Doctors know that hungry people are healthy people. In the same way, spiritually hungry Christians are healthy Christians. They're hungry for God's Word. The Apostle Peter said, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation" (1 Peter 2:2 NIV). In other words, like an infant hungering for milk, we should be hungering for what the Bible says. If we are going to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to get into the Word of God and the Word of God needs to get into us. As Christ said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed" (John 8:31 NKJV).

Pray for understanding, our second principle for sharpening our spiritual swords, is found in verse 3, "cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding" (NKJV). Prayer is the most overlooked and undervalued aspect of Bible study. Through prayer, we can approach God and acknowledge our incomplete knowledge of His Word, as well as our need for Him to open our hearts to His instruction. Like the psalmist, we need to pray, "Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law" (Psalm 119:18 NKJV). The next time you read the Bible, slow down. Take a little time. Pray and ask the Lord to open His Word to you.

The third principle to sharpening our spiritual swords involves seeking God's Word as though you were searching for lost money or hidden treasure. Look at verses 4–5, "Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God" (NKJV). When you are reading through the Bible, think about it as though you were mining for gold. There is buried gold in the pages of Scripture. You need to get to it, search for it, and discover what God has for you.

I can still remember the first time I started to read this incredible book, the Bible. I soon discovered that this "user's manual" was the guide to life I had long been searching for. And it's available to you as well. But there is a need to follow the Bible's instructions. You need to apply what you have learned. You will never regret it if you do. You will regret spending time watching television. You will regret the time you spent surfing the Web and going to the movies. But you will never regret a single minute spent reading God's Word. It may cost you to follow Jesus, but it will cost you even more not to follow Him.