I LOVE to watch new Christians, don’t you? There’s nothing like that smile they smile when they start talking about their new relationship with the God of creation. They are on fire for the Lord in a way that truly is wonderful. Their countenance is brighter, their mind is sharper, and (if they are like most Christians) their hunger to know God is greater than it will be at any other point in their spiritual walk. Often, new believers buy a new Bible, a study guide, and a pack of highlighters … they are SO ready to dive in to God’s Word. I LOVE the ‘glow’ of a new believer. How I wish it would never fade! The truth is that it doesn’t have to. With the right Bible study tools, any believer, whether rookie or veteran, can dig in to God’s Word and start unearthing beautiful treasures. God’s Word is rich and colorful, and when we have the right tools in our hands, studying it is a delight!

Walking into a Christian book store these days can be more confusing than helpful. Advertising agencies and commercialism have crept in and taken center stage. The result is sensory overload. Asking a sales clerk isn’t particularly helpful either, because they are usually too close to the ‘hype’ connected to the latest and greatest new releases. I want to provide you with concrete guidance that will help make your personal Bible study time more productive so the word of Christ will dwell in you ‘richly’ and with all wisdom (Colossians 3:16).

I think the best place to start is with just a few really good tools. You can always add to your collection as you grow, but starting out with these Super Helpful Bible Study Tools will help you better your odds of beating the Bible study slumps, and they will get you into the meat of God’s Word in no time!

The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order - I own all sorts of Bible study aids, but the best tool I’ve come across for helping me read and understand God’s Word is this chronological Bible. I wrote more about it in a post titled How to Read the Bible and Understand it Better. This type of Bible arranges the verses in historical order so that you are reading the events in the order in which they actually happened, and that helps me understand how all the pieces fit together. You wouldn’t want to carry this Bible to church on Sunday morning expecting to follow along with the preacher as he reads Scripture because it is not laid out in the familiar order, but it is perfect for daily Bible reading.

eSword - I can’t say enough good things about this free software! I was introduced to it nearly a decade ago, and it as become the anchor in my study time. There is no reason why the average Christian today should not surpass the theologians of old by using tools like this one. It puts an enormous amount of research material at the finger tips of the student, it’s easy to use, and it is FREE! I plan to write more about how to add the different Bible versions and other free tools that can be added to this software. I’ll add a link from here when I do.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance - This extremely helpful tool uses a simple numbering system which enables you to study the original word meanings, the Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic languages of the the Bible, without knowing the languages. It also helps you find a verse when you can only remember a partial phrase … VERY helpful for those of us who don’t have large chunks of Scripture memorized! Another helpful feature of this tool is that it can help you find similar passages about a particular subject.

Keeping it real,

The word for ‘temptation’ is the Greek word ‘peirasmos’. It is often translated as ‘test’, as seen in this verse…

And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not, (Deu 8:2).

Pray That God Might Prevent It

Peirasmos means ‘proving’ something by experiment, and it is talking about a season of testing … to try the heart. So Jesus is saying that we can pray that God would not put us through a season of testing.

Jesus used the same word here …

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” (Mat 26:40-41).

He was encouraging the disciples to pray for the very same thing there in the garden that He had just taught them to pray in the model prayer. Jesus knew the guards would soon be approaching to take Him away, and He knew that the disciples were about to face a big test, so he encouraged them to pray that God might prevent it … in fact, that is the very thing HE had just prayed for Himself …

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will,” (Mat 26:39).

Some Fall Away During A Season Of Testing

Photo courtesy of: dustpuppy

It is very enlightening when we see that that the same word is used here …

But the ones [seeds] on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away, (Luke 8:13).

In this passage, we see a new believer who, during a season of testing, fell away … God was proving their heart. Their roots did not go down into the rich soil of the Word, and they were not able to withstand the testing. This is why it is SO important to help new believers get involved in studying God’s Word.

So the first portion of our phrase from the model prayer, in essence, says … “keep us from a season of testing.” We know that He doesn’t ALWAYS answer that prayer by keeping us from testing, because in my example of Jesus in the garden, He didn’t remove the testing of Jesus. He still had to face the guards, the trials, and the cross, because it was necessary to fulfill God’s purposes. But sometimes He WILL protect us from a season of testing.

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth, (Rev 3:10).

In context it is talking about faithfulness, and that fits with the second half of our phrase in the model prayer … “But deliver us from the evil one.”

Know That You Need Help

Deliver - RUOMAI means to rescue or free, but it is in the aorist middle imperative voice, so it carries with it the idea of personal involvement … an action by the individual making the request. It means HELP us free ourselves!

And ‘evil one’ is really only one word PONEROS, which has the idea of “evil which results in sorrow.” It refers to evil in general, not just Satan. Jesus is encouraging us to ask for help. He is willing to empower us [help us] to free ourselves from evil situations.

So the phrase “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” in essence says…

“Keep us from a season of testing, BUT if we do go through a season of testing, help us not participate in evil situations.”

How To Receive Help

How do we receive God’s help during seasons of testing? By submitting to the Holy Spirit’s leadership … God’s help is conditional to our obedience.

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions, (Galatians 5:16-17 NLT).

I’m so thankful we have the Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us to walk victoriously through seasons of testing.

Want to know why others are thankful? Head over to Heavenly Homemakers and visit other GratiTuesday participants.

I am also pleased to list this post at …

• Grace Alone’s “Thankful Thursday”

• Rose-Colored Glasses’ “Thankful Thursday”
  

Keeping it real,

I received a comment on one of my posts last week, from a blogging friend who had recently lost a loved one, and she expressed her concern about where her friend would spend eternity. She explained the situation and asked if I had a word of comfort for her. Her story beautifully pictured the heart of one who earnestly believes the truth of Scripture and knows that God is not only a God of love, but also a God of righteousness and justice. My heart was tender toward her, and I wanted so much to answer her with something that would give her hope, yet stay true to God’s Word. I was at a loss for what to say, so I did the only thing I knew to do … I approached the throne and asked for wisdom. God’s answer blessed me tremendously, because it exposed His tenderhearted love toward us. I’m posting the conversation here, because another friend read it and suggested that others might be blessed by how God revealed Himself in response to Charlotte’s heart cry.

Oh, Tammie … a dear, dear family friend of mine died this week and we had talked about eternity, since she had cancer, and I so desperately wanted her to accept Christ, but to my horror she didn’t accept him with me, so i don’t know what her final thoughts were. She died from something other than that dreaded disease………but not knowing where she is now is troubling me. God knew her heart, and I pray that it was a repentant one and that I can let it go and let God … if you have any comforting words on that I would certainly love to hear them!

Charlotte, I totally understand your concern. It is a hard truth to live with when someone we love passes away without leaving us any indication that they have made things right with the Lord. Especially knowing what we know … that they will stand before the judgment of a Holy God with their sins exposed and without the covering of Jesus’ sacrifice. It breaks my heart to think of it. So I’ve been praying about how to speak peace into your troubled heart, and this is what the Lord showed me …

In Mark 5:22-42, we are given the account of Jairus (father of a very sick young girl) coming to Jesus and begging for His healing touch. Jesus agreed to go with him, but before they reached the girl, messengers intercepted them and told the father that his daughter was dead. To the messengers, it seemed that the father’s efforts were in vain … just as it seems that your efforts on behalf of your dear friend were in vain, Charlotte. But just as Jairus was faithful to bring the healing power of Jesus to his daughter, you were faithful to bring the healing power of Jesus to your friend. And I think that the same comforting words Jesus spoke to Jairus in his moment of sorrow can offer you comfort today … He said, “Don’t be afraid, just have faith.” Why do I say this to you, Charlotte? Because look what happened next … Jesus visited the girl, personally, He touched her, and He brought her back from the dead … THEN she rose to walk with her hand in His!

Jesus is a ‘personal’ Savior, and He knows the heart of all men. He knew and understood the heart of your dear friend even better than she understood herself. Scripture tells us that He is longsuffering toward us, and that He does not want any of us to die without repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Wouldn’t it be just like Him to come to her personally and give her yet another opportunity before she passed from this life to the next? Perhaps this time, in the quietness of her heart, she allowed Him to heal her … and she rose to walk with her hand in His!

I’m also using this for my GratiTuesday post this week (even though I’m a bit early), because I am SO grateful that God is longsuffering and merciful toward us and our loved ones … always looking for a repentant heart … not wanting ANY of us to suffer the torments of Hell.

Want to know why others are thankful? Head over to Heavenly Homemakers and visit other GratiTuesday participants.

Keeping it real,