Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11 (NIV)
God wants us to present each moment to Him in obedience, let Him rule our lives, and submit all of our ways. I don’t know about you, but I struggle in doing so. I have to humbly remind myself I cannot accomplish His purpose without humbly surrendering to His leading. It starts the minute my eyes open each morning. Each day is a gift given and it is my responsibility to hand it over so the LORD can lead it. Trust me, when I depend on myself and my ability to handle life (good or bad) I fall short every time. His direction and instructions far exceed my own. Besides, He knows the future so I need to trust His jugdment!
When I made the commitment to live my life through an open Bible, I began searching for a routine to assist me. A plan to keep me from failing. A way to live out Joshua 1:8 (NIV) “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Anything to keep me plugged into God and His Word. I wanted a good connection.
If there was an approach to studying Scripture and learning to infuse it into my life, I was willing to try it. There are many of them out there. (yet, I find it hard to discover who created them?) I love the primary goal of each-to allow the very Voice of God to penetrate your soul. I think it is essential for everyone to determine ways to study Scripture and open their heart to discovering new methods and techniques for a lifetime. Also, I believe the Holy Spirit will guide and prompt you to a deeper understanding as you travel together with God.
Listen friends, ten years ago I was probably hesitant to study Scripture on my own without an associated text, facilitator, or sermon notes. God prompted me to go deeper into knowing His Voice and stop “cherry picking” verses and memorizing Scripture just to quote it and manipulate it to what I wanted it to mean.
AMPS was primarily created for my own personal Bible study because of gaps I found in other methods. They fell short on focusing and fully listening to God, gathering the entire meaning from context, praying out Scripture, safeguarding my understanding, etc. The list continues. So, I began with four categories: attention, meaning, perspective of God, and saturation. This is an extremely lean skeleton. It may even be missing a few bones, but it is the foundation on which I have begun building my Bible study methods.
I look forward to sharing with you my thoughts from the book along with so much more I have to tell you about AMPS. Hang in there friends! Press into those study questions. They are essential in Chapter seven to help you digest the second half of Crown the Sword! Let the journey begin…
Crank up the AMPS Bible Study Method
| A: | Attention Prepare your heart-Pause Read with purpose Be aware of what catches your attention |
| M: | Meaning History: author/timeline/location/original audience/culture Identify: Attributes of God, promises, instructions Terminology: Greek/Hebrew Translations: read more than one Entire Context: main message Seek the full counsel of Scripture: investigate cross references |
| P: | Perspective of God Pray for God’s perspective Present your concerns, thoughts, and confusion to the Father Ask the Lord for the meaning, clarity, and personal message Be open to reproof Ponder the application for your life |
| S: | Saturation Ask the Lord for help to live out Scripture Infuse His instructions into your life Pray out Scripture: claim His promises over your life and circumstances |
Refining [Spiritual Growth] 
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