But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
What do you think of when you hear the word grow? Plants-Kids-Puppies? Very rarely do I associate this word with God, however the Bible reminds us over and over that we continually develop in our faith.
The Lord has equipped us with tools to embrace an ongoing movement towards spiritual maturity and He has given us a list of qualities He wants us to strive to obtain. 2 Peter 1:8 reminds us that these qualities prevent us from being ineffective and unproductive. What are these attributes you ask? Faith*Goodness*Knowledge*Self-control*Perserverance*Godliness*Mutual Affection*Love (2 Peter 1:5-7)
Scripture also tells us that our faith must go beyond what we believe-faith must be displayed as an action as well. Our life reflects growth or the lack of through our daily way of life. (2 Peter 1:9). Growth requires continual practice and training just like an athlete because the Father wants us to refine our skills and abilities, study His word, and display a deep desire to grow in knowledge. Train and practice-strengthening our spiritual muscles.
As we work towards knowing God intimately and discovering the attributes of Jesus, we become equipped to increase our discernment from what is of him and what is of the enemy. Our growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has a way of heightening our senses to acknowledge things of the enemy and it guards us from being quickly deceived by the world around us.
Chapter three clearly presents growth as “a follower’s responsibility to cultivate it, knowing there is a progression to each bonding aspect with God, including communication with Him.” Growth relies on the intimacy with God and the discipline to carry out Proverbs 3:5. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”
“Your development is continual and dependent upon the power in Christ.” (see Philippians 2:13) Be encouraged my friend “to stay active and tenacious” by making every effort to growth in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Cling to His promises and embrace your growth progression.
Come near to God and He will come near to you. James 4:8 (NIV)
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
Welcome readers! This post begins a ten weeks study over a newly released book entitled, Beyond Scriptural Typography. It is designed to assist believers in personalizing their interactive framework with the Bible. In the introduction, the book refers to Scripture as “an open invitation to go beyond the charming print and a chance to experience the life-changing power…”. The book offers readers a chance to become better equipped in interacting with God’s Word no matter their level of spiritual maturity.
Pondering Revelations
As you ponder how many Bibles you own, how do you define the Bible? This week’s focal verse is Hebrews 4:12. The verse clearly refers to Scripture as the “word of God”. These words are often found in lyrics like a song by Mercy Me: Word of God speak, Would You pour down like rain, Washing my eyes to see Your majesty. To be still and know that You’re in this place. Please let me stay and rest in Your holiness-Word of God speak. The Bible is an intentional mode of communication established by the Lord to speak to each one of us. It is the very words of God.
We cannot deny the Bible is alive and active, more than print on a page, when we begin using it as a guide to daily living. Chapter one states:
“The potential elevation level of biblical print will always remain flat without action on our part.”
Scripture has transformational power ready and waiting as an invitation to ignite change throughout our lives. However, it is our choice to accept the welcoming welcome, surrender to it’s authority, and determine the depth of our interaction with God’s Word.
The Bible provides the knowledge that God lives among us, loves us, and longs for us to intimately know Him the way He knows us. He has full transparency of all that is within us, good, bad, and ugly, and yet loves us despite of it. The Lord has provided His Voice as spiritual food to strengthen our faith and draw us closer to Him. It is a tool to obtaining intimacy, but we have to be in it’s presence-reading, studying, interacting, listening, relying, praying, and believing on it’s every word to experience the beauty of the relational instrument.
His Voice can ignite change throughout our lives as our reliance grows daily. Matthew 4:4 reminds us that every word from the Father helps us know right from wrong and gives us a roadmap to carry out His plans. As we accept His invitation to partake in Scripture, we have to ponder our actions. To what extreme are we willing to serve and seek? Can we be all in with a willing mind showcasing a wholehearted commitment? What are we willing to do to learn “how to truly read, study, and apply the Bible?”
Chapter One gives you the opportunity to reflect on your Bible intake and Scripture infusion. It presents a challenge to embrace the process of discovering new ways to engage with God’s Words as part of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. (Deut. 6:5)
“No one innately arrives with the knowledge, skills, and experience to comprehend and digest God’s Word.”
If you envision yourself fully saturated with Scripture, intentionally leaving no room for the enemy to pull you away from God, this book is exactly where the Lord needs you to be. It is an opportunity to foster an individualized method to delight in His Word through defining the Bible’s value for you and obtaining practical methods to experience its active and living power.
Chapter One helps you reveal your current interaction with Scripture, gives you amp opportunities to ponder your unfiltered view and value of the Bible, and identify ways you need God’s Word to be a stronger beacon in your life. The chapter end with Psalm 119:105
“Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”
I look forward to this book study the next ten weeks: a discovery to use God’s Word to navigate life.
Have you ever been stumped by a verse while reading through the Bible? I know I have on many occasions.
What about your attention? Have you ever been drawn to a particular verse as you read through a chapter? This is one of my favorite ways of knowing the Holy Spirit is guiding my understanding and directing my pathway. I love “attention” verses. I often write them down and focus on one a week to get a full picture of God, His attributes, and what He is personally saying to me.
This month our church is reading through the book of Mark – a part of the Gospel Era showcasing the fulfillment of the promised Seed God spoke of in the Creation Era. The book is a narrative filled with the life of Jesus, His mighty miracles, delivery of parables, and His death and resurrection. Over and over, each chapter reveals the love story of God which gives us all hope and “good news” to share with the world.
During this time of reading, several verses have captured my attention and deepened my understanding of the Lord. Over and over, I see God’s hand working to reveal His goodness and love in markable ways during Christ’s earthly life. I particularly love how Christ addresses the “legal” acts of the pharisees as He separates the difference between head knowledge/rule followers and a heart of love devoted to living by faith in God.
As many of you know, I am a large advocate of elevating God’s Word to the highest level of understanding and saturation. Many of Refining ministries’ workshops, Bible studies, and retreats are geared to helping followers discover ways to absorb Scripture to the fullest. So, I was captivated by this week’s sermon at our church when Chris Lopez shared a simple way to dig deeper into a focal verse.
He directed his thoughts to Mark 6:2 (NLT)
The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”
Then, Chris shared how he narrowed down his view by noting words that stood out to him: amazed-wisdom-power-perform. He carefully discovered the Biblical definition of each word and then rewrote the verse using the definitions as a substitute for each word. Here’s the video clip.
I decided to give it a whirl and revisit the key verse for Refining ministry: “I will give them hearts that recognize me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.” Jeremiah 24:7 NLT
recognize means acknowledge
return means come back
wholeheartedly means completely and sincerely devoted
Defined to read: “I will give them hearts that acknowledge me as the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will come back to me completely and sincerely devoted.”
WOW! What a wonderful way to dig deeper into God’s Word and search for true understanding. Thank you, Chris, for sharing!
I hope this tip helps you take your Scripture comprehension to new heights.
Happy October! What a beautiful change this week. Our highest temperature was in the 50s yesterday. I am sure the first freeze is upon us soon, but for now I have enjoyed the cooler weather.
It seems this time of the year makes me really think about food. Pumpkin pie, zucchini bread, homemade soup, quiche, flavored coffee, etc. All things warm and cozy. Comfort! I can feel the fall hunger within me. The question is what will really satisfy my seasonal craving?
As we continue our fall study in Jeremiah, the subject of hunger appeared this past week. Jeremiah introduces a hungry soul and what can satisfy it. In Jeremiah 15:16 he states, “Your words are what sustain me; they are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. How proud I am to bear your name, O Lord.” (Living Bible)
Jesus encouraged followers to feast on God’s Word. (John 8:31-32) He clearly wants us to not only build a relationship with the Trinity but with Scripture as well. Why? Because there is power in the word and He clearly illustrated this with His encounter with the enemy.
I think I can safely say we know an essential element in our spiritual walk is interacting with the Bible. Over and over, we are reminded of the substance it delivers. It gives us insight to the character of God, His desire for our daily living, and a multitude of sweet promises for His children. In chapter 20 of Jeremiah, we find Scripture can even ignite a fire within us to boldly witness without worry of persecution.
Do you crave God’s Word? Is it something you cannot live without? Do the words comfort and satisfying come to mind when thinking about your relationship with Scripture? Does it seems like a lot to take in much like the image above? Is it hard to “take a bite” on your own?
Much like discipleship training, we all need biblical literacy guidance. Often our Bibles are underutilized because we are unsure how to independently interact with God’s Word. I know this was very true for me.
Rick Warren once said, “…hungry Christians need to be taught how to feed themselves from the Word of God.” It takes time and training to grow in proficiency when building a relationship with Scripture. There are tons of strategies and methods, but regardless they are useless if they don’t resonate with you.
The main factor is consistency and commitment. Then read with purpose. Start with three areas of focus:
Who is God?
What does He want me to do or stop doing?
What promises does God make?
These three areas alone can furnish us with a firm foundation to interacting with Scripture. This approach is an open invitation to carry out James 1:22-becoming a doer of the Word and stepping out in faith more and more as you get to know God deeper, discover His commands and cling to His promises.
Challenge yourself to read with intentionality. Spend time digesting books of the Bible by taking it one chapter at a time. I read this week that it is beneficial to read a chapter a week and read it at least five times during the timeframe. WOW! Also, it was suggested to set aside an hour twice a week for deep study. What great advice especially when we take God’s Word bite-by-bite, verse-by-verse.
So, what will you do differently this week as you grow in Scripture proficiency and biblical literacy? What can you add to your daily or weekly routine? How can you incorporate the three areas: Who is God? What are His instructions/reproof? Are there promises made in the passage?
We would love to hear from you. If you are seeking for an online group to assist you in Bible study skills, let us know. We meet online every Monday night via Zoom for one hour starting at 6:00 p.m. (CST). We will be happy to share the group link with you! We would love to have you join us as we learn how to grow in relationship with the Word of God together.
Excellent resource to document your personal Bible journey after a sermon, small group, devotional, etc.
Several have requested a Bible study journal to assist them in their independent study through books of the Bible. We have heard your need and have been diligently working on providing this for you. Exciting news–this is now available AND you have two selections!
Here is the primary information about each option:
Beautiful lined notebook supporting deeper understanding of Scripture when studying the Bible independently. The journals will introduce readers to a simple Bible study method entitled A.M.P.S.
A- Attention Allowing God to focus your attention M- Meaning Studying Scripture for full contextual understanding P- Perspective of God Pausing to hear and consider the LORD’s point of view
S- Saturation Applying Scripture into your current circumstances and daily living
100 pages
2 pages explaining the AMPS format
6 x 9 with soft cover and good quality white paper contents
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (NIV)
Maybe the title should say…something in the words once you hear what is coming!
Let me begin by saying, this book illustrates an imperfect writer striving to point others to the one and only perfect author, God!
After writing Crown the Sword, I honestly never dreamed of writing another book. I know, I know the book ends with the words “until we meet again”. Maybe I thought God would have me writing short devotion books or something of that nature.
I have started this book several times and then stopped. It didn’t feel just right or the direction was off somehow. He kept drawing me to it though. I knew God wanted me to write about being intentional with Scripture and tips on increasing a relationship with Him and infusing of His Word. Are you kidding God? I am not an expert on anything, especially this!
All I can share is my experience and discovery. I can witness to my own journey in reading, studying, and applying the Bible. It turned my life upside down. I went from being a surface level believer to a God fearing, sold-out lover of Him and His Word. When I finally surrendered to His authority, the living resource I found through Biblical text changed everything. It even birthed the Refining ministry!
I have accepted the fact that God has called me out and asked me to step into a spiritual maturity ministry helping others go BEYOND, to the best of my imperfect ability. Look, I do not have all the answers, but I am willing to share my experiences and gained knowledge. The LORD has impressed upon me the importance of helping others discover effective ways to read, comprehend, pray, and infuse Scripture on an individual level. He wants every believer to be fully equipped, including YOU!
The book is in its rough draft form currently. I would ask you to pray for the days ahead and its revision. Pray that each word within this writing will encourage others to go BEYOND their current Scripture intake level whether it be an occasional visitor or daily reader. May it be an invitation to go BEYOND what people say about the Bible to letting GOD speak a personal message directly to readers through His Word.
If you on own a quest to find an individualized plan to in-depth Bible study and desire to sit at the feet of Jesus absorbing His perspective above and BEYOND all else, this might be the book for you.
May the journey from rough draft to full publication be directed by the hands of the Almighty Father only. Please pray for a hedge of protection in the process because this will impact someone’s life in the days ahead.
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva on Pexels.com But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 (NIV)
In all of your earthly relationships, who do you place the most trust in? Do the words loyal and faith describe their character? Do they primarily have remarkable follow through with their promises to you? Have they or will they let you down at some point?
I once was advised by a church leader to never have expectations of humans, then I would never be disappointed by them. Well, as much as this appears logical, how could one ever develop an intimacy and deep friendship with no expectations?
I am of the opinion most people choose their circle of friends, you know-those beyond acquaintances, based on trust and dependability. Why would you ever entertain a close association with someone if you didn’t have some type of faithful expectations? How could you truly believe what they said or promised if there wasn’t some level of trust?
Good news-you never have to question the promises of the LORD. He is forever constant in fulfilling and has proved this over and over. Just compare Old Testament prophecy to New Testament fulfillment.
His character is steadfast. God is the only relationship delivering constant, dependable trust. It is His character-loyal, faithful, devoted, and reliable. What a privilege to call Him friend.
When reading Scripture, search for those promises made directly by the father. These guarantees and assurances furnish hope on a big scale. Why? Because you can count on it, my friend! Believe it, trust it, and know it will happen. They are oaths made by the LORD himself.
These promises enter our minds as only information as we read and discover them. But, if we take the time to study each one intimately, God exposes His love for us and declares truth we can certainly hang our hat on. (Oops, that might have come from my Texas upbringing) It provides an insight of eternal hope and builds an even greater scale of confidence in the creator of our soul, Elohim.
As you find the promises of the LORD in your independent reading, decide what your plan will be.
Will you highlight them a different color than everything else in your Bible?
Will you write them in a special journal filled with nothing but God’s promises? (I call this God’s victory file. It comes in handy on those days the enemy is larking and working overtime. It helps call him out for who and what he is, a liar!)
Maybe you are a prayer journal lover. You can write the verse/s of promises directly in your prayer journal book with complete reference. Then pray out the promise/s into your life and those around you.
These three ideas are only the beginning to honoring the promises of the father. Each promise is a revelation you can expect to happen. They embody a powerful force, capable of crushing the attempts of evil. (Think about Jesus’ responds when tempted by the enemy.)
I would encourage you to devise a promise plan right for you. Determine a method of noting these assurances. Highlight them, write them, pray them, use them to encourage others, and cling to them for a lifetime. You may already have a strategy working for you in this area. How could you possibly enhance it?
You can always trust God’s assurances to be prevailing, mighty, effective, impressive, and everlasting! Who else delivers such guarantees?
Oh yeah, one more thing-have expectations of the Father. They will always be fulfilled BEYOND human standards and in accordance with His immaculate plan. Pinkie promise!
Have you ever wondered how many names are associated with the LORD? I’m sure there is research out there to solidify a certain number. However, I choose to believe GOD IS…beyond human description. The LORD is so much more than what the human mind cannot comprehend.
One thing I have found is GOD IS…personal for everyone. Although, we all would agree on the “token” names such as Wonderful, All-knowing, LORD Almighty, etc., the LORD wants to be known individually by each person. Our pathways are different and unique no matter the similarities and therefore, GOD IS…defined uniquely for each of us according to His plans and will for our lives.
Many years ago, I was craving to know the LORD beyond what a list could provide. I read book after book written by amazing Christian authors which defined God and His attributes by leaps and bonds. I loved hearing their experiences and life stories BUT, many of these characteristics of the LORD seemed foreign to me. I wanted background, personal understanding, and true encounter with these attributes. I needed God to be real within me and my familiarity to be on a deeper personal level.
So, I stopped reading a lot of those close associations to God’s Word and went straight to the source of truth, the Bible. Let me just say—I found myself crying out to the Holy Spirit over and over for wisdom and discernment. Why? Because I had become very reliant on others to interpret Scripture for me and tell me who GOD IS… I had to learn how to comprehend the Bible on my own and I quickly discovered one deficiency hindering my personal discovery of who GOD IS…
Since 2018, my study habits have immensely evolved. The LORD answered my cry with a simple method to digest His Word and document my discovery of Him. Chapter by chapter, verse by verse, word by word, I am uncovering attributes of the LORD so personal and intimate to me. GOD IS…revealing Himself on such an intense plane. The breakthrough for me is beyond my wildest imagination and my humble plea.
Through intentional study, a true desire to know God more, and a unique note booking discipline, my spiritual life and relationship with the LORD has deepened.
Today, I would like to share with you one small aspect of my approach to discovering who God is. As a work through the Bible book by book, I document my journey by using Scripture Notebooking. (It goes beyond Bible or Scripture journaling) Although I am continually searching for promises, commands, keywords, etc., my focus is discovering who GOD IS… to me within the verses.
This approach is not always direct and many times I find myself pondering a chapter for days. However, God proves faithful in every encounter with His Word. The Holy Spirit guides my thoughts and reveals the LORD to me on a personal level. (some times I have to wait for it longer than I want)
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
I would encourage you to define GOD IS…on a personal basis for you by approaching Scripture differently. Let your journey through the Bible bring you closer to the LORD and give you a description of Himself beyond the token answers. Grab your Bible and simply start. God is waiting for you.
Our online Bible studies are created for women JUST LIKE YOU! Why? Because we know the struggle of staying motivated and actively engaged with God and His Word.
Refining provides you simple and practical ways to not only interact with the LORD and His written voice, but to also grow in relationship with Him. If you are ready to spiral deeper into God’s Word and discover creative elements to getting to know the LORD, then come give us a try!
We invite you to find community with women just like you. This is a safe & confidential place to thrive with a group of like-minded friends and the added plus is it does not matter where you live! You are invited to corporately study with us as we spend one hour a week in Scripture on Zoom sharing and learning together. Bonus feature-It is FREE! Even our snapshot sheets like the one above! No charge.
Ladies, you have many options when it comes to online Bible study and many choices are cost associated. Refining Ministry simply exists as a service to you. The online Bible studies are strictly here to assist you. Let us show you how to design your own Scripture plan and develop your skills with proven tips, tools, and methods we have found beneficial on many levels.
Our next study begins June 6th! Come give it a try. Email us at refiningjourney@gmail.com for the link, handout, and details.
Hello & Happy Holiday weekend! Before we jump into the FREE & FABULOUS series, I feel it is necessary to take a moment to pause…
The sorrow, pain, disbelief, anger, fear, and heartbreak are overwhelming. Locally, the week began with two less people and now the week ends with the loss of over 20 lives on a state level. For me, I have very little words-the grief leaves me speechless. While studying Amos this week, I read “prayer is a powerful privilege” and that was made evident through the prayers of Amos. I will cling to the faith that our prayers for all involved and effected by these shooting incidents will be provided the greatest level of comfort, healing, and hope. Father God, hear our prayers.
It was through loss and trials for half a decade that brought me to the place where I am today. Although I never want anyone to experience the deep dark pit and pain, it produced an amazing treasure and drive. It developed a steadfast love for God’s Word like never before and sparked a spiritual maturity ministry, Refining. May the LORD be glorified in all things!
Thanks to technology-we have plethora Bible study aids at our fingertips! Some are simple, easy to find, and user friendly while others take a little more know how.
We have been taking a few minutes after our Monday night online Bible study classes and investigating one resource a week. This week I shared a complicated website I use for Greek/Hebrew word study. Once I saw their reactions, I knew Bible study tip #4 would NOT be this one. 😊
So…drum roll please…Tip #4 has a fun name-Bible Hub! This study source has over 15 versions of the Bible. It has NIV, NLT, AMP, and ESV, most used ones by our online participants. It is also a multilingual resource!
Let’s dig in.
WHAT IS IT? It is a great FREE website, or you can download the FREE app. They refer to themselves as an online Bible study suite because they have concordances, commentaries, encyclopedias, dictionaries, sermons, timelines, atlas, devotionals, etc. Bible Hub promotes its site as a quick reference to topical, Greek, and Hebrew study tools. The resource itself is elementary in its layout because everything offered is represented on the main page. Don’t be afraid of the acronyms-just hover over them and they reveal exactly what they are.
What captures me the most is their mission:
1) Increase the visibility and accessibility of the Scriptures online. 2) Provide free access to Bible study tools in many languages. 3) Promote the Gospel of Christ through the learning, study, and application of God’s word.
WHY I USE IT? This website gives me an easy-to-use online resource to ‘unfold’ the main verse I want to research more throughout my week. First, I select SUM to read the complete summary of the book. Next, I click on OUT and receive a complete outline of the book. How easy is that! This provides me an understanding of where this verse falls within the overall layout of the message on the Bible book.
Then, I compare versions of the passage on one page by selecting Parallel. It also provides context and cross references for the selected verse. Finally, there is the word study option. You will either see Hebrew or Greek as an option. Once I click on this, the entire verse breaks down into word parts and the original language, spelling, and meaning appears. (WHAT? All on one site!)
Of course, the website doesn’t stop there. There are sermons, concordances, atlas, commentaries, etc. available to help deepen your understanding.
I have grown to love this site because it aligns with my spiritual discipline of drilling down into a verse to discover meaning, cross references, original language, Biblical examples, attributes of God, and direct personal understanding. (Sidenote: I am invested in Scripture Notebooking) It is a wonderful supplement to my study Bible and is not complicated to utilize.
Go to the site. Click on your preferred translation. Then type in Zechariah 1:3 in the search box. Hit enter.
Now click on the word Parallel. You will see different versions, context (verse before and after), cross references, a commentary, then the verse broken into the original language/meaning (Hebrew).
What do you think? Can you believe it is all in one place? Don’t forget to try the SUM and OUT features. Remember the Bible is NOT in chronological order, so the TIM feature will give you a timeline so you can quickly see where the Bible book falls accordingly.
No special training needed for this my friends. All you need is a little time to click and discover. There is much more to investigate but I am happy to find this website mainly because of the word study it provides.
Let the Holy Spirit guide you as you intentionally drill down into a highlighted verse each week. I would encourage you to approach God’s Word daily by expecting a beautiful revelation of hope, a loving guidance to life, and a new depth of understanding of GOD, the one who loves you the most.
Hug those in your life…find joy in every moment…treasure your relationship with the LORD!
Refining [Spiritual Growth] 