Encouragement to Be in the Word Daily
One of the most important things a believer can do is spend regular time in the Word, and yet it is one of the most difficult areas to be consistent in. The enemy does not want us to be in the Word, and we are constantly attacked and tugged by the pressures of life to give up our precious time with God.
However, the Scriptures clearly indicate that we are to be people of the Word. Psalm 119 shows David’s appreciation for God’s Word. David had a very limited portion of Scripture available to him—primarily the Books of the Law—but he stressed their importance, saying they were sweeter than honey to his taste. God’s Word made him wiser than his teachers because he had God’s revelation as his instruction. God’s Word kept him from evil.
While on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Apostle Peter was an eye witness to the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ. God’s voice from heaven confirmed the glory of the Son as being one with the Father. Peter wrote that God’s written Word added to the validity of God’s declaration:
So we have the prophetic word made more sure . . . But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Pet. 1:19–21).
Peter clearly stated that the Scriptures did not originate with men, but with God. Men were involved as the spokesmen, but Scripture does not find its origin in their minds or wills. The word “moved” refers to carrying something. These men were carried along by the Spirit of God. Human instruments were moved and empowered by the Spirit of God to speak a message from God (see 2 Cor. 2).
The Holy Spirit (through the prophets) spoke about the sufferings of the Messiah and of His glory.
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow (1 Pet. 1:10, 11).
The prophets did not understand the message they were preaching and studied their own prophecies attempting to understand them. Their messages were clearly supernatural messages from God, through men, to men. Second Peter 1 lays out clearly why careful study of the Bible, both the Old and New Testament, is so crucial. We do not study a message from men, but a message from God through men.
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention (2 Pet. 1:19).
The present tense indicates that we are to be continually paying attention. Since this is the perfect Word of God, inspired by the Spirit and spoken through men, it behooves us to be paying attention, to be giving heed, to be following it.
Make every effort to make time in the Word of God a daily habit. Be prepared for attacks from the enemy; you will often be tempted to miss your time with the Lord. Keep in mind that Satan knows the power of God’s Word. He does not want us to love, cherish, and obey God, or His Word, and will do whatever he can to keep us from our Bibles. But, reading God’s Word is one of the most important things a believer can spend time doing.
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12).