Hi, my name is Leanne Friesman and this is Restoring Word and I just want to talk today
about studying your Bible.
Now what I'm going to say is probably common sense, like Christianity 101, but let's go
back to what we're seeing all over the web.
We're seeing it on social media, we're seeing issues in the news, and really people have
strong opinions about things, but they don't often know how to back those up.
So I taught Bible for 27 years at a private Christian school to teenagers, very salty
opinionated teenagers, who would challenge me and you know I loved every minute of it
because I was humble and wise enough to admit that I don't know it and I would always take
my kids back into a good study Bible, okay, guys I don't know the answer but let's go
figure out what the answer is, okay, and I spent an awful lot of time teaching my students
how to use the Thompson Chain Study Bible and here's why, because if you have a good
study Bible you can take any topic that's out there and you can do an exhaustive scriptural
study on that topic and things that were hot in my classroom were usually Halloween
or Valentine's Day, real love, or I mean just take any hot social issue right now and you
can study it out with scripture.
I would say things to my kids like, you know, my opinion doesn't really matter, but the
word matters and when you can break hot topics up, like the big one was probably the occult,
okay, if you take witchcraft, if you take the occult, if you take like demonic manifestations
or stories in the New Testament where there were demons manifesting and then you'd have
kids like share all of those scriptures, then all of a sudden opinions would change, okay.
So how do you study the word?
Well the first thing you got to do is you've got to study the word with the right attitude.
Ezra 7.10, this was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the law, so he had determined
it first, of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of God.
So first off you have to study with the right attitude and the right heart.
You're doing it for the right motives, okay.
Secondly, I will study your commandments and reflect on your decrees.
I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.
Psalms 119 starting in verse 15.
So if you really love God and you really love the Bible, then you're going to delight
in what it says and you're not going to forget about it.
You know, there's so many things that are controversial that are in there and I don't
get the luxury to take those things out.
They're in there for a reason, okay.
It's not my opinion.
Who cares about Leanne?
I'm nobody.
It's the Bible.
It's the inspired word of God, okay.
Next, really get in there and study what scripture says about studying the word.
Bible study is so important because when you open your Bible, I liken it into the brazen
altar, okay.
Number one, that brazen altar is bronze and number two, it has water in the top, okay.
And number one, if you look in water, it will reflect your image.
So when you're reading the Bible, number one, it's going to deal with your heart first,
okay.
And number two, it's going to wash your heart and your attitude and all your stinky flesh
and trust me, I have it.
It doesn't matter how long you've walked with Jesus.
It doesn't matter who you, we all have flesh.
I have a lot of it, okay.
And I get to repent a lot and that usually happens when I'm faithfully in the word, studying
the word.
Hebrews 4.12, for the word of God is living and it's active and it's sharper than any
double-edged sword, piercing until it divides the soul and the spirit, the joints and the
marrow as it judges the thoughts and the purposes of the heart.
So when you study the word, it's going to judge you and you're going to look at it,
you're going to go, oh, I can't believe I'm still like that.
At least I am, okay.
Joshua 1.8, the book of the law should not depart from your mouth, but you will meditate
on it day and night so that you might be careful to do according to what is written
in it.
For then you will make your way prosperous and you will have good success, okay.
You want to be successful?
You want to be blessed in this life?
You want to have wisdom and insight and revelation?
Well then guess what?
You're going to have to study the word.
Remember all those Ephesians prayers.
This is the armor in Ephesians 6.
Also, take salvation.
as your helmet and the Word of God as the sword that the Spirit supplies. You
know, when you guard your mind with the Word, when you meditate and you feed on
Scripture, what happens is it sets your mind straight and you realize,
oh my gosh, you know, I don't know about you but whatever I listen to or I watch
on TV or whatever song I'm listening to, it will it will pound in my brain. I'll
give you an example. Last night Grant and I were watching old music videos from
the 70s. Okay, there's this old song from the 70s. I'm telling you, the music back in
the 70s, a lot of it was really good and we're sitting there and we're just, you
know, just like, oh man, remember that guy? Remember his long hair? And we're just
kind of laughing and I'm, I wake up this morning and I'll be danged if I'm not
hearing those old songs from the 70s. Okay, whatever you're listening to,
whatever you're watching, whatever you're focusing on, it's gonna pump inside your
head and that works for the Bible as well. If you're feeding on Scripture,
that's what's gonna roll around in your head. You're going to have peace that
passes all understanding. Why? Because you're guarding your mind and your
heart and you're meditating on what it says instead of the fear and the anxiety
that somebody else wants you to meditate on. Okay, have you ever noticed
that people like to listen to like campfire horror stories or spooky stories
or zombie apocalypse movies? You know why? Because they like being scared. Well, the
problem with being scared, if you do it over and over again, all of a sudden
you've got a life filled with anxiety. Okay, I'm a special education teacher. I
can't tell you how many kids, all they do is meditate on witchcraft, demonic
manifestations. Okay, you know, you look at their social media and
usually their name starts with something like demon baby. Okay, no wonder our kids
have anxiety. No wonder they can't sleep. No wonder they have to be heavily
medicated in order to go through this world because, listen, the demonic realm
is real. Fox Nation this last, I don't know, last week, Tucker Carlson was doing
a documentary on exorcism with a Catholic Church. You need to
watch that. Okay, Fox Nation, Tucker Carlson, look at the Catholic dude on the
priest who's teaching on exorcism. The Catholic Church has gone from 12 priests
who specialize in exorcism to 125 and you know why? Because that's what we're
seeing right now in our society and you know why a lot of Christians don't have
any authority over that stuff? It's just really simple because there's no
consecration. They're not walking in holiness so they don't have any victory
over it and that stuff just plays games with them, just runs their life. They're
in misery. Oh, I don't know what to do. I just drug my kids and put them on this
medication. It doesn't matter how much medication you put your kid in. If the
kid still is feeding on stuff that's demonic, he's gonna be tormented. Okay,
you want a house full of peace? Well then you've got to put up the, put up the
gates, put up the walls. Don't allow stuff into your home or into your kid's
head that's gonna torment your kid. I mean, is that not common sense? I think
it is. Okay, and then the big one I love is out of Acts 17 here. It says, Now the
Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica. For they
received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures
every day to see if what Paul said was true. Okay, so this is the early church.
They are examining the scriptures. Examine the scriptures. Okay, get a good
study Bible. Get in there and back up what you believe. I'm gonna continue with
part two next. Have a great day. Thank you for liking and subscribing and I hope to
see you again soon. Thanks.
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