For the next few months, Bro. John O’Malley will be sharing with us from his book, Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles. We know that everyone can use some encouragement to stay in the Word of God on a daily basis, and we hope these articles will be a blessing to you in your walk with the Lord.
The Obstacle of Application–I do not know how to apply Scripture to my life.
I know what it is like to struggle with applying Scripture. You begin to feel inadequate and eventually want to stop reading your Bible. You are not alone. I am right there with you; I know this struggle.
Applying Scripture to your life is what brings the Word of God to life. It takes you from drifting and wondering to life engaged with the Bible. I love when I get the sense of the verse and can relate it to someone else. I tend to preach and write as I understand a verse or passage of Scripture.
You can learn to apply any passage to your life with three Bible study methods I personally use in my life. Each of the three methods is designed to take you from personal frustration with your Bible reading to a place where applying the Bible comes naturally. I want you to learn to inspect a passage and determine what God is saying to you. First, we will look at the EXAMINE study method to help you with applying the truth of God’s Word to your life. The EXAMINE Bible study method is what I use when I struggle with applying what I read in the Bible. The word EXAMINE is an acrostic.
This Bible study method is simple and engages both my mind and heart to find the application of a passage as I examine what is there. I developed this method to help me. I hope it helps you. The EXAMINE Bible Study method helps us cut a straight road (the Biblical words–“rightly divide”) through the passage. We do not want to get side-tracked with other things until we figure out what does this passage or verse mean and then how does it apply to me?
To examine something means check every detail of something in order to gain some information. This method is more for verse studies than it is for chapter studies. You may not have an answer for every point of this method. The first time may be hard for you but push through. If you would like help, email or call me, and I will help you through it.
E – Evaluate the context of the verse. Look at the verse in relation to its surrounding verses. What is being said in the five verses before and after? How does the context prepare or conclude the way for the verse you are studying? The sentence you write should start with “The verses before and after are teaching _________.”
X – X-Ray the contents of this passage or verse. Look intensely at the structure of the verse. (Structure means the phrases, clauses, and marks of punctuation. Does the verse have questions? Commands? Principles? Precepts? Promises?) Look at every clause and phrase marked with its punctuation. What do the words mean in their usual definition? What do this passage or verse’s meanings say to you? The sentence you write should start with “The structure of this verse contains _________.”
A – Analyze the passage or verse for any commandments. Look for any command to obey. A commandment is something we are to do. Look for words like say, do, go, be, or must. Ask yourself, “What should I do as a result of reading this passage or verse?” The sentence you write should start with “I will follow God’s command to _________.”
M – Meditate on the comforts of this passage or verse. List the comforts of this passage or verse. A comfort is something that touches your spirit. It is the emotion tied to the truth presented. What comforts do you find in this passage or verse? The sentence you write should start with “God comforts His children with _________.”
I – Investigate the cause of this passage or verse. Why would God choose to include all of the words in this passage or verse in the Bible? What did someone do or miss in their life that prompted the Holy Spirit to inspire the human author to pen these words? Now, look at your life. Does the same condition apply that prompted the passage or verse to be included in Scripture? The sentence you write should start with “God included this verse to help me to _________.”
N – Note your convictions from this passage or verse. By convictions, I mean list what you believe as a result of studying this passage or verse. What is this passage or verse teaching you to do? The sentence you write should start with “Because this verse is in the Bible, I must _________.“
E – Examine your own comments of this passage or verse. Review all that you have written about this passage and write a summary sentence. The sentence you write should start with “Today, because I have studied this passage or verse, I will _________.”
Next month, I will share the PRAY Method and the Best Devotions Ever method. My prayer is that you will begin 2018 with a renewed zeal for studying and applying the Bible.
If these thoughts have been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley here to let him know. If you’d like to purchase the entire Overcoming Your Devotional Obstacles book in PDF, Kindle, or iBooks format, click here.