1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

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A LETHA H INTHORN *
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Copyright 2004
by Aletha Hinthorn and Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City
ISBN 083-412-1948
Printed in the
United States of America
All Scripture quotations not otherwise designated are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®). Copyright
© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Permission to quote from the following additional copyrighted versions of the Bible is acknowledged with appreciation:
The Amplified Bible, Old Testament (AMP.), copyright © 1965, 1987 by The Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New
Testament (AMP.), copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible, (TLB), © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version.
Contents
Preparing to Teach
4
Lesson 1 (Chapters 1 and 2)
5
Lesson 2 (Chapters 3 and 4)
9
Lesson 3 (Chapters 5 and 6)
11
Lesson 4 (Chapters 7 and 8)
15
Lesson 5 (Chapter 9)
17
Lesson 6 (Chapters 10 and 11)
19
Lesson 7 (Chapter 12)
22
Lesson 8 (Chapters 13 and 14)
24
Preparing to Teach
This guide can be used for either an 8-week or a 13-week study. (Suggested combinations of
chapters are given if used for 8 weeks. For a 13-week study, combine the last two chapters.)
Each participant will need a notebook both in and out of class. Encourage the group not only to
read the chapters but also to record their thoughts in response to the two questions at the end of each
chapter:
쐌 What does the Spirit say to me through these words?
쐌 How will I respond?
Let them know that sharing these thoughts will be optional but that you will give opportunity for
them to share with the class. It will be helpful if you as leader reveal what the Spirit has spoken to
you through the verses. When the Spirit speaks to us through the Word, we have an encounter with
God. Others benefit when we share those encounters.
This leader’s guide includes suggested illustrations, insights, questions, and group activities to
use with each chapter. Before class time, read the chapter and then the suggestions from this guide.
Choose what will work for your group.
As you study, seek to find a truth from the Word that excites you. Your excitement for the Word
will be contagious. The psalmist wrote, “Blessed is the man . . . who finds great delight in his commands” (Ps. 112:1). The Living Bible adds that that man “shall have influence and honor” (v. 9).
Lorne Sanny said, “Prayer is the battle; witnessing is taking the spoils.” It’s just as true to say,
“Prayer is the battle; leading a group is taking the spoils.” You lead with more confidence if you have
prayed until you are trusting God to do His work in the class. Through prayer you gain a sensitivity to
the Holy Spirit so you can allow Him to guide the discussion according to the needs of the group.
4
Lesson 1
(Chapter 1 and 2)
Chapter 1: From “Ought” to Thirst
In his book The Wonder of the Word of God, Evangelist Robert L. Sumner tells about a man who
lost his eyesight as well as his hands in an explosion. He was a new Christian and grieved that he
could no longer read his Bible. Then he heard of someone who learned to read braille with her lips,
and he decided to try that method. To his dismay, he discovered that the nerve endings in his lips had
also been damaged by the explosion. In one of his attempts to read with his lips, he felt his tongue
touch the raised braille letters. He perfected this method and read the entire Bible four times using
his tongue.
How does his eagerness for the Word compare with that of the average Christian? Why do you
think his eagerness for the Word is so compelling?
According to 1 Pet. 2:2, our spiritual maturity hinges on our acquiring a craving for the Word.
What can we do to gain a thirst for the Word?
Have you considered your hunger for God to be His gift to you?
Why can’t we take credit for any sense of yearning we feel for God?
Why is our desire for Him the best gift He could possibly give us?
Why do we not welcome this gift?
How do we sometimes squander this gift? Can you identify some ways in which you “close the
door” on God’s gift of desire to you?
What are ways we can express to God our longing for more spiritual hunger?
The Lord reveals the most to those who love Him the most. “He who loves me will be loved by
my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21).
What are some of the reasons we can have for studying the Word?
What reason will allow us to gain the most insights?
Who do you identify with in this story: Martha or Mary? If you had been Martha, how would
you have responded to Jesus’ words? Forgot about the dinner and sat down with Mary, gone ahead
with the cooking and considered silently what Jesus meant, or gone to your room and cried?
5
Group Activity: Suggest that they break into groups of two or three and discuss which of the
scriptures at the end of the chapter spoke to them? Which verse would they like to reflect their love
for the Word?
6
Lesson 1 (Continued)
Chapter 2: There Is Power in the Word
While at a Salvation Army women’s camp, I heard Major Marilyn Aldrich tell the following incident. “After Larry, a high school classmate, learned that I attended The Salvation Army Sunday
School, he began teasing me during our forty-minute bus ride to school. ‘Hey, Marilyn, is that a new
dress from The Salvation Army store?’ and ‘Put a nickel on the drum and save another drunken bum’
were his favorite jibes.”
In desperation Marilyn asked her minister how to respond. He suggested, “Every time he harasses you, quote a Bible verse to him.” She determined to take his advice.
The next morning when Larry made an irritating comment, she calmly replied, “For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV).
His taunts grew louder, but Marilyn would not back down. Sometimes she would quote 1 John
1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (KJV).
That year the more Larry tormented her, the more she poured on Bible verses. “I had to learn
more verses,” Marilyn laughed, “but I most often quoted John 3:16 or 1 John 1:9 because they came
to mind first.”
Twenty years later Marilyn walked into her high school reunion. When several told her, “Larry
is looking for you,” her heart sank. She determined to avoid him.
Eventually Larry found her in the crowd, and Marilyn sat in amazed silence as he told his story.
“I became an alcoholic and lost everything—my business, wife, custody of my children. One night I
drove to the country with a gun determined to commit suicide. I was holding the gun to my head
when all of a sudden I began to hear your voice saying, ‘For God so loved the world . . .’ The amazing thing was that I had never gone to church and never read a Bible, so hearing the Scripture in my
memory got my attention. When I put the gun down, I heard the other Scripture, “If we confess our
sins . . .”
Larry drove back to town, heading for the first church he could find open, went in, knelt down,
and found forgiveness.
God had used Marilyn to plant His powerful Word in the heart of her tormenter. Years later the
Holy Spirit used those words to do His work.
7
Does anyone in the group have an illustration of God’s Word accomplishing far more than anticipated?
Isaiah first made the comparison of God’s Word to a sword (Isa. 49:2). Also see Eph. 6:17 and
Rev. 1:16. The sword shows the piercing, discerning power of God’s Word to cut through people’s
thoughts, intentions, and motivations.
Why does the Word have this power?
Can we choose not to allow the Word to reveal our motivations?
“For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are” (Heb. 4:12 NLT). Why is it
a blessing to have our true motivations and who we really are revealed to us?
Do most people welcome this revelation? Why or why not?
The sword is the only piece of offensive equipment in the armor described in Eph. 6. What are
ways God intends for us to use it? Consider witnessing, prayer, and our personal lives.
Read Ps. 33:4-9 and consider the power of God’s Words. We have a God who speaks such a powerful word that all of creation appears. How should this impact our confidence in His promises?
Why is it in our willingness to respond to the Word that we discover its power?
What Scriptures have corrected you?
What Scriptures have guided you?
What Scriptures have changed you?
What Scriptures have encouraged you?
Group Activity: Choose a Scripture on the power of God’s Word (such as Jer. 23:24 or Isa. 55:811) for them to read silently. Ask them to pray that God will speak to them through these verses.
Then, as they read, they are to jot down what thoughts come to mind. After some minutes, they will
break into twos and share what the Lord has taught them. If time permits, ask who would be willing
to share with the entire group.
8
Lesson 2
(Chapters 3 and 4)
Chapter 3: Lord, Prepare My Heart
Robert Mulholland in his book Shaped by the Word says that when we come to the Word, “we
often are not looking for a transforming encounter with God. We are more often seeking some tidbits
of information.” Yet reflective reading is not reading done for the purpose of learning facts to teach
others. That is a side benefit.
We prepare our hearts to read God’s Word by expecting to be blessed in our reading. We read
with reverence. What are other attitudes we must bring to God’s Word so our hearts are prepared to
receive it?
Andrew Murray said that God’s Word and God’s Spirit are inseparable (page 20). What do you
think he meant?
What does our reluctance to welcome the discernment of the Word into our lives say about us?
Describe how we read differently when we have made an inner decision, down in the center of
our being, that whatever we see in the Word to obey, we will do? Consider Exod. 19:8.
When we are eager to understand the Word, God gives us insight, and His Word feeds our spirits. The Hebrew word for “manna” means “what is it?” because those words sound like what the Israelites said when they saw the manna on the ground. Before God’s Word can become manna to us,
we, too, must ask, “What is it?” “What is it to me?” “What does it mean for my life?”
How do we read differently when we are reading to be transformed rather than merely to gain
information? Why is it often easier to read to gather information?
Our purpose in coming to the Word is to become like Christ. What is our responsibility and
what is God’s?
Read 2 Chron. 1:7-12. What did it say about Solomon’s character to ask for wisdom? Why do
you think God went beyond His original offer?
Group Activity: Divide into small groups and discuss this question: If you could ask God for
anything right now, for what would you ask? This week make your request for more wisdom a part of
your daily prayer.
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Lesson 2 (Continued)
Chapter 4: Listening with All Our Hearts
George Mueller, who was known for his strong faith, confided, “The first 3 years after conversion, I neglected the Word of God. Since I began to search it diligently, the blessing has been wonderful. I have read the Bible through one hundred times and always with increasing delight!” (Jay
Carty, Counterattack). Is there any other book that could be read with delight 100 times?
Why do you think the Bible can continually be of such interest?
To find wisdom requires the same kind of activity required to find a buried treasure. What
would you say is the goal of this treasure hunt? Intellectual knowledge? Change in behavior? Moral
knowledge? All of the above? Something else?
What benefits do we gain from this treasure hunt? See verses 5 through 11.
How does your search for wisdom compare with these verses?
Sometimes as we seek to know Christ better, our understanding does not come immediately. It
requires, as Dallas Willard says, time and intensity (page 27). Why are these required? Why are time
and intensity seldom devoted to our intake of the Word?
What do you think Jesus intended for the Pharisees to do in Matt. 9:13? Did they do it? Read
Matt. 12:7.
Describe the difference between reading a handwritten letter from a dear friend you have not
heard from for a long time and paging through the newspaper because you want to catch up on the
news. Consider your intention, attitude, and manner you bring to the words of each.
Which type of reading do you think most often describes your Bible reading? Why?
After Mary sat listening at Jesus’ feet, she had a deep desire to express her love to her Lord. She
took a pint of pure nard and poured it on His feet. “The house was filled with the fragrance of the
perfume” (John 12:3). Isn’t this our response too? Our sitting at His feet causes us to long to show
Him our love. Then others are affected, also, by the fragrance of our lives.
Group Activity: In small groups, discuss a time when a well-known passage yielded a fresh insight or an encouraging word you needed at that moment.
10
Lesson 3
(Chapters 5 and 6)
Chapter 5: Record the Treasures
Christian writer Maxine Hancock, speaking at a writers’ conference, said that occasionally she
awakens at night with new ideas flooding her brain. She takes good care of those ideas, writing them
down, later organizing them, polishing them, and then eventually using them in her writing or
speaking. She loves wisdom, and in turn, wisdom loves her.
Taking notes while we read Scripture enables us to hear more deeply God’s Word for our lives.
The secret of keeping a daily journal is in keeping it simple and flexible enough that it does not become a weight, but rather a practical tool.
In Genesis, God asked Adam, “Adam, where are you?” (3:9). Our notebook can be our response
to that question. We are not writing only what we’ve read, but what it says about our lives and how we
will respond to the truth.
We can use a spiral notebook or a loose-leaf notebook. Write the date at the top, then brief entries in one or more of the following categories:
1. Any insights or reflections that have emerged in meditation
2. Any verse that you want to understand better
3. Verses that can be turned into prayers for those on your prayer list
4. Passages that are stretching you, deepening you
5. Something you have read or thought about that you would like to remember
6. Verses you want to memorize
7. Prayers and answers to prayers
What are other types of entries you could add to your notebook?
What might be hindrances to writing freely in a notebook? What about the concern that others
will read it? What can be done to eliminate that fear?
Have you kept a record of the Lord’s speaking to you? If so, of what value has it been?
What does it say to you when someone thinks what you say is so important that he or she wants
to write it down?
11
Group Activity: Choose a scripture (such as Phil. 4:4-9) for them to read silently. Ask them to
pray that God will speak to them through these verses. Then, as they read, they are to jot down what
thoughts come to mind. After some minutes, they will break into twos and share what the Lord has
taught them. If time permits, ask who would be willing to share with the entire group.
12
Lesson 3 (Continued)
Chapter 6: The Blessing of Listening Daily
Is reading the Bible a necessary part of your day or does it have a low priority in your life?
George Mueller, after having read the Bible through 100 times with increasing delight, made this
statement:
I look upon it as a lost day when I have not had a good time over the Word of God. Friends
often say, ‘I have so much to do, so many people to see, I cannot find time for Scripture study.’
Perhaps there are not many who have more to do than I. For more than half a century I have
never known one day when I had not more business than I could get through. For 4 years I have
had annually about 30,000 letters, and most of these have passed through my own hands. Then,
as pastor of a church with 1,200 believers, great has been my care. Besides, I have had charge of
five immense orphanages; also, at my publishing depot, the printing and circulating of millions
of tracts, books, and Bibles; but I have always made it a rule never to begin work until I have had
a good season with God and His Word. The blessing I have received has been wonderful (Jay
Carty, Counterattack).
Sometimes we say, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” Why is it often the busy
person who gets the important things done?
John Wesley encouraged daily Bible reading: “O Begin! Fix some part of every day for private
exercises. . . . Whether you like it or no, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way:
else you will be a trifler all your days. . . . Do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow.
Do not starve yourself any longer” (“Letter to John Trembath, August 17, 1760”).
Notice that John Wesley says we are to read daily. Wisdom calls for a daily hearing: “Happy are
those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates” (Prov. 8:34 NLT). Give three reasons daily
reading is important.
What are the “lesser things” you need to eliminate in your life?
Discuss the place of structure in our lives.
Why do we need it?
How much do we need?
When does it get in the way, and when does it help us?
13
If some in the group have not been daily Bible readers, encourage them to make a new decision
to read the Bible daily. Provide cards they can use to record not only their decision but also the time
of day they plan to read. This is not a once-for-all-time decision, but a decision that is practical for
this time in their life. Suggest that they put a copy of their decision where they will see it frequently.
Group Activity: We easily get discouraged when our disciplines become boring or difficult. God
intends for those in the Body of Christ to support one another. Suggest that group members pair up
(perhaps with a member next to them) to share their decisions, pray for each other, and hold each
other accountable. The Christian life is not to be lived alone; we are to allow another to encourage
us when the daily discipline seems to be unproductive and uninteresting.
14
Lesson 4
(Chapters 7 and 8)
Chapter 7: Beyond Memorizing
On February 11, 1962, Parade Magazine published an account about a priest in Kalonovka,
Russia, who discovered he could increase Sunday School attendance by giving candy to the children.
One little boy managed to memorize the four Gospels and recited all four nonstop in church.
This article in Parade Magazine was written 60 years later, when the prize pupil still liked to recite Scriptures, but in a context that would dismay the old priest. The prize pupil, who memorized so
much of the Bible, was Nikita Khrushchev, the former Communist czar.
Nikita Khrushchev easily memorized God’s Word when a child, but later after his cosmonauts
failed to see God, he declared Him to be nonexistent. Khrushchev memorized the Scriptures for the
rewards rather than for the meaning they had for his life.
How often to you think external motivation produces superficial results?
When is it wise to use rewards?
Have you ever memorized Scripture for a reward? If so, has it benefited you?
When is the last time you memorized Scripture?
What memorization methods work best for you?
What are “spare moment” times you can use to memorize?
The Holy Spirit promises to help us recall His Word, but computers teach us that we cannot retrieve data that has never been entered. List three other reasons why making Scripture memorization
a priority is of value?
Recent studies have shown that a child under the age of 12 who memorizes a second language
stores the words in a different place than a child who memorizes after the age of 12. The older child
does not remember the language as long. Young children who memorize Scripture before the age of
12 have an advantage. Ask what verses they can remember that they learned as children.
Group Activity: In small groups, recite a favorite verse that you have memorized, or discuss a
topic for a verse that you intend to find and memorize.
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Lesson 4 (Continued)
Chapter 8: Purpose-Driven Meditation
Dietrich Bonhoeffer had these insightful words to say about meditation:
“The Word of Scripture should never stop sounding in your ears and working in you all day
long, just like the words of someone you love. And just as you do not analyze the words of someone
you love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your
heart, as Mary did. That is all. That is meditation. . . . Do not ask ‘How shall I pass this on?’ but
‘What does it say to me?’ Then ponder this Word long in your heart until it has gone right into you
and taken possession of you” (Marjorie J. Thompson, Soul Feast).
Consider the difference God’s Word makes in our lives when we dwell upon it rather than
merely quickly read today’s passage?
What do you think Bonhoeffer meant when he said it would take possession of us?
What has been your experience with meditation? Do you meditate on the Word of God? What
misconceptions about this discipline do you need to address?
Many who struggle with distressing thoughts and worries and feelings of futility have discovered
that Christian meditation can be their defense. When they fill their minds with awareness of God’s
tender love, they are quickly at peace and almost instantly relieved. God’s Spirit rescues those who
commit their minds to Him and allow His thoughts to replace their own. We can use trips around
town, walks through crowded malls, or sitting in a doctor’s office as times we can meditate “in his law
day and night.” What are times you can capture your imagination and focus it on the reality of God?
We don’t try to meditate while watching television, although some find gentle background music helpful. How quiet must it be for you to be undistracted?
What challenge does the discipline of meditation pose for you?
Can you remember what you read this morning?
Can you remember what you read yesterday morning?
One mental exercise that helps with the practice of the lost art of meditation is to assign an attribute of God to each letter in the alphabet. In times of anxiety, start at A and focus on everything
from God’s awesome faithfulness to His zeal for His holiness.
Group Activity: Go through the alphabet with the group allowing them to say words describing
God as you call out the letters. This can also be done by each small group.
16
Lesson 5
(Chapter 9)
Chapter 9: Be Cleansed by the Word
At the height of her fame as the other woman in the Ivana and Donald Trump breakup, Marla
Maples spoke of her religious roots. She believed in the Bible, she told interviewers, then added the
disclaimer, “but you can’t always take [it] literally and be happy” (Charles Colson, The Body). What
do you think she meant?
Mark Twain reportedly said, “It’s not the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand that bother
me; it’s the parts I do understand.” Marla and Mark apparently shared the same opinion of the Word.
Why do you think it is difficult for some to say, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is
within my heart” (Ps. 40:8 KJV)?
We are “clean because of the word” (John 15:3). How does His Word cleanse us? Can you give a
time or event in your life when God cleansed you through His Word?
To be cleansed by the Word, we must be willing to be radically available to God. Describe what
the words “radically available” mean to you?
What role does humility play in our being changed by the Word?
In his book Shaped by the Word, M. Robert Mulholland Jr. says, “It is possible for us to will the
will of God but not surrender our heart. I can will the will of God for my life, but I can will to do it
in my way, at my convenience, when it suits me, how it suits me.” Why is it we can honestly and sincerely desire and even decide to do the will of God, and remain unchanged?
Discuss the adage, “People convinced against their will are of the same opinion still?”
Are all Christians teachable? Why or why not?
When are you most able to receive instruction?
If you learned you just had six months to live, how would your response to God’s Word change?
17
Discuss the purpose of the laver in the Old Testament tabernacle. Why do we need both the
mirror and the water? How does Scripture provide both?
Why is speedy obedience important?
The Holy Spirit brings His truth to us giving us practical ways we can apply it to our lives. We
then can either submit to His discipline or refuse it.
Share a time when you submitted or refused and the outcome? How might you do it differently
next time?
Group Activity: Choose a scripture (such as Rom. 12:9-18) for them to read silently. Ask them
to pray that God will speak to them through these verses. Then, as they read, they are to jot down
what thoughts come to mind. In what area does the Holy Spirit want to cleanse them through obedience to the Word? Ask them to either pray silently or write their prayer asking God for power to obey
what He has spoken to them.
If time permits, ask who would be willing to share with the entire group.
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Lesson 6
(Chapters 10 and 11)
Chapter 10: When Your Mind Wanders
Ask the group to consider some practical matters that help them when they sit down to read the
Bible. For instance, the following are suggestions:
Choose a quiet place.
Try not to read when you are tired. Have something to drink to help you keep alert.
Reading the Bible first before you do anything else in the day often helps avoid distractions.
Sometimes it is helpful to read the Bible aloud. Oswald Smith shared that wandering thoughts
in his personal devotional life often plagued him. He got rid of the wandering thoughts by reading
God’s Word aloud and praying aloud.
A larger print Bible can also help with concentration because it is easier to read and the pages of
the Bible are not as cluttered with type.
Be persistent. If you find yourself unable to concentrate for a period, don’t quit. Just go back at it
the next day and the next and the next. There are ups and downs in Bible study as there are in everything else in life.
When we have difficulty keeping our mind and heart focused on the Word, one of several actions will help.
Personalize the promises of God. For instance, personalize 2 Cor. 10:5 and ask the Lord to enable you to “[bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (KJV).
Make your to-do list for the day. Keep a piece of paper and a pen next to you during your quiet
time, and as your mind drifts to things you need to do that day, jot them down and then refocus on
God.
When your mind is wandering, ask the Lord what He is saying to you? “Never leave a passage,”
Dr. Stephen Olford advises, “until you can write down what God is saying to you in order that you
can pray it back to God.”
Perhaps Martha could have overheard Jesus while she was working. What types of things do you
tend to combine with Bible reading that might be a distraction?
19
Ask the group if there have been turning points in their Bible reading? For instance, one lady
said she adopted the practice of deciding upon a topic and then looking for references on a specific
subject. Her reading became intensely interesting, like a treasure hunt. No longer does her mind
wander on to other things; she reads with a purpose in mind, and so has to concentrate.
What are ways we can follow Paul’s admonition to Bible reading: “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled” (1 Pet. 1:13)?
“Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). How do we come near God?
Group Activity: Ask them to discuss in small groups, both their greatest hindrances and what
they find most helpful in keeping their minds focused as they read Scripture.
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Lesson 6 (Continued)
Chapter 11: Have a Routine
The son and daughter-in-law of missionary J. Hudson Taylor recalled traveling with him in
northern China, staying in the poorest of inns. They would screen off a corner for their father and
another for themselves with curtains, and then, during the night they would hear a match struck and
see the flicker of candlelight, which told them that Mr. Taylor, no matter how weary, was poring over
his little Bible. From two to four A.M. was the time he usually gave to prayer and God’s Word; it was
the time he could be most sure of being undisturbed to wait upon God (Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor,
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret). How do you think Mr. Taylor gained such discipline?
When our days are especially full, the Spirit awakens us in the night or early in the morning and
prompts us to get up and meet with Him. He helps the children to take a nap or to play quietly by
themselves while we quiet ourselves to listen. He nudges us to take our Bibles to work and to spend
our lunch hours alone with Him.
How do you decide what to read in the Bible?
About how much do you read each day?
Have there been times in your life when the Word meant more to you than at other times?
We “can never be legalistic in the area of spiritual disciplines” (page 77). How do we know if we
are being legalistic about our Bible reading?
Are you more likely to be legalistic or to neglect it?
Which do you think is worse? What are other alternatives?
How does your spiritual hungering and thirsting compare to your physical hungering and thirsting?
Group Activity: Suggest that each of the members develop some system of spiritual accountability. For instance, you could divide them into groups of two or three. Ask them to discuss how they
can find protected time to read and study the word and have prayer. What would be their ideal routine? What routine works for them? Then each would decide what goals he or she would want to
meet this next week, pray together for each other’s specific needs, and agree to report the following
week.
21
Lesson 7
(Chapter 12)
Chapter 12: Let the Word Change Your Prayer life
We’re told to pray Scripture. “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God. And pray in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:17, 18). The implication here is that we are to take
the Word of God with us when we go expecting to pray in the Spirit. Compare this with the thought
expressed in Ps. 145:18.
Can we pick out any verse and then automatically claim it? If we could, would our faith be in
the process rather than in God?
“May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands. . . . to carry
out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints” (Ps. 149:6-8). Read all three
verses in your Bible. The Israelites had literal battles to fight. In this dispensation of grace, we wrestle
not with flesh and blood; yet our warfare is just as real and our victory is just as sure. According to
these verses, what are we to use in battle?
God promises, “I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled” (Jer. 1:12).
Because God personally sees that His Word accomplishes His desires, why not use His Word in
our prayers? We can reverently quote it back to Him confident that His Word always achieves the
purpose for which He sends it. (Isa. 55:11).
God’s Word never returns to Him without accomplishing what He desires. Read Isa. 55:10-11.
Consider how unlikely it is for rain to go back up to the skies before it reaches the ground and what
that means about the reliability of God’s Word.
When Jesus said that “not the smallest letter” or “the least stroke of a pen” in His Word would
pass away until all is fulfilled (Matt. 5:18), it was as though He said not one dot of the “i” or one
curve of the “a” from Scripture will disappear until it is all accomplished. “Not one smallest letter
nor one little hook [identifying certain Hebrew letters] will pass from the Law until all things [it foreshadows] have been accomplished” (AMP.). We can depend on God’s Words and should use them in
prayer.
Make a list of scriptures you can turn into prayers, such as the following:
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Help him (her) to be joyful always; pray continually, and to give thanks in all circumstances recognizing that this is God’s will for him (her) in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
Help him (her) to never tire of doing what is right (2 Thess. 3:13).
Help him (her) not to rely on himself (herself) but on God (2 Cor. 1:9).
Make all grace abound to him (her), so that in all things at all times, having all that he (she)
needs, he (she) will abound in every good work (2 Cor. 9:8).
We pray that he (she) will not do anything wrong. . . . My prayer is for his (her) perfection
(2 Cor. 13:7, 9).
I pray that out of Your glorious riches, You would strengthen them with power through Your
Spirit in their inner beings, so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith (Eph. 3:16).
Group Activity: Ask them to divide into groups of two or three and pray Scripture for each other. Let them select the scripture they will pray or suggest Paul’s prayers in Eph. 1, Phil. 1, or Col. 1.
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Lesson 8
(Chapters 13 and 14)
Chapter 13: Read with Understanding
Have the group read Paul’s prayers in the first chapters of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Why do you think his prayers for the believers’ growth so frequently included his fervent desire
for them to grow in wisdom, understanding, and knowledge?
Reading for information serves our formational reading. What should our time in the Word include?
In Ezra 7:9-10 what three things did Ezra do to gain the gracious hand of God upon his life?
(“The gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”)
Especially notice the verbs in Prov. 2:1-4. What is the significance of each one when applied to
reading Scripture?
According to these verses, what do you need to do to gain wisdom? How would you do each of
these?
Why is reading and rereading Scripture often a preferred way to study?
When should we turn to a commentary in our study?
How does the idea that God values our growth in knowledge affect your response to Him?
Stress to the group that the goal of all our Bible reading and studying is an encounter with God.
Group Activity: Do a word study in small groups. Provide a concordance for each group.
Choose a word (such as “tongue” or “lips” in Proverbs or “joy” or “grace”) or ask the group to select a
word to look up. One person can read the verses and the others jot down the thoughts expressed in
the verses. If time permits, ask them to share with the entire group what insights they gained.
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Lesson 8 (Continued)
Chapter 14: Establishing Your Routine
I recently opened an old Bible and found this note our son wrote years ago. The note had been
attached to some candy.
Dad,
This is not your real gift. I couldn’t think of anything that I’d like better, than to spend another couple of hours talking (like the other night) when nothing is necessarily “wrong.” So this
entitles you or me to call and meet, eat, and talk at any place and any time. And I will pay for
the meal.
Love you,
Gregg
P.S. Hope you enjoy the candy.
Our Heavenly Father sends us a similar invitation. “I would love to spend some time talking
with you. Come to My Word, not because you see it as an obligation, but because listening to Me is a
pleasure.”
If our relationship with God is really important to us, we will make time to read His Word. Developing the habit of regular Bible reading and meditation is like building any new habit in our life:
it takes firm commitment, creativity, and perseverance.
When we fall in love, we readily set other things aside in order to secure coveted time to be with
our beloved. It should be no different with God.
When we choose to skip Bible reading, perhaps Jesus would say, “If you, even you, had only
known . . . what would bring you peace” (Luke 19:42). Someday the rewards of faithful reading of
the Scripture will be evident, and we will be so glad we continued to read and meditate even when
we could see no results. What are some of the rewards regular reading of Scripture provides?
Discuss Oswald Smith’s comment that to be filled with the Word is the same as being filled with
the Spirit.
It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer
when our enjoyment is gone; as if it were of no use to read the Scriptures when we do not enjoy
them, and as if it were of no value to pray when we have no spirit of prayer. The truth is that in order
to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to con-
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tinue praying. The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray,
the less we desire to pray.
How do you encourage your own faithfulness?
How can you help others to be faithful to spend time with God?
Ask for volunteers to share their Bible-reading journey of the past weeks.
*To contact the author, go to WomenAliveMinistries.com and e-mail the editor.
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