Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
Today we’ll look at Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and how He responded because the same principle can help us when we are fighting temptation or spiritual attacks. We will, also, look at how memorizing Scripture fits into all this and how the devil can, actually, use Scripture against us.
Also, did you know that every major civilization has a “flood story” as part of its oral or written history? What does the biblical account of the flood teach us about God, His character, and His sovereign control of world events? And why should this be so comforting to us in the sometimes dangerous time in which we’re living?
If you’re like most Christians, you have thought about reading through the Bible. Maybe you have tried in the past but quit somewhere along the line. Or maybe you have done it successfully … perhaps numerous times.
Why is it so important? Can’t we get everything we need by going to church, reading a verse or two each day, and listening to podcasts here and there? Isn’t it just too time-consuming? One more thing on a long to-do list? And if we make that commitment, how do we press through when it’s tempting to give up?
Please keep reading. I’d like to answer those questions and offer you one more way to help make this your year to read the Bible from start to finish.
I don’t have to tell most of you that life can get messy. Much of that messiness is the result of our own choices. Those messes and the consequences are often what God uses to get our attention. As a result, we experience sorrow and regret. But is sorrow or regret what God requires? Rather than regret, He calls us to repentance. But what exactly is that? Is sorrow, depression, or something more?
And on a wider scale, have you taken some time to think about your plan to grow spiritually this year? We are never standing still with God. We are either growing or slipping backward. Let’s always be growing.
It started right there in the garden. The serpent tempted Eve with a thought, “Did God really say …?” The first step in his deception was to get her to doubt God and he’s still whispering the same question today. What is he tempting you to doubt?
But God didn’t give up on mankind. In fact, in the next chapter of Genesis, He counseled a young man named Cain about the anger that was growing in his heart. He warned him that sin was crouching at the door like a hungry lion. What could be crouching at the door of your heart and mine? Is there some bitterness or unforgiveness for which we need to repent? Is there some temptation to anger, impurity, or worry? Find out what we can do about it before it’s too late.
Also read about the danger of thinking we’re smarter than God, the importance of honoring parents, and some examples of fulfilled prophecy.
Why a fresh start through the Bible? And why “through” the Bible? Why not just read here and there, perhaps finding a subject that interests you? Or how about a short devotional? As long as you read something every day, isn’t that good enough? Today’s reading from the book of Psalms gives us a very good illustration of why it’s so important to read God’s Word in context.
The psalmist in Psalm 1 talks about a man who is like a tree planted on a riverbank where it gets plenty of water and is always fruitful. The psalmist goes on to say that God prospers whatever this man does.
I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be like that. But despite some who teach that God wants to make every believer prosperous, there are requirements for this prosperity. There are things we must do and other things we are to avoid. We also need to understand what the psalmist meant when he wrote about prosperity. If we don’t, we may find ourselves disillusioned, even angry, with God.
But this is just one example of the importance of understanding God’s Word in context, in its entirety. One of the biggest problems I find among believers is a failure to know God, to know His character, and to know how He works through our tests and trials. As a result, far too many lead faithless defeated lives.
Today we’ll finish our Old Testament reading with the little book of Malachi. Though it’s little in size, it’s not little in spiritual truth. Malachi’s words challenge us to give God our best, not what is left over, whether that means our finances, time, talent, or some other resource.
So, how can we purpose in our hearts to give God our best in the coming year? How can we bring Him glory in all we do and honor Him in our marriages, our singleness, or whatever our situation?
Then our final passage in Proverbs pictures “the virtuous or excellent wife.” We’ll look at how an ancient description speaks to us today.
Finally, as you read the last 2 chapters of Revelation, allow John’s vision of the glories to come to excite your heart!
The Bible is not a series of books about God. It is one book, penned by numerous human authors, and inspired by God. It is His-story told through His continuing revelation of Himself to mankind. The more you read it, the more you see how the books, the prophesies, the stories, and the letters fit together like the pieces of a puzzle. In today’s O.T. reading Zechariah prophesied hundreds of years earlier about many of the things Jesus showed John in the book of Revelation.
And in our New Testament reading, as we continue through the book of Revelation, we learn about two final judgments. One day every person will stand before God at one of them: “the great white throne judgment” or “the judgment seat of Christ.” Where will you stand?
I will still be here in the coming year blogging through the Bible in a Year. But beginning this January, I’ll also be posting Bible in a Year videos on YouTube. You can view several of them right now including...
Believing lies about anything can lead to problems but believing lies about your spiritual life and eternity can be downright dangerous. Yet, rarely do we think we are vulnerable to such lies. That’s part of the danger. Lies and those who promote them can be so appealing. But since our eternal destiny is at stake, how can we be sure we aren’t believing lies?
False religion and prosperity can both have an intoxicating effect on men and women.
In its extreme, false religion enables people to become suicide bombers, terrorists, and even radical defenders of abortion or gay rights. But there are other forms of false religion that can be just as dangerous to us personally.
Prosperity, on the other hand, can lull people into a materialistic stupor that renders them blind to what’s really important.
Also …
When we experience sorrow over sin, is it worldly sorrow or godly sorrow? This is important to understand because one leads to life and the other to death. And, finally, what do we have in common with lions, greyhounds, goats, and kings?
