HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR ME TO READ THE BIBLE DAILY?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes
of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12)

MEDITATION:
Some believers have trouble disciplining themselves to read the Bible
often. Some feel that their schedule is too busy to include daily Bible
reading. Think about that for a second, Jesus spent six hours on the
cross taking the punishment we deserve and we can’t dedicate some
thirty minutes a day reading God’s Word? Some even feel that it’s
the pastor’s job to spoon feed God’s Word to them.

In summary, there are many believers who don’t understand
the importance of reading the scriptures. And, not just reading
the Bible, but meditating on the scriptures, as well. It should be
reading for quality over quantity. In other words, we need to see
what the scriptures are saying directly to us (the same verse can
speak to two different people in different ways).

So, the question is,
    “Is reading the Bible often really that important?”
The answer to that question is,
    “Yes, it is extremely important!”

Reading, understanding, and memorizing scripture is our best
defense against the attacks from Satan. As we can all attest, his
attacks on believers are daily and relentless. That means we are
in a ‘war’ with Satan every single day! How do we overcome the
evil one in our everyday life?

First, we need to recognize that the devil is a defeated foe. Jesus
came to undo the work of Satan. The crucifixion of Jesus, looked
like a mighty victory for Satan, but it turned out the greatest win
for the Lord, and His people. Why?
    Because it was on the cross that Jesus took our sins
    on Himself. God laid our sins on Jesus and when He
    bowed His head and said, “It is finished,” He was
    referring to the plan of redemption and salvation.

Next, we need to learn from the scriptures how to battle Satan.
We are told to resist the devil, and he will flee from us.
    Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist
    the devil, and he will flee from you.
    (James 4:7)

We need to learn how Jesus dealt with Satan’s efforts to tempt Him
He overcame the devil not by engaging in arguments, but simply by
quoting scriptures. Three times Satan challenged Jesus and in every
case, Jesus quoted scriptures.
    The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the
    Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
    Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not
    live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
    from the mouth of God.’”
    (Matthew 4:3-4)

    “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself
      down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels
      concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands,
      so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
      Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put
      the Lord your God to the test.’”
      (Matthew 4:6-7)

    Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and
    showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their
    splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will
    bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away
    from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord
    your God, and serve him only.’”
    (Matthew 4:8-10)

What was the result of the tactics used by Jesus?
The devil left Him!
    Then the devil left Him, and
    angels came and attended Him.
    (Matthew 4:11)

If quoting scriptures was how Jesus turned away temptations from
Satan and caused him to leave, then certainly it will work for us as
well. Too often believers engage in discussions (arguments) with Satan,
and are disappointed when they find he is much more skillful at arguing
than we are. He can plant justifications for sinning in our minds which
can control us.

When looking at the example of Jesus, we can see why it is so important
to learn and memorize scripture passages. But don’t miss these two ideas
in the scriptures about Satan’s efforts to tempt God’s own Son.

In Matthew, we see that not only was Satan frustrated and left,
but the angels came and attended to Jesus. Do you believe there
are angels today? If they attended to Jesus, wouldn’t they attend
to us, as well?

Secondly, if we look at Luke’s report of the Satan’s attempts to
tempt Jesus, we see that it’s the same as Matthew’s report, but
it includes a reminder, that the temptations of Satan don’t “go
away” just because we have one victory; he retreats, regroups
and looks for more opportunities to tempt us again, and again.
    When the devil had finished all this tempting,
    he left Him until an opportune time.
    (Luke 4:12)

If we know that reading the Bible prepares us for battles with
Satan, and we know that his temptations are relentless, then
doesn’t it just make sense that our reading and meditating on
scriptures should be relentless as well?

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Do I consider reading and meditating on God’s Word
       an important part in the life of every believer?
    – How often do I read the Bible?
    – Do I read fast so I can cover many verses, or do I read slowly
       so I can meditate on each verse, even if I only read a few verses?

We don’t read the Bible so we can tell others how much we have read.
We read God’s Word so we can see how it speaks to us individually and
the impact it can have on our life and attitude as a follower of Jesus.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the protection of Your Word
as I face everyday temptation from the evil one. Teach me the
importance of spending time reading Your Word and meditating
on each verse. Help me memorize key verses so I can recite
them to Satan whenever he tempts me. Show me how to carve
out a portion of my daily schedule for reading Your Word and
give me the determination to commit to being consistent about
reading the Bible.”

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