Currently I am listening to a couple of teachings of renowned
Christian teachers that I look up to. I admire their knowledge of
the Word and their way of interpreting it. I enjoy listening to
them as I can see that they are very close to the Lord. But the
more I listened to them, the more confused I became, as they differ
on certain spiritual issues. Of course they all agree on the basics
of Christianity, but on other issues, like sicknesses and healing
for example, they disagree and each one of them can prove their
point of view by using and quoting Scripture. Now this threw my
totally off guard, because I believe that the Lord is speaking
through them. But how can He be speaking through them, if they
differ on certain topics? The God I know is not a God of confusion,
but of unity. He wants to unite us in the Spirit and keep us close
to Him. He doesn't want all of us to go in different directions and
He doesn't want us to become skeptical of one another in the
Spirit. There is only one Truth, there cannot be many versions to
it.
So this morning I spoke to Him about it as it is bothering me
and it was then that the Lord spoke to me.
"Ilze, it is wonderful that you listen to all these teachings,
it is wonderful that you want to learn, but tell Me one thing,
despite doing bible study through these teachings, how many times
have you read the Bible through in your lifetime?"
I turned red. "Once." I admitted.
"Now don't you think you should start reading through the Bible
again?"
I realized that He was right. There is nothing wrong with
listening to other teachers. There is nothing wrong with attending
church, in fact it is a good thing. But one must never neglect the
Word of God. The Word of God is the essence of our faith. We should
go through it again and again and again. It is so rich in
treasures, you will still find something new even if you read it
for the 100th time. The Holy Spirit will guide you and
teach you and will highlight and reveal something new to you each
time.
Now don't understand me wrong, it is great to listen to other
teachings! It is great to learn from others, but make sure that you
have your Bible in hand. Make sure that you are armed with it and
that you know it, in order to know whether the teaching is pure and
right. Only then will you not live in confusion, you will know the
truth and the truth will set you free!
I am ready to go through my Bible once more. And this time I
think it is the beginning of many more.
Thank you Father for Your beautiful Word. Thank you that You
gave it to us in order to learn and not be left in the darkness.
Help us to make time to treasure it in our hearts. Amen