E.A.T. the Word
If you fail to apply God’s Word to your life, you are missing out on the abundant living Jesus spoke about. The Word is appropriate for every situation you may face. God has an answer.
Welcome to the 83rd issue of The Aim and Soar Life, a weekly newsletter about faith, personal growth, and lifestyle that provides actionable, relatable, and biblically rooted content to help you live abundantly and GROW YOU. GOD’S WAY.
Happy Sunday Friend!
In last week’s post, 3 Ways Reading the Word Can Bring You Closer to God, we focused on reading the Word.
Today we are going to dig a bit deeper in our quest to become closer to God. I encourage you to read the other posts for October (the theme is Closer) if you haven’t already.
But for now, I have a question for you.
How do you study the Word?
It’s one thing to read the Word, but how do you (as we like to say in the field of education) internalize it?
Do you study by theme or topic? Do you do word studies? What methods do you use to help you internalize God’s Word?
I’ve seen all kinds of creative ways to study the Bible, such as color-coding, writing scripture, and drawing it. We serve a creative God so why not be creative in our studying? Hmmm…
When I first became a Christian, I read for knowledge because I needed to learn about God and understand who God is. I needed to know and understand what I believed.
As I matured in my journey with Christ, I began to ask questions like, “How does this apply to me?” or “What can I do with this?”
Sometimes, reading the Word can be overwhelming. I’ve even heard people joke that if you are suffering from insomnia, just read the Bible.😂
Well, let me tell you, the Bible is one book you don’t want to sleep on!
I’ve developed an acronym to help me (and hopefully you and someone you know) read the Word with a life application or personalized approach, even if you are new to studying.
I call it E.A.T. the Word.
Yup!
Just go ahead and E.A.T. it! (There’s a book coming. I promise.)
The prophet Jeremiah is a perfect example of someone who internalized God’s Word. When we are studying, we digest God’s Word, and it becomes a part of us.
Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.Jeremiah 15:16, NKJV
So… let me break down my acronym for you.
E= Examine the Word
A= Ask questions
T= Think about how it applies to you
Let’s dig into this scrumptious way of studying.
Examine the Word
When you examine the Word, you are reading to grasp what the Word is saying. I love to write down the scripture or passage that I’m studying to help me internalize what it says. When you write something down it can help you to make it “stick” in your brain.
To be clear, this is in addition to knowing and understanding the context of a scripture (the who, what, where, when, and why). You must understand these things first in order to apply scripture to your life properly.
Ask Questions
It is so important to ask questions when studying the Word. It deepens your knowledge and understanding. For example, I was studying Psalm 34 last year and I wrote questions in the margin of my journal like, “What do you see?” and “What is God saying to you?” Then I wrote down what I felt God was speaking to me through the scripture.
Don’t be afraid to ask God questions like, “Lord, how do I walk this out when my life is a mess?” God hears you! He can speak to you during your study and reveal things to you to help you navigate life.
I’ve included a snapshot of what my study journal looks like and I’ve marked the E.A.T. so you can see what it looks like in practice.
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.Psalm 34:1, NKJV
Think About How It Applies to You
God didn’t give us His Word to read it only. He wants us to apply the Word to our lives.
As I studied verse 1 of Psalm 34, I concluded that I shouldn’t let anything interfere with my praise. That was my beautiful application of that scripture.
If you fail to apply God’s Word to your life, you are missing out on the abundant living Jesus spoke about. The Word is appropriate for every situation you may face. God has an answer.
I challenge you this week to E.A.T. the WORD for seven days and see what a difference it makes in your life.
Peace and Love.
Until Next Time,
GROW YOU. GOD’S WAY.
Sherrhonda😍
P.S.
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