Challenges Come To Change
Category Archives: Bible Study
You Say It To See It ( by Fenny West)
Feed Your Spirit Daily ( Fenny West)
Feed Your Spirit (by Fenny West)
Feed Your Spirit Daily ( by Fenny West)
Daily Drink From Him ( by Fenny West)
God of Sudden Surprises (5i) (by Fenny West)
Meaningful Methods to Master Scriptures (by Fenny West)
Meaningful Methods to Master Scriptures
1. Petition or supplication–
Pray about it. Ask Author of the scriptures to open your eyes to see beyond the written word and the literal words to the Living Word.
Unless God opens your eyes, you may read the scriptures a million times and remain blind like a bat. It may give you head knowledge and make you proud, but you will be far from the truth. This is why there are many professors in universities who are not born again. The profess the Bible , teach but have not met the Teacher. Such teachers doubt the virgin birth and question miracles. They may have a form of godliness but they deny the power thereof
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!1Tim3:5
The truth and revelation comes when you humble yourself and pray that the Author- the Holy Spirit will open your spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to understand what you read or study. This will make a world of difference. Otherwise bible study will simply be a religious exercise and of no value.
make this a prayer before you study the scriptures: 18 Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.
Ps119:18
2. Attention- Pay attention as your study. You cannot pay attention if the TV is on while you are studying your bible or be listening to music or the radio. You need and undivided heart and mind.
Avoid distractions when you study.
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Prov4:20
Have a note book.
Action : Make your study proactive, with action and interaction with the Holy Spirit, asking Him questions and noting what He says. Have pen and note new truths you have learned that day. Underline key Words phrases that jump out at you. You can colour them differently if you like.
This is why you need to be baptised in the Holy Spirit. Acts1:8, Acts2:1-4,
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; John16:13
3. Application : It is said that “if you do not use it you lose it” This applies to any knowledge you acquire. Unless you put it to use you will forget it it and soon you will even wonder if you ever had that knowledge. It will be evident by your behaviour. The scripture are not given to give us head-knowledge but heart-knowledge. They are given for us to use in our daily living. This is what demonstrates the power of the word of God. So use the scripture in your daily life. Look for an opportunity to use the scripture you have learnt. Often after learning a truth, God will challenge you in that area. Do not shy from it. Yield to the Holy Spirit this is when you will begin to see the power of God in all your affairs.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James1:22
us
3. Concentration: Effective Bible study must preclude doing other things. Your focus must be targeted, pin-pointed, undivided. You may need to put your pone on silence or put it off. Often it is when we are serious for the things of God that we find many people trying to reach us. Be not ignorant of the devices of the enemy. Make a quality decision that, “This time is for my Bible study and nothing and no one will disturb me. That is when you get the best out of it. This will help you in other areas of life and you would have developed a disciplined character that is essential for success in life.
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Prov4:20-23
4. Continuation
Mastery of Bibles studies or the scripture does not come by doing it once or occasionally. You must continue in the art. It must be part and parcel of your character. You need to do it daily just like you need food to survive. Do it before you have your breakfast. Be like Job who said, I have craved for you word more than my necessary food. This is how you grow in grace and well-grounded in the scriptures. Jesus told His disciples, “ If you continue …
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; John8:31 KJV
The Truth Shall Make You Free
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John8:31-32
5. Submission: To master the scriptures, you must come humbly. You must realise that the more you know the scripture, the more you know how little you know. God’s word takes on His character. He is infinite and inexhaustible. No matter how many times you have read a scripture it can throw a new light to you that you never saw before. You must come expectant and unassuming if you will gain anything new from it. It is never stale. It is new every morning. With this attitude of humility you will never be disappointed in your bible study. Without a doubt, you will harvest a cluster of heavenly fruit hanging of its branches; you will find a promissory note or blank cheque to cash at the Bank of Heaven. You will see a prayer to appropriate to your circumstance, apply to your life. You will see the treasures of darkness gleaming at as you dig deep through its crevices. Paul, who wrote
6.Propagation
Propagation in this context means spreading the Word. Use the scriptures to help others. Use them to teach, write articles, poems and post them online or use them to write songs. Scripture songs or scripture-based songs are powerful and life-changing.
11 The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:Ps68:11
In another translation it says ‘great are those who published it.’ So join the company of the ‘greats’. who propagate the scripture on your road to its mastery.
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Memorisation
Memorisation of scripture is essential for grow and development in true Christianity. This is different from nominal Christianity. You have to make the efforts to internalise the scriptures. Remember that the scripture is not for your head but for your heart. It is the scripture that goes to the heart that transforms and changes a man. You can memorise the scripture by setting it to music, writing it on cards that you can carry about or using notepads on your mobile devise where you store them under different headings or topics which you can revise from time to time. You can also use my online resource: Scripture Memorisation And Reference Tree (SMART) This is a free pdf of my compilation of scriptures according to topics.
For the audio and video, go to Fennywest.org
Scripture Memorisation will make you authoritative, strong, authentic and effective in your witnessing and ministration. You become a workman who can skilfully handle and analyse the Word of truth without shame or equivocation.
5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
8.Meditation : Bible studies is only meaningful if we will take our time and ponder on the scriptures. We must mull over key words and phrases and ask the Lord, “What are You saying to me from what I am reading?” What lessons have I learnt. What will I do differently after this bible study? You may need to write down your decision to help you follow through. This is what gives life to your life from the Word that is Spirit and life. Otherwise Bible study becomes a religious exercise and irrelevant.
5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
Deut6:5-6
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Josh1:8
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.1Tim4:15
1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. Ps1:1-3
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‘Sermonisation’
This for those who are mature in the Lord and called to preach. You may read a scripture and see a sermon in it as quickened by the Holy Spirit. If so, this could be your key scripture or launching pad for that Sermon. Scripture are mastered when we have used it in a sermon. You do not need a pulpit to Sermonise a scripture. You can study the scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit and write out your sermon and disseminate it. That is’ sermonisation’. You have to make sure your sermon is in line with the whole counsel of God and will help other Believers grow stronger in the Lord. You can also preach it to an imaginary audience and assess yourself. God can use this method to prepare you for ministry. Of course this is no substitute for fellowship with other Believers and corporate bible studies.
10 Determination: To master scriptures, you need to be willing and determined. Be disciplined to have notes and to have them in one place and well organised so you do not lose or forget what you have already learnt. As your listen to sermons, make notes of the truths and the relevant scriptures used. Go over these notes from time to time to reinforce the scriptures and the relevant truths. Nothing just happens in life you have to be determines to make them happen. The Holy Spirit is the Helper but He will not force you. You have to make up your mind to master the scriptures and He will gladly help you.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Tim2:15
11. Revision: It is said, “Practice makes perfect.” Mastery of the scriptures come as you go over your notes and the scriptures you have learnt. As you revise, you reinforce what you have learned.
11.Retention: From time to time, say every 3 months, test yourself to see how much you can remember your scriptures. Use key words or topics to identify scriptures relating to them. You can also mix scripture texts on cards and arrange them in order of topics. For instance those relating to the Word of God such as Joshua 1:8, 1Pet 2:2, Ps1:1-3, Ps119.
You can also get a Bible Studies partner to test you. You can set yourself some questions and find answers to them.
12. Revision also includes committing yourself to reading through the bible once every year. There are various Bible reading guides for this noble exercise. It is better to read the Old Testament and the New Testament side by side. Also reading a Psalm a day and the Proverbs repeatedly will help you in your relationship with people. Keep a good record of the passages you have read and how many times you have read them. This will ensure you are not omitting any part of the scriptures.
12 Comprehension: It is important that you understand the scriptures you are studying. This why it is wise to have a study bible which has various cross references to help you to relate that verse to others in the Bible. Look up the meaning of strange words. Find the modern meanings with the aid of a bible dictionary.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
Prov4:7
Also read other modern translation to get a clearer picture of what the scripture means.
13. Contextualisation: It is often said that, “a Scripture out of context is a pretext.” This very true and profound. To understand a scripture very well, you must read the verses preceding and the verses after that to know the right context of the scripture.
It would also be useful to know the cultural context when it was written. Another important principle of Bible interpretation is we do not emphasise what may be in the Old Testament but not emphasised in the New Testament. Christ fulfilled the law and all scriptures must be seen in the Light of Christ.
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,Eph1:17-18
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Interaction : No thorough, beneficial and effective Bible Studies is complete without interacting with its Author, the Holy Spirit. You must be inquisitive, asking questions like: “Lord, what are you saying to me from this passage or this scripture.” The answer you receive has to be consistent with the whole counsel of God. But don’t be afraid of making mistakes. This is how you grow. You can later ask those who are committed to the Lord longer than you have been. After all, iron sharpens iron. This is how you grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1Pet.2:2, 2Pet. 3: 18
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; John16:13
Furthermore, interaction involves active study where you make cross-references, using different translations and comparing them to get the ful gist of the Word. You can also go back to the original Greek or Hebrew words and find their meaning. Often translators may render a verse the way they understood it. Diligence and interaction requires you to go the extra-mile.
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Repetition:
Repetition Reinforces Remembrance
Repetition Results in Recall or Remembrance
This alliteration is true and more so to scriptures. Each time you espouse a truth from the scriptures think of the relevant scriptures and say it to yourself. If you have forgotten it, do not just gloss over it. Reach out to your bible and find the relevant scriptures. That is how you show diligence that brings about mastery of the scriptures.
©Fenny West2020
Inspiration4generations.com
Lying Vanities are Not Realities ( by Fenny West)
Lying Vanities are Not Realities
Lying vanities are not realities.
They come from the pit of hell.
They are Satan’s impurities-‘sand in your garri.”
They come to cast a spell; curtail, circumvent and curtail and curb your victory.
Lying vanities raise proud arguments against the revealed will of God. They instigate and inspire doubts and unbelief. They are shot as arrows to sow sorrow and keep you from entering your Promised Land; the best of the land, like Goshen.
They are like a little leaven that leavens the whole lump. They are poisons concocted in Satan’s
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 1Cor5:6
Soup Kitchen. Run a mile from them.
If you give lying vanities an inch they take a mile. It should not be a question of eating with them with a “long spoon.” Do not eat with them at all. What fellowship has light with darkness.
If you admit lying vanities, your will forsake your mercy. And that is a no-brainer.
Why do you want to do that?
Flee every appearance of the devil.. We are not ignorant of his devices. He has one job description: to kill your vision, steal your joy and your inheritance and destroy your hope, faith, future and life.
Give him no room; no opportunity; no bridgehead; no lee way; no chance, no accommodation. Frustrate him. Suffocate him. Arrest him. Run him out of town. He is masquerading. Remove the front and camouflage. I say unmask him, else he will bewitch you, deceive, capture and imprison you.
Lying vanities interpret scripture according to the carnal mind-the five senses.
But you know the carnal mind is enmity to God.
Walk by faith and not by sight and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
The just shall live by faith. Ro1:17, Hab2:4,
Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. Faith without works is dead. Whoever is born of God overcomes this world ;and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even your faith. Have the God-kind of faith.
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way , “Do not say in your heart , ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is , to bring Christ down from above)
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you , in your mouth and in your heart” (that is , the word of faith which we preach):
Ro10:6,8
2 “Vanity of vanities , ” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities , all is vanity.”
Eccl1:2
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
Jonah2:8
Avoid lying vanities.
Hear, Observe and do the Word. The Word of God is the truth and the will of God. Your body can lie to you when it is contrary to the word of God. People can lie to you when they say things they see about you that is contrary to what God’s word says about you. Your bank account can lie to you when it focuses on what you have in your account.
Lying vanities will say you are sick but the truth says
But what does the word and the truth say?
24 And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity. Isa33:24
By His stripes you were healed. By His stripes I was healed. He sent His word to heal you. ‘He sent His word to heal me.’ Ps107:20
Lying vanity will say you are poor. But what does the Word and the truth say?
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ , that though He was rich , yet for your sakes He became poor , that you through His poverty might become rich.
2Cor8:9
Whose report will you believe?
Lying vanities focus on the fact, the temporal, the seen. Faith focuses on Eternal verities-the truth-what God says: “I am Your healer.” I am your provider. All things are yours. You are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. You are blessed with the blessing of Abraham. You are the seed of Abraham. You are blessed in the city and in the country-side-wherever you go. You are blessed to be a blessing to God, your community and humanity.
So lay lying vanities aside and cling and cleave to the truth. Say what God said. Cast not away your confidence.
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2Cor4:18
2 looking unto Jesus , the author and finisher of our faith , who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross , despising the shame , and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb12:2
8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
Jonah 2:8
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Josh1:7-8
3 If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
Eccl11:3-4
The ten spies focused on lying vanities: “What they saw, what they heard and what they felt.” And the lost their destinies. They focused on the giants and forfeited the Promised Land.
27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Num13:27-28
Numbers 14: Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan
1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” Num14:1-3
Joshua and Caleb on the other hand, focused on what God said, and they entered the Promised Land-defeating the giants and every obstacle.
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”Num13:30
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;
7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’
9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”
Num14:6-9
They kept saying: “For He had said… so that we can boldly say…”
Joshua kept what God had said in his heart and kept encouraging himself with it regarless of the passage of time until it came to pass.
Caleb Inherits Hebron
6 Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea.
7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart.
8 Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9 So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’
10 And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old.
11 As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
12 Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.”
13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.
14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. Josh14:6-14
He refused lying vanities and so must you. Be not snared by the words of your mouth. Prov6:2
Speak the word of God to your self: 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God. Ps42:5,11
Ps27:13b I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living.
Ps118:17 17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the LORD.
Deut33:25b As your days, so shall your strength be. As my days so shall my strength be.
Deuteronomy 34
7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.
So hold on to God’s eternal verities and realities and ditch Satan’s lies and lying vanities.
Facing Your Purpose ( by Fenny West)
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Facing Your Purpose
32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”
35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.“
37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.
41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
Mark14:32-42
Facts
1. Jesus knew the time for facing His cross was at hand.
2. He knew the importance of prayer at such time.
3. He disciplined Himself and took time out to pray.
4. He took a few of His disciples with Him to the place: Gethsemane.
5. When they got there He left them and went further where He fell down and prayed.
6. He found the purpose and focus of His prayer, overwhelming, challenging, depressing, distressing but He surrendered to the will of His Father.
7. He prayed a pray of surrender, “Your will be done.”
8. His disciples who were there were not able to join or persevere or pray for an hour.
9. He repeated the prayer till He had release.
10. He prevailed in His prayer as He regained His confidence faith and repose to face the hour.
Truths/lessons
1. You have a purpose too. And whereas some aspects of your purpose will be enjoyable and inviting or even glamorous, there are other aspects that will be daunting, challenging, mournful and tearful, and yet inescapable.
1. You have a purpose too. And whereas some aspects of your purpose will be enjoyable and inviting or even glamorous, there are other aspects that will be daunting, challenging, mournful and tearful, and yet inescapable.
inspiration4generations 