The Spiritual Discipline of Study

Every Tuesday we are discussing a spiritual discipline and today we are looking at the spiritual discipline of study. 

Psalm 18:15, “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”

In John 8:32 Jesus famously says to His disciples, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Notice it is the knowledge of the truth that will set you free. How much knowledge of the truth do you have? I have a nephew who used to have an unreasonable fear of nutcrackers. He called them “the man” and would instantly cry in fear when he saw one. As he’s grown, he grew in his knowledge of that “the man” really is. Now he isn’t afraid of them anymore. In the words of Richard Foster, “Many Christians remain in bondage of fears and anxieties simply because they do not avail themselves of the discipline of study.” In other words, many Christians still live as slaves to fear and sin because there are many truths they do not know, they have come to believe the devils lies that they can’t understand scripture or that reading it once and not understanding it is grounds to give up. 

In Romans 12:2 Paul writes, “…be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” God transforms our lives through renewing our minds, how do we renew our minds? I would suggest through the study of God’s word! 

So, for the next few moments, I want to give you some pointers on studying Gods word. First, I want to give you some steps, and then some resources. 

I want to share with you 4 steps that Foster gives us on how to study in his classic work Celebration of Discipline. 

Step 1: Repetition. This is a tried and true learning method. Don’t just read the scripture one time, don’t just examine the story one time. Do it over and over again. Memorization is a profound way to grow in your knowledge of the truth. This repetition is not to the goal of recitation but rather of understanding. The more you say it, hear it, focus on it the closer you get to the truth of it. I often read verses, pages, and other writings 2 or 3 times through, sometimes more until I begin to grasp it. 

Step 2: Concentration. This can be the most difficult step. Focusing on the content you are studying and that alone. Shutting everything else out. The devil does his best work in distraction. 

Step 3: Comprehension. Are you comprehending, understanding what you’re reading? If not, keep repeating the first two steps (along with some other aides we will mention in a few moments) until you at least begin to. 
Step 4: Reflection. After the first three steps you must ask yourself 2 questions. First, do I believe this? After Jesus tells Martha that He is the resurrection and the life and that anyone who believes in Him will not die He asks Martha, “Do you believe this?” Why does He ask her this? Because her answer will affect the way she is dealing with the death of her brother Lazarus. Whenever you comprehend a truth of any kind you should ask yourself the same question and then ask, how does this renew my mind?

Allow me to share a few examples: Jesus says if you don’t forgive others, I won’t forgive you? Do you believe this? How does that renew your mind?

The Bible promises that God’s Holy Spirit rests in us always. Do you believe this? If so, how does that renew your mind?

Paul says in Romans that nothing can separate you from the love of God. Do you believe this? If so, how does that renew your mind?

The Bible tells us that death has no sting and is swallowed up in victory, that Heaven and Hell are real and that people who don’t know Jesus will not make it to Heaven, that you can pray to the God of the universe anytime, that life is short, and that to give is better than to receive… Do you believe this? How does believing these truths renew your mind?

Let me end by sharing resources: 

A study Bible can be great – it gives brief explanations along the way of your study.
Commentaries are excellent recourses – I recommend William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible series on the New Testament and N.T. Wright’s New Testament for Everyone series. 
Christian books on certain topics or books of the Bible are great – Swindoll, C.S. Lewis, Max Lucado, Dr. Jack Cottrell are a few I enjoy.
Sermons and podcasts – Timothy Keller, Ravi Zacharias and Jon Weece are a few I recommend.
Different translations of the Bible – it is also helpful to read a passage in a few different versions. You can easily do this on www.Biblegateway.com

May you know the Truth and when you do, the Truth will set you free!




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