Week 26

In my personal study, I have begun to study the book of James.  I am using a method of study that I recently learned at a Going Beyond conference and slowly moving through the book a few verses at a time.  So, that being said, I am still in the first few verses of chapter 1.  In James, the Bible says that if we lack wisdom, we can ask God and He will give it to us.  The only thing we have to do is have faith and not doubt.  James says that if we doubt, we should not expect to receive what we have asked because we are as a wave tossing to and fro.  The verses for this week go hand in hand with these from James.  I John 5:14 - 15 tells us that we can be confident that God hears our prayers and will answer them.  We only need to have faith, believe, and ask according to His will.

I John 5:14-15
Now this is the confidence we have before Him:  whenever we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.  And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.

Week 25

Is the Bible relevant for my life today?  That is a question that is frequently asked by people today.  How can a book that was written thousands of years ago apply to me today?  The verse that we will learn this week answers this question.  The Word of God is relevant today because it is living and active.  It is the voice of God still speaking to us from the pages of scriptures. How awesome that we serve a living God who loves us and still wants to commune with us through His wonderful Word.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart.