The four stages to master the Bible to ensure that the Bible is able to master you:
1. Read the Bible
2. Study the Bible
3. Memorize the Bible
4. Meditate on the Bible
It seems simple. It’s even obvious to those that have known Christians for a long time. But very few people follow the entire four steps. Most people only take one step. Some choose to take two steps. Few people complete the entire four steps. This means that few ever get to experience the complete transformation of their lives as well as the communion with God as well as the spiritual stability as well as strength to minister as well as the joy of worship and the spiritual wealth which God’s Bible offers to people who can master it to the point that it is able to master the four steps.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. “ (1 Timothy 3:16-17)
Step #1: Read the Bible for Breadth of Knowledge
To get a grasp of the Bible it is necessary to study the Bible. It might seem obvious to certain people, but for people who haven’t mastered the habit, it’s revolutionary. Many Christians do not even read the entire Bible or go through snippets of Scripture that are linked to devotionals that are daily. This won’t take you to where you’d like to be. It is important to start reading the Bible extensively. It is only through covering vast areas of Scripture that you can gain a vast knowledge.
If you’ve never had the chance to read through any of Old Testament, you won’t have a broad understanding of the Old Testament. If you read only in the Gospels as well as the Epistles and the Epistles, you’ll never be able to grasp the basic concepts of the other parts in the Bible. This means that your life will not be affected by the truths that matter, and you will be unable to link dots of various Scripture passages–a vital aspect of the mature Christian experience – will be severely only limited.
The great news is that there’s an easy way to get a wide range of knowledge. If you go through the Bible for five minutes every day, you can be reading the Bible for more than thirty hours per year! (5 minutes per day x daily = 1,825 mins split by 60 minutes an hour equals 30.4 minutes!)
Imagine it! A year of thirty hours! Perhaps no other field will give you the depth of Bible knowledge so easily. If you’re determined to learn the Word in a way that the Word conquers you, start by studying it.
Step #2: Study the Bible for Depth of Knowledge
We are not able to attain an understanding without a skilled teacher. Thus, the vast majority of us should listen to a powerful sermon in the Bible and participate in the Bible study led by an experienced teacher. To reap the maximum benefits, Bible study must have homework that requires you to be studying and conversing with the Bible by yourself. To increase your depth of understanding, you can’t be a passive observer. You have to be active in the process of enhancing your understanding.
If this is a new concept to you, start by joining a church that is dedicated towards teaching from the Bible and not just through sermons and in small groups or Sunday classes for children. There are also helpful details in Christian stores or online. More experienced Christians could be able offer suggestions for you too. If you’re an avid reader, you can find an abundance of information that you can access via good books on the internet or in Christian bookstores.
Step #3: Memorize to Master the Bible
I was of the belief it was more beneficial to have lots of verses in my head however, in my attempt to be as numerous verses as I could possibly memorized, I was able to remember them only lightly. I may have to fight to begin or go through a verse and need to rephrase the rest. It is now clear that it’s much better to have fewer passages which are recited very thoroughly. That’s the source of power. Instead of memorizing the same amount of distance with an inch of depth it is preferential to learn one 1 inch across and mile in depth. That’s a major difference since until we learn passages in depth and meditate on the meaning of the verses doesn’t get into our brains and influence our thinking, attitude as well as our actions and feelings.
If we are able to memorize Scripture in this way and deeply, it is likely to be recalled in our minds as the first response to our life’s events and help us make better decisions and influencing our feelings. In fact, Jesus who was confronted by the devil in Matthew 4. He cited Scripture as a response to His challenge. When we understand Scripture well enough to be able to quote immediately when faced with challenges in life The Bible starts to acquire the power it didn’t previously possess in our lives.
Learn one verse in order that you can recite it with confidence. Next, you should memorize another verse, but link it back to the first. Next, memorize a fourth and link it to the two previous ones, and the process continues. Continue to do this for all the time. In a few years your knowledge of Scripture will be one mile wide and one mile deep.
As you read the Bible every day for five minutes will soon begin to produce amazing results, so too does learning to memorize verses at a reasonable rate. When we maintain the habit of adding passages that are significant to us, without letting go of the older ones and we discover that we’ll eventually have numerous verses that we have mastered very thoroughly. This is the final goal.
Step #4: Meditate for the Bible to Master You
Many people have read passages from Scripture however, they haven’t been able to spend enough time contemplating them to allow the meaning of the Scriptures to sink deeply into their minds and hearts.
In his Book The book Change Your Heart, Change Your Life, Gary Smalley provides a convincing argument in favor of meditation on Scripture. He explains that the thoughts we have throughout the day, over long periods of time, eventually seeps into our hearts as limiting beliefs. When we develop the right mindset and think about them day after each day and night, they are ingrained inside our hearts as beliefs and these thoughts become the dominant influences that govern our daily lives. If we don’t contemplate Scripture enough the truth of Scripture could be present in our heads as knowledge, but not in our hearts as deeply held and guiding beliefs.
Smalley encourages us to sit down and think about, contemplate and read Scripture to the point that the Scripture transforms into a pathway in our hearts and minds . . . And then, ponder the passage until the Scripture is a path through our hearts and minds . . . Then, you can ponder it until it is an all-four-lane freeway. And only then it will be when the Scripture shift from an idea in our minds to deeply convictions in our hearts.
In my teaching experience with this subject, I’ve discovered that the majority of Christians are extremely busy, to the point that they struggle to discipline themselves to follow the four steps of mastering the Bible to the point that the Bible guides them. If that’s your situation I have two suggestions. The first is to encourage you to begin at the most basic and minimal scale. Begin by studying the Bible for five minutes every day. Pick a verse you want to remember and then begin to meditate on the verse. Make sure to regularly go to a Bible-based teaching church that gives excellent instruction on the Bible.
How to Read the Bible: Just Get Started!
Once you’ve established, it’s simple to increase your efforts. The most important thing is to get started! This will prepare you for the next problem that shatters your boat in the ocean of life. You’ll be ahead of the pack in tackling it.
If you choose to follow this four-step method it will help you master the Bible in such a way that the Bible begins to become your master. As the Bible starts to take over you then you will be able to experience the peace joy, love, and peace that comes from the Holy Spirit. Additionally, you will be blessed with a peace and power in the world and in ministry as the Holy Spirit provides for those who meditate and follow His Word.