LOST in the WORD

Have you ever felt lost while reading the word? Stuck and confused. Frustrated from not hearing Christ speak to you. If you answered yes, then you’re not alone. We all have experienced these similar emotions while reading the word. For me, it caused lots of discouragement and at times it caused me to quit reading. I know lots of people have difficulty comprehending the Bible, which causes us to lose interest. I used to struggle a lot with understanding the Bible until a few years ago. I started getting jaded reading the word and not understanding anything that I devoured so I purchased a Student Life Application Bible. My Student Life Application Bible is the New Living Translation and is easy for me to understand. The goal of the Bible is to make the translation easy to read and accurately communicates the meaning of the text. The goal was accomplished! I’m more at ease while reading and I now hear Christ speak to my heart more.

I was thirsty for Christ, but lost in the word. Torn into pieces and desperate for an understanding of the Bible.

You may have a similar story like mine. Feeling lost and stuck while reading the Bible. The reason most of us feels this way is from the lack of understanding what we’re reading. Like I’ve done, you can purchase a Bible with a translation you understand. Then begin writing notes of what you’ve read. I am not saying doing this will 100% stop the emotions. There are times when you’ll still feel lost while reading (I certainly do!). That’s when you PRAY. Pray before reading the word and ask the Holy Spirit to allow you to interpret the word the way Christ wants us to. I believe that it’s vital to pray before reading the Bible. I recently started praying before reading the Bible and noticed a positive change. A change that proves that Christ indeed speaks to us in his word 💖.

If you ever feel lost again or continue to feel negative emotions while reading the Bible then begin PRAYING. Don’t allow the discouragement to make you give up. Christ hears your cry for help and will guide you in understanding his word. We must also keep ourselves accountable and live out the Bible (I tend to struggle doing this still). It’s a lifelong journey but I promise you’ll begin to feel changes when you read the Bible consistently and apply it to your everyday life. The goal for us is not to stray away from Christ but for us to read the word and draw near him. Again, don’t give up. Keep praying, keep reading, and keep having faith!

TIPS WHEN READING THE BIBLE

Write down these 3 questions then include your responses after reading a chapter or verse:

1) What did I learn?

2) What is God saying to me?

3) What will I do differently?