What do we do if we begin to feel bored with the Word of God? That question was recently asked me and I’ll do my best to address it here.
Like most problems that we face, (whether big or small) we normally need to deal with the issue on two fronts. The first front is the spiritual, and the second is the natural. On the spiritual side, our fight is a fight of faith; that is, what we BELIEVE and what we SAY. On the natural side, it is what we DO.
With this issue of feeling bored with the Word of God, the first thing in our faith fight is to stop believing and saying that we are bored. But you say to me, I am bored, that’s why I say it; but I say that is only how you FEEL, not how you ARE. What I mean is this… The bible tells us that if we have received Jesus as our savior that we have been changed, that we are new creatures in Christ, and that our new inner man is made to be exactly like he is, and Jesus is never bored with the Word of God. He is always enthused by it. If indeed we are like him, (and we are) that is the way we are too, no matter how we feel. This emphasizes the importance of walking in the spirit, (by what the word of God says about us) rather than in the flesh, (according to how we feel). It will then be our faith that will begin to change our feelings and/or our circumstances. (Rom. 12:2, Gal. 2:20, 1Jn. 4:17)
Living by faith like this, that is, believing (and saying) that you are not bored, (despite how you feel) will begin to change how you feel. The bible says that “As a man thinketh in his heart, (about himself) so is he.” (Pr. 23:7, parenthesis mine). In short, if you believe you are bored, you will be; if you live by faith, believing you are not bored but rather excited about the Word of God, you will eventually feel that way. As you think in your heart, you will be.
In all honesty, when I talk about how the Word of God works like this, it is very exciting to me. I begin to feel a living relationship with God’s word. It is not something that I just read or study; it is something that is alive and effective in my life; something that I can learn to skillfully use to affect any area of my life… motivational, inspirational, and hope-filled to me!
Now, on the natural side of things, there is something else we can DO to help ourselves when we feel bored with the Word of God.
There is a very simple principle we can remember, and that is this. If we want to warm up, just get closer to the fire. In this case, it works like this... There are men and women in ministry who are “on fire” with the Word of God and we should get close to them and to their ministries. And even more importantly than being on fire is that they have a good understanding of what the word is saying and how it can be applied to our lives. This will add real “life” to our Christian walk.
But here it the thing. When it comes to who we listen to and what we believe, it is vital to be VERY careful. I say that because there is a fine line between what men sometimes teach and what the bible teaches. Most often, teachers and ministers of the Word of God, (even though most are well-meaning) THINK they know what the Word of God is saying, but don't know what it is really saying. Recognizing this is vital because men's ideas (religious tradition) will make the Word of God of NO EFFECT, (even though it sometimes sounds right) while the truth will make you free.
I think that many Christians become tired, disillusioned, and even bored because they haven’t yet realized the difference between the tradition of men and the truth of the bible. One will bring life and vitality while the other will bring drudgery and disappointment. And the difference is sometimes very hard to distinguish. Religious tradition can be very gripping and can seem right and is taught by most people. This is why most of our churches do not experience a steady flow of God's supernatural power and do not have signs and wonders following their ministries.
Like most problems that we face, (whether big or small) we normally need to deal with the issue on two fronts. The first front is the spiritual, and the second is the natural. On the spiritual side, our fight is a fight of faith; that is, what we BELIEVE and what we SAY. On the natural side, it is what we DO.
With this issue of feeling bored with the Word of God, the first thing in our faith fight is to stop believing and saying that we are bored. But you say to me, I am bored, that’s why I say it; but I say that is only how you FEEL, not how you ARE. What I mean is this… The bible tells us that if we have received Jesus as our savior that we have been changed, that we are new creatures in Christ, and that our new inner man is made to be exactly like he is, and Jesus is never bored with the Word of God. He is always enthused by it. If indeed we are like him, (and we are) that is the way we are too, no matter how we feel. This emphasizes the importance of walking in the spirit, (by what the word of God says about us) rather than in the flesh, (according to how we feel). It will then be our faith that will begin to change our feelings and/or our circumstances. (Rom. 12:2, Gal. 2:20, 1Jn. 4:17)
Living by faith like this, that is, believing (and saying) that you are not bored, (despite how you feel) will begin to change how you feel. The bible says that “As a man thinketh in his heart, (about himself) so is he.” (Pr. 23:7, parenthesis mine). In short, if you believe you are bored, you will be; if you live by faith, believing you are not bored but rather excited about the Word of God, you will eventually feel that way. As you think in your heart, you will be.
In all honesty, when I talk about how the Word of God works like this, it is very exciting to me. I begin to feel a living relationship with God’s word. It is not something that I just read or study; it is something that is alive and effective in my life; something that I can learn to skillfully use to affect any area of my life… motivational, inspirational, and hope-filled to me!
Now, on the natural side of things, there is something else we can DO to help ourselves when we feel bored with the Word of God.
There is a very simple principle we can remember, and that is this. If we want to warm up, just get closer to the fire. In this case, it works like this... There are men and women in ministry who are “on fire” with the Word of God and we should get close to them and to their ministries. And even more importantly than being on fire is that they have a good understanding of what the word is saying and how it can be applied to our lives. This will add real “life” to our Christian walk.
But here it the thing. When it comes to who we listen to and what we believe, it is vital to be VERY careful. I say that because there is a fine line between what men sometimes teach and what the bible teaches. Most often, teachers and ministers of the Word of God, (even though most are well-meaning) THINK they know what the Word of God is saying, but don't know what it is really saying. Recognizing this is vital because men's ideas (religious tradition) will make the Word of God of NO EFFECT, (even though it sometimes sounds right) while the truth will make you free.
I think that many Christians become tired, disillusioned, and even bored because they haven’t yet realized the difference between the tradition of men and the truth of the bible. One will bring life and vitality while the other will bring drudgery and disappointment. And the difference is sometimes very hard to distinguish. Religious tradition can be very gripping and can seem right and is taught by most people. This is why most of our churches do not experience a steady flow of God's supernatural power and do not have signs and wonders following their ministries.
The difference between religious tradition and truth is the difference between living our lives in our own human strength and efforts, or living by the power of God. Generally, religious tradition teaches about what we must DO to please God and to live a good Christian life, while the New Testament teaches what we must BELIEVE to please God and to live a good Christian life. It is the difference between trying or trusting; working or resting; doing or believing. And it is the difference between getting supernatural results or not.
It is believing that will tap into God’s power for our lives, not trying harder or doing better. The just shall live by faith, not by works.
Even though discerning the difference between “religion” and “truth” can be difficult at times, there are ministries that know some of the differences and they can teach those differences to us. (Mk. 7:13, Jn. 8:31-32)
Here is a short list of ministers that are well worth getting close to and that have a good understanding of what the Word of God is really saying. We can listen to them, watch them on TV, get their tapes and books and visit their websites in order to tap into their material and their teachings… Andrew Wommack, Bill Winston, Joseph Prince, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Joel Osteen, Fred Price, Charles Capps, and Leroy Thompson. I am sure there are others, but these I am confident with. If you listen to these ministries on a regular and consistent basis, they can help you begin to see the sometimes subtle difference between religion and truth and can inject a new interest, understanding and effectiveness of the Word of God in your life.
Well, that's it for now. If I don't write again until after Christmas, may you all have a blessed and joyful holiday!
Submitted by John B. Agati
Author of: “Suffering (God’s Will?)”
More information about this and an upcoming book “Suffering, Unanswered Prayer, (And How to Fix the Whole Thing),” along with a short bio may be found at: www. jbagati.com
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