When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, our new natures are programmed to want to obey God in the same way a calculator is programmed to compute numbers. When you put in the right information, you get the right response. And when we feed our new natures with God’s Word, they’re designed to give us the right response. That’s why Satan tries to keep us so busy doing other things we you don’t spend time reading the Bible. His goal is to keep us weak and ineffective. Paul wrote, ‘We all…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image’ (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV). A mirror is simply a reflector. And the more time we spend in God’s Word, the more we begin to reflect His likeness. But it won’t happen by just grabbing a verse here and there or skimming through a passage. It calls for renewing our minds every day with God’s Word, to the extent that the Holy Spirit connects with our spirits and produces a Christlike lifestyle. Jesus said: ‘You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me’ (John 15:3-4 NKJV). When food dries on a plate, that plate needs to ‘abide’ in some hot, soapy water so that all the mess can be removed. That’s why we need to soak our minds in God’s Word. It removes not only sin, but hardened, stubborn attitudes that prevent us growing in grace.

What Now?

If you don’t already, devote a regular time every week (or every day if you can) to studying the Bible. Keep a notebook nearby to write down anything you learn. Have a look online for different ways to study the Bible if you need a bit of inspiration.