APPENDIX 1: How to Read the Bible for Growth and Become a Self-Feeder

Many  Christians  have  a  hard  time  understanding  the  Bible  and  don’t know what  to  look  for  as  they read it.  The following are some tips and guidelines to know how to feed yourself spiritually.

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s Enlightenment and Understanding - Before you even start reading the Bible, make it a habit to ask the Holy Spirit to teach you what He wants to show you and apply to your life.

2. Picture the Word - Understand the setting and scene – use a Study Bible to help you know background info about why the book was written, to whom it was written, etc.  Also Study Bibles contain footnotes on many of the verses, giving helpful explanation and application.

3. Ponder the Word - As you read the Bible, one of the best ways to look for personal application is to get into the habit of asking yourself the S.P.A.C.E. questions.

                S-P-A-C-E as you read do you see…

• Sins to confess?

• Promises to claim?

• Actions or Attitudes to avoid?

• Commands to obey?

• Examples to follow (or not follow)?

1. Pick One Main Thing - What has God impressed on you?  Briefly journal about it and follow the S.O.A.P. guideline. S-O-A-P:

• Scripture – write down the one main verse from your reading that sticks out to you.

• Observation – write down what you think the verse is saying.

• Application – write down a brief description of what you plan to do in your life because of this scripture.  In other words, how do you plan to apply it to your life?

• Prayer – write down a brief prayer to God related to this new information and application.

2. Pause – God meets us in his Living Word. Take a moment to listen, to be with God, to allow him to fill you, to enjoy his precious Presence.

3. Pass the Word on to Others. One of the great privileges and responsibilities we have as Christians is to teach and share with others what God is teaching us.  Each week share what you’ve written in your journal with family, friends, and your HG. This makes your Bible reading time not only a blessing for you, but also for the people in your life.

APPENDIX 2: HOW TO PRAY? P-R-A-Y

An excellent guideline for prayer is the P-R-A-Y acronym. This helps our prayers to be Biblical and balanced. This balance is modeled to us by Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-15).  Please don’t see this guideline as some “rote”, or “mechanical” system to follow legalistically, but use it to strengthen and focus your prayer life.

P – Praise

Some examples of ways to praise God are the following:

• Adoration, complimenting and boasting to and about the Lord

• Thanks at all times

• Singing

• Review our amazing identity and victory in Christ

• Review his amazing love for us

• Read and pray a Psalm

Psalm 145:1-3, “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

R – Repent 

Take some time and confess all known sin to the Lord.  Tell God you want to turn from it and turn to Him.  Ask Him to reveal any areas/sins in your life that you are not aware of, to bring to repentance.  We are already forgiven of all sin because of what Jesus has done for us, so we should thank Him for that forgiveness we already have received and ask Him to keep our hearts pure and soft before Him.

Ps 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Proverbs 28:13 - He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us … and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

A – Ask

One of the great privileges of prayer is to ask God.  He desires us to come to Him with a childlike confidence with all our requests and believe that He will answer according to His perfect will.  Some examples of things to ask for:

• Holy Spirit to fill and control you moment by moment

• Holy Spirit to guide you in this prayer time (What do you want me to pray for?)

• Other’s needs (family, friends, leaders, unbelievers)

• Our own personal needs

• Leaders in our lives and society (government, church, workplace, school, etc.)

• Any other requests as the Holy Spirit brings them up

Matt 7:7-8 - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "

James 4:2 - “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” 

Y – Yield 

One of the most important aspects of prayer is to daily and regularly offer our lives back, again, to Jesus in surrender. This is called “dying to self”.   Some ways we can do this is to…

• Daily surrender – at the beginning of the day, end of the day, and all throughout the day.

• Commit to silence and really listen to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

• Read and reflect on the Word in an attitude of humility and be teachable. 

• Commit to obey whatever you read in the Word.

• Accept God’s will, direction and sovereignty over yourself and your circumstances.

Rom 12:1 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

APPENDIX 3: IDENTITY - Who I am in Christ…

“Understanding your identity in Christ is absolutely essential for your success at living a victorious Christian Life!”   

Satan’s Lie: You are a sinner because you sin. God’s Truth: You are a saint (one declared righteous by God) who sins.

Satan’s Lie: Your identity comes from what you have done. God’s Truth: Your identity comes from what God has done for you.

Satan’s Lie: Your identity comes from what people say about you. God’s Truth: Your identity comes from what God says about you.