DIRTY LIFE’S FROM DUSTY BIBLES GROW
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
HE SENT HIS WORD, AND HEALED THEM,
AND DELIVERED THEM FROM THEIR DESTRUCTIONS. Psa.107:20.
Psa. 119 :11 THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST GOD.
You do err not knowing the Word of God, or the power contained there in
( Matt. 22:29, Mark 12:24.)
Romans 3:4. There comes many false teachers and false prophets that will deceive many,
2 Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ( TO HAVE A RESTLESS DESIRE OR HANKERING FOR SOMETHING) ears; 4..... and SHALL BE TURNED UNTO FABLES.
Today I ponder a very basic thought: Bible reading and Bible study.
I for one, believe that dirty life’s grow from dusty Bibles.
We buy tapes, CD’s, video’s and books to tell us how to live and we never invest in Bible reading and study.
We often quench our thirst from muddy springs.
Growing up in Oliver Springs, TN., we often drank out of the springs around the house, rather than return home for a drink.
If my older brother drank first he would stir the water and it would become muddy. (That was OK, I did the same to him?)
We must guard our hearts and lives for the lack of knowledge can kill.
We need to approach the Bible first hand, personally.
Jesus warned us: You do err not knowing the Word of God, or the power contained there in (Matt. 22:29, Mark 12:24.)
We have many anemic, weak Christians that quote many sources other than the word of God.
I have heard whole sermons quoting TV preachers or useless TV preacher written material and never once quote the Bible.
This is not necessarily bad to learn from the focal point of other teachers, but we must have the safety of first hand experience from in-depth study.
The lack of personal Bible study can limit growth and set many dangerous opportunities ahead.
I thank God for teachers and preachers, but nothing should take the place of daily Bible reading and study. I think we need both, reading and study. Here is my opinion of personal Bible study ...
Daily Bible study functions like a sifter.
We are to try the spirit, 1 John 4:1, and what shall be the standard measure of truth.
(Romans 3:4.) There comes many false teachers and false prophets that will deceive many,
I call this SLICK WILLYs, that will deliberately laugh and take the money to the bank. They could not be so slick to deceive if the church knew the Bible.
2 Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ( TO HAVE A RESTLESS DESIRE OR HANKERING FOR SOMETHING) ears; 4..... and SHALL BE TURNED UNTO FABLES.
We will see more and more ministries focusing on what people want to hear...
THERE WILL BE A CRY FOR GOSPEL ENTERTAINMENT,
make us laugh and feel good.
There will arise successful ministries that cater to this need.
The only way to avoid this terrible cancerous growth will be to know the WORD.
There is a line I often say that is so profound,
THE WORD OF GOD DOES THE WORK OF GOD!
So your enemy, seeking to devour you and your family, laughs when we lack the real, balanced understanding of the Word of God.
I am amazed at how our church youth today, they know all about Barney (they can sing his songs verbatim), they can quote so many poems and clever clicks, they can tell you telephone numbers, and quote commercials right and left, BUT THEY KNOW NOT THE WORD OF GOD.
There is an enemy silently laughing, for the day comes when he will lead the youth into sex and drugs and rebellion, all because they don’t know the Word of God.
How do you think they will ever love and keep the commandments of the Most High, if they never learn them? It will be easier to forget about God and grow doubt, where there is limited knowledge of God’s Word.
Great men of God know this truth, THE WORD OF GOD WILL KEEP YOU FROM SIN, AND SIN WILL KEEP YOU FROM THE WORD OF GOD!
David clearly states:
Psa. 119 :11 THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST GOD.
TO HAVE A SUSTAINED REVIVAL THERE MUST BE BIRTHED A HOLY FEAR, AWL, RESPECT FOR THE BIBLE.
I once heard a great preacher do a touching sermon.
He quoted the "Wall Street Journal," The "Jerusalem Times," "News Week," and he addressed many fables, but never once did he quote the Bible directly or indirectly.
I use many illustrations and examples, but they are absolutely worthless without the LIGHT of the WORD.
Paul warns young Timothy: "Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared (dried up, withered, parched, injured) with a hot iron."
We find many reaching to elevated positions in public and they have a lack of private devotions.
You can never arise in public above your private prayer closet.
There is a danger of just doing Bible study looking for sermon material or to prove a point.
This can be dangerous.
The Bible must first be a personal tool to growth and refreshment.
Burnout comes from a match being applied to dry, empty days.
Our enemy is looking for EMPTY, swept, and garnished vessels. (Matthew 12:44)
One cannot live by bread alone.
We must find the LIVING WORD ... THE RAMA ... THE PERSONAL TO YOU WORD OF GOD.
Many study the Bible as a way to argue and debate, prove my point and prove you wrong.
This is against the Word, for 2 Tim 2:23 and Titus 3:9 warns about this usage of the word, avoid foolish and unlearned questions, contentions, and strivings about the law that gender strife and are vain and unprofitable.
One more reason we must be Bible students is to AVOID PRESUMPTIONS.
I have followed in the hospital where the preacher said, "They will be healed by this time tomorrow and go home and live for many years."
During the night they died.
I have followed behind a preacher that said, "It will be a baby boy and he will arise to be greater than Billy Graham."
The baby was a girl and born dead.
There arises out of the desire to see everything be the best, a stupidity of assumption that God will do as I say.
This spirit of presumption is not from the Word or from God.
In Biblical days, they would stone to death a priest that misinterpreted the facts.
This tended to cause presumption of the word of God to be limited.
Today, there are no checks and balances; there is a cry that is heard, "I knew you were wrong about that, but I liked the message, so messenger try again?"
In the early 50’s, a man named Walter Bales wrote a sad song,
Dust on the Bible, dust on God’s Holy Word ...
On the table side by side the Bible and the TV Guide? Which is our guide?
God may there arise a love for the Bible as never before.
May the anemic, lacking of force and a lacking of interest, be healed.
May the chant from the church and from the people of God be ... Teach us O, Lord. Know our heart and may we know Your Heart, Your Word ... bring deliverance.
When I was a teenager I was in a service in Williamsburg, Ky. Someone told the old preacher preaching that night, "PREACH US HAPPY!"
The old preacher turned to the young preacher and said, "THAT IS NOT WHAT WE NEED, WE NEED THE UNCOMPROMISED TRUTH TO EXPOSE SIN AND BRING US TO REPENTANCE AND REAL CHANGE."
PSALMS 107:20 HE SENT HIS WORD, AND HEALED THEM, AND DELIVERED THEM FROM THEIR DESTRUCTIONS.
Hod ignite the flame of Your Word in our hearts!
The great phenomenon of perpetual babyhood thrives in the church, because growth is seen by numbers and budget, God’s Word looks at growth differently. The Church must be more than a business, the Church must release the Word of God to heal and bring deliverance.
INVEST ALL IN THE WORD!
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Enlarge my hands and pass to others
