From: Dr. Michael Youssef Ministries

James 1:22-25 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does."

The Bible contains God's plan of salvation. This instruction manual also contains directions for daily living. It shows us how to love God, how to treat other people, and how to become testimonies for Christ. Yet we cannot haphazardly read the Bible and expect to gain its full wisdom. There are some basic guidelines to properly studying God's Word.

We must be careful to study the Bible in the context of the whole passage so we will not misinterpret God's purpose and meaning. We cannot randomly pull out verses that seem to fit what we're searching for. While the truths and histories of the Bible are to be taken literally, we must also recognize its usage of metaphors. When Jesus said, "If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out" (Mark 9:47), He was not instructing us to physically blind ourselves.

We will gain the most benefit from the Bible when we read it with the Holy Spirit's guidance. Without His help, we may overlook key insights, misunderstand meanings, or ignore the rebukes in a passage. We must also apply what we read in our daily lives. When we simply read the words but do not follow them, then we are missing out on the transforming power of God's Word.