As believers, devotion to God is crucial in our lives whether you got saved 40 years ago or just got saved yesterday devotion is very paramount.

We have examined the importance of prayer as a practical step to take towards devotion.

Today, we will be answering the question, “why should we study the Word?”

As Pastor Micheal Ipaye says, “the next most important thing after salvation is growth in revelation knowledge”, and one of the ways you can discern the growth of a believer is in their attitude towards the study of the Word.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭

‭New King James Version

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power”

Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus that they would know all that is theirs in Christ. That they would know who they really are as a result of all Christ has done. This shows growth is extremely important in the life of a believer.

And one way to know what you have is to study the Word of God.

In the Word, we not only see who God is but who we are in him. You understand the rich inheritance you have in him. We see all that has been appropriated to us as a result of what Christ has done.

We understand that Christ is seated at the right hand of God and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. But through diligent study of the Word of God, we realise that is not all. We are seated in Christ, so all authority has been given to us as well. This is our reality, it is our new identity.

So consistent study of the Word would bring us to the point where we are able to, in our everyday lives, walk conscious of our new identity in Christ.

2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬

‭New King James Version

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The Word was given to us for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. Our source of revelation knowledge is in the Word. Let it serve as your guide concerning all things as a man in Christ. It must be your standard.

2 Timothy 2:15

King James Version

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

‘Study’ in the Greek here means to give all diligence, to be earnest in the word. It means put in all diligence to explain the scriptures objectively because you are called to teach and disciple others. Studying God’s Word is not just for personal growth but also to equip oneself to teach others. The believer’s purpose is to know Christ and make him known, which can only be done effectively through intensive study of the Word.

Studying the Bible also helps us know how to pray better. The disciples in Luke 11 asked Jesus to teach them to pray meaning that prayer can be learned. A quick survey of the kind of prayers prayed in the New Testament will help you see what the primary focus of their prayer was. Things like begging for forgiveness, condemning or speaking down on yourself, and praying for enemies to die are not seen in the epistles. Imagine you had everything you could ever need (carnally speaking) what would your prayers consist of? Would you even still pray?

This goes to show that prayer is not all about your own requests. Have you ever stopped to think maybe God has requests to? Look at the Pauline prayers- prayers made by Paul; he prayed for spiritual growth, revelation knowledges, the spread of the Gospel etc.

With efficient study of the Word, you would know how to pray because there are a myriad of examples through scriptures.

Dear believer, study of the Word of God is crucial and important. We use it to edify ourselves and our minds everyday. Make it a point of duty to study the Word of God. Meditate on the Word and allow it to transform you.

Prayer Point:

Father, I give myself to the study of the Word. I am committed and consistent and my devotion is made better because of it.