©2010,2023Julie-AllysonIeron.Allrightsreserved.
Writtenby:Julie-AllysonIeronProofreadby:JoyIeron
Coverartby:JohnIeron
Scripturequotationsarefrom The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright©2001byCrosswayBibles, apublishingministryofGoodNewsPublishers. Usedbypermission.Allrightsreserved.
A Note of Welcome
I’mdatingmyselfwhenItellyouthatwhenmydadboughtmy firstcomputer(whichtookuptheentiredeskofmydormroom),I purchaseda5¼”floppydiskfromakioskatthelocalmallthatheld theKingJamesVersionoftheBible OldandNewTestaments.I wasthrilledwithit.Itwasn’tsearchable;thereweren’tanyreferencebooksattachedtoit.Butitwasthere.The whole Bible,on my veryowncomputer.
Howtimeshavechanged.In2010theBiblesoftwarecompany WORDsearchinvitedmetoprepareaBibleReferenceCollection especiallyforwomen.Itcarriedmynameandfeatured75interconnectedandfullysearchablebooks multipleBibletranslationsin parallelononescreen,side-by-sidewithmaps,GreekandHebrew wordstudies(itevenpronouncedforeignwordsaloud),commentaries,dictionaries,devotionals,studyoutlines,Biblestudyguides andquestions,andmore includingninebooksIwroteandupdatedforthecollection.
Recently,WORDsearch wasacquiredbyLogos.So,thelibrary hasbecomeevenmorepowerful.Itcontainsafilingandbookmarkingsystemforfavoritepassagesandarticles,evenaplacetostore studyplansorsermonoutlines.Allthesetoolscallustoaworthy goal digdeeperandmeditatelongeronGod’sHolyWord.
Consume the Living Word
LogoshasabasiceditionavailableforfreedownloadforPC,Mac, Phones,etc.Thiseditioncontains40researchtools,includingthe CSB(ChristianStandardBible),MatthewHenry’scommentary,even theFaithlifeStudyBiblenotes.It’sagreatentrypoint.Butbeware, you’llbetemptedtopurchasemoreandmoreresourcesasyoudig intotheWorddeeperanddeeper.
Evenifyoudon’tinstalloneoftheseappsorprograms,siteslike BibleGateway.com,BibleStudyTools.comandNetBible.orgmake onlinesearching,cross-referencingandstudypossibleforeveryone,atnocostoranominalrate.
ThisbookletisaconsolidationofwhatI’velearnedthroughyears ofdiggingintoGod’sWordandusingthesetwopowerfulreference softwarelibrariestoinformandguidemetoitswaiting-to-beuncoveredwealth.It’sallaboutputtingtheshovelinyourhandand encouragingyoutodigintowardacloser,moreintimate knowledgeofHim.
Ican’tremembereverbeingsatisfiedwithacursoryreading,a quickonce-overthatwouldleavemesaying,“Ididmytimeforthe day,God.Afewmoments.Afewphrases.Thatshouldholdmeuntil tomorrow.”Becauseit’snotonlythebeautyofthewordsfoundin theWordthatdrawsmeintothesefascinatingpages butit’sthe Who.Theearth-shakingtruthinitleadsmetodeeperknowledgeof itsAuthor thesameAuthorandFinisherofmyfaithspokenofin Hebrews12:2 myMaster,Savior,LordandFriend.Ipraythat kindofrelationshipwithHimisyourpassion,aswell.
YoumayhavefollowedChristfordecadesoryoumaybemomentsintoyourrelationshipwithHim.Eitherway,thereissomethingforyouhere inthissuggestedstudypath,andinthisjampackedBible.
WheneverI’vedemonstratedBibleappsandsoftwarebeforea roomofseminarattendees,folkshavebeenfascinated,amazed,and overwhelmed.That’swherethisbookletcomesin.I’velabeledeach sectionwitha“con”verbthatcontainsactionstoshowyouhowto
usethebooksinyourpersonaloronlineBiblereferencelibraryto guideyourstudy.Togetherwe’lldigintoapassagethatdemonstratesthepowerofGod’sWord 2Chronicles34-35,wherethe goodkingJosiahseekstheLord,hearsthereadingoftheWord,and actsrighteouslyinresponsetoit.Let’slearnalongsidethekingand cometoagreaterappreciationoftheprivilegeofpersonalrelationshipwiththeGodoftheBible.
Software Hints for the App or Program of Your Choice
IliketoopentheBiblesfirst,sotheyappearinthetopleftbook box.AlltheBibletranslationsIopenareusuallygroupedtogether inonebox,becausethey’rethesamecategoryofbook.Imovebetweenthembyclickingontheirtabs.Similarly,Dictionariesand CommentariesaregroupedintheirrespectivecategoriesasIopen them.
Somesoftwareallowsyoutousea Parallel featuretoopen severalBibletranslationsside-by-side.AsI’mreadingdifficultpassages,IsometimeskeepKJVopen,becauseIcanuseittoaccessthe Strong’s Greek and Hebrew definitions(Idouble-clickonaword, andaStrong’swindowwillopentothatdefinition;it’llevenpronouncethewordaloud).InsomeprogramstheNASBorother translationsarealsokeyedtoStrong’s.Thisisahandyoption.
Formydevotionalreading,IoftenchooseESVbecauseit’sa moderntranslationthat’sascloseasourlanguageallowstothe originallanguages.YLT(Young’sLiteralTranslation)isawkwardto read,butit’saword-for-wordtranslationfromGreekandHebrew. It’softenavailablefreeinabasepackageofBiblesoftware.BBE (BibleinBasicEnglish)issimplereadingEnglish,notadirecttranslation,buteasytounderstand.Andtherearesomanymore.
Whenyouusea Search button(oftenamagnifyingglassinthe iconbar)toscanyourLibraryforawordorphrase,you’llusually getaboxthatreads: “Search Results.” Scrollthroughtheseand clickonthosethatinterestyou.Thisopenstheminapreview
Consume the Living Word screen.Youcanthenread,copy,or open another window with thatresourcebyclickingonthehighlightedorcoloredtextthataccompanieseachentry.
Tohelpkeeptrackoftheitemsrelevanttomystudy,Iuseahighlighteror yellow pencil tool.Thisworkslikeatextbookhighlighter itremainswiththebook,sothenexttimeyouopentothatsectionorpassage,thehighlightwillbethere.
RegardingtheWORDsearchpackageweusedtosellfromour ministry:Ifyouhavethediskyoupurchasedfromus,youcanstill installitonyourPCorMac.WORDsearchnolongersupportsorupdatesit,andregisteredusershavebeentransitionedintotheLogos platform.However,thediskswesoldareself-contained.So,allthe resourcesincludedinyouroriginalpurchaseshouldstillbeaccessibleforyou.Thechallengecomeswhenyouupgradecomputersand oldersoftwarebecomesdifficulttoinstallonnewsystems.
Logoswasefficientwiththeirtransitionofalltheresourcesoriginallyfoundinthe Julie-Allyson Ieron Bible Reference Collection onto theirplatform.Again,registereduserswerenotifiedandmovedto theLogosplatform.Forthoseofuswhowerelong-time WORDsearchusers,though,sometimesthefamiliarityoftheold systemismorecomfortablethanlearningacompletelynewscreen withnewterminologyandnewwaystogettooldsearchtools.So, I’mgladthatatleastonmyoldercomputerIcanstillresearchprojectsthe“old”way.
Okay,thatshouldbeenoughtogetusstartedwithourstudy. Let’sdiginwithoursample,how-to-find-truth-and-use-Bibleresourcesadventure!
Blessingstoyou, Julie-Allyson
IeronHebrews 12:1-2
Step 1. Consecrate
ThefirststepinourBiblejourneyistopray,muchlikeJosiahdid earlyinhisreign,whenhesearchedfortheGodofhisancestorand kinglypredecessor,David.Wereadthisstoryin2Chronicles34-35.
We’lluseasthebasisforoursamplestudythediscoveryofhow thisyoungkinghandledandrespondedtotheWordofGod.Todo thataccuratelyandcompletely,we’llneedtoknowmoreabouthis story.That’swhereelectronicBiblelibrariescancomealongside andsupportusinoursearch.
SincetheBibleisn’tjust any book,buttheveryWordofGod,beforeweapproachitinseriousstudy,weneedtosetasidethetime andmakethecommitmenttolistentowhattheAuthorhastosayto usthroughit.IheardapastorrecommendapproachingBiblereadingbysayingtoGod,“Ifyouhaveanythingtotellme,Iameagerto hearit.”
Oneresourcethatcanhelpyoulearntodothisismybook, Praying Like Jesus: Discovering the Pattern of Godly Prayer. In WORDsearchitappearedunder:Literature:Prayerinthelibrary. It’salsoavailablenowonLogos.Thispowerfulbookonprayerhas lotstosayasyou’reseekingtoapplyJesus’secretstohavinga meaningful,two-wayconversationwiththeGodoftheUniverse. Readitasyouhavetime.(Evenstudyitbyusingthe Companion Study intheLessonssectiononWORDsearch.)Bothbooksare alsoavailablefromourministryasKindleandepubeditions.(Visit: http://joymediaservices.comforinfo.)
Forthepurposesofour Consecrate step,though,performa Searchfortheword listen.You’llfind listen usedofteninchapter 25ofthisbook.Thesectionthat’srelevanttoourprayingforGod’s directionaswereadHisWordappearsmidwaythroughthechapter.Afterreadingthechapter(andlookinguptheScripturesrefer-
Consume the Living Word
encedinitbyflyingyourcursoroverthem),praysomethingsimilar totheabovepastor’srequest.Spendtimeonyourprayer.Don’t rush.
PrayfromyourheartandbestillbeforetheLord.Onlythenwill youbereadyforwhatfollows.
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, [Josiah] began to seek the God of David his father (2Chronicles34:3a).
Step 2. Consume
Thesecondstepinourprocessistoreadthroughthepassagein itsentirety.Readitinmultipletranslations,usingyourParallel window(wetalkedaboutthisearlier).Inthecaseofourstudyhere, you’llwantto Consume twochapters:2Chronicles34-35.
Access Strong’s Greek and Hebrew fromyourKJVBible(itwill takeyouautomaticallytoGreekforNewTestament;Hebrewfor OldTestament)todefineandunderstandalternatetranslationsof keywordsinthepassage.Keywords orphrasesforthisreading mightinclude: Book of the Law, written, read, covenant, statutes, Passover,andmore.
Strong’s definitionswillhelpyouunderstandlanguage-specific nuancesofthesewords. Read forexample,in34:29,doesn’tmean silentlyperusingadocument.Ratheritmeans: call out, proclaim, preach, cry; itevencarriestheideaofaccostingsomeonewitha message.So,thiswasareadingwithauthority itdemandeda hearing.Thisissignificanttoourunderstandingofthemessageand responsesthatfollow.
Anotherresourcegroupinyourlibrarythatcanhelpyouhereis thecollectionofBibledictionaries. Easton’s and Smith’s dictionaries,forexample,bothgivebackgroundontheLawofMosesandits significancetothepeopleofGod.WheretheyreferenceBibleverses,takethetimetoflyyourmouseoverthereferencesandreadthe verses.Youcanevendouble-clicktotakeyoutothoseversesin theirfullcontext.
You’llalsowanttolocatetheparallelpassagein2Kings.I’mnot goingtotellyouwherethatis.Instead,here’sonewayyoucanfind it.IntheBiblewindow,selecttheopeningverseofthepassage(2 Chronicles34:1).ThenclickCross-Refsicon ifyourprogramhas one,oruseyourmousetoflyyourcursoroveranotewithinthe Bibletext. Thecomputerwilldoanextensivesearchofyourlibrary
Consume the Living Word
forallreferencestothisverse,oraboxwillappearwithafewsuggestedcrossreferences.
Youmightalsolocatetheresource Nave’s Topics, whichcanhelp withcrossreferences.Onceyouopenitsoutlinetree(usuallyyou dothisbyclickingonthe + besideitsname),oneentryyou’llseeisJ -JOSIAH.Clickonceonthattext,andyou’llfindthe2Kingsreferences.(Keepthatsearchminimizedonyourdesktop;it’llbeuseful later.)
“I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD.” … Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it before the king (2Chronicles34:15,18).
Step 3. Connect
WheredoesthepassagefitintotheBiblebookandthewholeof theWordofGod?That’sthequestionofthe Connect step astep thatwilltakeaconsiderableamountoftimetocoverineachstudy. Anotherwordwecoulduseforthisstepis contextualize butthat soundstoohoity-toity.Thisstepislessdauntingthanthatwould makeitseem.It’sallaboutrecognizingandthinkingthroughthe connectionsbetweenthispassageandtherestofGod’sselfrevelationtousintheBible.
Apastorweknew,ColinSmith,openedhissermonserieson Deuteronomybysaying:“Thirty-threeyearsago,Ireadthisbookat onesittinginthelibraryoftheLondonSchoolofTheologywhereI wasstudying.Ourprofessorsaid,‘Ifyouwanttofeeltheweightof [Deuteronomy]youneedtoreaditrightthroughatonetime.You’ll nevergettheimpactofthebookifyoubreakitup.’…Icameoutof thelibrarythatnightwithoneoverwhelmingimpression:Inever realizedthatthereissomuchoftheloveofGodintheOldTestament.”
PastorColin’scommentisespeciallyrelevant,becausetheBook oftheLawfoundandreadtoJosiahwouldhavecontainedthebook ofDeuteronomy.Itevencouldhavebeentheverycopyreferenced inDeuteronomy31:26(whichIlocatedfromthe New Topical Textbook ).LookupthatpassageinDeuteronomy.Ifyoucan,takeup PastorColin’schallengetoreadthatbookinonesitting.ItwillilluminateJosiah’sstory.
Similarly,asyou’regettingcontext,seewherethepassagefits withotherportionsofScripture.Onewaytodothisistoopen Scofield’s Study Notes (fromLibrary:StudyNotes)Locatethebook’s
Consume the Living Word
tableofcontents.Select2Chronicles,thenintroduction.There you’llfindcrossreferencestoIsaiah1and5.Followthose.
Also,youmayrecallthatJesussummarizedthecommandments fromthelawofGod,theunderlyingprinciplesreadbeforeJosiah thatday,inHistwogreatestcommandments.Useyourpreferred electronicBiblelibrarytolocateboththeMatthewpassagewhere Jesusmakesthissummary,andtheplacesinDeuteronomyandLeviticusHedrawsfrominHisstatement.
Nowopen Complete Works of Flavius Josephus (anearlychurch historian)fromLibrary:HistoryandCulture.Thisisaresource availablefreeonmoste-Bibleplatforms.DoaSearchofthatbook usingthephrase Passover AND Josiah tofindbackgroundthatwill helpyouputintocontextthefactthatoneofJosiah’skeyresponses tothereadingwastoholdamassivepublicPassovercelebration.
Also,returnto Naves Topics,J-JOSIAH,whichwelocatedearlier, tofindkeypointsfromthewholeofScripturethatrelatetothis timeperiodandJosiah’sreignoverGod’speople.
Nowyou’regettingamorecompletepicture.
“Go, inquire of the LORD for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that has been found” (2Chronicles34:21a).
Step 4. Consider
Atthispointit’stimeto Consider, tothinkcarefullyaboutwhat we’vebeenreading. What is the Holy Spirit showing you through the passage? Thisiswherethelisteningwebeganearlier(in Step 1: Consecrate)kicksintohighgear.Remember,God’sWordis living and active. Infact,whynotsearchforthepassagethatmakesthat statement?Youknowhowtodoasearch.Tryitforyourself.(Hint: you’llfindthereferenceinHebrews.)
Youcanseefromthecontextofwhatyou’veconsumedsofarin ourmainpassage(2Chronicles34-35)thepowerofGod’sliving Word.So,let’s Consider thewayitdemandedaresponsefromKing JosiahandthepeopleofGod.Theydidn’tjustsitstillwhenthey heardtheWordproclaimedwithpowerandauthority.Theking torehisrobesingriefandhumility(34:19),inquiredoftheLord (34:21ff),stoodbeforethepeoplemakingasolemnpromisetothe Lord(34:31),andactedtotearoutofpublicandprivatelifeallsinfulpracticesthatrancountertotheWordheheard.Thepeople (34:32)promisedanddidlikewise.Inessence,whatthekingand thepeopledidwastoactin repentance.
So,that’sanotherkeythemefromthispassage onewemight Consider worthprayerfullyexamininginourlivestoday.Repentance,contrarytopopularopinion,isn’tjustaboutgettingnonbelieverssavedandintoGod’skingdom;it’salsowhatallowsusto continuelivinglikeChristinanadversarialworldwhereweface temptationstostrayeverymoment.
Tocometoabetterunderstandingofthisconcept,tryanother kindofsearch.Thistime,searchyoure-libraryfortheword repentance. Afterafewmoments,yoursearchcontentwillappear.One resourceIlocatedunder Repentance was Easton’s Illustrated Dictionary foraninsightfuldescriptionofwhatrepentancemeansand
Consume the Living Word
howitappliestoourlives.Youwillfindmanyotherhitsinthat search,aswell.Takeyourtimeandvisiteachlink.
DothissamekindofsearchforanytopictheHolySpiritilluminatesinyourheartfromthepassagesyou’veread.Then Consider theresponseHewouldhaveyoutaketowhatHeshowsyou.
Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD (2Chronicles34:27).
Step 5. Consult
Untilnow,we’venotbeenlookingtohumanexperts,scholarsor authors,togivecommentontheScriptures.Yes,we’veuseddictionariestoclarifyconceptsandexplainlanguagedifferences;and we’veusedtopicalreferenceliststolocatepassageswe’vewanted tostudy.Butintentionallywe’vebeenseekingfirsttheHolySpirit’s commentstousfromHisWord.
You’llnotice,though,thatyoure-librarycontainsmanyhelpful, Bible-basedresourceswrittenbylearnedChristianauthorsthatcan helpusseemoreclearlywhat’stherebeforeusinGod’sWord.So, thisisthetimewhenwe’lladdcommentaries,Christianliving books,andBiblestudylessonstooursearchoftheWord.These,of course,don’tcarrytheweightofScripture.Buttheycanbehelpful tous,nonetheless.
Wecanlocatetheseinacoupleofways.First,ifyouhaveaBible windowopenandthenopenaCommentarycategorybookfrom yourlibrary,itwillautomaticallytrackalongwithyourBiblereading.(Insomeappsyouneedtolinkthewindowstomakethem tracktogether.)Asyouscrollupordown,itscrollswithyou.Two commentariesavailablefreewithmostpackagesare Matthew Henry Concise and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown. Thesecoverthewholeof Scripture(ratherthanNT,OT,orindividualBiblebooks).
Anotherwaytolocateagreaterbreadthofcommentsonthepassageistosearchforcross-referencenotes,whenit’smentionedin relationtootherScriptureverses.WORDsearch didthisinonestep usingthelightningbolticon.Otherappswillhavetheirownmethods.Oncethesearchiscomplete,you’llpasteitintoawordprocessordocumentandfollowthelinkstoreadthereferencematerial.
Consume the Living Word
Ifthisisasearchyou’dliketosaveforfuturereference,simply namethedocumentandrememberwhereyousavedit.InLogos, I’mlearningslowlytousethenotesfeaturetokeepmyreference trailsandhighlightshandy.Filingthemwithtopickeywordshelps. Similarly,you’llwanttosearchyourentirereferencelibraryfor mentionsofkeythemesorphrasesinyourpassage.Thiswillnet searchhitsinmanyofmybooksifyoustillhavetheWORDsearch libraryourministrysoldformanyyears,aswellasthoseofclassic writersincludingAndrewMurray,MatthewHenry,HannahWhitall Smith,AugustineofHippo,andmore.Readtheseintelligentlyand carefully,alwayscheckingwhatyoureadagainstwhatyouknowto betrueaboutScriptureandGod’scharacter.
IhavealistofwriterswhoseopinionsIgenerallytrust.Others withwhomI’mlessfamiliarIoftenhesitatetouse,asI’muncertain oftheirmethodsortheologicalconsistencywithahighviewofthe inspired(God-breathed)WordofGod.
So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect (2Chronicles34:22).
Step 6. Converse and Confirm
Justasinourlaststepwebeganto Consult Biblescholarsand writers,inthisstep,we’llbegintotalkwithotherpeople ourcontemporaries aboutthetruthswe’rediscoveringinGod’sWord. Thiscouldbeincasualconversation,intentionallyoverdinnerwith family,ormorestructuredinagroupBiblestudy.That’sthe Converse stepinaction.Bytalkingwithotherswhoarealsodigging intotheWord,wegainnewperspectives,maybeevennewinsights. Wetendtointernalizemoreofwhatwe’rereadingwhenwe’retellingsomeoneelseaboutit.
Theimportantthingtorememberaboutconversingistobesure wegroundourconversationsinthetruthoftheWord.It’stempting forgroupstowanderormeanderdownsidetrailsthatfocuson whatwe feel orwhatwe think.Butonlyifwestayinthecenterof biblicaltruth,willourstudiesbeGod-honoring.That’swherethe Confirm halfofthisstepcomesintoplay.
AlltheresourcebooksatyourfingertipsinWORDsearch canhelp youprepareto Confirm yourgroup’sinsightsagainstbiblicaltruth. OfspecialinterestarethebooksfoundintheLessonssectionof yourlibrary.IpreparedfourBibleStudyGuidesespeciallyforthe softwarepackagethatboremyname.Again,theseareavailableon Kindleande-pubalso,fromourministrywebsite:http:// joymediaservices.com. Youmaychoosetogothroughthemindividuallyoringroups ortousethemtopically,astheyfitintoyour otherstudies.We’lldothelattertoday,asanexample.
Inmydevotional, Names of Women of the Bible, Ididachapterlongstudyofoneofthewomenmentionedinthepassage anobscure,godlywomannamedHuldahwhospokeGod’sTruthtoJosiah’smessengers.Findmycommentsaboutherbyopeningthedevotionalandusingitstableofcontentstofindthechaptertitled
Consume the Living Word
withhername.Or,doasearchofyourlibraryforhername.You’ll noticethatinthedevotional’s Companion Study Guide Huldahplays akeyroleinStudySession2.
Asyou’reconsideringhowtosharewhatyou’vebeenlearning from2Chronicles34-35withyourfamily,friends,orstudygroup, youmightwanttogothroughthislessontogetherwiththem.I’ve givenpermissionforyoutocopyandduplicatetheIcebreaker, QuestionsforContemplationandDiscussion,andMyActionPlan sectionsofthesestudiestouseinyourstudygroups.
And the king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD (2Chronicles34:30).
Step 7. Confess and Conform
Nowisthetimetomakethetruthwe’vegleanedfromScripture ourown.It’sthetimetotakeresponsibilityforourownactions, admitwherewe’vefailedtomeasureuptoGod’sstandard,and seekHisstrengthtoactpositivelyonwhatwe’veread.
Atthisstageofastudy,IreturntothetextoftheWord,readit againfromstarttofinishandtheninternalizeitbycopying(or memorizing)akeyverseorpassagetoplaceconspicuouslyaround myoffice,car,orhome.
Thisisabiblicalstep,tobesure.Infact,accordingtothedirectionsinthebookofDeuteronomy(thatJosiahheardread),aking’s firstorderofbusinessuponascensiontothethroneoverGod’speoplewastowritewithhishand,hispersonalcopyofthebookofthe law.(ThisinstructionisfoundinDeuteronomy17:18-19,whichis listedinthe New Topical Textbook searchweperformedearlier.)
AsweinternalizetheScripture,wewillfindourselvesreadyto makeourtwo con-stepsforthisstage: Confess wherewefallshort and Conform totheimageofChristasrevealedtousinHisWord. Inessence,weagreetoliveaccordingtowhatwediscoverinthe Word.
Iwroteapassagein Praying Like Jesus thatmighthelpyouinthe Confess portionofthisstep.It’sfoundinchapter32.Locateand readthatchapter,keyinginonthetextthattalksaboutwherethe ultimateblameandconsequencesbelong.
Tocementthe Conform portionofthisstepinyourmind,performasearchofallyourBibletranslationsfortheword conformed. Amongotherpassages,you’llseelistedRomans8:29andRomans 12:2.Thesemightmakegoodpassagestohandcopyforourselves
Consume the Living Word orcommittomemory.Anotheroptionwouldbetousethesoftware tohelpus,byusingVerseList.
InWORDsearchyoudidthisbyreturningtoyoursearchlistfor conformed. BringyourcursortoRomans8:29inthatlist.Insteadof left-clickingtoopenthatverseinyourBiblewindow,right-click once.Amenuwillpopup.Selecttheoption:AddRomans8:29to newverselist.Anewwindowwillopencalled“Untitled.vrs.”Give itafilename,anditwillappearbelowyourLibraryandDocumentsinaVerseListbox.Youcanaddversestoit,referenceit later,evenprintitoutorcommentonit.It’sacoolwaytokeepa runninglistofversestorecallormemorizeaswe Conform tothe lessonsofGod’sWordtous.
InLogos,thebestwayI’vefoundtodothisistosetupanote, labelitwithakeywordortheme,thencopyandpasteverseaddressesintothenoteasIresearch.
See if you can learn how your preferred e-library allows you to perform a list search.
And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers (2Chronicles34:30,32).
Step 8. Confide and Continue
Asweapproachtheendofthisstudy,westillhaveafewmore thingstodo.Weneedtoseethatwebecomeaccountable,orforthe sakeofourcon-statements, Confide inatrustedpersonthosesteps weplantotake.Andweneedto Continue makingprogresstoward ourgoalofbeingtransformedintotheimageofChrist.
First,then,aswe Confide, weneedtoshareourdesiretobecomemoreChrist-likewithaprayerpartnerwhowillencourageus, holdustoourcommitment,andreminduswe’reaccountablebeforeGodtodowhatwesaywe’regoingtodo.
ThisisasubjectI’vewrittenonoften becauseit’sonethat’s helpedmotivatemetostayonthestraightpath.Forexample,inmy e-book Pearls to Treasure Imentionitinthe“PearlsofCommunity Outreach”section,whenI’mtalkingaboutaccountabilityprayer partnerstosupportusaswespreadthegospel.In Staying True in a World of Lies, Idiscussitinchapter9asakeytomaintainingour integrityinchallengingsituationsatwork;andin Conquering the Time Factor, itappearsinbothchapters6and12asatimemanagementmust-do.
Thekeytoconfidingcomesinchoosinganaccountabilitypartner well choosesomeonewhoisGod-directed,asyouareseekingto be.Someonetrustworthywhocanmaintainaconfidence.Someone whomighttrustyoutoserveasimilarpurposeinhisorherlife throughmutualaccountability.
And,asyou’reconfidingwithanotherperson,consciouslytake Christ intoyourconfidence.SeekHishelpasyouapplytheWordof GodtoyourlifeasafollowerofGod.Andbeintentionalabout searchingtheScripturestotapintoGod’sstrengthtosucceed.
Consume the Living Word
Butoncewe’vegonethroughallthestepstothispoint,wemay betemptedtositbackandfeelproudofourselvesforallwe’ve doneandlearned allwe’veaccomplished.Thatsimplywon’tdo. That’swhywe’llconcludewithafinal con action-verb: Continue.
Thismaybethemostimportantstepofall. Continue digging. Continue searching. Continue growingtowardChristthrough feedingonHisWord.Notjustgrazing butfeedingonitsvastsupplyofspiritualnutrients.Don’tbesatisfiedwithadehydrated,artificial-ingredient-packed,fast-foodmeal.Keepdiggingintothisand otherpassagestofindthenourishing good stuff Godlongstoset beforeyou.
Gobacktodigineveryday alwayslookingforGodtosetbefore youmorenutritiousfoodthatwillstrengthenyoursoul.Youhave enoughtoolsinanyelectronicBiblereferencelibrarytokeepyou challengedandenergizedanddigging-ineveryday foryearsto come.
And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers (1 Chronicles 34:33).
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JoyMedia POBox413 Mt.Prospect,IL60056 orat www.joymediaservices.com.
Ifyoubenefitpersonallyorspirituallyfromthisstudy, pleasevisitJulie’swebsiteatwww.joymediaservices.com andleaveacommentforher.
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