​I don’t know about you, but sometimes I fail God. Apparently, the apostle Paul did, too. If the apostle Paul did, it seems safe to assume we all do. In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul wrote some encouraging words. He said, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it [being like Christ]. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

If Peter hadn’t left behind the memory of his shortcomings and gone on, he wouldn’t have become the strong leader who was used by the Holy Spirit to win thousands of new believers. Before he was strengthened by the Holy Spirit, Peter was known for being rash and “putting his foot in his mouth.” Matthew 26 records his most famous failure. Peter “wept bitterly” after denying being a disciple three times, while Christ was being tried and beaten. Though he had staunchly declared he would never disown Christ, even if everyone else did, he failed miserably. Jesus’ forgiveness of Peter (also called Simon) was clear. Luke 24:34 says, “The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” But Peter also had to forgive himself. The fact that he had gone back to being in the company of the other disciples shows that he did.

We all have our own areas where we tend to fail. Though I have been a Christian since childhood, for some reason I still tend to struggle to be consistent in studying God’s Word—such a basic necessity for growth. I sometimes spend hours researching Scriptures for something I’m writing, during which time I allow myself to get away from my routine study. Sometimes it’s just a matter of “the tyranny of the urgent” overtaking the important. Sometimes it is sheer weariness. I’m sure others share this shortcoming, but we must never give up. We must always pick ourselves up and start over in our determination to study the Bible regularly. Even though we may hear the pastor’s sermon and attend a class each week, we need more. In fact, we must study for ourselves, like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11, to make sure that what we are being taught is correct.

There are several important reasons we must never give up on studying God’s Word consistently. Roman 10:17 says that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” I used to think that the acquiring of faith through the Word only applied to the faith to receive Christ, at the point of conversion. Now I believe that hearing and reading the Word strengthens our faith in an ongoing way. The coherence and unity of the Scriptures alone is so amazing that it makes it hard for me to doubt that God is real. The unpolished reality of the Old Testament stories, the prophecies that have come true, and the powerful, inspiring words that could rival any poetry found in the world all help to build my faith.

Another crucial reason to study the whole Bible is that unless we do we cannot really know God fully. The Bible helps us understand God’s nature. We learn of His love, His power, His justice, His wisdom, and all of His attributes. We don’t just learn it once and then automatically remember it. We need to be reminded of it over and over throughout our lives.

We come to know God in an intimate way by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit after we accept Christ.

But the Spirit’s leading has to be balanced by a knowledge of the Scriptures. We can be led astray by the wrong spirit if we do not know the teachings of God’s Word. If what we feel led to do doesn’t line up with what we are taught in the Bible, it is a deceiving spirit rather than the Holy Spirit.

The Scriptures are the main way God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. Very few people have heard God speak audibly, but the Holy Spirit will clarify the words of Scripture to all who have opened their hearts to God. As you read a passage, something may suddenly “jump off the page,” or you may suddenly understand something perfectly that made no sense to you before. The more we are obedient to apply the insight God has already given us, the more insight we will be given in the future. After Jesus’ telling of “The Parable of the Sower,” He made an interesting statement found in Luke 8:10. He said these words: “ ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables.’ ”  To those who had rejected obeying God’s words and only wanted to know His words as a source of pride, God withheld their meaning.

There is yet another vital reason for knowing God’s Word that I’d like to address. God’s Word is our weapon against Satan’s attacks. Ephesians 6:10-18 describes the “armor of God” we are to use to fight against Satan’s opposition. Ephesians 6:17 advises us to use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the desert fasting and underwent the testing of temptation by Satan. The story is recounted clearly in Luke 4. When Satan attempted to thwart God’s plan for salvation by tempting Jesus, it was the Scriptures that Jesus used to fend him off. Satan finally left him alone, for the time being.

Using a Bible-reading plan can be helpful in studying the Scriptures consistently. There are many available. Perhaps your church leaders have a plan they are encouraging the congregation to use. If you get behind somehow, don’t give up. Just keep going, even if you aren’t on schedule. If you need a plan, I have one available. The ideal goal of this plan is to read the Bible in two years. It weaves back and forth between the Old Testament and New Testament. The length of reading assignments varies, in order to focus on the subject matter rather than length of reading. It leaves two free days per week for a Bible class or reviewing sermon notes. To see a printable copy of the two-year Bible-reading plan, CLICK HERE.

Maybe reading the Bible consistently is a breeze for you, but no doubt you struggle with some kind of weakness, being human. Whatever your shortcomings may be, ask God to forgive you and help you overcome them. Pick yourself up and determine to follow Christ to the best of your ability, with God’s help, in the year ahead. As Paul did, press on toward the prize that awaits you in Heaven if you are a genuine follower of Christ.

Paul’s sentiments are captured in an old hymn called “Higher Ground.” Enjoy the magnificent scenery as you absorb the words of this old hymn. The scenes include one of my favorites—the view of Crown Point, overlooking the Columbia Gorge.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM  Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com  The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. TM