2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
" All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
A lot of the time we read the Bible simply to check off a daily box. Sometimes we read it because we think it will make us look like a better person. But that is not the intent for it. We forget the Bible contains the legitimate, living words of God. The same God who created the universe gifted us with His words that we could learn more about Him, ourselves, and how we are to walk in the life He called us to.
Looking at 2 Timothy 3:16-17, it gives us clear and direct instructions on what the purpose of the Bible is, and what we should do with it. The Lord did not provide us with His living words only for us to forget it and treat it like it is not relevant in our lives. In fact, the Bible should be one of the most relevant things in our lives. Hebrews 4:12 (TPT) states,
"For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy, and it pierces more sharply than a two-edged sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts."
Every single day of our lives is a battle. When we realize that the living, breathing Word of God is our weapon, prepares us for every situation in our lives. Instead of looking for the answers to our problems in the world, we should look at the answers sitting right in front of us. It can become so easy for us see Scripture, but forget to breathe in the life of His Word and let it penetrate our hearts and in our lives. If we aren't truly breathing in God's breath, we aren't preparing ourselves for the things to come in our lives.
When we breathe in the Word of God and let him to move in our lives, we are allowing him to take control. By doing this, we will be able to see how He actually improves our lives significantly. If we try to live life with our own answers, we won't go anywhere except somewhere that will hurt us. The more we breathe in the Word of God, the more we have clarity on where He is leading us and we will have a willing heart to follow Him.
How to "Breathe In"
Don't Over-Complicate Things:
A lot of the time we over complicate what God is saying and how much He expects out of us. God can speak in the simplest ways. If you don't have hours to read Scripture every day, it's okay. Because all of the Bible is breathed out by God, that means you can breathe in His Word through any part of Scripture. God doesn't want you to spend hours in Scripture only to mark it off a checklist; He genuinely wants your heart and to truly prepare you for life by breathing His Word into you.
Tame Time
Even though God doesn't just want to be apart of your "task list," He still wants to be apart of your life. Reading Scripture and allowing God to breathe life into you takes intentionality. When we are able to recognize the things God does for us and how He can truly prepare us for life, this should motivate us to giving Him time in our daily lives. Let Jesus' love and sacrifice towards us motivate our hearts to give Him our time and our daily lives.
Ask Him:
The Lord truly wants to breathe His Word into us. He genuinely wants to prepare us and give us the things that will help us. A lot of the time we forget to ask. There is so much power in asking the Lord for things, and we simply forget to do so. Ask Him for help. Ask Him for wisdom. Ask Him for a passion for Him and His word. Before you read Scripture, ask that it would penetrate your heart so that you would truly breathe in all of the truths God has for you. When you do this, wait and see how God will move in your life in crazy ways.
Don't forget the relevance of God's Word in our life. Center your heart on Jesus' love so it would motivate your heart to walk in unison with Him. When we breathe in God's Word, He is equipping us for the awesome things He has in store for us each and everyday.
The more time we spend with Him, the more we will desire Him.