How to apply biblical principles? It takes knowledge and diligent practice.

Biblical Principle: God promises He will  always be with us, especially in difficult times!

But Did You Know This?

In the same way God has also given us countless spiritual principles in the Bible.

True. God’s principles are practical, beneficial, and life-transforming for those who choose to know them and apply biblical principles into their lives.

Here is an example. This is the entire verse shown in part in the photo above:

When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2)

Let me show you four things that God is saying to us in Isaiah 43:2 above.

1 Nobody is exempt from difficult times. The verse begins with the word “when” difficult times come, not “if”. The phrases “pass through the waters” and “walk through fire” are sort of poetic references to the difficult times we all face in life. Think of them as the “waters of suffering” and the “fires of adversity”. No one is immune from these challenges of life. Either you’ve been in one, or you are in one now, or you’re going to be in one.

2 God promises to be with us, especially during difficult times. Just as He has promised in many other Scriptures, here He says, “I will be with you.”

3 God promises protection. He says that those “waters of suffering” will not overwhelm you. Neither will those “fires of adversity” consume you or even burn you.

4 The trial is temporary. The verse gives us God’s assurance that our trial is just for a season. His Word refers to passing “through” the waters, and to walking “through” fire. It won’t last forever. And I can say from experience, it’s much easier to hang in there under the weight of the trial when you know God is with you and that He’s protecting you.

In summary: the principle that God wants us to live by consists of these things:

• There will be difficult times in your life. (Bet you probably already knew that.)
• God is always with you, even when you’re going through a difficult time. In fact, God is never nearer than when trouble has come!
• God will protect you. But you have a free will, therefore you have to make the first move. You have to ask.
• It will not last forever. Notice how it refers to passing “through the waters… through the revers… through fire”. Your trial won’t go on indefinitely; it’s just for a season.

How to apply biblical principles into your life:

Now that you’ve read this far, you have what is called “head knowledge”. That’s as far as most Christians get: intellectual knowledge; mental assent to a set of data. It’s like believing that water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. People say they “believe” it – but it makes absolutely no difference in their lives.

Still, the process has to start with head knowledge. But head knowledge is useless if you don’t apply it into your life. If it doesn’t penetrate your heart; if it doesn’t radically change your life; it does you no good.

Knowing about a Bible principle is like knowing where a piano is. When you have learned to apply biblical principles, it’s like being able to play the piano. And like playing the piano, being able to apply biblical principles takes practice. But don’t worry; there will be plenty of opportunities.

But of course, the devil is already preparing a boatload of distractions for you, to keep you from making any progress toward knowing God’s Word.

several things you can do to grow beyond the “head knowledge” level:

• Choose to believe that what God has said to you in that verse is true.
• You’ve got to get the verse out of your Bible and into a more portable form. If you like, write it out on a 3 x 5 card.
• Choose to believe that you can memorize just one verse. (Of course, if you can memorize one, you can memorize two.) DO NOT let the devil convince you that you can’t do it. I urge you to read my article entitled What The Devil Does NOT Want You To Know.
• Take the card with you everywhere you go. Pull it out and read it several times a day. Have it at work. Take it into the kitchen and bathroom at home. Read it again while waiting in traffic.
• Whenever possible, speak the verse out loud. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, including when the voice you’re hearing is your own. Plus, demons can’t stand hearing the Word read. When you speak the Word, you are preaching to yourself. The demons won’t be able to get a word in edgewise. Speaking the Word out loud is demon repellent.
• Keep doing and doing this until you can recite the verse without the card.

Things that will try to hinder your progress

If you’re new to the process of learning Scripture, doing these things is going to seem awkward at first. You’ll find yourself thinking thoughts such as, “I’m not going to do that. It’s silly. It won’t work.” Those are the thoughts put into your mind by a demon. If you just think for a moment, ask yourself: which kingdom–Heaven or hell–would rejoice if you decided to memorize even one passage from the Word of God? (Hint: it’s not the kingdom with the demons.) The demons will try to get you to stop. Hell rejoices over those who are indifferent to the Word of God.

Do it by faith. You must choose to ignore those feelings and act by faith at first. Faith is believing that what God says is true, and then acting as would someone who really believed it–even though it seems to contradict your previous experience. Do it anyway, because God’s Word promises it will be to your benefit.

Don’t let the voice of unbelief stop you. Instead, believe — because God says so.

The voice in your mind will argue with you, telling you that doing these things is contrary to what you were taught. Even if that’s true, it’s never an excuse for not doing what is right. Rise above the ordinary cultural Christian level, and do what you know God longs for you to do. Praise Him, speak His Word, and keep doing it.

Don’t get into fretting about what others might think or say about what you have decided to do. Where are they getting their opinions from? Remember this: there is only one opinion that really matters, and it isn’t your friends’ opinion.

Benefits of Learning Scripture

Knowing Scripture will help you combat sin. David said:

Here is the entire Scripture passage:

I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11)

David is saying that knowing the Word of God kept him from sinning. It’ll do the same for us, too.

Knowing the Truth of Scripture sets you free. Jesus said,

If you remain in my Word in My Word, you will truly be My disciples; and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Jesus is offering the benefit of freedom to all who remain in His Word.

The following list is from “100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know” by Robert J. Morgan published by B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee. In the book, these seven items take up three chapters. Here are brief highlights.

• Scripture memory gives us clearer thoughts. Internalized Scripture keeps our minds in good working order.
• Scripture memory gives us steadier nerves. Specific Bible verses stored away in our minds serve as the shock absorbers of life, giving us steadier nerves and calmer spirits.
• Scripture memory also gives us healthier emotions. I’m convinced that little biblical capsules (memory verses) are the best medicine for sustained emotional health.
• Scripture memory gives us purer habits. The practice of memorizing and meditating on the Bible is the primary way to accelerate spiritual growth in your life. It speeds up the transformation process and leads to holier habits. After all, spiritual maturity is simply thinking more as God thinks; so as we implant His thoughts into our minds, using Scripture memory, and as we use the process of meditation to convert those verses into regular thought patterns, we’re developing the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5), yielding mature thoughts, pure habits, and holier lives.
• The fifth benefit of Scripture memory is that it gives us happier homes. One of the by-products of internalizing God’s Word is a brighter home life.
• Scripture memory enhances our reputation. It augments the respect with which people view us. Isaiah 50:4 (Amp) says, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of a disciple and of one who is taught, that I should be able to speak a word in season to one who is weary. Morning by morning He wakens me; He wakens my ear to hear as a disciple [as one who is taught]“.
• Finally Scripture memory makes us eternal optimists. It gives us ultimate hope and modulates us into eternal optimists. There’s a promise in the Bible for every contingency in life, and our faith grows as we find those specific promises that meet our specific needs, commit them to memory, mull them over, claim them by faith, and absorb them into our spiritual bloodstream. Even death itself is no match for God’s precious promises of resurrection, eternal life, and everlasting joy.

More Examples Of How To Apply Biblical Principles:

Each of the following articles has a section entitled, “How To Apply The Principle”. Each one also has a “What To Do” segment urging you to memorize the verse so that God can call it to your mind when He knows you need it.

• Your Fear Is Being Caused By The Devil
• The Devil always lies!
• God Is Infinitely More Powerful Than Satan And All His Demons Combined!
• God Is Offering His Supernatural Protection
• God Is Always With You
• Sleep Peacefully; God Says You Can
• God Wants You To Be Able To Honestly Say, “I’m Living Free From Fear”!
• We All Like To Think We’ll Live Forever, But God Knows How long I Will Live.
• I Don’t Understand The Bible
• Thinking God’s Thoughts Brings About His Perfect Peace

Now you know how to apply principles from the Bible.

You now have what is called “head knowledge”. But head knowledge won’t help you much when the enemy attacks. That’s why I continue to urge you to commit verses to memory. Otherwise, as I said earlier, you are like someone who says they want to play the piano. They have a piano; they know where it is, but they never sit down and practice.

Actually, committing verses to memory is a lot easier than you might think. In my article Memorize Bible Verses! Here’s How I’ll show you how I have memorized hundreds of verses (including whole psalms and whole chapters) just by reading them once a day! It can take as little as a few minutes every day. But over a period of weeks or months (depends on how fast your brain can memorize), you will be able to say your verses without prompting.

That’s your part. Once you’ve done your part, God will do His part. His Word will comfort you, correct you, strengthen you, guide you, bring joy to your heart, and show you what NOT to do! These things really happen!

Then you will be able to help others.

BUT:

You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have!

Resolve NOW to get into God’s Word so that He can get His Word into you!

~ Jan