Gabriel layed quietly on the bed. His father, one of my faithful leaders, had brought him over to my place for a birthday celebration for one of the kids. But instead of running around expending rambunctious, youthful energy, or frantically pushing buttons on the latest gaming gizmo with the rest of the children, I saw the bright-eyed boy reading a book intently.
A little curious, I went over to him to see what book he was reading. To my surprise, he was reading the Bible! What a precious sight it was to me. It touched my heart to see this eight-year-old boy showing a desire for God’s Word. But when I bent down and looked closer, I realized that he was reading the Introduction and Preface—the very first few pages of his Bible!
I couldn’t help but smile wide and love the boy. I knew that in Gabriel’s sincere desire to read the Bible, he didn’t want to miss anything. Every word of God was precious to him, and in his young mind, it included the words in the Introduction and Preface. He simply wanted to read his Bible from cover to cover—literally!
This precious child was headed in the right direction, but he certainly could do with some guidance, I thought to myself. The last thing I wanted was for him to get bored, confused or stuck in the Introduction and Preface, and say, “Pastor Prince, the Bible’s boring!”
So I said to the lad, “Hey, Gabriel, you’re reading the Bible. That’s wonderful! Are you enjoying it? You know where I like to start? I like to start with the Gospels. You can read about Jesus our hero and all the amazing things He did.” I brought him to the Gospels and saw that he was all the more excited!
God's Word Supplies Life You know, many of us aren’t very different from little Gabriel. Many of us have a desire to read the Word, but we’re not sure how to go about it. My friend, I encourage you to take the advice I offered Gabriel: When you open your Bible, zoom in straight on Jesus. Home in right on our beautiful Savior. Then, you will experience life when you read God’s Word.
When you come to God’s Word desiring to see Jesus and you find Him and behold Him in the Word, something special happens to you. LIFE is supernaturally imparted to you. You see, God is in the business of supplying life to every area of your life. In the Book of Proverbs, it says that God’s words “are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh”. (Proverbs 4:22) This means that if you are tired, reading God’s Word will recharge and energize you. If you are depressed, it will pull you out of the darkness of depression, set your mind free and bring peace and joy. And if you are sick, it will bring a flood of healing and divine health to your body!
In fact, receiving God’s life includes experiencing revival and resurrection in barren or dead areas of your life. God’s life is what you need when you see signs of death in your circumstances. Is your marriage failing? Have your dreams been crushed or put on the back burner? Have your finances dissolved into a sea of debts? Beloved, if there’s death operating in any area of your life, don’t despair and don’t lose hope! Don’t struggle, strive and scheme to make things happen. Beloved, cast your cares to the Lord for He cares for you, and just spend time in God’s Word to receive His supply of life. His resurrection life will put that spark back into your marriage—turning plain water into intoxicating wine! It will breathe life into your dead dreams or birth new ones in your heart. It will cause a “multiplication of loaves” in your finances, so that you will have more than enough for you and your family!
See Jesus In The Word There will be an impartation of God’s kind of health and life to every area of your life. It comes not just by simply reading the Word superficially, but by seeing Jesus in the Word. You may ask, “Well, all that sounds really cool, but what does it mean to see Jesus in the Word? How do I do that so that I can receive God’s supply of life?”
Those are good and fair questions. Let me start by explaining that contrary to popular opinion, the Bible is not a book of rules for right living. No, the Bible is ALL about Jesus. Every page speaks of Jesus, God’s Son, the object of His delight!
Once, when my daughter was little, I asked her what she thought the Bible was all about. I will never forget her answer:
“Daddy, it’s a book about Jesus with a red string in it.” By “red string” she meant the long piece of narrow red cloth that serves as a bookmark. But do you see God’s wisdom in her words? Talk about God speaking to you through your little ones! Simple yet profound! Yes, the Bible is all about Jesus, but more specifically, it is about His loving sacrifice at Calvary. The red string or “scarlet thread” represents the blood of Jesus and His death on the cross. His blood has cleansed us of every sin and His death has brought us abundant and everlasting life! From Genesis to Revelation, our Bible has one grand theme—our Lord Jesus and His perfect sacrifice.
So you see, the Bible is not about us. It is all about Jesus and what He has done for us. Yet, when you find Him in the Word, you find yourself in Him for “as He is, so are we in this world”. (1 John 4:17) You discover that as He is righteous, accepted and favored before God, so are you. As He is full of health, wholeness and life, so are you!
Beloved, I want to show you how when you see Jesus in the Word, you experience His life. Jesus said these amazing words, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) He also said, “…The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63) In other words, you allow Jesus’ supply of life to flow in your life when you see or behold Him in the Word. This is precisely how you are transformed from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18) As you keep beholding the Lord and His glory, you’ll be transformed—from sickness to health, from knowing only lack to experiencing abundance, and from having an unforgiving heart to having a joyful and loving heart.
Now, when I say “see Jesus in the Word”, I don’t mean seeing Him in the flesh or just reading about Him as you would read a novel. I mean seeing His goodness toward you, His manifold excellencies and glories, and especially His perfect sacrifice for you.
It’s Really All About Jesus
Many of the Bible stories, parables and even Old Testament feasts and laws are actually about Jesus, His love for you and His finished work at Calvary. The Bible is really all about Jesus: He is the magnificent, watertight ark of salvation in the ancient flood of Noah. In the story of Abraham’s sacrifice, He is the strong and youthful Isaac, who carried the wood (the cross) up Mount Moriah (Mount Calvary). Then, on Mount Moriah, He is the true sacrificial ram sent from the Father and caught in the thicket.
In the life story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, Jesus is our heavenly Joseph. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. Rejected by His brothers, He found comfort in a Gentile bride, and became a blessing to the Gentile world. But He has not forgotten His brothers, who will recognize Him at His second appearance. Isn’t this the story of God’s ancient people, Israel? They rejected their Brother-Messiah, but will acknowledge Him at His second appearance.
In the love story of Ruth, He is our heavenly Boaz, our willing and most able kinsman redeemer. In the law of the Hebrew servant, He is that faithful servant, the one who said, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” and who was pierced and who remains a servant forever. (Exodus 21:5–6)
In the Book of Leviticus, the details of His sufferings and crucifixion are hidden in the details of the offerings. In the Book of Judges, when Samson stretched out his hands and pushed against the two pillars moments before his death (Judges 16:29–30), what do you see? The cross of Jesus! Like Samson, Jesus accomplished more (against our enemies) in His death than in His life on earth.
See Jesus’ Goodness, Grace And Love Toward You These are just some Old Testament examples of seeing Jesus. He is in the Old Testament concealed, and in the New Testament revealed. And although you can read plainly about Him and His awesome miracles in the New Testament, ask the Holy Spirit to show you glimpses of His glory—His goodness, grace and love toward you. See His glory, when He stretched forth His hand and touched the leper before He healed him, because our compassionate Lord knew that this poor outcast had not been touched or hugged for a long time.
When our Lord raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, He wasn’t too “spiritual” to forget the child’s basic needs. While everyone else was overcome with amazement, Jesus was practical enough to tell the people to give the child something to eat. And although this girl’s healing had “URGENT!” stamped all over it, Jesus pushed time aside to minister to a poor woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. He didn’t want her to just take healing from Him and leave with a guilty conscience. No, He wanted to meet this woman of faith face to face, assure her of her healing, and let her know that she is His beloved daughter. That’s our Jesus—altogether lovely and glorious in His love for you and me!
The Emmaus Road Experience My friend, you will feel like jumping up and running around when the Holy Spirit unveils Jesus and His glory to you. I’m telling you, it gets my spiritual hormones bubbling and puts goose bumps on my goose bumps! This is what makes reading the Bible an exciting adventure. There’s so much life imparted! It’s not about how many chapters you have read or how much Bible knowledge you have accumulated. It’s all about seeing Jesus and having a personal encounter with Him. It’s all about having an intimate relationship with Him and receiving His generous supply of life!
I like to call this the Emmaus Road experience. When Jesus opened up the Scriptures to two of His disciples along the road to Emmaus, and “expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27), it had a profound effect on the dejected disciples. Their hearts burned within them with the warmth of God’s love as He showed them how the stories, feasts and laws in the Old Testament books were all talking about Him and His sacrifice at Calvary.
And at the end of that life-producing Bible study, the disciples were no longer a tired, confused and depressed duo. They were divinely uplifted and energized, and even walked the whole seven miles back to Jerusalem. That’s what seeing Jesus in the Word and receiving His life will do to your body and soul! (I talk a lot more about the Emmaus Road experience in Chapter 15 of my book, Destined To Reign. I encourage you to read it for more insights into this heart-warming and life-generating experience of seeing Christ in the Scriptures.)
Receiving Healing And Life By The Spirit Of The Lord
Beloved, as you simply behold Jesus and His glory, you are transformed into His image from glory to glory. You become more and more like Jesus. He becomes your strength, your wisdom and your holiness. He pours into you His love, joy and peace, driving out every fear in you. You are not changed by your self-efforts. It is by “the Spirit of the Lord”. (2 Corinthians 3:18) If you read the context of this verse, you will see that Paul also wrote, “the Spirit gives life” (verse 6) and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”. (Verse 17) That’s why, when you see Jesus in the Scriptures, you encounter His Spirit, and His Spirit imparts life and liberty to you. If you are sick, His life will swallow up that sickness and infuse you with strength. If you are hooked on nicotine or pornography, those chains will be broken and you will experience true freedom!
Many a time, just looking at Jesus in the Gospels has healed me. Once, when I was down with a nasty fever, the Lord told me to simply read about His healing miracles in the Gospels. He even told me to forget the teaching or doctrinal aspects, and to just focus on His grace, compassion and willingness to heal the sick. So in the midst of my weakness, I plunged into the Scriptures and soon found myself in the presence of the Great Physician, the giver of life. I bathed in His love for me and just saw His goodness and willingness to heal me as He healed every single person who came to Him for healing. I didn’t have to wait too long before the fever departed. No hands were laid on me and there was no worship music being played in the background. Without fanfare, but simply by reading the Word in the quietness of my room and soaking in the love of Christ, I received His health unconsciously and effortlessly.
Listen, my friend, if you are sick today, just open your Bible to the Gospels and feed on Jesus in every healing miracle. See His compassion, willingness and power to heal you. Don’t get caught up with the theology or dos and don’ts of healing. Just receive the love of Christ and His abundant supply of healing, health and life. I’m telling you, in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy and overflowing life! His joy is your strength and His resurrection life will drive out that sickness!
Beloved, that’s how you partake of the divine life and nature of God. That’s how you make chronic fatigue and long-term ailments a thing of the past. That’s how you walk in His divine health, strength, vigor and life every day. So make a decision today to open your Bible. Begin to seek and see the Lord. He is your healer and provider. I tell you, you can’t help but walk in a greater measure of health and prosperity!
His Life For Persistent Conditions “Pastor Prince, I’ve been doing that for the past week, but I’m still sick. Is there something wrong with me? What should I do?”
My friend, don’t feel condemned because you are still sick and don’t give up on your healing. I know—and I want you to know—beyond a shadow of a doubt that your heavenly Father wants you well. His will is for you to be healthy and strong! (3 John 1:2) Don’t go by what you can see or feel, but by the unchanging Word of God. His Word is truth and it supersedes all the negative reports and symptoms. Keep seeing and feeding on Jesus in the Word, even if the symptoms persist. Just continue to read the Word, mixing it with faith as you behold the glory of Jesus and His amazing love for you. You will get better and better each day—first the thirtyfold, then the sixtyfold and finally the hundredfold!
Maybe your challenge right now isn’t a physical condition. The answer is still the same—whatever your challenge or weakness, however long they’ve persisted, continue to see the beauty and compassion of the Lord Jesus in the Word. If you’ve been trusting God for a financial breakthrough, see Him taking a paltry portion of two fish and five loaves and multiplying it for people He had compassion on. As you feed on His willingness and ability to take care of you, the same miracle will manifest in your life.
Maybe what you want to see is a resurrection of romance and love in your relationship with your husband or wife. So see Him turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Just as He turned plain water into intoxicating wine for the wedding couple (blessing them also with prosperity), He will do the same for your relationship without you struggling to do it on your own.
‘Open My Eyes, Lord!’ My friend, I hope that I have ignited a fresh desire in you to get into God’s Word. Are you ready for an exciting road trip to Emmaus? Are you ready to receive an infusion of life and experience glorious transformation? Then, start your adventure with an honest prayer. Come to the Father and say, “Father, open my eyes to see Jesus in all His glory, beauty and love toward me. I am ready for Emmaus Road. I am ready to receive an impartation of life and be transformed!”
You are not just reading any book, you are
reading God’s precious love letter to you!So open your Bible knowing that God loves you intimately and unconditionally and wants to commune with you. When you realize that He is your best friend and lover, it’s not hard to hear from Him or to talk to Him. His Holy Spirit in you will open up the Scriptures to you and guide you into all His loving truths.
That’s how I approach reading the Bible. I don’t rely on my own intelligence nor do I assume that the Scriptures will open up to me just because I am a pastor. But I believe that God loves me despite my inadequacies, and just like you, I need to depend on the Holy Spirit. And while I have numerous Bible study software, concordances, dictionaries and access to a wealth of Bible information on the Internet, I don’t depend on these things. I may use them, but my dependence is still completely on the Holy Spirit, the one who inspired the Bible and who always bears witness to and opens our eyes to Jesus.
Beloved, come to God and His Word like a little child, and stand under the shower of His never-ending supply of life. While you may already be familiar with many of the stories in the Bible, read them again with fresh eyes, trusting the Holy Spirit to show you God’s grace and compassion toward you. You won’t be disappointed. God’s Word gives life! You will experience His abundant supply of life as you simply allow the waves of His love and glory to wash over you!
