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9. Continuous Reading of the New Testament Confirms Us in Salvation
It is wrong to think that a believer in Christ is immune from temptations and sins. No! But he is secure in the strong hands and carried in the everlasting arms of God. He receives strength in times of trouble from the word of his Lord, which rebukes and comforts him. God is with him, and more than that, God is in him by the Holy Spirit, who gives him victory in the time of temptation. The believer will learn patience and trust in the Lord through all the circumstances of life.
If you want confirmation in your salvation, study the word of God continuously. Be obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit who will lead you to different services in the community of believers. Paul the apostle confessed:
We cannot exist without the word of God. The Bible is our spiritual food. In normal life we do not eat only once a week, but if possible three times a day, so that we can accomplish our daily work and duties. Imagine yourself eating only one meal a week! Perhaps you would not die immediately, but your body would become weaker and weaker, hanging between life and death. You would not be able to do any solid work but spend most of your time in bed. That is also the case with the spiritual life. Any Christian will not be able to grow in love, faith, and hope, unless he takes his daily spiritual food with thanksgiving. You should study the gospel carefully and learn the word of God by heart. The Lord Jesus revealed a secret saying:
If you own a Bible, don’t put it on the shelf. Don’t let the dust cover it. Stretch out your hand and take the Holy Book, open it and let it be the subject of your studies and meditations. Memorize many key verses. Fill your heart with the Word of God because the Ruler of the universe is speaking to you directly through his word.
A man of God had to enter the hospital for a critical operation. After he prayed for his relatives and the staff, they gave him the anesthesia and operated on him successfully. Sometimes when the influence of the anesthesia is wearing off, people may speak secrets from their subconscious. This man of God also spoke before he fully awoke, but he spoke only genuine Bible verses. He was filled with the Word of God. Nothing else came from his lips.
What would have happened if you were in his condition? What would you have spoken? Is your subconscious full of the Gospel? Your tongue will speak what is in your heart. If you want to grow spiritually you must read the holy Bible constantly. God speaks to you in a direct way through His Word.
If you want to be led by the Spirit of Christ don’t forget the simple rule: Read the Bible regularly and pray that you will understand and obey it. It is not a cumbersome law to meditate on the Word of God often, but rather a unique privilege. A young man will wait for the letters of his fiancée impatiently and when he receives the letter, he will open it quickly and read it several times until he understands each sentence completely. This is also the case in higher spiritual context, that every lover of Christ will never be satisfied from only reading the Gospel. He will study it, keep it in mind, do it and live and die with it. Everyone who believes in our Redeemer cannot go ahead and succeed in his life without the Gospel. We must never quit reading the Word of God, otherwise our spiritual life will decline and die.
Therefore, if you wish to grow in Spirit, study the Torah and the Gospel regularly. God speaks to you personally in a direct way through his Word.