4 Things that help you accurately apply the bible to your life

If you're a follower of Jesus then chances are pretty good that you have a desire to obey and follow the principles and commands that are found in the Bible. The challenge is that many followers of Jesus are reading the Bible or sitting in church, hearing great messages from the Bible, but then walking away and either not applying it, or inaccurately applying it to their lives. This is often why Christians get frustrated that they aren't seeing results, because of no application or misapplication of God's word.

Are you guessing at what the Bible says or are you intentionally and accurately applying it to your life?

The truth of God's word only produces when it's applied correctly. If you want to experience what you see in the Bible than you have to do what is says in the Bible.The Bible says:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. —James 1:22-25

A passion for God and his word is the first step, but accurate application of the Bible to your life is equally essential. If you're new to following Jesus or been at this for decades, don't assume you're applying the Bible to your life correctly. The reality for all of is that, we often interpret the Bible through our preconceived lenses of our family, experiences, or the culture we live in, but this may not always help us get it right, so here are 4 things that help me and I hope do the same for you.4 Ways to make sure you understand and apply the Bible correctly:1. Read the verse and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning to you:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. —John 16:13

My father taught me to always pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal his word to me before I begin to read my Bible for the day. If you don't understand it or even if you feel like you do, ask God to show you what he wants you to do with that truth. [More: 3 Things that will help you consistently read your Bible]2. Ask a mature Christian or pastor what the verse means:Especially when you are newer at following Jesus, it's key to connect with a mature believer, whose life is healthy and thriving, what the verse means and how to apply it. Some times we can get off on a tangent assuming something about God's word, but someone with perspective can easily help us course correct.3. Bible commentaries:On biblegateway.com or blueletterbible.org, you can find Bible commentaries from theologians who have throughly studied that verse and wrote comments to help with clarity. I know this might sound intimidating to use these kinds of resources, but it's not too  (Do not just randomly Google search the meaning of a verse, because you never know what random persons opinion might come to top of the search.)4. How's it working for you?A great clue to know whether you're applying the Bible correctly is to ask if the results in the Bible are happening in your life? If you're not seeing the results, it could be one of a few things.

• It could be that you aren't fully obeying what God has said, so follow the above steps to correct that and fruit will come.
• It could be that you are doing the right things, but the fruit of the seeds you're planting just haven't shown up yet, so be patient and keep at it.
• It could also be that the devil is attempting to steal the seeds of God's word and is working against you, in which case you need to go war in prayer, resisting the devil and declaring the promises of God's word until you see breakthrough.

When applied correctly, nothing is more powerful and transformative than God's word, so open up your Bible or open the Bible app, and begin to read, and apply it today.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2