You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
Job 33:18
18 He keepeth back [chasak] his soul [nephesh] from the
pit [shachath], and his life [chay] from perishing [`abar] by
the sword [shelach]. KJV-Interlinear
18 He keeps back his soul from
the pit, And his life from passing over into Sheol. NASB
There are four key words in
this verse - soul, pit, life, and sword.
Each has a specific reference to your existence or the quality of your
existence in this world.
What you think is what you
really are. Your thinking processes
exists within your soul. The real you is your human life which resides within
your soul. Neither are a part of your
biological self.
Life, is a reference to
your physical being. It is your body,
flesh and bones and such, which acts as a vessel or platform where your soul
can reside during you time on this earth.
Pit, is a reference to the
potential destruction which threatens your soul. And the sword is a reference to the potential
destruction which threatens your physical self - your flesh and bones, etc.
And so God speaks to you
once, and twice. The first time he
speaks is a reference to all of the many times the scriptures, or truth in
whatever form, are communicated to you during your life. You have ample
opportunities to listen and learn, or not.
God speaks to you a second
time. That is a reference to the may
times throughout your life whereby your day-to-day experiences serve as
teaching platforms, intended to get you on the right track back in your
spiritual life.
You can look up at the sky
at night and see its vastness and consider your smallness. You can see the order of this world through
authority, family life, right and wrong, etc., and see the foundations for truth
in those concepts. You can witness
violence in many forms on the news, in the weather, in accidents, in birth
defects, in employment, and so forth, and see the many limitations that mankind
has in his life.
In fact, there isn't
anywhere in life that you can look and not see the influence of God or his
principles in life.
The truth is everywhere in
some form or another. The only place
which will prevent your seeing it is within your own mental attitude.
And in the last verse, that
is why God attempts to keep your arrogance to a minimum. It is your arrogance,
which can prove to be extremely subtle, which will prevent your seeing truth,
and consequently send your life in its entirety, both body and soul, into the
pit of self-destruction or failure, both now and in eternity.
No one has any excuse in
life. You do not have any excuse in life
for not advancing in your spiritual life.
The only thing that can
prevent you from advancing is your own self.
There is no power, set of circumstances, environment, nothing in this
world, which can prevent God from getting you to spiritual maturity, if you
genuinely desire it.
Now is the time to post a prayer.
End Of Lesson
Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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