It's not enough to believe the bible: you must fill your mind with it so that the Holy Spirit can use it to transform you. The five ways to do this are:

If you've time to read your newspaper but not your bible, you won't grow. You can't watch television for three hours then read your bible for three minutes and expect growth. ‘But I believe the bible from cover to cover' you say. Big deal! Have you read it from cover to cover? If you read it just 15 minutes a day, you'll read completely through it once a year.

If you cut out one 30-minute television programme a day, you'll read it through twice a year. Daily bible-reading will keep you within range of God's voice.

Listen: [We] should keep it with [us] all the time... Read from it every day ...' (Deuteronomy 17:19 NCV).

Do you want to prosper? Get a daily bible- reading plan!

In the parable of the sower, Jesus identified three unreceptive attitudes:

(a) A closed mind (hard soil)

(b) A superficial mind (shallow soil)

(c) A distracted mind (soil with weeds)

Then he said: ‘consider carefully how you listen…' (Luke 8:18 NIV).

Anytime you are not learning, check your attitude, especially for pride, because God can speak through the most boring teacher if you're humble and receptive. Listen: ‘humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you' (James 1:21 NIV)

  Let his words enrich your lives and make you wise…' (Colossians 3:16)

Reading, Receiving, Researching, Remembering and Reflecting on God's word are useless-if we don't become ‘doers of the word' (James 1:22).

This is the hardest step of all because Satan fights it intensely. You can be so busy going to the next bible conference that you forget to put into practice what you'd learned at the last one.

Jesus said, ‘everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practise is like a wise man who built his house on the rock' (Matthew 7:24 NIV).

Blessings come from obeying the truth, not just knowing it! Listen: ‘now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them' (John 13:17 NIV).

Do you want to be blessed? Start doing what God says!

One of the reasons we avoid personal application is because it's difficult, even painful.

The truth will set you free, but first it may make you miserable! God's word reveals our motives, exposes our flaws, rebukes our sin and demands change. That's why you need to discuss your personal applications with others. We learn from others truths we would never learn on our own. Others help us to see and apply what we miss.

 The best way to become a ‘doer of the word' is to;

1. Write out an action plan.

2. Your plan should be personal (involving you);

3. Practical (something you can do);

4. Provable (with a deadline to do it).

 Finally I would like to conclude by quoting D.L Moody, one of the great men of God of the past century who said, ‘The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives!'  Think about it!

I will start a new series next month so don't miss it!

Remember, I love you and I'm praying for you!

Remain blessed and highly favoured!

Apostle James