The devil’s desire for us to neglect God’s Word. He not only wants us to neglect doing it, resulting in disobedience, but he wants us to neglect to study it. Why? Because he knows the power of God’s Word. He understands that it is the primary source of faith.
Romans 10:17 (ESV)
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
This is why the devil does everything he can to stop people from hearing the Word of God; and, if they do, to separate them from it as quickly as he can.
Luke 8:11–12 (ESV)
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Clearly, the devil knows what he is doing. Are we going to facilitate his will by neglecting to study God’s Word? The Bible encourages us not to, but, instead, to habitually study it.
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The more you study the Bible, the stronger Christian you will be. The Bible is our greatest defense against sin. It is a major part of the armor of God, and it helps us to withstand the assaults of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-17).
When we study the Bible regularly, its truths get embedded in our minds and that is what gives us the ability to defeat sin. It is not just hearing the Word of God, but the retaining of it that gives us strength.
Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
If the Word is dwelling in our hearts, we will not continue in sin. Yes, we may sin once in a while, for everyone does (Romans 3:23), but we will not make a practice of sinning.
1 John 3:9 (ESV)
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Do you see the power of God’s Word? It is not only that you will not make a practice of sinning if the Word abides in you, but that you cannot make a practice of sinning if such is the case. The Psalmist discovered this truth in his personal battle against sin.
Psalm 119:11 (ESV)
11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
The devil’s will is for us to not study the Bible, or at least do it as infrequently as possible. Let us not do his will. Make a habit of putting time aside to read, study, and meditate on the Word of God. The devil will not like it, but you will grow in faith and be a stronger Christian as a result.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.