Good place to start was finding out the truth for myself

‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'

Interpretation : The enemy knows how powerful the Word of God is and satan is mustering every force and deception he can to keep us from studying God's precious Word.

I personally have fallen into the trap of avoidance. Avoiding picking up the bible, avoiding going to church. I have been involved in debates with friends who have challenged something from the bible and I felt unarmed, unprepared, I did not know what to say in defence. I realised I was dependant on hearing from others what the bible said, but left to my own defence I didn't know enough. I read something inspirational that said

"Let's not just take someone else's words as truth either, instead, let us search the Word of God in the Bible ourselves to see if what we have been told is the truth."

Finding out the truth myself instead of just hearing from others will certainly put me in a better position if ever faced with another "friendly" debate. The way I struggled to think back to my childhood bible stories or maybe what I heard in church last Sunday to support my arguement was quite pathetic. I never went into school debates without key points from a reliable source, I would make sure I read a good book by a recommended author and compile a set of key points to fight my opponent. Why can't i apply the same methods to bible reading. I will surely meet a new challenger, plenty of my friends love asking me questions about the bible. I will surely be better armed for the next battle. Finding a piece of evidence (the truth) myself, surely that sounds like dedicated contender who is making the effort to prepare for battle.

To be honest the reason why I vaguely remember the bible stories from when I was younger is because all I ever did was hear them read to me, I did not put any of it into action. Jesus said we don't just live by bread alone (food), which feeds the flesh, but we must also live by the Word which feeds the soul. The key phrase here is live by the Word.  The word from the bible is powerful when read but even more so when put into action. As they saying goes no point being all talk and no action!

It is also important to focus on the part that says "every word." One thing I noticed I do is I tend to listen to what I want to hear. I don't listen to everything just the nice parts or easier to do parts. This has probably come from years of being told to focus on key points, or simplyfing information to make it easier to understand or remember. Unfortunately with the bible it's not about focusing on some parts or following some commandments or doing things half heartedly. I need to receive the word with all readiness of mind. Be willing to accept what is written. A challenge for someone as stubborn as me!