ake sure you have a Bible you can understand. A person needs to know all of God's promises for their life and how to receive them.

John 8:31-32 ... Jesus said, "If you hold (grasp and keep to use as one's own) to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Although there are many ways to communicate with God, like prayer and worship, reading His Word is the closest form of communication you'll ever have. Through his Holy Words God speaks directly to anyone who will seek him. 2Peter 1:20-21 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is the greatest love letter ever sent to anyone on earth and each of us has an opportunity to receive it. In it God reveals his desires, rules and rewards for each person's life. He has enough love to correct us to make us strong and to warn us against sin and the curse of Satan that brings death to us, mind, body and soul. He explains his great plan of salvation that we can live free and prosperous with the future hope of eternal heaven. What Does Heaven (The New Jerusalem) Look Like

As a good father God has great plans for us, many of which we receive automatically as we obey his word. Other blessings and promises are received through using our faith, which come from the message of God's Word. Jesus was our best example for using faith. He showed us how to use it to receive the things he needed as well as for others.

Each and every person is so important to the Lord. All we have to do to receive his best is to accept His truths and desire to learn his ways. To help us He has even sent His Holy Spirit to live with us and in us (Luke 11:13) so that we can know Him. Learning and obeying God's Word is one of the most profitable things you will ever do. The more you read and pray for understanding the more you will prosper in every area of life. Reading early every morning and praying for God's guidance will prepare you for a day of growth and understanding for your life. Then you will live God's way with success, instead of trying to make it on your own.

I like to suggest to anyone who is not familiar with the Bible to start reading (or listening to Bible CDs) at the beginning of the New Testament and going through the complete New Testament several times.

Getting a firm foundation in the Gospels, God's grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit will strengthen a person as they add details and stories from the Old Testament for the complete picture that God has for the people he created.

The time you spend with the Lord gives you the power of God for protection. It gives you knowledge and the wisdom of how to use it correctly when problems arise. As you lean God's Word the Holy Spirit prepares you to fight the attacks of the enemy, Satan, with God's power to defeat him completely. There is great value in owning and reading versions of the Bible that open up the full message from God for us. It's the only place where a person can receive faith for the trials of this life.

If all you have is a King James Version I suggest that you eventually get something easier to read. The one I like best is the NIV (New International Version). We have read many different versions of the Bible but the Life in the Spirit Study Bible is the one that reveals the most depth and insight to God's "spiritual meaning" of his word. The Spirit of the Word is essential to our growth as a Christian.

Receiving the truth through God's Spirit allows God to adjust our thinking and correct our actions. The letter of the word appears as rules and regulations that we, with a weak nature, can't possibly keep. When we receive the Spirit of the Word we receive revelation, understanding and power to obey what we have learned. This all works together to produces actions that please God.