Anyone who has read my posts knows that I have a high regard for the Bible. I believe it is the Word of God spoken through men. It is God talking to us. I believe in reading the whole Bible and knowing it well. (Stay with me. I’m getting to an important point, but need to give the background.)

I was recently thinking about how I have grown in the word and how this Substack has aided my understanding of the Bible.

For most of my life, I’ve hated writing. When I went to college, English was one of the two majors I didn’t consider because I didn’t want to write. People would talk about journaling and similar activities, and I always brushed it off as fine for them, but not for me. I would’ve claimed I hated writing.

Something changed a few years ago. I was feeling the calling to share what I had learned through a constant study of the Bible and other Bible related things. I’ve always loved reading and learning. I was looking for opportunities to disciple a woman or lead a women’s Bible study. I’m very comfortable teaching one on one or standing up in front of a thousand people. Every door seemed to close on me. God was encouraging me to write, but I didn’t want to listen because I hated writing and also didn’t think I could write well. Of course, God enables us to do what He calls to do, so disinterest and inability were not good excuses.

I finally listened to God and wrote my first book, Why I Need Jesus, a small book with deep theology. I thought I should try to promote my book, so I needed a website. I was following a couple of people on Substack, so I started the Trust Jesus Substack primarily to promote my book. God made it so much more. Almost immediately, God had me writing two posts each week.

Writing has grown my knowledge of the Bible and my understanding of it. Each time I write an article, I research a huge number of verses to verify if my idea is in accordance with the Bible. I try to include lots of verses and even passages to make sure that my teaching is in accordance with the whole Word of God. I’ve actually written a couple of posts that I didn’t post because I decided they were not well enough supported by Scripture to feel comfortable posting them.

By organizing my thoughts and the Bible verses that support them, I have strengthened my faith and greatly grown my understanding of the Bible in ways reading through the Bible repeatedly had not done. That isn’t to say that reading through the Bible hasn’t been great for my faith. It is to say that writing has helped me to know what I believe and why I believe it in a way that I hadn’t before.

Life today trains us not to go deep into anything. We have surface beliefs. We have feelings about things that we frequently can’t explain. We need to go deeper. Feeling strongly about something isn’t enough. We need to know why we believe what we believe. We need to base our beliefs and feelings on truth (especially the Bible). This requires reading the Bible, but also requires putting in the effort to analyze the whole Word of God. It requires thinking about what the Bible says and what it means in my life, in the lives of others, and for our understanding of who God is. Writing, as much as I hate to admit, was the missing part of my understanding of God and the Bible. To a certain extent, teaching helps us to better understand what is true. If you can explain something to another, you really understand it. Even better, writing it out coherently helps us to truly organize our thoughts.

Now I’ve written three books (my newest one, Learning About God Through Laughter, is in final editing). I’ve been writing this Substack for just under two years. I started writing in my Bible and notating related passages and other ideas I noticed. (I finally bought a large-print, note-taking Bible so I can write large enough that I can read my own handwriting). Writing out my thoughts has helped me understand the Bible in ways I never did before.

Even if you hate writing, I strongly suggest considering writing about your beliefs. It is your choice whether you share this writing with others or just do it for your own growth. I know numerous people who journal about their Bible study. That isn’t what I do, but it works for many. You may write up what you believe on a subject when it comes up in conversation or when you are working through what you believe.

You can use writing out your thoughts to be prepared for questions that come your way in accordance with 1 Peter 3.

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; (1 Peter 3:15) {emphasis mine}

You can even write out passages or whole books. Writing out verses (by hand, not typing) can help verses stick in our brains. God actually commanded Israel’s kings to copy the Law (Genesis–Deuteronomy) and to read it every day of his life.

“Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:18-19) {emphasis mine}

It is true that today we don’t have to make our own copy of the Bible to study it, but there is a benefit to writing the Word of God. There is something special about having a hand-copied version of the Bible. (I’ll admit I haven’t written any whole books, but I think it could be a significant benefit.)

I hope you will consider writing your thoughts on God and the Bible. I fought doing this for decades, but have been so blessed by my final submission to God to write.

May God give you a hunger for His Word. May He guide you in your study of His Word and help you understand the truth of the Bible and how the whole Word of God communicates the truth. May you write out your thoughts, so you can know what you believe and why. May you use your understanding to share with others who don’t know the Savior or who are young in their faith and growing in knowledge.

Trust Jesus

If you do not yet know Jesus, I beg you to trust in Him. Below are some verses that will tell you what you need to know to be saved. If you have any questions, I’d love to answer them. Just message me on Substack.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)

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For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

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But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

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that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (Romans 10:9)

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If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:9-10)

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For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

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He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

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But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

All verses are NASB unless otherwise noted.

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