My patience is not good when it comes to putting stuff together. I can get frustrated really quick. Then I will say, “I tried following the directions, but they are too complicated, I’ll just try to do it without them!” I’m sure I am not the only one who has done this. Most of the time I end up going right back to the directions! Sometimes we feel this way when reading the Bible, which is our instruction book for life. I know it can sometimes seem overwhelming and complicated. The thing is, when we try to live life without God’s directions, we are not properly prepared for our life journey. People often talk about winging it when they have to do something difficult, something that they did not prepare for or had time to rehearse, for instance, make a speech or give a presentation. Unfortunately, life is not a rehearsal, and we don’t get a do over. God has given us directions to live life and live it abundantly, which is His desire. (John 10:10). Let me just say, being saved and living the life God wants us to live while here on earth are two separate things. The Bible says if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10). Paul clearly states that salvation is the gift from God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23). However, being saved does not mean we won’t have trials and tribulations while on this earth. (John 16:33). How is your life? Do you have joy and peace? Are you blessed and highly favored? How do you face trials and tribulations? How do you treat others? Are you imitating Christ, the man who died so we could live? God gave us the directions for all that and anything else we have to deal with in this sinful and corrupt world. The Bible says satan is the god of this world and he has blinded the minds of unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 4:4). However, we do not have to fear, we can live the life God wants us to, we just can’t do it ourselves, we have to follow His directions. He even gave us a role model, Jesus Christ!
No matter how difficult or complicated the Bible may seem initially, we must continue to read and follow the directions. We must read it, meditate and pray on it, study it, memorizing it if we can. Also attending Bible study groups and listening to Bible-focused messages help our understanding. It’s good to have spiritual leaders and other believers to discuss and pray with you. There are answers in God’s Word to even the toughest problems. When someone is going through a trial or storm, we don’t want to hand out religious cliches or just say have faith, we want to offer real hope and help from God’s Word. In order to do that, we need to know His Word. In order to know His Word, we must read and study His Word. We can’t just go to church on Sundays and wing it until the next Sunday. If we don’t follow directions, we will either mess up or have a headache from trying to fix it and give up. In order for our life to be of God and eliminate unnecessary headaches, we must learn how to be obedient and follow God’s directions. Life situations that causes anxiety or worry such as financial crisis, exams, relationship issues, child discipline, death, and even losing a job, all have easy directions to follow in the Bible. We have God telling us in Philippians 4:6 to “Do not be anxious about anything”. In Genesis 37, we have the story of Joseph which teaches us how to respond in a godly way when fired unjustly from a job, or treated unfairly. The Bible speaks relevantly and authoritatively to problems such as anger, conflict, pride, fear and money. God tells us He is working everything out for our good. (Romans 8:28).
I heard someone ask how could a book written thousands of years ago, connect with our twenty-first century problems? He said how can we be sure they apply to the here and now? This is what I know, the Bible is God’s revelation for believers of all ages, times, and places. The Bible says there is nothing new under the sun.(Ecclesiastics 1:9). We share the same struggles common to people of all eras, so we should expect God’s revelation to them to resonate to us. I cannot stress enough the importance of alone time with God. I can honestly say spending time alone with God has helped me to understand even more deeply the Christ-centered perspective the Bible advocates. Spending time with Jesus makes me desire to follow His directions. You will find fulfillment in the Word, you will get closer to Jesus, who will bridge the gap between the Old Testament, New Testament and these modern times. The first truth is, no matter the era, it is the same God, the same Savior, and the same Salvation. (Malachi 3:6). The second truth is Jesus revealed God’s Holiness, he showed us God’s wisdom, and in His death He illustrated God’s love. (1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16). Paul said in Psalm 119:11 that he stored God’s Word in his heart, so that he would not sin against Him. I am trying to do the same. Instead of putting down God’s directions and trying to do it myself, I have learned to seek Jesus for answers. Because even though the Bible was written by man, it was inspired by God. Love and Blessings…
EMMANUEL 
Amen!
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God’s direction better than any GPS.
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