Today we have a testimony from one of our Beautiful Small Group leaders. She shares the story of one of her small group members whose life was transformed through the study of God’s Word.
“I wanted to share a testimony from one of the ladies in my small group. The transformation she has experienced in just a few weeks is nothing short of a miracle.
Our small group is studying the book of Daniel. One of our members, Kathy, has never been in a Bible study before and was concerned about how to look up scriptures and answer the study questions each week. Overall, she thought it would take a long time for God to heal her and open her eyes to the truth of her past.
But in just two weeks, God has convicted her and changed her already. Kathy’s story is for those who struggle, those who doubt God and have fought against studying His Word, or for those who make excuses why they don’t need to be in a Bible study. Kathy was just like that. She has said she used to be someone who had no problem telling people off, especially those who deserved it. But the more Kathy started reading God’s word, the more God began to transform her heart. She had tried everything – Christian counseling, self-help books – but nothing really helped her until she began this in-depth study of God’s Word.”
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Sometimes we will look to books, teachings and even other people to try and solve the problems of our lives. But God has every answer we will ever need in his Word – the Bible. At some point in our walk with God we begin to grow from being bottle fed – having the answers provided by others, to eating meat – seeking God’s Word for the answers ourselves. And when we begin to dine on the meat of God’s holy Word, we begin to see amazing transformations take place in our lives. As one of our previous bloggers wrote, we move from “head knowledge to heart knowledge.”
And there’s a difference between just reading the Bible and actually studying the Bible. Like the testimony above, there are some powerful, topical Bible studies which will open your eyes to really understanding what God is saying through his holy Word. Popular Bible study teachers Beth Moore and Kay Arthur have authored studies on almost every book of the Bible. And at Beautiful, we offer topical Bible studies each semester as part of our Beautiful small groups.
Bottom line, it doesn’t matter what book of the Bible you’re studying. God will speak to you no matter what your need or what you are struggling with. The important thing is to get in the Word and stay there!