Many times, I’ve heard people draw parallels from scriptures to apply to their work and it yielded billion dollar solutions and things like that. I recently had a major transition at work and I genuinely asked the Holy Spirit to guide me through scriptural principles to deliver excellently. He actually answered me and told me the bible characters to learn from and the passage of scripture where their story and impact is found.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” — John 14:26 (NKJV)

So the first thing I want you to remember here is if you ask sincerely and without doubt, The Holy Spirit will not ignore you or throw you under the bus. It’s very easy to either not want to “stress” Him or of all the possible ways to solve a problem or get things done, He just doesn’t come to mind. Some of us even think that’s not the kind of thing to bother the Holy Spirit With…He’s too Holy for this kind of subject.

Excitedly, I started reading and for like a week, nothing happened — or I didn’t feel like it and I started wondering how those people who reference scripture as their source are able to connect the dots.

So I got curious and a little worried that maybe there was something I wasn’t doing — some cleansing to repair my relationship with God — so that I would see and understand scriptures clearly. After asking questions, the answers I got made me realise that maybe I was too rigid in my approach to understanding scriptures. And that, I’m so excited to share with you in this article.

First off, you have to be curious enough to find out what you are looking for.

Have you ever gotten a call from your Uber driver that he’s outside and suddenly you can’t find your keys and need to lock the doors before leaving the house. or even worse to even open the door to meet up with the driver. Loool.

The exact way you want to find it — with the mindset that you just have to find it, no other option. This understanding should fuel your decision to keep searching till you find what you’re looking for — an applicable solution.

It’s that kind of curiosity that you need to look through scriptures. Obviously you are looking for something, so don’t approach it like you have an option and if you don’t find it, no wahala.

I should also mention that one thing that sponsors that mindset to find it is that “I used that same key last night to lock this door so it’s definitely somewhere in this house”.

“Everything that is in the Bible comes from God’s Spirit. And it helps us in many ways. The Bible teaches us what is true. It warns us when we are doing wrong things. It shows us what is right. It teaches us how to live good lives. Because of it, a person who wants to serve God can know how to live properly. He will have everything that he needs to do every kind of good work.” — 2 Timothy 3: 16–17 Easy English

Use Your Imagination to enhance comprehension

The Bible was written over a span of roughly 1,500 years, across multiple regions and by about 40 different authors (kings, prophets, priests, fishermen, poets, and apostles) but all inspired by the Holy Spirit. So, I don’t think anyone will persecute you for having that feeling of “abeg wetin be this” especially when you read for the first time. But as you study the scripture, actually try to put context to what you read and don’t read abstractly — Ask yourself how what you’re reading translates into today’s world and perspective, for some stories, use your mind to picture what you read. What this will do is to aid your understanding — comprehension.

Be patient with it to make it make sense to you and your context today. The purpose of this exercise is to grow in understanding and not to sign attendance so don’t rush your growth process please.

Finally, seek to apply.

I remembered taking a 3/6 month sewing lesson in 2016. If you ask me now, I will struggle alot. Ah! thinking about it now self, I’ll need a consistent series of refresher classes to confidently practice or make a dress for you. To say it simply — you are going back to beginner’s class.

A valid question here is how many times do you want to show up in beginners class in your Christian journey?

If, however, you genuinely practice the above, and it doesn’t seem to work…BREAKING NEWS!!! “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

This is exactly why your District Pastor won’t let you rest if you don’t show up in church. Speaking to a larger truth: we should intentionally allow ourselves to be surrounded by the right community. If you take a sincere look around, you’ll realise that we actually have all the help we need — we just need to start activating it. Maybe it’s a decision to start showing up for church more consistently, finally joining that unit, being honest when your HoD asks how you’re doing — no “hard guy/hard girl” facade. The list goes on, if you’ll just pause and reflect on what your own next step should be.

Let me begin to tie all these up.

When God decided to inspire men to script the bible, He definitely had you in mind. You are here for a purpose and on this path of purpose, He knows you have questions and he made provisions for them centuries before you came to being — That’s a high level of intentionality.

As I conclude, I have gathered that you are doing yourself a great disservice if you do not study the bible. So start reading the bible today. I get it that you may not understand it at first but I promise you that it is the same for every beginner — ask Pastor Dami.

Just keep at it and show up everyday.

Have a study partner or at least be in the company of fellow believers that understand the importance of bible reading. This is so that you have easy and quick access to someone that understands better than you. You can ask questions and get clarity.

So whether it’s a major transition at work, a decision you’re unsure about, or just trying to show up fully in this season of your life, one verse, one chapter, one day at a time. You’ll be amazed how light begins to break through. Heaven is rooting for you, and help is closer than you think.

Abigail Sanya
IG — @Abiola_abigail

Push Buttons is a weekly devotional of The Powerpoint Tribe.