Becoming Fluent in the Word

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Open journal with handwritten notes about God’s Word beside a softly illustrated page.

Studying God’s Word is near and dear to my heart. Without a doubt, it has been one of the most beneficial parts of my spiritual growth.

What a blessing it has been to wake up before the whole house—back when my children still lived here 🥲—coffee in hand, and spend time one-on-one with God at the beginning of each day.

Over the years, there have been women who have walked alongside me in this journey without ever knowing me personally: Jen Wilkin, Ruth Haley Barton, Priscilla Shirer, Macrina Wiederkehr, Tish Harrison Warren, and Kristin Schmucker of The Daily Grace Co.

And there were also women who came alongside me personally when I was a brand-new believer. Their investment in me made a lasting impact, and I feel God calling me to pay that forward.

Last year, Jill Dasher and I launched a Kingdom Women Bible study for the women of our church. Jill, I could not have done this without you!

My prayer is that the words I share about the Word of God will meet you where you are and encourage you in your own spiritual growth.

Open Bible and handwritten study notes titled “The Word” beside painted landscape studies in warm sunlight.

A few weeks ago, our pastor was talking about becoming fluent in the Word of God. As he spoke, I wrote this in my journal:

“Will I sit in the Word…longing and deeply seeking for the Word of God to change me,
refresh me,
reroute me,
transform me?

Can I discipline myself enough to chase after the lover and anchor of my soul…to study and become fluent in His Word?”

That is my prayer for myself, and for you, my friends: that we would learn to be still and know Him.

“Seek and deeply long for the Lord and His strength; seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.”
[Psalm 105:4] AMP

The Word

John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.”

Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all their host by the breath of His mouth.”

Then in John 1:14, “The Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us.”

And Revelation 19:13 tells us, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”

Jesus is the Word. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. Hebrews 1:1–3 tells us that Jesus is God’s final Word to us.

And if we want to be in relationship with someone, we have to make time for them—intentional time.

So how do we sustain and nurture a relationship with God?

In Women of the Word, Jen Wilkin writes about knowing God and loving Him with our minds. As we grow in our knowledge of God’s character through His Word, we grow into a deeper love for Him. This is why Romans 12:2 tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Bible study materials, open books, handwritten notes, and a printed study titled “The Word” arranged on a desk.

Our Hearts Cannot Love What Our Minds Do Not Know

In Discerning the Voice of God, Priscilla Shirer describes what happens when we saturate ourselves in Scripture: God’s truth begins to expose and burn away what is not like Him.

All day long, our hearts and minds are absorbing messages. Many of those messages contradict the truth of God. If we are not consciously filling our minds with Scripture, it becomes easy to fall back into the patterns and standards of the world.

But when we fix our eyes on Jesus—the author and perfecter of our faith—we begin to be renewed.

As Jen Wilkin writes, acquiring knowledge about the One we love for the sake of loving Him more deeply leads to transformation.

In John 14:23, Jesus says:

“If anyone really loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him.”

I love looking more closely at the word keep in this verse.

The Greek word tereo is a verb—an action. It means to attend carefully, to take care of, and to guard.

Its root word, theoreo, is also a verb. It means to look at, behold, view attentively, consider, and examine.

So in order to keep His Word, we must attend to it carefully. We look at it. We behold it. We consider it. We take care of it. We guard it.

This is not passive.

“Let the hearts of those who seek and require the Lord [as their most essential need] rejoice. Seek and deeply long for the Lord and His strength; seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.”
[Psalm 105:3–4] AMP

So let’s make it our ambition to keep His Word—to seek Him, to long for Him, and to soak in the beauty of His Word and His Truth.

Because if we are not in the Word enough to become familiar with God’s voice, how will we know when He speaks to us?