Why Study the Bible For Yourself?

This seems like a SIMPLE QUESTION. Why study the Bible for yourself? First of all, it was you who decided to accept, believe, and turn your life over to God. You CHOSE Him. He has left a guide or instructions for those choosing to follow Him how to live, the BIBLE. 

It is the CHRISTIAN'S guidebook that WE must know and ADHERE to. Some people have taken the COMMAND to spresd the GOSPEL as force NONCHRISTIANS to live by the Bible. The Gospels are for nonchristians, everything else is for followers of God and Jesus to grow in a personal RELATIONSHIP with God and that is ACHEIVED through STUDYING, LEARNING his nature and WORD so you can STAND the WICKEDNESS of EARTH as you save souls for the KINGDOM.

Another reason is that studying the Scripture shows you trying to UNDERSTAND God, His love for HUMANITY, HIS GRACE and MERCY for His creation and HOW you fit into His PLAN. Bible study is showing you CARE about the things God cares about. You are SUPPORTING God's will for man putting aside your OWN earthly agendas. It says, "I serve you God, your WILL and PURPOSE for mankind".

To ALLOW another HUMAN the total responsibility for you Christian walk is not CORRECT. It is your RESPONSIBILTY to serve God in the CAPACITY He wants and get those direction straight from the horses mouth. That's who you trust with your SOUL and not man because he falls PREY to sin. Sooner or later, you follow man, quicker than the understanding and wisdom of God. You loyalty and faith has switched through man. DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: Wolf In Sheep's Clothing (Donald Trump).

People who KNOW the nature of God, understands he communicate to Christians where their understanding. During your Christian journey, God grows you to a mature Christian which takes years of studying the Bible as it unfols to YOUR LEVEL of Christian maturity. Your GROWTH in God is DEPENDENT on Bible Study. God speaks to Christians through the Bible, prayer, and SIGNS.

In the Book of Genesis, "signs" (Hebrew: ’ôth) refer to divine tokens, wonders, or visible markers used by God to REVEAL His presence, CONFIRM His promises, or WARN humanity. Celestial Signs (Genesis 1:14): God established the sun, moon, and stars in the sky to act as visible signs to mark days, years, and sacred seasons. The Mark of Cain (Genesis 4:15): After Cain was banished for murdering Abel, God placed a protective "sign" or mark upon him. This served as an indicator to ensure no one would exact vengeance and kill Cain. The Rainbow (Genesis 9:12–17): God set the rainbow in the clouds as the visible sign of His covenant with Noah. It serves as an everlasting reminder of His promise to never again destroy the earth by a global flood. The Stars as a Promise (Genesis 15:5): God brought Abram outside at night and told him to count the stars. He used the vast, uncountable cosmos as a sign and visual guarantee that Abram's descendants would be equally as numerous.

The "feed my sheep" verses are found in John 21:15-17 , the disciple who God SHOWED the BOOK OF REVELATION to. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Each time Peter affirmed his love, Jesus commanded him to "Feed my lambs" and "Feed my sheep". Peter was the CORNERSTONE of the new CHURCH Jesus was proclaiming was at hand.

The Bible speaks and teaches on 3 LEVELS. To the babe in Christ, to those continuing their trust in faith in God, to the MATURE Christian in Christ. The second stage is where confusion, tradition, and agendas sneak in. This is where it is important to KNOW the NATURE of God, which never changes, but people can change their understanding of the WORDS of the Bible differently.

This is WHY there are so many DENOMINATIONS in the Protestant FAITH. God spoke a CERTAIN word at a certain time and then the church would claim to have the RIGHT understanding of God's word. God speaks individually to people and so does SATAN. Knowing the nature and WILL of God keeps down confusion and division among his body. 

Studying the Bible allows you clarity in what God HATES and cannot abide and the NATURE of MAN that he longs will change. He let's the studyer of the Bible sees and understand His LOVE for His creation and how He wants the BEST for them through all their evil and sinning. His love is ENDURING.

Lastly, studying the Bible helps you determine who else STANDS with God by their fruits. The "fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical concept from the New Testament book of Galatians (Galatians 5:22-23). It outlines nine visible attributes that the Holy Spirit naturally develops in the character and life of a follower of Jesus Christ: Love: Selfless, unconditional care and devotion for others. Joy: An abiding sense of gladness and inner peace not dependent on circumstances. Peace: A tranquil state of mind and harmony with God and others. Patience: The ability to endure difficult situations, delays, or the faults of others without anger. Kindness: A genuine, helpful, and compassionate disposition toward others. Goodness: Moral excellence, integrity, and doing what is right. Faithfulness: Loyalty, trustworthiness, and steadfastness in commitments. Gentleness: A humble, mild, and meek approach to dealing with people. Self-Control: The ability to govern one's desires, passions, and impulses.

 Also, Bible study dispells LIES. The SBC just said women should not hold positions of authority in the church. NOT BIBLICAL.DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: Why Trumps "Truths" Always Win

Assaulting sinners is Spiritual warfare, RIGHTEOUS Godly anger. NOT BIBLICAL.

Taking over FORCING people to FOLLOW Christianity. NOT BIBLICAL;

Bullying is bringing the sword of God. NOT BIBLICAL.

Taking FINANCIAL and GOVERNMENT support from them because they are LAZY. NOT BIBLICAL.

Supporting increases of monetary WEALTH. NOT BIBLICAL. God hates the wealthy for their sins trusting MONEY as the ANSWER to everything and NOT God.DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: Why Do Wealthy Men Sex Traffic? (Sean Combs)

Yet we are living in a TIME of GREED and NOT LOVE. Jesus TOLD Christians the WORLD would be like this. 2 Corinthians 12:9, which says: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33, ESV).DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: The Trumps Are Grifters.

Bible study helps to keep Christians FOCUSED on God's AGENDA, that all may be SAVED, Christians MUST demonstrate LOVE to the LEAST of these, EVEN enemies and those NOT deserving of love, the Kingdom is at hand as the Gospels say, LOVE God ABOVE everything and serve Him.DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: The Devil Gets The Credit 

One thing that has intimidating me and CAUSED me to follow along is the DEFINITION of the TRINITY, which I now am ready to address and blog on. My Bible study has finally given me the CONFIDENCE and COURAGE to SPEAK God's WORD not man's which has been taught under TRADITION and the threat of ABUSE REJECTION and OSTRIZADATION. Now is a TIME to stand for TRUTH regardless of the outcome.

Bible study is KEY to GROWING in God as an individual and communicating with Him Spirit to spirit. Spirit-to-spirit communication is a non-verbal CONNECTION that bypasses the physical senses to INTERACT directly with a higher self, divine, or spiritual realm. This exchange relies on intuition, thought-transference, and "knowing" rather than spoken language. The Spirit is God and the spirit is you. DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: In The World of Donald Trump, Don't Be A Judas

Romans 8:16: "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." (This inner witness is often described as a deep, undeniable conviction). 1 Corinthians 2:13: "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words". Romans 8:26: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." John 4:24: "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." 1 Corinthians 14:2: "For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit." DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: CULTS and Trump

Christians who LOVE God, loves his word. For me, it's a LOVE LETTER: tender, caring, and deep. God ACHES with love for His creation. How can WE be ANYTHING but LOVING to ourselves? Falling in love WITH God, happens at true, ongoing, Bible study. Go ahead. FALL IN LOVE WITH GOD and realizing you are JUST having a DEAD-END affair WITH man.

America the Deceived or the Deceiver???

Lately I've been baffled as I watch the pastors, preachers, ministers, shepherds and teachers leave their first love. Revelation 2:4, Jesus tells the church of Ephesus, "But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first".  The church lost its passion for Jesus like when they first were saved. It's a reminder of who saved you and why you were saved. It reminds the Christian of who they once were. And it can be assumed if you love someone (God, Jesus) you will want to please them.

So, Christians must continually ask, "What pleases God?" What pleases God includes having faith, obeying divine commands, and living a life of righteousness, justice, and LOVE TOWARDS OTHERS. This involves actions like demonstrating compassion, showing kindness, serving the community, and producing the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, and patience. Specifically, some faiths highlight the importance of receiving God's gifts like forgiveness and pursuing holiness by saying no to sin and yes to righteousness. At this time in history, are Christians pleasing God?

Watching to TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) it's hard to see pastors, preachers, teachers, and ministers talking more about Republicans than God. They no longer point to God but to President Donald Trump. They tell their congregation, "We have a lot of people who are poor. What should we do because Jesus said in Matthew 26:11, "The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me". This verse is also found in Mark 14:7 and John 12:8, and is a direct reference to Deuteronomy 15:11, which states, "For there will never cease to be poor in the land". Why would a pastor say this? To make it palatable for Christians to not care about the suffering many poor people are experiencing under the Trump administration.

One of the jobs of Christians is to set THEMSELVES apart from the world, not to conquer the land. Right now the Evangelicals have banded together to make America a Christian nation again. That is good and all, but what makes a Christian nation? People accepting Christ.

"Separating yourself from the world" is a concept found in many spiritual and philosophical traditions, generally meaning to detach from worldly attachments, values, and desires to pursue spiritual growth, or to live a higher set of principles. It involves a deliberate choice to focus on inner self, practice detachment from material possessions, and avoid the negative or sinful aspects of the surrounding culture, without necessarily isolating from people entirely. 2 Corinthians 6:17, "Therefore go out from their midst, and separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you". This is a direct quote often cited in discussions about separation from the world. 

Christians have NEVER been called to force their beliefs on others. If America is to be a Christian nation, then people must have a heart change, other than this, it will be a forced Christianity which God doesn't desire. Several Bible verses address living in a way that glorifies God, particularly by demonstrating love and good deeds towards others. Key verses include the phrase "I never knew you" appears in Matthew 7:23 and Luke 13:25-27, where Jesus is speaking to people who have claimed to perform miracles in his name but have not truly followed God's will. In these verses, he states, "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" 1 Peter 2:12, which says to "Keep your conduct honorable among the Gentiles... so that... they may... glorify God in the day of visitation," and Matthew 7:12, which is the Golden Rule: "Do to others what you would have them do to you". Another relevant verse is Philippians 2:4: "Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others". 

If America is to be a Christian nation, the Christians must behave as Christians. Many of them have no problem saying WHO hates God. But have their attitude and behavior brought people to Christ or repelled people from Christ? In Romans 14:13, it states, "Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Maybe people are rejecting Christianity not because of God, but because of His cold-hearted, callous followers.

Christians say they are concerned with the secular education their children are receiving and want to change it for the children. They want to change the different cultures to Christian. Well. change begins at home. Proverbs 22:6, which states: "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it". Are Christians demonstrating their faith and trust in God complaining their children are being corrupted by the world? Are the faithful, faithful?

The Christian does not depend on playbooks like Project 2025. They look to where their help comes from, "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" is found in Psalm 121:2. It is part of a larger psalm (Psalm 121) that speaks of God as the ultimate source of protection and strength for those who look to Him. Christians are looking to Donald Trump to save them from sinners. How they forget, they are also sinners. What if we legislated Christians to live a truly HOLY life?

The church has a holy vision that they believe can only be achieved by cracking down on SINNERS. Not BIBLICAL teaching. How then can change come that is Godly? 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land". This verse is a promise from God that if His people repent, He will respond to their prayers with forgiveness and healing. It didn't say govern people with Christian laws and policies. No! It is Christians REPENTING and PRAYING that will heal the land.

One would believe Christians do not read their Bible or live by it. One would even question, do they know God? This is the FRUIT of the spirit onlookers see. I have long said Evangelicals are giving Christianity a black eye and God cannot be pleased with them trusting and relying on such a wicked, greedy, heartless, prideful man. That should be who they separate themselves from. DOROTHY GUYTON, author (BA, MA) INTERVIEWER: Trump, Evangelicals, and Wealth

The Bible verse about knowing people by their fruit is found in Matthew 7:16-20, which states, "Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ... A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them". This passage is a teaching from Jesus to discern true followers and prophets by observing their actions and the outcomes of their lives. What fruits are Christians supposed to have and be recognized by: Galatians 5:22-23, which states, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (NIV). These qualities are produced by the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Christians today do not have the joy which comes from God. They are angry and bitter. Complaining all the time about sinful people.

The book of Revelation, the only book of the Bible which says not to change one WORD of its text, no adding or taking away, gave us a warning about the church (The primary Bible verses prohibiting changes to God's word are Deuteronomy 4:2 and Revelation 22:18-19) in the End Times. The seven churches of Revelation are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, each with a specific problem addressed in the biblical text, warning us this church no longer honors or worships God. Ephesus was rebuked for leaving its first love, Smyrna for persecution, Pergamum for tolerating false teachings and immorality, Thyatira for a false prophetess, Sardis for being spiritually dead, Philadelphia for enduring trials, and Laodicea for being spiritually lukewarm and complacent. Keep an eye on the church to see if they are behaving like the 7 churches mentioned to KNOW how much trouble we are in if Evangelicals have been fooled into thinking Trump is an answer for a secular world. 

"My grace is sufficient to overcome the world" is not a complete quote from the Bible, but the sentiment comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, where God tells the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” You can't evangelize if you are an oppressor or one seeking power and money. We know the church has become greedy and encouraging hurtful actions towards Christians and non-Christians. Maybe Christians are the cause of the problems we're facing. Maybe people are rejecting God because of His ambassadors representing Him.

When I think of today's church, I cannot believe how they are supporting Trump. I can't believe how easily they call others, sinners.

How to identify sinners in the Bible

• Look for actions that violate God's law: 

  The Bible lists specific sins such as murder, adultery, lying, stealing, and coveting. 
• Observe a person's relationship with God and others: 

  Sins like not loving God or your neighbor, speaking ill of others, or being selfish are also considered sinful. 
• Consider the role of intent: 

  The Bible distinguishes between those who knowingly violate God's commands and those whose actions are simply part of their sinful nature. 
• Recognize the presence of self-righteousness: 

  The Bible also identifies self-righteous people as sinners because their actions and words are not in line with God's law. 

While the Bible provides a clear definition of a sinner, it is not a label that can be used to judge or condemn others. Instead, it is a reminder that all people are in need of God's grace and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.  

Today's Christian is wrapped up in the sins of others and forgetting their duty as Christians. In Matthew 7:23, where Jesus tells those who claim to know him but did not do the will of the Father, "I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness". The phrase "I never knew you" appears in Matthew 7:23 and Luke 13:25-27, where Jesus is speaking to people who have claimed to perform miracles in his name but have not truly followed God's will. In these verses, he states, "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness!'"

The Evangelicals BELIEVE they are doing the will of God when Jesus' ministry tells us to guard our hearts. Our heart condition is what matters and even if you quote scripture, look holy, or evangelize, those deeds are good, but it's about the unseen heart which God sees. This is how he can say "I never knew you even though my name was constantly on your lips.

If Trump does all the Evangelicals want, they won't be satisfied and need more. The lust of their heart is no longer God. We will have to stay tuned to see what the corruption of power will do to the church. History repeats you know. Stay tuned and don't let Christian people sway you into not trusting and depending on God to answer prayers if the CHRISTIAN repents and pray.

For LEADERS and teachers there is a dire warning they should be aware of. The seven woes in Matthew 23 are pronouncements of judgment by Jesus against the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. They are, shutting the kingdom of heaven from others, leading converts to hell, being BLIND GUIDES who prioritize minor details over major principles, being inwardly corrupt despite outward appearances, and feigning respect for prophets while perpetuating their violence. Self-righteousness led them from the ministry of Jesus.

The Bible strongly warns against self-righteousness, emphasizing that true righteousness comes from God's grace and faith in Jesus Christ, not from human works or merit. Self-righteousness is presented as a dangerous deception and a sin that blinds people to their true spiritual state and God's standards. Biblical passages like Romans 10:3, Galatians 6:3, and the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:9-14 show that relying on one's own good deeds leads to pride, vanity, and a failure to submit to God's will. 

Key Biblical Teachings

• True righteousness is God's gift: 

  The Bible teaches that humans are inherently sinful and our best deeds fall short of God's perfect standard. Righteousness is not earned but is granted through faith in Jesus Christ's sacrifice. 
Self-righteousness is a deception: 
It creates a false sense of purity and blinds people to their need for God's cleansing and mercy. The apostle Paul rejected his own perceived righteousness, considering it a "loss" compared to the superior righteousness found in Christ. 
It leads to pride and judgment: 
Self-righteous people often focus on their own achievements and can become hypocritical and judgmental of others. Jesus highlighted this danger by showing how the humble tax collector, unlike the proud Pharisee, was considered righteous by God.