“It is the Word that prunes the Christian. It is the truth that purges him.” That's how C.H. Spurgeon described the Bible's transformative impact on our lives.

The Word of God is such an incredible gift! The message of the Bible is a life-giving force for those who follow Christ. It sets spiritual expectations and provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding God's purposes for your life. If you are in the Bible regularly, it will prune away those things in your life that interrupt or interfere with your love for God and neighbor. It will also purge you, transforming whatever is impure or undesirable. No other book has the power to initiate such radical transformation in your life (Hebrews 4:12). 

As Spurgeon points out, the Bible changes us as we interact with it, and there are six primary ways we can do that:

1. Hearing. Hearing the Word of God involves listening with a humble attentiveness to the teaching or proclamation of the Word of God and inviting the Holy Spirit to apply it to your life.

1. Reading. Reading the Bible cultivates relational intimacy with God and familiarizes you with who God is and how God acts. It is a potent and essential spiritual discipline.

1. Studying. Studying the Bible helps you make sense of what the Bible teaches and allows the Holy Spirit to use God's Word to transform your life.

1. Memorizing. Memorizing portions of God's Word invites the renewing of your mind that Paul talks about in Romans 12:2. It allows you to take the Word of God into your heart, to make it a part of your life, and serves as a powerful tool to strengthen your faith.

1. Meditating. Meditation is a time to reflect or ruminate on biblical truth, always with the expectation that God will draw near to you as you pay close attention to Him through His Word.

1. Obeying. One of the most potent forms of interaction with God's Word is obedience. The Bible is a book that inspires action in the lives of those who faithfully interact with it.