Using the Word to Study the Word

This post is a little different. I've been learning different ways to read and study the Word, and recently began this word-by-word study. Having got just four words in, I felt Holy Spirit encourage me to use this as an example here on my blog.

Scripture: John 5:30 "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgement is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me." -- Jesus speaking to the Jews.

For each word, I looked up cross references and chose six. I wrote each one out, along with truth I already knew from the Word. I have been learning about the power of declaring and praying the Word.

When I came to John 5:30, I had been praying and asking the Lord where to read. I flicked through the Gospels and felt this passage jump at me. The question I wrote in my Bible margin at the time was: 'Who am I in Christ?' Though the Scripture is Jesus speaking about Himself, the Word does tell us that He was an example to us, as well as everything else He was here to do. He told us we would be able to do all He did and even 'greater things'. Taking all that into account, I began with that first word, "I".

"I" -- initial thoughts: I was formed in my mother's womb/He knew me before He formed me/The breath (Ruach) of Life, of God, is in me.

1. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." I declare I am a new creation in Christ.

2. John 1:12 "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." I declare I am a child of God.

3. Romans 8:37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." I declare that through Christ I am more than a conqueror.

4. Ephesians 2: 4-5 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- and raised us up with him and seated us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." I declare that I am made alive in Christ Jesus through the grace of the Father and I am lifted up and seated in heavenly places with him.

5. Colossians 2: 10 "... and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority." I declare that I have been filled in Jesus who is the head of all rule and authority.

6. 1 Corinthians 1: 30 "And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, sanctification and redemption." I declare that because of Christ, I am in him and he is become in me, wisdom from God, sanctification and redemption.

"Can" -- ability/Greek: dynamai (power)

1. 2 Timothy 1: 7 "For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control."(other translations: sound mind) I declare that in Christ I have his spirit of power, love and a sound mind.

2. Acts 1: 8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." I decree and declare that I have the power of the Holy Spirit, and through Him I am become a witness for Christ to the end of the earth.

3. Philippians 4: 13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." I declare that through Jesus I have the power and ability to do all things by His strength.

4. Luke 10: 19 "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you." I declare that I have the authority of Jesus my Redeemer to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the the enemy, and nothing shall hurt me.

5. Ephesians 6: 10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." I declare that I am strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (power and ability).

6. 1 Corinthians 4: 20 "For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power." I declare that I am seated with Christ in the kingdom of God and His power.

"Do" -- Greek: poieo (to make, do, act, perform)/"active obedience to God's will"/John 5:30 said another way: I am constrained by the will of God in all things I think, say and do.

1. Matthew 7: 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Thank You, Lord, that by Your blood and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I can do -- I have the power to do -- the will of our Father who is in heaven.

2. James 1: 22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." I declare that the will of God is active in my life and through Christ I can do all the Father wills in me.

3. 1 Peter 2: 15 "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." I thank You Lord, that Your Holy Spirit power in me gives me the heart desire and ability and willingness to do good according to the will of God.

4. 1 Timothy 4: 16 "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing, you will save both yourself and your hearers." I declare that the will of God has empowered me to stay watchful on my own conduct and teaching, that I can persist in fulfilling the destiny God has for me.

5. 2 Corinthians 8: 11 "So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have." Thank You, Heavenly Father, that by Your power I can finish what I start. I declare that the desire of my heart is to be steadfast in doing Your will and to bring it to completion out of what You have given me.

6. 2 Thessalonians 3: 13 "As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good." I decree and declare that I will not grow weary of doing good by the power God has given me in Christ Jesus.

"Nothing" -- Greek ouden ("in no way, not at all")

1. Luke 8: 17 "For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light." Thank You, Lord, that nothing in me is hidden from You, and all You have hidden will be made manifest in me by Your will. I declare that because I have the mind of Christ, I am made a king and priest in Your kingdom and therefore it is a glory and honour to search out Your hidden mysteries to Your glory, in Jesus' name.

2. 1 Timothy 6: 7-8 "For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." Bless Your Holy name, O God, that in You I have everything I need both in heaven and earth. I declare that by dwelling in You, I keep my eyes on the things of eternity rather than the things of this world, which will pass away.

3. John 15: 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." I declare that with every fibre of my being, which I only have because You willed it, I will abide always in the vine of Christ.

4. 2 Corinthians 6: 10 "... as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything." I thank You, Father, that I belong to the kingdom of light, so no sorrow or poverty can touch me or distract me from the riches of Your wisdom and glory.

5. Philippians 2: 3 "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others as more significant than yourselves." I declare that as I am raised to new life in Christ, I walk in His example of caring for the needs of others more than my own. I will do nothing for selfish or conceit of my own flesh.

6. Matthew 17: 20 "He said to them, 'Because of your little faith (belief). For truly I say to you, if you have faith (belief) like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.' " I thank You, Jesus, that by faith through grace in You, I have the power, authority and ability to move mountains.

So that is my mini-study - just four words at the start of the verse. Not even an entire sentence! I took a couple of days to get this far, praying and thinking about what I was reading. I hope this is of some help, showing just one way of studying the living Word of God. The beauty of word by word study is that you can take the same verse, or part of a verse, and find many other references that would lead you down a different path, just as full of truth as mine. I pray you are encouraged to learn what God has to say to you about who you are, and to begin to speak His words over your life.

I am sorry, I haven't been able to find the sites I used to find the Greek words and meanings as it's now almost a month since I began the study.