Dear Reader,

My prayer is that you will experience the same life changing miracle that God has performed in me. Through joy and through tears, He has led me to build my whole life around Him, and no matter what I lose in life, I will still have what is most important ...God Himself. To experience His daily presence and His working through me, to heal hurting hearts around me, gives me such perfect contentment that nothing else can come close.

Happy reading,

André

Have you ever been to watch a magician? Or seen one perform on TV? It is absolutely amazing. His swift moving hands fool our slow eyes, and the tricks he performs are more than convincing. If you saw an advert in the paper about a man claiming to perform any miracle in front of your eyes, free of charge, what would you do? If he could help you overcome a weakness in your life, cure a disease or remove a blemish from your skin, would you go stand in line? I sure would. We all sit up and listen when there are reports of a miracle. Somehow, miracles always seem to happen in the lives of other people and mysteriously pass us by. As we read the Bible we are dumb struck at the miracles Jesus Christ performed, but somehow console ourselves with the fact that He was God, and that was why He could perform them. We tend to see miracles taking place only in the past, thousands of years ago, and not in our present times.

Everyone wants to have a good temperament and a personality that people like. When I was younger I hero-worshipped the movie actor, Roger Moore. I thought that his cool, suave, charming manner was the ultimate. It took quite some doing to keep up the image, which he acted out over the hour and a half of movie time, for the rest of my life. Well, it was very short lived as you can imagine. We all have certain character traits that we admire and strive for. We all want to be patient, kind and caring. We all want to be at peace and we all want to love someone and be loved, don't we? Galatians 5:22 gives us a list of character and personality traits that I'm sure everyone would want. It says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Do you think you could have all of those perfectly woven into the fabric of your life? It would take an unusual miracle for me.

Are you happy? I don't mean when you're not at work or school and going out with friends. I don't mean when you're on holiday or planning an overseas trip. I'm not talking about the excited feeling you get in a new romance or the pleasure of buying a new car, a sound system or an item of clothing. I'm talking about a happiness that is deep inside which lasts through the planning stages of an exciting event, through the event and out the other side. In other words, are you happy without anything from outside influencing that happiness? When you are all alone with your thoughts, and you imagine yourself being alone without anyone or anything special added to your life...are you happy? Are you happy from the inside out, and just happy for who you are, and whom you are growing to be?

Most of us build our lives around something or someone to find happiness. Most people's happiness comes from without. (See picture above). Why do you think movie stars go through so many marriages and end up on drugs or alcohol at some stage of their lives? Because they have exhausted the list of external “happy makers,” and are no longer truly happy. Money has bought them everything, but it can't buy happiness that comes from within. People build their lives around a relationship with the opposite sex or a marriage. They build their lives around their jobs and building up financial reserves. They build their lives around sport, hobbies and socializing - all desperate efforts to find happiness. (See picture below). The problem is that when one or more of these “happiness makers” is removed, their lives crumble and fall apart. We cannot build our lives around anything, or any person, because these can all be lost. This study will show how we can experience the miracle of true, undisturbed, secure happiness for the rest of our lives. God gave us many precious gifts like relationships, hobbies, work, finance, sport, pets, music and entertainment to boost and inflate our existing happiness - it was never intended that our happiness should come from these peripheral items, to be the reasons for our happiness.

The greatest miracle that any human could experience, is to find happiness from within. When a Divine, Higher, Stronger Power takes over our lives, and gives us direction, purpose and meaning, we discover a miraculous happiness from within. We can be sitting on the street corner with torn clothes and with nothing to our name, but still have direction, purpose and meaning. This will give an inner happiness that isn't readily found. Ellen White, one of the most inspirational authors I have ever studied, wrote in her classic book on the life of Christ that “when one who has been controlled by a stubborn, wayward will is set free, and yields himself to the drawing of God's heavenly agencies, a miracle is wrought...The change in human hearts, the transformation of human characters, is a miracle that reveals an ever-living Savior, working to rescue people. A consistent life in Christ is a great miracle." (E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, p.407- bold italics paraphrased).

Imagine if CNN made a special news report that Saddam Hussein had been converted and was actively involved in the work that mother Theresa used to do...wouldn’t that be a miracle?  Imagine if Saddam Hussein spoke on world wide TV telling of how this simple life of self denial has given him true happiness. Yes, a changed life is the greatest miracle because only God can take a person, who is helpless and weak when it comes to changing himself for the better, and change him to be a kind, caring, happy person.

How many years have you been trying to change something in your life? Maybe to stop smoking, drinking, swearing or losing your temper? Perhaps you get depressed often or mistreat your family, or keep criticizing people. It could be that you have been trying to find true happiness, but all the things you have done, just don't seem to make you totally happy. When you go to bed at night, there is still something in the back of your mind that is scratchy and sore. If after all these years of not finding answers, you implemented a few new principles in your life, and then woke up one morning to find that the change you had longed for, had come...wouldn’t that be a miracle? How many people have given up in desperation! Trying to work through a check-list of items needing to be changed only ends in desperation. (See picture). Yes, it would. Before going any further, we must realize that “it is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are evil, and we cannot change them...The carnal mind is at enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart.” (E.G. White, Steps to Christ, p.8). The miracle of finding happiness from within and overcoming your weaknesses and bad habits can happen to you. All you need to do is to carefully follow the simple steps outlined in the illustration below.

As we saw in Galatians 5:22 above, Paul uses the term “fruit of the spirit” to describe these wonderful attributes or character traits. In other words, the character traits of an individual can be called fruit. You could say, “Well he really has good fruit in his life,” or “Well, he really has good character traits in his life.” They are one and the same thing. So in order to make this whole lesson simple to understand, let's look up as many texts in the Bible as we can find that talk about fruit, and draw them out in pictures. Matthew 7:16,17 says, “By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Galatians 5:19,20, lists the bad fruit for us, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”

As we read in Matthew 7:19, “Every tree that does not bear fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." God expects fruit from His trees. We are His trees, but how do we get this fruit? Christian believers battle daily to bring fruit into their lives. They attend church regularly and work hard to change their bad habits and weaknesses in order to meet up to the high standard that God has set for them. In John 15:8 Jesus says, “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” and in verse 16 he goes on to say, “You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.” “Christ is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts of men; and He does this through those who believe in Him. The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing– the reproduction of Christ's character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others...When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.” (E.G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p.67, 69). This seems impossible for humans to attain. It would take a supernatural miraculous event to see this take place. When you've gone through the following simple illustration from Scripture, you will see how simple fruit bearing really is. What must be done to get good fruit?

Matthew 12:33 has the answer, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad.” In other words, a strong, well nourished, healthy tree will bear large, juicy, tasty fruit. A weak, poor tree will bear bad, tasteless fruit. So the next step in getting either good or bad fruit is to make a good or bad tree. See how the illustration develops.

Mark 4:28 says, “All by itself the soil produces corn--–first the stalk, then the ear, then the full kernel in the ear.” Wow, now the illustration starts taking shape. In order to get good or bad fruit we need a good or bad tree. In order to get a good or bad tree, we need good or bad soil. We know that the good or bad fruit represents good or bad deeds or character traits. The tree is you or I, so what is the soil? Think about it as we go to the next section. Notice how the sequence builds from number 1 onwards to number 4.

Mark 4:15-20 says, “Some people are like seed along the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word making it unfruitful. Others like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop–thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

This parable doesn't directly relate to our illustration with the tree, but by cross application we can ask the following questions. What was the “good influence” that kept being repeated that would be the “good soil?” Yes, “the Word” is the “good influence” that is repeated over and over in this parable. And what would be the “bad influences” that would make the “bad soil?” Yes, it is “the worries of this life,” “the deceitfulness of wealth” and “the desire for other things.”

Finally, how do these influences, from either the good or bad soil, get into the tree...? Matthew 6:22, 23, says, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness.” Yes, Satan flashes images into the mind through the eyes, where it is either turned into a desire, and then an action, or is erased by the Holy Spirit. (See the picture). Notice how the arrows flow from the bottom toward the fruit, showing the source of where the fruit comes from.

To summarize again. In order to get good fruit, or character traits into our lives, we must make a good tree. In order to get a good tree, we need to have good soil. In order for the good soil to benefit the tree, the roots must be in the good soil permanently. So with us, if we wish to experience the miracle of our lives changing for the better, with all the amazingly good character traits mentioned in Galatians 5:22, we need to have our eyes and ears in the Word of God permanently.

Our bad habits and our weaknesses are fed through our eyes and our ears. When we see that chocolate cake, that drink, that cigarette or that gorgeous body, we are lured to partake of it. When we surround our eyes with the very things that cause us to fall, we set ourselves up for a fall. Certain movies, magazines, TV programs, and books are filled with bad influences that feed our weaknesses and form bad fruit in our lives. If we can get to the point where we can face our weaknesses, realizing that we are powerless to overcome them, we will flee from the things that make us even weaker, and cling to the only hope we have for victory - time alone with God each day.

Here is the culmination of the whole study. The vine illustration can also be cross applied to our illustration of the tree and its fruit.

John 15:1-8 says, “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that bears fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Fathers glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

God is the gardener. He trims off branches that don't bear fruit and He trims the fruitful branches so that they become more fruitful. Christ says that no branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in Him. Similarly, no tree can bear fruit unless it remains in the soil. Therefore, everything above the soil is God's job. He waters, He fertilizes and He trims and cleans.

We need to release the burden of fruit bearing, (or overcoming our weaknesses and bad habits to be better people), to God. It is His responsibility, not ours. John 8:31,32 says, “If you hold onto my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” God and His Word are one. They will set us free from our weaknesses and bad habits. We don't have to stress and strain to free ourselves. (See picture above).  Isaiah 27:2 says, “Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it all day and night so that no-one may harm it.” Isaiah 61:11 says, ”For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make right doing and praise spring up before the nations.” Why are believers everywhere putting pressure on themselves to overcome their weaknesses and bad habits, and failing miserably?

Most believers religiously attend church once a week and think that this will be enough to help them to overcome sin and weakness. (See picture above).

Satan laughs, because he knows that a daily encounter with God is the only weapon a believer has to make him powerless. But most believers don't practice this powerful miracle in their daily lives.  The attendance at a weekly church service alone merely serves to put more pressure on the believer regarding his behavior. Satan will do anything to draw the believer away from the miraculous daily encounter with God. Late night TV, late night entertainment, spending long hours with a romantic partner, working overtime or even visiting church members and giving Bible studies...anything, whether spiritual or secular to stop that daily encounter with God.

As the tree, my job is to keep my roots constantly in the soil, that's all. I can never bring fruit to my tree without being in the soil. That's it! It's the best news I've ever heard, and a lot simpler than beating myself up every morning to try and get my fruit to grow. Here's the first part of the miracle - just letting God bring the fruit. I don't even have to worry whether the fruit is there or not. I just keep my roots securely lodged in the good soil of God's Word on a daily basis and others will notice the lush fruit of my good deeds and character traits, and benefit by them. (See picture - When you prayerfully open God's Word, hungering to get to know Him better, the Holy Spirit performs a miracle in changing your life and giving you inner happiness.) And that's the unbelievable miracle. What is easier? To go through life, as we have in the past, and stress and strain to bring fruit into our lives, or to just keep drawing nourishment from God's Word on a daily basis? I would say the latter option.

“The word of God, received into the mind, will be manifest in good works. Its results will be seen in a Christlike character and life. The scriptures are the great agency in the transformation of character. Christ prayed, “Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy word is truth.” “The spell of a stronger, perfect mind will be over us; for we have a living connection with the source of all-enduring strength. In our divine life we will be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. We will no longer live the common life of selfishness, but Christ will live in us. His character will be reproduced in our nature. Thus we will bring forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit.” (E.G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 60, 61, 100). The forces of evil will keep us busy with anything, good or bad, to keep us from spending time alone with God and falling under His spell.

I can't help but smile at the joke told about Gomer who visited an aquarium one time. As he approached one of the viewing windows he saw one of the fish experts performing tricks with a whole school of fish. As the fish expert pointed up, all the fish would swim to the top of the tank. Similarly, when he pointed to the left and to the right, the fish would all swim in the direction he pointed to. Gomer was stunned. “How on earth do you manage to control the movement of all those fish,” he asked. “It's easy,” replied the fish expert. “It's the stronger mind that controls the weaker mind. Here, you try while I nip into the rest rooms for a second.” A few minutes later, the fish expert comes back to find Gomer standing at the viewing window, his lips opening and closing like that of a fish.

The two major forces in the universe are far more powerful than any human mind. Each force can dominate our weak minds to follow their dictates, and keep us under their power.  If we haven't submitted to the Good Force, we automatically become subject to the Forces of Evil. We don't stand a chance against the Forces of Evil, let alone overcoming our inherent weaknesses and bad habits in our own strength. We need to be aware of the fact that we are in the middle of a war between the Super Force of Good and the Super Force of Evil. We are fighting like soldiers in the fiercest battle ever. (See picture above). “Satan's influence is constantly exerted upon men to distract the senses, control the mind for evil, and incite to violence and crime. He weakens the body, darkens the intellect, and debases the soul. Whenever men reject the Saviour’s invitation, they are yielding themselves to Satan...It is not necessary for us deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of darkness in order to come under its dominion. We have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the kingdom of light. If we do not co-operate with the heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the heart, and will make it his abiding place.” (E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, p.341, 324).

“The only defence against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith...Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed efforts of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we will be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and will do his bidding in the end.” (E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 324). When we submit to the Power of God, His strength controls our weaknesses and His strong mind controls our weak minds. God's strength is laid out throughout His Word. Emerging ourselves in His Word will change us into His likeness according to His good timing.

Paul's comments in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “To keep me from becoming conceited...there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said, My kindness is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” God can only work in our lives when we admit that we are totally weak and helpless when it comes to overcoming our weaknesses and bad habits. God's strength over-rides our weaknesses and accomplishes everything we are powerless to accomplish.

“The union with Christ, once formed must be maintained...This is no casual touch, no off-and-on connection. The branch becomes a part of the living vine. The communication of life, strength, and fruitfulness from the root to the branches is unobstructed and constant. Separated from the vine, the branch cannot live. No more, said Jesus, can you live apart from me. The life you have received from Me can be preserved only by continual communion. Without Me you cannot overcome one sin, or resist one temptation...The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God. As the vine constantly draws sap from the living vine, so are we to cling to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength and perfection of His own character. The root sends its nourishment through the branch to the outermost twig. So Christ communicates the current of spiritual strength to every believer.” E.G. White, Desire of Ages, p.676). Our alarm clocks play a crucial role in keeping that constant connection with God. Before the day starts is the best time to spend with Him.

More Miracles

Jesus says that if we remain in Him and His words remain in us, we can ask Him whatever we wish and it will be given to us. Now that's a miracle ready to happen. You see, when God's Word, (which is God's known will) is such an intimate part of us, we will be in tune with what His unknown will is for us. We won't ask for ridiculous things. We will ask for things that will enhance our relationship with Him and draw us even closer to Him.

Matthew 6:34 is one of the prominent portions of Scripture instructing us regarding taking one day at a time. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” “We are to follow Christ day by day. God does not bestow help for tomorrow. He does not give His children all the directions for their life journey at once, lest they should become confused. He tells them just as much as they can remember and perform. The strength and wisdom imparted are for the present emergency.” (E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, p.313). David echoes his participation in this way of life in Psalm 5:3, “Morning by morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation". All Scripture supports this. Isaiah, the prophet, says in Isaiah 26:9, “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.”

(The joy that comes from letting God bring the fruit is overwhelming . . . it is the Good News the Bible speaks about)

Born Again Every Day

Most Christians refer to a specific calendar date as to when they were “born again.” This day is treasured like a birthday and considered with reverence as the big day when God took control of their lives. What is better, is that believers experience that rebirth every day. Is that possible? Yes it is. We are so weak and so sinful that if we had to rely on a once-off rebirth experience, we will fall down pretty soon. We can't cope with more than one days help from God, so we must die and be reborn every day. (See picture below). In his book, chapter 1:18, James states that “He, (God), chose to give us birth through the word of truth.” Peter expands in 1 Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” Paul brings the concept together by saying in 1 Corinthians 15:31 and 2 Corinthians 4:16, “I die everyday...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” How perfectly it dovetails into the illustration of how the roots draw nourishment from the soil and renews and revitalizes the tree. Yes, the daily encounter of putting our roots into the soil of God's Word, is a rebirth experience. Each day a new start and a fresh beginning.

As we read  in the paragraph above, entitled, “Each Day a New Miracle,” E.G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 313, says that God only gives us information and help for one single day at a time. Just enough for the present emergency. The troubles of one day are more than enough to cope with. If each day were considered a mini-lifetime, were we to live that day as our last, our lives would change. What would you do if you only had one day left to live? How would you spend each moment if you knew that you were going to die at the end of today? Some people would go out, eat, drink and try and be merry. The best thing to do would be to make things right with God and the people in our lives, and enjoy total peace of mind for that day. So, die tonight. Tomorrow morning, after being reborn, go through that day as if it were your last, and then die again. That is it. It's miraculous. The anxieties and troubles of that day will not crush you. Repeating again what Paul says, I die daily.

Here is an example of another illustration in the Bible which supports the illustration of how a tree gets its fruit. In John 6:35, 51, 57, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never go thirsty... I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If a man eats of this bread, he will live forever...Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Our forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”

As our bodies need food for life and sustenance, so our spiritual lives need daily feeding in order to grow and become stronger. This is a direct parallel to the illustration of the tree's roots drawing up nourishment for the formation and growth of fruit. The words and teachings of Jesus is food for our souls as bread is food for our bodies. The King of the universe invites us for a sunrise breakfast with Him everyday. At this meal He offers us nourishment to build us up, gives us peace and happiness, and strengthens us against any attacks from the Forces of Evil. The phrase in the Lord's Prayer confirms this beautifully, “Give us each day our daily bread,” Matthew 6:11, and one of the phrases in the beatitudes follows on with, “Blessed, (or happy), are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, (or right doing), for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6.

This miraculous principle that God makes us holy, or brings out perfect fruit is found all over Scripture. Why do so many people miss it? Because the forces of evil know that this is the only key to rob them of control and power.

Psalm 119:9 - How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. (“Young man,” is the tree - “his way pure,” is the fruit - “living according to your word,” is the soil).

Psalm 119:11 - I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you . (“I”, is the tree - “your word,” is the soil - “not sin against thee” is the fruit)

Psalm 119:37 - Turn my eyes away from worthless things, renew my life according to your word. (“Turn my eyes,” is the roots - “from worthless things,” is the bad soil - “renew my life,” is the fruit - “according to your word,” is the good soil)

2 Peter 1:3 - His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him...(“...has given us,” is the tree - “everything we need for life and godliness,” is the fruit -“through our knowledge of him,” is the soil)

2 Peter 1:4 - Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (“...he has given us,” is the tree - “his great and precious promises,” is the soil - “you might participate in the divine nature,” is the fruit - “corruption of the world,” is bad soil.

1 Peter 1:22 - Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth...(“...that you,” is the tree - “have purified yourselves,” is the fruit - “by obeying the truth,” is the soil).

Most people will either read a random portion of Scripture here and there for their time with God, or they will attempt the “Marathon Bible Reading” approach. They will start at Genesis and try reading through their Bibles from cover to cover. This usually bogs people down and by the time they get to the book of Numbers, they are totally directionless and frustrated. Some people will take random books of the Bible and try and study them, one at a time. Any type of Bible study is better than nothing. Even using a devotional guide, or text cards are a help. What is the ultimate method of studying for a new student?

The Ploughing Method breaks down the Bible into smaller sections and allows the reader to get a broad picture of Scripture as a whole. Firstly, studies are divided up into the Old Testament on one day, and the New Testament on the next day. So it swings back and forth from old to new day by day. Secondly, each respective Testament is divided up into 5 subsections (books). Examples of the subsections (books) are as follows:

Old Testament

Section 1:    Genesis to Ruth (Book 1)

Section 2:    1 Samuel to Job (Book 2)

Section 3:    Psalms to Song of Songs (Book 3)

Section 4:    Isaiah to Daniel (Book 4)

Section 5:    Hosea to Malachi (Book 5)
 

New Testament

Section 1:    Matthew to John  (Book 1 )

Section 2:    Acts to 2 Corinthians  (Book 2)

Section 3:    Galatians to Colossians  (Book 3)

Section 4:    1 Thessalonians to Hebrews (Book 4)

Section 5:    James to Revelation (Book 5)
 

You can make up your own subsections, the above sections are merely examples of how the two Testament can be divided up.

Thirdly, when it comes to the actual reading and studying, you, the student now reads only one chapter from each section for that day. You will end up reading 5 chapters, but each one from a different book of the Bible. Let's look at your first day's study. You will read the following:

Section 1:    Genesis chapter 1

Section 2:    1 Samuel chapter 1

Section 3:    Psalm chapter 1

Section 4:    Isaiah chapter 1

Section 5:    Hosea chapter 1

The next day you will read the first chapter from each section of the New Testament, coming back on the following day to read chapter 2 from each chapter in the Old Testament. Is that too confusing or do you get the basic outline?

Why this method? Well, it firstly prevents you from getting bogged down in a boring, statistical section of the Bible. Secondly, it helps to keep your interest as you are now getting a variety of authors presenting you with the same truth in a unique and different way. Thirdly, you get to mark off the common themes or linkages that pop out at you relating to the new truth that you have just learned. Themes like Love, Fruit Bearing, Good Soil, Bad Soil, God's Responsibility, My Responsibility, Sin, Trials, Prayer, Confession, Salvation, Judgment, Rest, Reward, God's Word, etc., etc. You make up themes and abbreviate them and write them into your margins so that you can easily identify them from a distance. It is absolutely amazing how the Old Testament authors say the same as the New Testament authors and use similar symbols to illustrate the subjects they are talking about. It is like going on a mining trip to unearth precious gems. Some lie just below the surface and others lie a little deeper. As you come before God with that hunger and thirst for Him and His truth, He will hand you just enough to satisfy you on a daily basis. A miracle indeed.

How do you keep track of where you are without keeping 10 bookmarks in your Bible? It is pretty simple. All you do is draw a small circle at the end of each chapter after you have read that particular chapter. Because some sections are shorter than others, you will finish them sooner and come back to read through that section again. How do you mark it so that you can see that you are starting to read a chapter for the second, third and later fourth or fifth times? See the examples drawn below.

1. The greatest miracle is a person who has experienced a changed life.

2. God expects us, His trees, to bear good fruit, (which is His character traits), for others to enjoy.

3. In order to get good fruit, we must have a good tree.

4. In order to get a good tree we must have good soil.

5. The Word of God is the good soil in which the tree is planted.

6. To get the good nutrients of God's Word into the tree, the tree's roots, our eyes and ears, must remain constantly in the soil.

7. God's duty is to bring the fruit and my duty is to keep my roots in the soil. As I fulfill my duty of spending quality time with Him daily in a loving, romantic-like encounter, He will miraculously change my life by bringing His character traits into my life.

8. God only gives us enough information to help us through one day at a time.

9. There are two super powers fighting to dominate my weak mind. If I am not completely under the power of God, I automatically fall under the power of evil.

10. God also compares His invitation to engage in this daily encounter to eating a meal with Him.