Have you ever noticed that some people’s faith seems to light up a room? They are not just nice. They are peculiar, in the best way. They bring hope, joy and solutions wherever they go. Their secret is not simply owning a Bible or reading it now and then. It is learning how to apply the Bible to your life, so God’s Word shapes what you think, what you do and how you treat people.
One woman in our church put it into practice in the most ordinary place. Standing in a TSA line at the airport, she told herself, “Be peculiar. Smile in the TSA line.” Who thinks “I need to be different for the sake of Jesus” in a security line? A person who has let the Bible move from the page into real life.
This post comes from week three of our summer series, The Seven Habits of Jesus People. The whole series has one goal: to help you become a peculiar person, a Jesus person who brings the average of every group up. Habit 2 is simple to say and life changing to live: Jesus people apply the Word of God.
If you only have a minute:
- Four days a week is a tipping point. A large study found the biggest life changes in people who engage the Bible four or more times a week.
- God’s Word is powerful. He made the sun with four words. Imagine what His whole Word can do in you.
- Reading is not the finish line. James says, “Do what it says.” The change comes when we apply it.
- Scripture is a mirror that is not neutral. It teaches, rebukes, corrects and trains us so we can grow up and be transformed.
Does reading the Bible really change your life?
An article by Jeff Martin, an executive director with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, reviewed a poll from the Center for Bible Engagement. The poll studied about 40,000 people, ages 8 to 80, and looked at how often they read the Bible and how it affected their lives.
People who read once a week showed little to no change. Two or three times a week made very little difference. You might expect a steady climb after that, but that is not what happened. At four times a week, the results spiked:
- Feeling lonely drops 30%
- Anger issues drop 32%
- Bitterness in relationships drops 40%
- Alcoholism drops 57%
- Sex outside of marriage drops 68%
- Feeling spiritually stagnant drops 60%
- Viewing pornography drops 61%
- Sharing your faith jumps 200%
- Discipling others jumps 230%
Of course, correlation does not mean causation. Just because two numbers move together does not prove one caused the other. So what actually causes the change in people who stay close to the Bible? Consider the power of the words being read.
Consider how the wildflowers grow
Jesus taught His followers to be peculiarly peaceful because of how much the Father cares for them. To teach it, He pointed to something as simple as a flower.
“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith!” (Luke 12:27-28)
Most of us have tried to obey the “do not worry” part of this passage. But have you ever obeyed the “consider” part? Jesus did not just say look at the flowers. He said consider how they grow.
A tiny seed with a code written inside
Every flower starts as a tiny seed. Inside it is a microscopic code that tells it what to become: its color, its height, even its scent. Planted in soil and given water, sunlight and nutrients, the seed swells, breaks through its shell, sends roots down and pushes a shoot up toward the light.
Now consider the sunlight it needs. The sun sits about 93 million miles from Earth and burns at around 27 million degrees Fahrenheit at its core. Any closer or hotter, any farther or cooler, and these flowers would not grow the way they do. What precision. What design.
Four words and the sun appeared
None of this was engineered in a lab or dreamed up by a genius. All of creation came about the same way: the words of God. For the massive burning star that has kept humanity alive for all of history, God only needed four words.
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)
The King James Bible contains 783,137 words. Typing at 60 words a minute, it would take you about 217 and a half hours to type it all. If God made the sun with four words, what can He do with all of them? Really, all you need is one word from God to breathe life into your bones, pull you back on track and give you new purpose.
How to apply the Bible to your life, not just read it
Here is the surprising twist in this message. Reading alone is not the miracle. The habit was first written as “Jesus people read the Word of God,” and then it was changed: Jesus people apply the Word of God. If you took notes, cross out “read” and write “apply.” Great pastors in every generation have told their churches to read the Word. But God also gave us a short sermon on doing it, through James:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:22-25)
God’s mirror is not neutral
James says the Word works like a mirror. It reflects back who we really are, and it cannot hide or distort what it shows. Most mirrors are neutral. They are not showing you a wrinkle or a crooked tooth to make you feel bad. God’s mirror is different. It is alive and trying to speak to you, if you have ears to hear.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
According to this verse, the Word does four things:
- Teaches. It is instruction. Whatever you need to know about life with God, you can learn it here.
- Rebukes. Think of this as conviction: “I did not know I was wrong, but the mirror showed me.”
- Corrects. It straightens us out so we are useful again, like bending a bent fork tine back into place.
- Trains. It is instruction put into practice until we reach maturity. That is knowledge applied, which is exactly why James said, “Do what it says.”
Continue in it
James 1:25 also says to continue in the Word. To continue is to tarry: not to read and rush to the next thing, but to read so you can cling to what you just read. More than understanding, this is abiding and remaining. Maybe that is why four days of reading, not one or two or three, makes such a difference.
The person who stays in God’s Word every day finds its power and freedom running through their life, pushing back the enemy’s attempts to distract and destroy. People who walk in the Word find themselves in peculiar places, doing peculiar things.
What this means for you
Do not stop at reading. Aim for four days a week in the Bible, and each time, let the mirror show you one thing to do. Then go do it, and keep coming back. That is how to apply the Bible to your life until it changes you from the inside out.
5 simple steps to apply the Bible to your life every day
Ready to move from reading to living? Here is how to apply the Bible to your life, one step at a time. You can read every passage in this post on Bible Gateway.
1. Read with expectation
Don’t rush. Before you open your Bible, ask God to speak to you, and expect Him to highlight something for your day.
2. Look into the mirror
Pause and ask: What does this passage say about God? What does it say about me? Is there a promise to claim, a sin to confess or a command to obey?
3. Respond with action
Pick one thing you can do today based on what you read. Maybe it is forgiving someone, making a change or reaching out to help.
4. Remain consistent
Don’t try once and move on. The biggest jump in the study came at four times a week or more, so make it a habit.
5. Rely on the Holy Spirit
You are not doing this alone. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s Word and live it out. He is the difference maker.
Once you learn how to apply the Bible to your life, expect things to change. You will find peace in chaos, because your Father knows what you need (Luke 12:30). You will find the freedom James wrote about. And you will become a light in dark places, even in a TSA line. If you want to see what that kind of life looks like, read Peculiar People: Living a Life That Turns Heads and Changes Hearts, the first message in this series, and what it really means to follow Jesus. To learn to listen as you read, see how to hear God.
Wherever you are today, there is a next step. If you want to know more about who Jesus is, start here. If you need someone to pray with you, reach out to our prayer and care team. And if you live near Kissimmee, Florida, we would love to see you on a Sunday.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to Apply the Bible to Your Life
What does it mean to apply the Bible?
It means doing what Scripture says, not only reading or hearing it. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
How often should I read the Bible to see change?
A Center for Bible Engagement poll of about 40,000 people found the biggest changes in people who engaged the Bible four or more times a week. Once a week, or even two or three times, showed little impact.
Why is the Bible compared to a mirror?
James 1:23-24 says that hearing the Word without doing it is like looking in a mirror and forgetting what you look like. The Bible shows us who we really are so we can change.
What does the Bible do for us?
Second Timothy 3:16 says all Scripture is “God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
