August 13, 2025
Wrestling with the Word
By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.
As we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, every Christian must allow God’s Word to work on their heart. Our time in the Bible should expose both our arrogance and our fears that keep us looking at ourselves instead of trusting in God and His grace. When we come to the Scriptures, we must read with the purpose of obeying the mind of God revealed in His Word.
Too often we treat the Bible like a vending machine—put in your quarter and get your product. Instead, we must read Scripture with the goal of self-exposure—not just wagging our heads with a kind of noble self-deprecation: “I can understand the way Samson felt. We all have been where David was. Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth like Peter.” No, we must be seized by conviction. We must wrestle with the Word as we work to bring our will into alignment with God’s. We must pray for the Holy Spirit to bring definitive, visible change in our lives.
As we read the story of Samson, for example, we should be asking ourselves hard questions: What led Samson to disregard his high calling? What was within him that prompted his sin and rebellion? What satisfaction did he get from ignoring God, and how can I guard myself against such decisions? Asking questions is the first step to letting the Word penetrate our souls. When we grapple with Scripture led by the Spirit, it will strengthen us to overcome and stay overcoming. That is what Jesus, our head, wants for each member of His body. We must personalize the words of God revealed in Scripture. We must let His Word be a lamp to our feet, a light to our path, so that in our private walk we are heeding and obeying the mind.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, open my eyes to understand more deeply the will of God for me revealed in Scripture. Empower me to keep in step with You so that I bear fruit for the glory of God. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon series Defending a Lion: WATCH NOW | LISTEN NOW
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Watch Dr. Michael Youssef on this week's broadcast of Leading The Way at LightSource.com.
