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What if the reason many believers feel distant from God is not a lack of Bible reading—but a lack of true fellowship with God?
We live in a generation flooded with sermons, podcasts, devotionals, and Bible plans. Yet many Christians quietly confess the same struggle: “I read the Bible, but I don’t always feel close to God.”
The challenge is not access to Scripture. The challenge is how we approach it.
True fellowship with God through the Word does not begin with analysis, speed, or control. It begins with surrender.
Fellowship with God Begins with Surrender, Not Control
Make sure you read C. S. Lewis’s An Experiment in Criticism and understand his points about how to read a book or understand someone else’s work.
One of the most subtle mistakes we make in our spiritual lives is starting with the question, “What does this mean?”instead of “Lord, I receive Your Word.”
Before interpretation, there must be submission.
Before explanation, there must be surrender.
Fellowship with God through the Word starts when I stop trying to work the text and allow the text to work on me. The danger is not misunderstanding Scripture; the danger is using Scripture without letting it transform us.
We often analyze the “glasses” before we actually look through them. But God invites us to first see through the Word, to inhabit it, to dwell in it—before we dissect it.
You can either receive the Word or use the Word.
Only one leads to fellowship with God through the Word.
Fellowship with God Through the Word Requires Reading with the Whole Soul
Many of us read Scripture only with our eyes, but fellowship with God through the Word happens when we read with our ears, emotions, imagination, and spirit.
The sound of the text is part of its meaning.
Read with Your Inner Voice
Instead of rushing your eyes across the page, slow down and hear the words internally.
- Let commas become breaths
- Let periods become pauses
- Let emphasis rise naturally
Your eyes may read letters, but your inner ears hear a voice. And Scripture was meant to be heard.
Rewrite the Text in Your Mind
When you copy or mentally rewrite a passage, you begin to interpret it like an actor rehearsing a role. The Word becomes embodied, not abstract. This practice deepens fellowship with God through the Word because you are no longer a spectator—you are a participant.
Imagine the Author Speaking
Ask yourself:
- Is this voice gentle?
- Is it urgent?
- Is it grieving?
- Is it filled with hope?
When you find the voice of the Author, you begin to hear God, not just read about Him.
Fellowship with God Through the Word Has a Rhythm and a Music
Every biblical writer carries a rhythm. The Psalms breathe differently than Proverbs. Paul sounds different than John. Moses does not speak like David.
Fellowship with God through the Word grows when we learn to sense the music of Scripture. God is not only communicating information—He is revealing His heart.
This is why silence matters.
You cannot hear the Word clearly when your inner world is loud. Sometimes the ears for God’s voice open only in stillness.
Fellowship with God Through the Word Is About Being Touched, Not Just Informed
A crucial shift happens when we stop asking, “What do I learn here?” and start asking,
“What is this Word saying to me—right now?”
When a phrase arrests you, stop.
When a sentence pierces you, linger.
When a word comforts you, receive it.
Fellowship with God through the Word is not about finishing chapters; it is about being encountered.
Fellowship with God Through the Word Depends on the Holy Spirit
Without the Holy Spirit, the Bible becomes a closed book or a moral manual.
With the Holy Spirit, the Bible becomes a living conversation.
Only the Spirit of God can:
- Illuminate the Word
- Apply it personally
- Transform the heart
Fellowship with God through the Word is never a solo activity. It is a Trinitarian moment: the Father speaks, through the Son, by the Spirit.
Fellowship with God Through the Word Grows Through Devotional Analysis
After surrender comes reflection. Not cold dissection, but devotional engagement.
Step Into the Story
Place yourself in the sandals of the biblical characters.
- What would you feel?
- What would you fear?
- What decision would test your faith?
This imaginative empathy turns reading into fellowship with God because Scripture becomes relational, not distant.
Emphasize Every Word
Read a verse multiple times, emphasizing a different word each time. You will be amazed how meaning expands.
Paraphrase the Text
Put the verse in your own words. Truth becomes personal when it becomes familiar.
Put Your Name in the Verse
Insert your name. Let Scripture address you directly. Fellowship with God through the Word becomes deeply intimate at this point.
Fellowship with God Through the Word Using the SPACE PETS Framework (I learned it from Rick Warren)
A powerful devotional tool to deepen fellowship with God is SPACE PETS, which invites honest, prayerful reflection:
- Sin to confess? Do I need to make any restituition?
- Promise to claim? Is it a universal promise? Have I met the conditions?
- Attitude to change? Am I willing to work on a negative attitude and begin building toward a positive one?
- Command to obey? Am I willing to do it no matter how I feel?
- Example to follow? Is it a positive example for me to copy, or a negative one to avoid?
- Prayer to pray? Is there anything I need to pray back to God?
- Error to avoid? Is there any problem that I should be alert to or beware of?
- Truth to believe? What new things can I learn about God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, or other biblical teachings?
- Something to praise God for? Is there something here I can be thankful for?
Each question moves Scripture from the page into the heart, deepening fellowship with God.
Fellowship with God Through the Word Leads to Prayer and Application
Do not end your reading without response.
Write a prayer in the first person, singular. Speak honestly. Respond directly.
Then write one simple application:
- One attitude to shift
- One action to take
- One truth to carry
Fellowship with God through the Word always moves toward transformation, not mere reflection.
Fellowship with God Through the Word: An Invitation
The Bible is not primarily a book to master.
It is a voice to welcome.
A home to enter.
A place where God meets His people.
If you long for deeper intimacy with God, do not start by reading more. Start by reading differently.
Begin with surrender.
Read with your whole soul.
Listen for the voice.
Respond with obedience.
This is fellowship with God through the Word.
Now what?
How would your spiritual life change if Scripture became a meeting place instead of a task?
This week, choose one short passage. Read it slowly. Listen deeply. Respond honestly.
And if this post helped you, share it or leave a comment: What helps you experience fellowship with God through the Word?
I am a blogger, writer, pastor, Director of Zion Romania Bible School, husband to Olguta, a father and, most importantly, a child of God. I also completed my studies at the King’s University where I earned a B.A. in Theology with a concentration in Messianic Jewish Studies. I love Israel and I love the ‘Jewishness’ of the Bible.
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