Why Is The Bible So Confusing? Ep. 7

Sarah Annie Schneider: you Welcome to the Addicted to God podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Schneider, and I am addicted to God. Have you ever picked up a Bible and thought, feels more like a foreign language to me? Then you're not alone. Maybe you've tried reading it and felt confused, bored, or even a little ashamed because it doesn't make sense. Or maybe you just want a real relationship with God, but you just don't know where to start. That's exactly why we're here. This podcast is for people like us, people who are tired of destructive addictions and ready to transfer that hunger to the one who can truly satisfy—Jesus. Today we're talking about why the Bible can feel so distant and how it can actually become the voice that changes everything. This is the place where we journey together toward the abundant life God has for us. freedom from the chains of harmful addictions, strongholds, and all the temporary things that never give us lasting peace. God is the only healthy addiction, and this podcast exists for you or someone you love to fall deeper, more intimately in love with God and His Word. I'm not a Bible expert, a theologian, or a seminary graduate. I'm definitely not a polished spokesperson with fancy credentials. I'm just a flawed, imperfect girl who loves God and loves people, especially people who are hurting, feeling helpless, or walking through a season of hopelessness. Being addicted to God is transferring bondage, brokenness, and bad behaviors to the one and only healthy addiction, God. So friends, let's be real for a moment. Many of us are carrying deep wounds from pain we've experienced. Heavy weights we've been dragging around for years, like shame, fear, or that constant feeling that we're not enough. And we've learned to cope that quietly turned into habits that we can't seem to shake. When you're carrying all of that inside, it makes perfect sense that the Bible can feel confusing or far away. It was written in a couple completely different centuries ago and much different world than ours today. The people who wrote it didn't have cell phones, cars, or even the internet. They spoke different languages, lived in different cultures, and told stories in different ways that don't always sound like our quick, modern self-help books. Sometimes the words feel old. Sometimes the verse just seems to bounce right off of our hearts. not really making sense. But here's something important the Bible itself explains. In 1 Corinthians 2 14 it says, who aren't spiritual can't receive the truths from God's Spirit. All that sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it. Only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Then 2 Corinthians 4, 3 through 4 reads, If the good news we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from the people who are perishing. Satan, the god of this age, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the good news. If the words feel veiled or confusing right now, it might not only be language or history. There could be a spiritual side to this, Are wounds, weights, and old ways can keep our hearts a little closed off until we gently invite the Holy Spirit to help us see. So, I've got good news for you today. You don't have to stay stuck there. The same Jesus who rose from the dead is ready to come into your life right now. If you've never invited Him in or you want to open your heart fresh today, you can simply pray something like this from your heart. Jesus, believe you are the Son of God who died for me and rose again. I'm tired of carrying these wounds, weights, and old ways on my own. Please forgive me. Come into my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit. Help me understand your Word and become truly addicted to you. Amen. You can pray this prayer right now. Reverse into this podcast and pray along with me. Whether you're in your car, on a walk, or whatever you're doing while you're listening, this is a moment you could invite Him in and that's when the Holy Spirit begins to lift the veil and open your eyes to the beauty of God's Word. It's the beginning of the most life-giving relationship you will ever have. And don't lose hope! The very same Bible that can feel foreign at first is actually the most powerful life-giving book in the entire world. God says it is God breathed, which literally means God's actual words spoken so that you can hear His voice. I'm always fascinated by Psalm 19, verses 7 through 14, and I particularly love the New Living Translation because it reads like this, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true, each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them." I don't know about you, but I think that description of God's Word is beautiful. It revives us, makes us wise, brings joy, and gives insight for living. Even Proverbs 30, verses 5 and 6 reminds us that every word of God proves true. The NIV translation says every word of God is flawless. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Do not add to his words or he may rebuke you and prove you a liar. None of us want to be proven a liar, but we would be proven liars if we challenge God's word. God's word is truth. Even if it feels hard to understand at first, every word is true. And it's also protective. God wants to use His word to heal your wounds, lift your weights, and change our ways. So we can transfer all of that to Him. So let me speak this gently over you. You're not alone or defective. If the Bible feels confusing, it doesn't mean you're spiritually hopeless or that there's something wrong with you. It simply means you're human. and you're stepping into something divine. God didn't give us a cold checklist. He gave us stories, songs, letters, real life truths so we could truly know Him. It's a lot like beginning any new relationship. At first, it feels awkward and you don't quite understand the other person's heart or language or likes and dislikes. But the more time you spend, the more it all starts to click, especially in This case, getting addicted to God and learning how to love His Word means that the Holy Spirit begins to open your eyes while softening your heart. So how do we begin when we don't know where to start and the Bible does feel confusing? Here's a couple gentle, practical steps that I encourage you to try this week. No pressure, just small steps toward Jesus. The first thing I would recommend is picking up a modern, easy to read translation of the Bible. Honestly, probably the one I think is the most comprehensible for new beginners is the NLT or the New Living Translation. It speaks in everyday language. It feels more like a conversation. I also like to pair reading the Bible with the YouVersion Bible app on your phone. I select the version that I'm reading from And then I play a chapter from the Bible audibly. This helps me hear God's word spoken and any of those hard to pronounce words, they don't get me hung up or stuck. Secondly, I want to urge you not to feel pressure to start at page one and read straight through. Honestly, I find it most encouraging if I begin learning about Jesus and his life and that you can be found in the book of Mark or in the book of John. Either one of those would be an amazing place to start. And it's odd because we normally read a book from cover to cover, but the Bible is 66 individual books. So it's okay to turn to the back quarter of your Bible and start reading in those two gospels. They will simply show you who Jesus is and how much He loves you. And I love it most that He will meet you. right where you are. Third, before you even read one verse, pray a simple honest prayer and just confess that you don't understand and ask God to help you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and your heart. That little simple prayer prior to opening up the Bible can change everything. Fourth, go slow and be kind to yourself. Ten minutes a day is far better than forcing yourself to read through a chapter when you feel overwhelmed or forcing yourself as if it's just a task to be checked off your to-do list. Just read a little and then ask, what does this show me about God? What is this saying to me about Jesus? And how does He want to meet me in my wounds in these weighted times and in my ways? And then fifth, You don't have to do this alone. Keep listening to this podcast or ones like this one. Check out The Bible Project on YouTube. There are short videos that are animated and they really show you what each book of the Bible is all about. And that way, once you go ahead and read the chapter that you have just learned about, you already understand the main theme and storylines. It just makes the Bible that much richer. and it complements each other so perfectly. I also love talking with my girlfriends. Actually, quite frankly, any friends. If they love Jesus and they love God's Word, we have a lot to talk about. And it's also so encouraging to know you're learning together and we're all pulling the same perspectives in so many ways. just, it affirms you when you have other people to soundboard your newfound truths and even to navigate what some of those things mean. My favorite part about being in a physical Bible study is not only having the ability to ask my questions but hear other people's perspectives. I love their insights and I love seeing how they will be applying what they're learning to their lives. The goal isn't to become a Bible expert. The goal is to start a real living relationship with God. Little by little, those confusing words will begin to feel familiar. Your wounds will find healing, your weights will grow lighter, and your old ways will start to change as you become addicted to God. Here's the beautiful truth I want you to carry with you from this episode. The God who created everything wants to speak directly to your heart through the pages of His Word. The Bible might feel confusing right now, but it's actually the most loving invitation you will ever receive. An invitation to know the one who already knows you completely and loves you just the way you are. As you keep showing up, even when it's hard, you'll start hearing his voice more clearly. You'll see Jesus in a more personal way. The more you read, the more you'll want to read, learn and know. Reading about God is actually meeting with God. Through this, That is how you get to discover real freedom from wounds, weights, and ways that have held you back for so long. So this week, my challenge is that you pick up the book of Mark or John and just read a chapter a day or just a section of a chapter a day. Don't forget to pray first. And if something confuses you, that's okay. Just keep showing up anyway. On future podcasts, I'll be sharing tips and tools that will further help. But today, I just want to introduce you to the Bible. When I was climbing the corporate ladder and chasing after worldly success, my days were packed with meetings. In addition to the demands at work, I had a busy household. Between finding time for my marriage, getting my daughters to and from school and all over for their extracurricular activities, it was hectic. Not to mention I was also trying to get my master's degree at the same time. Needless to say, having time for God was very difficult for me. However, I'm telling you this because I assume you're busy too. Someone once said that BUSY is an acronym for burden under Satan's yoke. I hated that thought. So I made an appointment to meet with God on my calendar every day. When I first started, It was 10, maybe 15 minutes, maybe a little bit longer on the weekends. I realized that when I had an appointment on my professional calendar, I showed up. When my kids or my husband depended on me, I wouldn't let them down. And I never would dream of no showing on a friend at coffee. I would never blow off an executive meeting, nor would I tell my daughters that they had to figure out their own way to get around to school, from school, and to their activities. If these commitments held such a high importance in my life on my schedule and I treated them as priorities, how much more important would I treat it if I had an appointment with God? This changed everything for me, not only having the perspective that God is the most important priority in my schedule, but why would I skip time with Him anymore? I wouldn't skip time with anybody else and everything else was less important. You've got this friends. The Bible isn't meant to stay confusing forever. It's meant to become life-changing. But it comes to you in little bits and pieces. It doesn't come to you all at once. It is rewarding, I will confess, to have the ability to see God's Word from start to finish. But you have a lifetime. And even when you've read the whole Bible, you can start all over again and you'll have brand new insights. I've been reading God's Word for over 25 years. And I still open up my Bible every single day with mind-blowing, slap-my-head emoji type reactions. It's incredible. So I hope that this podcast has encouraged you today, and I sincerely appreciate that you are joining me on the Addicted to God podcast. If you were encouraged, share this with a friend. Anybody you know who may be struggling with the Bible would be a great way to introduce them not only to this podcast, but to God's Word itself. And by the way, I would also appreciate it if you would leave a review or send a message to me at theaddictedtogodpod at gmail.com. Next week we'll talk about my Bible collection and which ones are my absolute favorites, along with tips and tools. that can help you understand the Bible on a deeper level. Until then, accept my challenge to open the book. God is waiting to meet with you there. And if you like this message or someone came to mind as you were listening, please pass it on. Be a part of helping more people transfer their destructive, worldly addictions to the one and only healthy addiction. Join me in this movement of being addicted to God.