There are countless fields of study, and people choose their reading material according to their needs. A science student, for instance, may focus on the topics in their syllabus, but to truly grasp the subject, they go beyond textbooks—reading research papers and investing extra effort to expand their knowledge. Others confine themselves to the prescribed material, relying on guides and model questions to get good grades, but in doing so, their understanding remains narrow.
Some students avoid excessive reading altogether, yet they listen attentively to lectures, reflect deeply on the ideas presented, and adapt them to new situations. Whether through reading or listening, one truth remains: no matter how rich the material, understanding is always limited by the capacity of the learner to absorb it. And what enlarges that capacity? A deep, persistent hunger to learn—the desire that pushes one to explore, question, and grasp truth in greater depth and width.
In the same way, the Bible is like a vast, treasure-filled course material for life. Some believers keep to familiar verses and devotionals, learning enough to show off spiritually but never venturing beyond. Others search the Scriptures diligently, comparing passages, meditating on its meaning, and letting the Spirit guide them into deeper insight. Still others may not read extensively, but they listen with keen attention to sermons, Bible studies, and testimonies, turning the truths they hear over in their minds until they take root.
Ultimately, our understanding of God’s Word will not be determined by how much of it exists—because it is infinite—but by how much our hearts can absorb. And that capacity grows only with spiritual thirst. The greater our hunger for God, the deeper and wider our understanding of His truth will become.
The Thrust Area
Human minds are shaped—and often trapped—by the world they know. That’s why Jesus spoke of His Kingdom in parables, drawing from the soil, the seed, the nets, and the coins His listeners handled every day. He took heaven’s truth and wrapped it in the language of earth so they could see. Yet instead of lifting their eyes to the vast scope of God’s plan, many shrank it down to human scale. They imagined thrones, armies, and a crown in Rome—but could not grasp a cross in Jerusalem.
Even after the stone was rolled away, the disciples were still tangled in confusion. Fear and doubt clung to them like shadows, dulling their memory of all He had promised. Jesus had spoken plainly of what was coming—not to alarm them, but to ready them. Still, the lies of the world whispered louder than the truth of His words.
The blindness of those lies is seen most sharply in that quiet, almost heartbreaking moment: the two disciples walking the dusty road towards Emmaus, speaking their disappointment to a stranger—never realizing they were pouring out their unbelief to the very Author of faith Himself.
“What things?” Jesus asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
Luke 24:19-21(NIV)
Prevailing Lies Despite The Truth
Our minds naturally interpret reality based on the evidence we encounter in daily life. Yet what we should be perceiving is the reality of God’s Kingdom—a realm beyond our natural reach. If we have no understanding of how God’s will is accomplished in heaven, then praying the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught—asking God to do His will on earth as it is done in heaven—becomes empty words. Before uttering this prayer, we should at least gain a glimpse of the nature of His Kingdom; otherwise, we risk reducing every heavenly action to mere earthly activities.
Consider the story of a man who was paranoid about murders in his city. One day, he overheard someone shouting from a building, “First, cut the neck quickly!” Alarmed, he assumed this was a murder in progress and called the police. Later, he discovered it was simply a tailor giving instructions to his apprentice. The lesson is clear: whatever dominates our thoughts shapes the way we interpret messages, colouring them with the bias of our existing perceptions.
God repeatedly warns us not to chase after money and possessions but to seek the treasures He has stored in heaven. Yet we often remain preoccupied with worldly wealth. Those who lack it long to have it; those who have it crave even more. Others may feel content, yet still pour their energy into maintaining their possessions. Jesus told a parable about a man who planned to enlarge his barns to store his abundant harvest so none of it would go to waste. While practical in one sense, Jesus posed a probing question that exposed the man’s folly—he had made no effort to safeguard his soul from being lost (Luke 12:16–21). This “Parable of the Rich Fool” shows how riches often come with equal foolishness.
Tragically, many today ignore Jesus’ warning. Even some servants of God accumulate wealth upon wealth, presenting it as proof of God’s blessing, when in reality it has been drawn from the pockets of their poor congregations. Misled, many followers pursue the same kind of wealth—wealth that may even be lavishly granted by the devil to lead them toward eternal ruin. When our minds are preoccupied with worldly treasures, we lose the capacity to discern the deeper truths of God’s Word.
When David prepared to attack the Jebusites and seize the heavily fortified city of Jerusalem, the Jebusites scoffed at him from behind their strong walls. So sure were they of their fortress that they jeered, “Even our blind and lame could stop you!” It was a cutting insult, dripping with sarcasm, meant to belittle David’s strength and skill. David seized on their mockery, turning it into a rallying cry for his men: Show them what happens when they underestimate us. His mention of “the blind and the lame” was a figure of speech aimed at shaming the Jebusites’ arrogance. But as time passed, people misunderstood his words, taking them literally—leading to an unfortunate belief that the blind and the lame were unwelcome in their homes (2 Samuel 5:8).
True Repentance Comes With Weeping And Wailing
The Lord, the LORD Almighty,
called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
Isaiah 22:12 (NIV)
Lamentation, fasting, and prayer have their place—they are the doorway through which a sinner first acknowledges the truth, confesses sin, and turns back to God. But the tragedy is this that even after tasting the joy of forgiveness and the freedom of salvation, many return to their old ways of weeping and fasting—not to seek the heart of God, but to demand the very things He has forbidden.
Enjoying The Forbidden Things
The Word declares again and again: “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” Yet this truth is cast aside, replaced with the veneration of stone walls and man-made sanctuaries. The Book of Hebrews cries out for us to move forward—to press on to maturity, to be shaped into the likeness of Christ. But still, people clutch the forbidden, refusing to follow the Way that Jesus Himself opened through His body. They stand content at the thresholds of earthly temples, bowing with empty gestures, while the true entrance into God’s Kingdom stands open before them, untouched.
This is nothing less than the spirit of Eve’s disobedience still alive among us. She reached for what God said No to, and we do the same—clinging to what is forbidden, resisting the forward call of God.
“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”
Hebrews 6:1-2 (NIV)
We keep the sin of our ancestors breathing—wrapping it in religious rites, calling it holiness, and deceiving ourselves with the comfort of tradition. But God is not impressed by ceremonies that ignore His voice. He calls us beyond the threshold, beyond the walls, beyond the elementary—to the living maturity of Christ.
The Remedial Action
We often desire the power of the Holy Spirit, but too often our longing is driven by a human craving for recognition—titles like Prophet, Healer, Miracle Worker, Powerful Preacher, Renowned Speaker, or Dedicated Prayer Warrior. Such ambitions can be rooted in the desire to gain popularity, to gather crowds, and, sadly, to draw people to ourselves rather than to Christ. This reveals how easily our human minds steer us toward serving God for power instead of for His pleasure. The Scripture reminds us:
For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1 Corinthians 2:11-12 (NIV)
Therefore, we must reject the lies of the world that push us to claim and display spiritual gifts for self-exaltation. Instead, we should yield to the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, letting Him reveal the mind of God. In this way, our focus will shift to what truly pleases Him, leaving behind the empty rituals that impress men but give only fleeting satisfaction.
As we grow in knowing and loving God, the limits of our human understanding will break open. Our spiritual vision will widen, enabling us to grasp the deeper meaning of His Word. Then the lies of the world will no longer lure us into trading away God’s glorious revelations for the myths of men. May the Lord grant us His grace to explore the heavenly things—walking step by step with the Holy Spirit. Let us pray along with Paul to know the love of God to be filled with the fullness of God.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)
The Jordan Valley 
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