I am so glad to read of your desire to “grow your faith.” You then go on to speak of “the word of God” and it is indeed God’s Word that will cause us to grow spiritually. We read in 1st Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word THAT YOU MAY GROW THEREBY.” We know that a baby born into this world needs their “mother’s milk to grow physically.” So, a “newborn babe in Christ needs the milk of God’s word to grow spiritually.” And notice, this verse isn’t limited to one who has just been born again, for it says “AS a newborn babe.” Even if we have been saved for many years we should still have that same thirst for “the sincere milk of the word.” If we lose that desire, we will quit growing.

Your question is also asking how you can “learn to understand the word of God.” I would like to give you TWO WAYS in which God will give you an understanding of His precious Word (in addition to the DESIRE you must have for the Word).

1) You MUST “allow the Holy Spirit to be your Teacher.” Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:16-17 & 26, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth…for He dwells with you and will be in you…But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, HE WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Jesus emphasized this truth in John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH.” We see that the Holy Spirit did come to live inside the disciples (and all believers) on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:1-4). From that moment on they had the Divine Teacher of the Word abiding in them, the One who would “teach them all things.” The fact is, we could never understand the Word of God without Him. 1st Corinthians 2:9-12 bear witness to this: “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God HAS REVEALED THEM TO US THROUGH HIS SPIRIT. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN FREELY GIVEN TO US BY GOD.” When I sit down to read and study the Bible I often thank God for giving me the Holy Spirit to teach me the truth and then I pray that my heart will be open to His teaching.

2) You MUST “be willing to obey the truth that the Holy Spirit reveals to you.” In John 7:16-17 Jesus said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine.” Jesus was seeking to teach people the Word of God and in these few words He was telling them, “If any man desires to practice God’s will he will know of the doctrine.” We saw earlier (from 1st Peter 2:2) that the believer must “desire the sincere milk of the word”; here we learn that the believer must also “desire to walk in the truth of the word.” Let’s face it, we may come to the Word of God with a desire to “fill our mind with facts,” but unless we are willing to APPLY GOD’S WORD IN OUR DAILY LIFE, God will not give us the understanding that we desire. So, it is crucial that we have a heart that wants to OBEY THE WORD that the Holy Spirit teaches us.

In closing, I want to quote a very familiar passage of Scripture. In 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 we read, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that THE MAN OF GOD may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Bible is indeed (as you said) “the book of Wisdom.” Everything we need to guide us through this life is found the Holy Scriptures! They will prove to be PROFITABLE to meet every spiritual need we may have…for teaching (so we know God’s will), for reproof (to convict us of sin in our lives), for correction (to restore us after we are convicted of sin), and for instruction in righteousness (to show us the right path that honors the Lord). But it is for THE MAN OF GOD…the Christian man, woman, boy or girl that wants to live their life for God. The “man of God” will have a real thirst for the Word of God; he will allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to teach him the Word; and he will then obey the truth that is revealed to him so he can glorify God in every area of his life.  (363.5)  (DO)