Jesus tells the story of a shepherd searching for one lost sheep in Luke 15. The joy when it is found tells us something wonderful about God's care for those who wander.

A basic Bible-study rule that saves a lot of nonsense: clear passages should help us read difficult passages, not the other way round.

Jesus repeats the same words in prayer in Gethsemane. So His warning against “vain repetitions” in Matthew 6:7 cannot mean that repeating a prayer is automatically wrong.

Scripture never says Satan can read your mind. The Bible says plenty about temptation, accusation and deception, but mind-reading is not something it clearly gives him.

A verse can be true and still be used badly. Quoting Scripture is not the same thing as understanding the passage it came from.

The Bible does not tell Christians to believe every spiritual claim. “Try the spirits whether they are of God” is straight out of 1 John 4:1.

Being “born again” comes from Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus describes a new birth brought about by the Spirit, not a label for a particular type of Christian.

One good Sunday habit: read one whole chapter instead of ten isolated verses. It is harder to make the Bible say whatever we want when we let the argument stay intact.

“Fear of the Lord” is stronger than simply saying “respect God”. Scripture uses the language of reverence, awe and genuine fear before a holy God.

The shortest verse in the KJV is “Jesus wept.” John 11:35. Jesus knew Lazarus would be raised, and He still wept with the people who were grieving.

You do not need to make every Bible passage about yourself. Sometimes the first question is simply: what was the writer saying to the people who first heard this?

James 2 is uncomfortable on purpose. A faith that never produces any change in how we live is exactly the kind of faith James tells us to question.

Noah did not simply take “two of every animal”. Genesis 7 gives a different instruction for clean animals and birds than for animals that were not clean.

If a Bible verse seems to confirm exactly what you already wanted to believe, that is a good moment to slow down and read the chapter.

Feeling anxious is not proof that your faith is fake. Matthew 6 speaks to worried people and teaches them where to take that worry: back to the Father who knows what they need.

The KJV says “the love of money is the root of all evil” in 1 Timothy 6:10. The warning is about the love of money, not the existence of money.

Before you send the reply, the message or the comment, pray first. Give yourself a minute before emotion decides what happens next.

Jesus prayed in public, so Matthew 6 cannot be banning public prayer. His warning is about praying to be seen and admired by other people.

Philippians 4:13 is about learning to live through plenty and need. Paul’s “I can do all things through Christ” comes in a passage about contentment, not unlimited achievement.

The Good Samaritan is Jesus’ answer to “Who is my neighbour?” By the end, the question has shifted. The neighbour is the person who shows mercy. Luke 10:29-37.