How I came to rightly dividing the word

​I understand we will not all agree with what the bible teaches. After being saved 35 years and then learning how to rightly divide God's word correctly, I have had to change my mind on many things I thought to be true. With that said, I am now open to learn and change my mind if it makes sense from a rightly divided perspective. Knowing that God has dealt with man differently over the centuries and did not expect people to put their faith in the same thing. Learning is about growing and being humble enough to say, "you know I was wrong about that". And that is hard for my pride to do, to change one's thinking. Since 1978 I have loved God's word, believed it 100%, taught it to many people, shared the gospel with hundreds, and have tried to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

I have always believed God's word from the beginning 100% even though I didn't understand much of it. But I always had this little bit of confusion or misunderstanding about how to reconcile verses that I thought were written to me and about me. i.e. Jesus said to ask, seek and knock believing and I will get it. I tried this many many times and it did not work, ever. John says, if we are born of Him we will not commit sin. But I knew I still sinned, yet I thought I was "born again", but yet I still sinned.  It didn't make sense to me. James says our faith requires works but Paul says we are NOT saved by works. Verses like these (and there is many of them) always bothered/puzzled me.

So, when teaching my adult Sunday school class of 50+ yr. olds, and listening to different messages on YT, I came across people talking about how to "rightly divide" God's word. THEN, it click. Jesus, James and John in those passages were not talking to or about me, a believer in the body of Christ. Wow, that was big. It all made sense. I needed to separate (divide) Israel/Jews from the body of Christ. What I was doing and was taught was stealing mail written to someone else that didn't include me. That is where I am now and why I am certain of how to understand God's word.  (no I don't understand every verse) But it all fits now. The contradictions (not errors) ALL make sense when we rightly divide the word of God as we are told to in II Tim 2:15. I hope this makes sense to you and you too will see how to rightly divide the word of God. No one does it all perfectly. But what I understand now from what I was taught before is night and day different. Thanks for your time.