In every hobby or field of work, you gain experience as time passes. Different scenarios help to gain knowledge so that when it happens again, you can quickly solve the issue. The same is true when studying Scripture and using it as your basis for thinking.
If I am talking to someone on the street, I have verses I can reference for different objections. In Matthew 5:22, Jesus expounded on the sixth commandment that hatred is the same as murder. A few verses later, in 5:27, He said that looking with lust is the same as adultery. Further references are Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, and a handful of other verses. When preaching, I tend to study one text and use other passages to support the message. However, I have been noticing lately I may be getting narrow sighted and need to pay further attention.
For the last few weeks, I have been reading a book on general advice for Biblical counseling. I took an online course early in the year and this has been a very loose follow-up. As the authors look at different counseling scenarios, they point to various passages that help relate to a situation and may assist the counselee to a better frame of mind. While some of the advised texts are familiar, the majority are ones that I would need to look up and further learn their context.
I have written on this blog several times about my routine of reading the Bible. For several years, I read through from Genesis-Revelation twice a year. Now, I'm down to about once a year of cover to cover, but replaced one of my reading times with more in-depth study. This is slower, but I still progress through Scripture and invest in God's Word.
At this point in the quad life, I do not see starting a new career as a Biblical counselor. However, as a part-time preacher and occasional mentor, I do see it as useful knowledge to be familiar with. If nothing else, this latest book has taught me not to get blinded to one train of thought while studying. Continuing to broaden my knowledge and quick reference tools will always be helpful, no matter how often or little they get used.