How to Study the Bible
There are many ways to study the Bible. What method works for one person may not work for another. In addition, what works for one season of your life may not work for another season of your life. God uses many different ways to speak to us. This Bible study is one method that has worked for many.
Choose a Book of the Bible
Select one book in the Bible. If you’ve never studied one entire book before you will most likely want to select one of the shorter book in the back of the New Testament, such as James, Titus, 1 Peter, or 1 John. You will be spending three to four weeks studying this short book.
Prepare Your Heart with Prayer
Talk to God about any thing you need to confess, and enter your study time peacefully and without anything weighing on your heart during your study. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” So, as you pray, realize that the words you are studying are inspired by God. Psalm 119:130 tells us, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Pray each day before you begin your Bible study.
Read the Book All the Way Through
Reading the book all the way through may take a few days but just make sure you set aside some time every day to read so you can work your way through the book. It’s helpful to have a notebook nearby so you can take notes of any passages that really speak to you during this time.
Focus on Individual Verses
Once you have read the Bible all the way through, go back to the beginning and look at each verse individually. If you have a Bible dictionary on hand, now is a great time to use it to look up individual words. You can spend as long as you want studying on particular passage. You will probably be very surprised how the passage seems to come alive in a way it never has before when you focus on individual words and look them up in the Bible dictionary for deeper meaning.
Set Your Own Pace
Take as little or as much time as you need to methodically go through the book of the Bible you chose. Once you complete it, you can look for another one to do the same thing with. For the second book you might want to find something more challenging like an Old Testament book and spend a great deal of time really getting into the history of it. You will likely find it a very meaningful way to study the Bible.
Bible Reading Plans
If you are looking for some easy planning, visit our Bible Reading Plans page for ideas on getting started!
