One of the common challenges with Christians in general is the area of studying the Bible. Frankly, most Christians don’t study the Bible. Partly because people don’t get much out of it because they don’t know how to study the Bible. Bible study is not the same thing as Bible reading. You can read the Bible through in a year and not have spent a single day studying it. The scriptures tell us to study:
2 Timothy 2:15 – Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Studying the Bible is simply reading and then writing or cross checking or, for those who are really intense, checking the original language to make sure you are clear on what it is saying for you. Seeing how you can apply it to your life. It is not leaving a passage until you are certain you have pulled out everything God wants to tell you about it.
So, that is what Bible study is. I am sure you probably already knew the difference, but I wanted to make sure we are on the same page. One of the methods of Bible study I have found to be really effective in my life to bringing up truths that God speaks to me and really impact my life through, is what I call the four-step method. Basically, I take a passage or a chapter, and I write out what it is saying in my own words, trying to condense the passages that seem to be saying the same thing and not using flowery language that is sometimes used. Then I take what I just wrote, and read it to myself and then, from that, I further condense it to points that can be carried into the present. Then I take that and write down a list of things we can apply to our lives. Then I take those points and write down a list of things I can change in my life this week to apply these verses to my life. There are times when something really pops out at me and I end up focusing more on that then anything else in the passage, but it is a great way to dive into what God is trying to say to me through scripture. Using prayer during the study also greatly enhances what God speaks to me. I hope this is helpful to you in developing a greater love and deeper relationship with God.