Bible Study Basics

Prayer first, read with God- you dont want to go to class if the teacher isn’t there. In the bible, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the teacher. In John 14:26 the bible says:

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

So the first part of the process is to take a moment (or several moments) to pray. Empty yourself, invite God into the time you’re about to spend in his word, and then fill yourself with his word. Remember this is my process, this is what works for me feel free to make adjustments as the Holy Spirit leads you. Prayer helps us get things off of our minds first, helps us fix our focus on Christ, and allows us to invite God to come in and commune with us as we seek him.

Read for your need- Many times the Holy Spirit will guide me to what he wants me to read and there are times when I dont know what to read or I’m just going through a rough patch and can’t get past my emotions. The main priority is to seek God and what he has to say. When I’m going through a difficult time I always like to seek God concerning that thing. If I’m struggling with a relationship or life situation I’ll look for a book in the bible that can show me what God has to say about that thing. Reading for our needs helps us focus more on God’s promises rather than our problems.

Remove yourself– I think a lot of times we can read the bible as if it is written to us. But the Bible is a story about God being separated from his people because of their sins and what Jesus did to bring us back into his presence. 

Even though we are all under God’s authority, Jesus made it so that each one of us can become a child of God. So try to make it a habit to step back and read the story kind of like you’re reading a movie script or a novel. Allow yourself to see the picture and what’s happening in the story, and really dig into what God is doing and the message being conveyed to his people of that time. Then take those principles and apply what is applicable to your life and your situation. God’s promises are always applicable because his word is eternal and you are his child!

For example, David and Goliath is a really common story we like to be the main character in. We have to know that David is a shadow is Jesus Christ but how God selects and uses David is possible for us. God looked at David’s heart and chose him even though the world rejected him. David was short and he was a sheep herder, his own father didn’t even call him into the house to be considered when Samuel was selecting a king. Though David was anointed king we see later that he would have never conquered Goliath without the power of God.

So here are the principles we can pull from King David’s story, Jesus chooses us even if the world discards us. Jesus chooses us when the world counts us out. Jesus chooses us when people don’t and he also has empowered us to be more than conquerors! It’s not about being King David or any other bible character, it’s about seeing God’s handiwork and his promises in action and realizing what that means for us today!

Dont be afraid to scribble- The bible is filled with words that were breathed by God’s spirit. But it’s also a book, don’t be afraid to highlight scribble your notes, and jot down your conclusions and questions for later. I even like to write YouTube video titles next to verses. When I replace my bibles I usually get a different translation each time so notes and scribbles in the margins. They help me out if I ever need to revisit one of my older Bibles. 

Slow down- Bible study isn’t just a checkmark on the to-do list. So take your time, it’s okay to read the bible in a year but God doesn’t rush. If God doesn’t want you to do it in a year… don’t. My first full bible read took me 4 years to complete and that’s okay! It’s okay to read half a chapter and work through its references if you’re being led by the Holy Spirit. I’d rather take half a chapter with the Holy Spirit over 3 chapters without hearing from him at all. 

Your time with God is YOUR TIME WITH GOD! It’s one of your privileges as his child. You dont have to compare yourself to others, it’s just you spending time with your father, take the pressure off, you’ll be able to absorb and understand more when you stop striving. Remember God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness, wherever you are in your walk with Christ is okay as long as you’re walking with Christ!

Study the word- When a verse or a section of scripture sticks out to you, write it down, and always ask “Why?”. Why does this seem important to me? Why is this phrased this way? Why is this happening? Asking why is so incredibly helpful when you study the bible! 

One of my sisters in Christ recommended the bible project’s YouTube channel, it was a great reminder, I had actually forgotten about! I’ll talk more about that later when we get to my favorite resources at the end. 

Attempting to dive deeper in your study is always a good practice. It gets you used to stringing verses together so they make sense and there may be something God wants you to know about that verse that stood out, but you won’t find it unless you seek it. This is why Jesus spoke in parables, they were hidden truths, and there are lots of hidden truths in God’s word, the bible has so many layers! 

So dont give up, ask the holy spirit for help, if you need to, read different translations, and try reading the Greek root word or phrase to see if you can make sense of what is confusing you. I’ll tell you what I used to do at the end. Also dont be afraid to read with some unknowns. It’s OK that you dont know everything! The holy spirit will begin to reveal things as you consistently spend time with him. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve studied one section of scripture and the Holy Spirit reminded me of another portion of scripture I read weeks ago! 

Trust that God will meet you where you are and give you exactly what you need to have at that time!

Dedicate a journal- After I read I take a few minutes to write down what I found, what God said about it, and how the holy spirit wants me to apply these biblical truths to my life. Writing things down will help you remember, you can revisit the ideas if you need to. And you can look back to see how you’ve grown with God! A journal is way better than a bunch of random papers flying all over the place, plus you can take it with you anywhere! 

Consistency- If God is anything he’s consistent. He keeps his word and he’s there with us even when we dont invite him he’s always watching over us. Bible study has to be a discipline for Christians. We can’t get to the point where we begin to treat God and his word like he’s common. You won’t always feel like reading or praying, you won’t always want to stay up late or wake up early, and sometimes you just want to do something else that might be more fun. But remember in 1 Corinthians 9:27 the bible says:

I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Dont cause yourself to be disqualified because you lack discipline. God honors our sacrifices and he’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. So be consistent in your time with God so you can keep your focus on him and allow Jesus to work on your heart! I believe that consistent bible study is part of guarding your heart, you can’t possibly guard your heart like the bible says if you are constantly filling it with worldly things and not keeping it clean and focused on Christ. In Isaiah 55:6 the Bible says: 

Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 

Get some tools-

1. Quest Study Bible– I started with the Quest study bible it’s the NIV version, and it was simple for me to understand it also has answers to commonly asked questions. At a minimum, you want a bible that has references so you can have some help putting ideas together! 
2. Enduring Word Commentary– it’s well written, it’s easy to browse, it’s online and it’s always available! I’ve heard about the Tony Evans commentary but I dont own that one, you can check it out if you want… Let me know in the comments if you have it!

3. Blue Letter Bible– This is a really useful resource for me because you can look up multiple translations at once and look up Greek definitions to get to the root of a word or phrase! 

4. Bible Hub– is also an excellent resource for viewing multiple translations at once and tons of other tools in one place!

5. The Bible Project– The bible project gives great visuals about bible books, concepts, and stories, they do a really great job giving you the image and a bit of context if you need it! 

6. Worship instrumentals– when I pray to help me block out distracting noises and stay focused on God and not be distracted by what’s happening around me. Soaking in his presence is a great YouTube channel for worship instrumentals, I have a favorite that I listen to on repeat. (I’ll link it below)

To summarize, your time with God is yours, invite him in and unload everything you’ve got then as you read do your best to absorb everything he has to say to you. Spending time with the Lord in bible study is a privilege, take the pressure off of yourself get in his flow on his time, and let him do the work as you consistently show up! Remember, God always keeps his word so as you study expect him to reward you, expect him to show up, and let him take you wherever he wants to go. Let him come out of the “God” box and let him be the big God that he is!