How I Study The Bible

Why should we read the Bible? 

The Bible is the core of a Christian’s belief system. Without reading the Bible, we never really know what we believe. Most common misconceptions are formed from the beliefs of other people or their interpretation of the text. That’s why it’s crucial for us to read the Bible for ourself!

Common Misconceptions:

The longer you read the Bible, the holier you are.

Bible reading is a personal decision that you make to learn more about God and His ways. Read as much or as little as you can each day. The most important part is to read to shape our belief system and learn who God is to us. Even if you read one verse or one chapter a day, make sure you understand the context. This will make your bible reading time more effective.

Even though I don’t understand, I should read just to get through it for the day.

One tip to help you remember what you read is to open the Bible with the intention of learning something. Be open enough for God to reveal new things to you as you read. Keep yourself away from distractions. Keep your phone in another room, go to a place where it’s quiet or where there isn’t a lot of things going on. If you’re reading the Bible on your phone, turn on “airplane mode,” to keep you from getting distracted by phone calls, messages and other notifications. Don’t let other thoughts distract your mind. This will help you be focused as you read. Have the heart to know more about God’s intentions and have that thirst to learn. Pray a small prayer before you start reading. The Holy Spirit will help you be focused and speak to you as you read.

Another tip is to not force yourself because you’ll lose interest. It won’t stay in your mind. But when you genuinely want to know the truths in the Bible, as you read you’ll find secrets that will make you run to your Bible each day.

We should read the Bible only in the morning, before doing anything else.

Reading the Bible in the morning sets the pace for the whole day. It’s said that when you read in the morning, you give priority to God before other things.

While that can be true, it’s always best to read the Bible when it has your full attention and when your mind can genuinely focus. So for me, It doesn’t matter what time of the day I read the Bible and pray or for how long! The most important part is the intention. Read to know more about God, to learn, to understand and most importantly to spend time with God!

My Routine

There are five things I typically do while reading the bible. These steps help me understand the verses more clearly and remember them throughout the day. When I look back on my notes or in my Bible, I get to rejoice in the revelations God gives me each day and I claim those verses continually in my life.

First, I read the passage for the day. I typically read about four or so pages a day. However, it also depends on what book I’m reading and the layout in my Bible. I read as much or as little as I can, each day.

Then, I open my notebook and write down the verses that stood out to me as I read. Sometimes it’s ten verses, sometimes it’s four and sometimes, it’s only one. How many ever verses there are, I underline it in my bible and I write it on my notebook. When I write it out, I tend to remember those verses throughout the day. This is a trick I follow for my studies as well. When I write out the important points, I tend to remember it better.

If you’re reading on your phone, highlight the verses that stick out to you. You can also share a verse with your friends whenever it sticks out to you, to give them some motivation. They may be facing a problem that day and that verse you share might be just what they need!

After I write down the verses, I write down what I’ve learnt from the passage. I write a little reflection or summary about what I understood and I connect it with the situations in my personal life so that I can declare that promise to come to pass in my life. I write about how God will do the same for me as He did for the people in the Bible I read about. This helps me strengthen my faith as I read the Bible.

I remember to date my writings in my notebook, to keep me on track. When I look back, I remember to stay consistent as a little self-check. It keeps me accountable to myself in my walk with God.

Lastly, I end the session in prayer asking God to help me to live according to the scripture I read as I apply it to my life or declare that promise in my life. I claim the promises I received while reading, in my life and as I do that, God’s strength fills my spirit and I get the motivation that God will do justice for me as He did for all those people in the Bible.

I use the NIV student Bible for my daily reading. I like this Bible because it has little notes here and there to give insights about certain verses, chapters, books, people and places. I learn so much from even the most common verses about God’s intentions and his true character. You can also find a Bible or devotional that helps you learn more about the truths in the Bible or find few websites that will give you in-depth insights about the secrets in the Bible.

Quote from my blog, The Importance of Studying the Bible

Tips For Beginners

If you’re just starting out the practice of reading the bible, start from Matthew then work your way through the whole Bible. The gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, show the life of Jesus. Starting from Genesis shows how there was a need for a savior. After Jesus comes, we understand how he filled the void we were lacking in our communication with God. Pick a book, start from there and keep going!

Your thirst for the knowledge from the Bible will keep you from distractions. It’s all in the mind and self-control. Always long to know God’s word and embed it in your heart, so that when troubles come your way, you have the strength to overcome it with the word of God.

Make it a habit and create a set time and place where you read the Bible, that works for you. I tend to assign a space in my room to read as it makes it a routine and keeps that time special.

You may say, “The Bible is so outdated. Why should I believe something that was written years ago?”

Here are a few scriptures and some quotes from everyday people to answer that.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (II Timothy 3:16-17).

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63).

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb 4:12).

“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt 4:4).

“We are the Bibles the world is reading; we are the creeds the world is needing; we are the sermons the world is heeding.” - Billy Graham

“Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book widens and deepens with our years.” - Charles Spurgeon

“When the world beats you down, open up your Bible.” - Lysa TerKeurst

“Put your nose into the Bible everyday. It is your spiritual food. And then share it.” - Kirk Cameron

“The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.” - D.L. Moody

How to apply the scripture in real life

When you follow all these steps, the Holy Spirit will speak to you through the scripture, reveal new things to you as read, teaching you how you can apply it to your life. He will also remind you of the scriptures, to strengthen you when you face trouble (John 14: 26). Want to know more about the Holy Spirit’s role in your life? Check out this blog post - Let’s Learn The Basics.

Read the Bible over and over again. Even if you’ve read the Bible 4 or 5 times, start again from the beginning. Just like how you watch your favorite movie again and again. When you do that, you tend to analyze all the characters and their behaviors, or learn why the story unfolded the way it did. You realize why the writer wrote that scene or created that character in that way. When you watch it again, you realize things that you’ve missed the first time you watched it. You understand the meaning behind why they did certain things. That is what happens when we read the Bible over and over again. God reveals different things to us, every time we read the Bible. Even if it’s a verse you’ve memorized from when you were a kid, when you read it, God may reveal a new thing to you which will be an answer for your current situation. That’s how God proves His realness to you, in your everyday life.

Make your routine personal. Your routine may not be the same as mine or anyone else’s and that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. Do what works for you. As long as you’re understanding what you’re reading and it helps you get close to God, you’re doing good.

I shared an example of how I study the Bible in this video and I also prayed a small prayer for you. Watch it and let me know in the comments about what you’ve read today. I would love to talk to you and discuss about that with you! Check out the video and I hope it encourages you! Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel, “Stellazlife” on YouTube, where I share more about the lifestyle of an every day, follower of Christ.