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How Should I Study the Bible?

If you are a "baby Christian", one thing you will want to do every day is study the Bible. How do I study the Bible? Where do I begin reading? Always pray for wisdom and understanding. The only way you can understand the Bible is to have the Holy Spirit help you, so ask Him to help you. The most often overlooked and undervalued aspect of Bible study is prayer. Prayer is so vital to gaining wisdom and understanding when you read God’s Word. Through prayer, you can approach God and admit your lack of knowledge of His Word, as well as your need for Him to open your heart to His instruction. So --- begin each study with prayer.

Only God can give you the wisdom to understand His Word. No person, on their own, can do this. Read in an organized manner. If you receive a letter and read only a few sentences here and there, the letter would not make much sense to you. But if you read the letter in order, you can understand it. That's the way it is with the Bible. Many Christians read some in Matthew, a story from Daniel, a verse or two from Exodus, and then a chapter or so from Revelation and wonder why they don’t understand God’s Word. They end up misinterpreting the meaning of these Passages because they have failed to grasp the context from which they came. To avoid this, discipline yourself to read the Bible in an orderly manner. One way to do this is to use an established reading plan. A reading plan lists Scripture passages to be read in a certain order. Many of the existing plans were created with a goal in mind. Some plans break the whole Bible down into 365 daily readings. Others help you read through the Bible in the order that the events actually happened.

For now, you may want to use the following plan as your reading guide. Start with the Gospel of John. This Gospel was written so that we might believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Then, after you have finished reading John, read the rest of the New Testament. First John one of my all time favorites.

Once you have finished the New Testament, you should read the books of the Old Testament. There you will see the coming of Jesus prophesied many years before He came. Some cults do not read the Old Testament. Such a shame! Jesus is definitely in the Old Testament! Please do not avoid the Old Testament. It is there for our learning. Finish what you start when reading a book from the Bible. If you choose a certain Book to read, read it all, from beginning to end. You will benefit more by reading the entire Book. Reading the entire book puts each verse and story in its proper context, so you will have a better understanding of what each verse and story means. In addition, by reading Books from beginning to end you will become more familiar with the Bible as a whole. You may even discover Passages in the Old Testament that will one day become your favorites.

Meditate on God’s Word, ask questions. Think about what you have read! This cannot be overemphasized. Meditating on what you have read helps you to discover the importance of the Passage. It also helps you to examine your life in light of what God reveals in His Word.

ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS!

#1 Who is speaking?
#2 Who is being spoken to?
#3 What is being spoken about?
#4 What does it say? Know what it is really saying!
#5 What does it say that I don’t understand? Read it again!
#6 What is the key verse?
#7 What does it teach me about God?
#8 Under what circumstances was it written?
#9 What does it say to me?
#10 How can I apply it to my life? Ask God for discernment.

To see how the text might apply to you personally, ask yourself these questions:

#1 Is there any sin mentioned in the passage that I need to confess or forsake?
#2 Is there a command given that I should obey?
#3 Is there a promise made that I can apply to my current circumstances?
#4 Is there a prayer given that I could pray?

Don't ever consider studying the Bible to be a difficult chore or something you do not look forward to. It should be a very pleasant time for you. It should be one of the best times of the day for you.

There are pastors, chaplains and teachers out there who are more than willing to help when something stumps you. I love helping people understand God’s Word. To me, it’s a privilege when someone asks me a question or asks me to help them. I love watching people grow in Christ. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If someone refuses, they really are not a child of God (TRUE Christian), for that’s our job, one I dearly love.

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BIBLE HELPS

Bible Study Helps in Psalms

Bible Study Helps in New Testament

 Bible, How To Study

Bible Phone #

Bible Topics

Harmony in the Gospels

Study the Bible

Scripture Quotations

Scripture References

Symbols in the Bible

Parables of Christ

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