Becoming a Pro At Bible Study
Bible study isn't a solo thing. Let's keep that in mind. When we Bible Study, the very 1st thing we need to do is invite God. A Bible Study session without him will kinda be in vain because God is the only one who can truly give you the knowledge and understanding when you're reading. So ALWAYS INVITE GOD. And you can do that by saying a lil prayer before you start. Ask God to speak with you through his word, giving you the knowledge and the ability to understand everything.
The 2nd Important thing we must do is have a love for the word. Bible Study will go by like a breeze. Like you won't even notice the time fr because you'll be so rooted in the word. Remember the Bible is a Love Letter from God. The Bible was written for all of us to get to know our creator and know how to live as his children. So every time you open up that Bible, just keep in mind that you're reading a love letter from your Father God.
NOW, Let's get into these 5 tips that can help you Study the Bible Like a Pro!
Brain dumping
We should all be familiar with what brain dump is right? It’s Basically, writing down everything you already know about something.
But how should we brain dump when it comes to Bible Study?
Brain dumping can be done 2 times during Bible Study
- Before reading a new book
- Before reading a new chapter
Before reading a new book
You’re going to Write down everything that you already know about that book and what you notice about it before even reading it.
- Take the book of Malachi for example, even before reading it, we notice that it has 4 chapters, it’s the last book in the Old Testament. Chapter 3 is the longest and Chapter 4 is the Shortest.
Before reading a new chapter
You’re going to write everything you know from the previous chapter you just read.
- Say you already started reading the book of Malachi and you’re doing a chapter per day right. And you stopped on chapter 2 but and the next day you start chapter 3. So, before you even start reading chapter 3, Do a lil brain dump of chapter 1 and 2, just to make sure you remember what you’ve read and show your comprehension.
Highlighting
Highlighting is very helpful when studying the Bible, however, it’s meaningless if you are not retaining the information for real. Highlighting is more than just making the Bible Colorful. If we highlight everything that just sounds good, we end up highlighting the whole chapter, and the whole book.
So what exactly should we be highlighting?
Highlight the main points. Meaning, if you were to go back to that chapter or book, the things you highlight should automatically tell you what the book was about. In other words, what you highlight should stand out, telling the story.
Here's some main points you should be highlighting.
- Who, Where, What, and How
- Key verses that you want to remember.
Breakdown
Trust me when I say this helps soo much!! Often times when we read, we don't really take the time to really analyze what we read, That's not very "pro" like. So to fix that real quick, We need to breakdown what we read.
How though?
You can do the breakdown 2 ways.
1. Breakdown a single verse - This one takes a lil more time especially if u’re doing it for the whole book. However, it's a very effective way to actually understand fr. Not to mention, u're more engaged and more likely to remember what u've read!
Here's an example:
2. Breakdown a chapter - This is quicker but yet still very effective. When breaking down a chapter you want to make sure you take a few verses and analyze that portion. Analyze it till you get a clear understanding and are able to paraphrase what u've read without copying all the words str8t out the Bible .
Here's an example:
Application
Once you're done analyzing what you've read, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to apply it to your life. I know sometimes we may not know exactly how to apply the word to our lives, analyzing it makes it easy to apply it. As disciples of Christ, it's important to represent him well so application guides you. Overall, making sure you avoid making the same mistake the past disciples made.
Remember:
We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
----------1 John 2:3-6----------
How do we apply the word to our lives?
Use the lesson you've learned from reading. Majority of the lessons the Bible contains still applies to our generation and many of our lives.
Here's an example:
Other useful resources
A little help during our Bible Study often makes a huge difference. Here’s 3 very useful resources that you could use during your Bible Study. They’re all 10000/10!
- Blue Letter Bible - This is great for broken down commentary on each verse or the whole chapter. It also has many great resources to help with translating the verses into another version that can help you better understand.
- Bible Project Videos - These video breakdown the books in the bible for a better understanding and they are not very long. Gets straight to the point and great for visual learners.
- Bible App - Has reading plans on the books in the Bible with commentary and you take literally read a chapter per day with the Plans they have. The devotionals on here are veryyy helpful. Not to mention there are many to choose from!
That sums up this quick lil guide of Bible Studying Like A Pro. I hope it was very helpful and next time you Bible Study, you'll know exactly what to do! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
Luv, Daisy