You know how it goes most days. You wake up, you get your coffee ready, you grab your Bible, you open it, you desire to dig deep, but you just aren’t sure how to study your Bible. There are many good Bible Study methods out there. This is just one that I have come up with. I have found that the best way to study God’s Word is with a Bible, a pen, and a notebook. So, here we go!

G. Go to God

The first step in studying your Bible is to go to God in prayer. Prayer should honestly saturate your entire time of study; before, during, and after. Before you dig deep into the Word of God, you must go to him and ask him to show you the truth of what his Word is teaching us.

Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

Only God can show you the truth of his Word. That’s the Holy Spirit working in you to bring the truth to your mind and heart (John 16:13).

Pray for humility, clarity, wisdom, knowledge, and conviction.

R. Read the Text

Whenever I tell my people to spend time in God’s Word, I tell them three things: Have a PLAN, have a PLACE, and have a PURPOSE.

When reading the Text of Scripture, have a PLAN. Where are you going? What are you reading? How far are you going to go? There are many resources out there that provide plans for you. There is no excuse for any believer in America to not have a plan for Bible reading.

Second, have a PLACE. I just got a new chair from the thrift store. It’s something I’ve been looking for. It’s my chair that I’m currently sitting as I type this. It’s my reading and study chair, my praying chair, my thinking chair. Have a place you go to for your Bible Study. Maybe it’s the kitchen table, a desk, the front porch. Wherever it is, make sure it’s somewhere free of distractions. Don’t make the bed your place. The temptation to go to sleep is too much.

Third, have a PURPOSE. Why are you studying God’s Word? It’s so easy to just study the Bible to have information. It’s easy to study to just check a box that we’ve done our “quiet time.” Our purpose for studying God’s Word must be to know Jesus and to enjoy Jesus.

A. Ask the Questions

As you study the Text of Scripture, in order to understand it better and deeper, we need to ask the right questions. Here is a list of questions that should be asked:

• Who wrote it?
• Who are they writing to?
• What is the purpose of their writing?
• What are they saying?
• How does this relate to the rest of Scripture?
• What does this say about God?
• What does this say about me?

This is where having a journal works great! Some resources that would help you answer these questions are a study Bible or even a commentary. We live in a world now where there are so many resources available to us, even free resources online that can help us grow deeper in the study of Scripture. I highly recommend the ESV Study Bible.

C. Clarify the Meaning

This part of Bible Study requires meditation on the Text of Scripture and time to think about it. What biblical truth the author trying to get at? You should have already figured out the theme of the text. Is it on prayer, obedience, sin, temptation, holiness, etc.? When already knowing the theme, then you can figure what is it about the theme that the author is trying to get across. If it’s about prayer, is the author talking about the importance of prayer? How to pray? The power in prayer?

You should also ask in this section, “How does this text apply to my life?” How does it apply to your marriage, your job, your family, your sin? This is where you can spend time journaling how this text is speaking to you in your current circumstances.

Spend time praying that God show you what it is that he’s trying to show you here. Ask him to show you how this is speaking to you with your sin and your walk in holiness.

E. Exercise the Truth

We are called not to be hearers of the Word only but doers of the Word (James 1:22). This time in study is pointless if it only brings about head knowledge but not heart knowledge. We seek to spend time with God in Bible Study so that we can know God and so that we can walk away changed. So, whatever it is your Bible Study has led you, exercise it, walk in it, do it. Repent of any sin you may be convicted of. Make the changes that God’s Word is encouraging you to make.