I made a promise to myself and God that this year I would dig in deeper! I want MORE. the best way to get more of Him is to read more about who He is. When you want to know something about a person, you read their biography or their autobiography. The bible is a biography of everything Jesus. The bible is Jesus' autobiography. When He came to earth everything in that book became Him!
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14).
Okay...
So you have this yearning desire to dig deeper into God's word. So you pick up the bible, open it, and start reading. All of the sudden your mind begins to wonder into far places and the next thing you know you have forgotten what you read. Can anybody else relate?
I know I can!
Lately, I have gotten a ton of questions on how to sit and actually study the bible. So I thought I would do a quick blog on my "go to tips" for digging in a little bit deeper!
It can be really difficult to take the first step in saying you will commit yourself to studying God's word, so getting committed to doing it is the very first step to take. Once you make that step with God in saying you are devoted to learning more about Him, you will be more enthusiastic about going deeper into what He has to say .
So how do I spice up my bible reading....????
1.) I let the holy spirit lead me-
Let the holy spirit in on your bible time. Ask Him for guidance and help to understand and comprehend what God wants you to get. Sometimes right before I read my bible I address the holy spirit in my prayer. I ask Him to lead me to what He needs me to get from my quiet time and direct my every thought. I ask Him to be with me and give me instruction as I read about who God is. The holy spirit was given to us as a helper. UTILIZE Him! He wants nothing more than to be a part of your every action INCLUDING your study time.
"He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.” "(Acts 1:7-8).
2.) Google is my best friend-
I ALWAYS have my bible, my journal, and my macbook handy while I study God's word. I google like a crazy woman! If I don't know a word or history about something, I will google the mess out of it until I gain understanding about it. I look for RELIABLE sources ( almanacs, libraries, etc.) to help me study and when I know it, comprehend it, I move on.
DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!!!!!
When you meet a new person you are interested in... what is the first thing you do? You go add them on Facebook..follow them on Twitter...Google... you research them! You want to know a little bit about this person before you invest your time! God wants us to do the same for Him. He wants us to research Him.. to SEEK Him and invest our time and attention to getting to know Him. Treat God BETTER than you treat that new cutie you met..Do your research! :) ♥
3.) I journal my thoughts-
I journal my every thought during my quiet time with God. I want to remember what He spoke to me. I write scriptures in my journal, I write worship song lyrics that pop up, I write revelation... EVERYTHING.. I write it. It makes it a lot easier for me to comprehend what just occurred in my alone time with Him. It also allows me the opportunity to go back on previous notes and study. My advice to you is get a journal, write prayers, scriptures, everything in it.
*Side Note- Note cards are really great too! I write scriptures on them if i have them handy to memorize them!
4.) Find a bible that works-
Find a bible that works for you! Some people do REALLY well using the KJV ( King James Version). Others of us.... not so gifted. I personally like the Message, the NIV, NLT, ESV, and amplified ( I love the lengthiness of the amplified bible!). Find a version that works for you to help you better articulate God's word. Some will argue all day until they are blue in the face that every Christian should read the KJV.. I have no time for that dispute.. you do you.. ! Whatever works! You like it.. I love it! Find your bible or switch it up and try multiple versions whatever works!
My best advice to spice up your bible time.... JUST DO IT! The word of God is SO important! I understand frustration behind not understanding what you are reading.. but not understanding it is no reason NOT to do the assignment. Think about school.. when you have a paper to do.. and you just REALLY don't get the topic you go and figure out how to study it! MAKE MOVES! Figure out how to drum up your interest in God's word, how to make it easy for you to understand and READ. The more you know about God the better! He is AMAZING. Once you have gotten your study pattern down it will be REALLY hard to pull your head out of the bible!
I really hope some of these tips help you guys!
You are loved!
Nicole L.
