Learn to Study the Bible

As you know from a previous post, I'm reading Joyce Meyer's book, 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life. This book is awesome and the chapters are pretty light, so it's a good read before bedtime. I just got finished with chapter 19 which is titled "Follow Directions." In this chapter she says that "the words in the Bible are not ordinary words, they are inspired by God Himself through His Spirit, and they are full of life-changing power. They are a written record of God's thoughts (see John 5:38). They teach us how to live, what to believe, how to think, and how to relate to God and other people. We cannot truly know God without knowing His Word because it reveals His thoughts, attitudes, behavior, character, wisdom, and heart for you and me. To enjoy an intimate, personal relationship with Him, we must have a deep intimate relationship with His Word."


I also have a Joyce Meyer DVD, Let Go & Learn to Enjoy, I had purchased from her website online. The next day after reading chapter 19, I decided to watch this video again. She quotes a few verses from John chapter 15 that hit me like a freight train! John 15:7 says "If you abide in Me, and My Word abides in you, ask whatever you want and it shall be done for you." WHAT?! That's amazing! What is this verse really focusing on? "If," is a little word with such a big meaning. So the stipulation is that IF we are abiding in His Word (spending diligent time reading and seeking Him, speaking His Word into existence, acting in accordance with the way we treat others), we can ask for anything we want and He will gladly do it. There's a lot of power in the Word of God!

I found Joyce's same DVD, Let Go & Learn to Enjoy, on Youtube so if you don't have it you can watch it here. There are 4 parts to it but I only posted one to get you started. The YouTube channel that hosts the videos is TheOUTreachNetwork.



So now we understand the importance of studying the Bible. Of course, we all know that we should read it more often, but do we? I can admit that diligently reading from the Bible is not one of my strong suits. The biggest challenge I faced was trying to figure out where to start. It's huge! Do I start from the beginning and work my way through it or start with the New Testament? Well for starters, you should choose a Bible that is easy to read. That was the mistake my husband made. He chose a King James Bible because it looked cool in leather...lol! Okay, maybe not the smartest move. He had a really hard time trying to comprehend what he was reading so I finally convinced him to get another one with terminology he could understand. My personal favorite is the Amplified version with Joyce's commentaries in it.


The second thing is finding where to start studying. After watching Let Go & Learn to Enjoy, Joyce inspired me to read John 15. I heard her quote two scriptures that went along with something I knew I needed to be working out in my own life. So I got out my Bible and prayed. I asked the Lord to teach me and give me wisdom to understand what I was reading. I thanked Him for the Truth that His Word reveals and I prayed that it would get deeply rooted in my heart so that no man or thing can ever steal it away from me. I think we just need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. When we feel led to face a certain subject in our lives, then we need to dig into it. For some it may learning to forgive and for others, it may simply be learning to spend their time a little more wisely. Whatever it is you face, there is something to be said about it in the Bible! Find scriptures on the topic you need help with and look them up. Read the entire chapter that contains a verse you were interested in so you can get a better understanding of the context it was meant for.


When I sit down to spend time with God and study, I have my notebook with me and also my laptop. Before I start, I bring up two websites. One is a dictionary and the other is a Bible reference website that has multiple commentaries from different sources. Then I start to read. When I find a scripture that really speaks to me, I write it down in my notebook and explain why it's important to me. As I read on, I find some words I don't quite understand. I look those up in the dictionary and write them in my notebook with the scriptures they were in. Sometimes I will even look up basic words that I already know, such as: Believe, Adhere, Trust, Rely...etc. You may find that you have a deeper appreciation for the meaning of these words if you look them up instead of taking them for granted. I also read the verses out loud and when I look up some words, I will re-read the scripture out loud with a substitute word for the one I looked up. This helps me to get a broader perspective of what I'm trying to get into my spirit. A users manual will do you no good if it's written in a language you never learned!


That is basically it. This is how I believe the Lord has taught me to study my Bible so that I can get to know Him and His Word more intimately. Plus, you shouldn't try to be a hero... You know what I mean, reading too much! When I read John 15, I did a study of the entire chapter. I thought this would be great. I may not read all the chapters in order, but if I do a single chapter in each study, I can eventually put them all together in the correct order. Well, the Lord has His way of letting us know our ideas stink. The next time I studied, I went to Ecclesiastes 7. Okay great, I started reading and by the time I got done with verse 9, I could just tell I was done. I had spent a good hour digging in, looking definitions up, and reading what others had to say about the same scriptures. Had I insisted on keeping with my Bible study formula, I could have put too much information in my head and drowned out what I was supposed to let sink in.



Also, in chapter 19 Joyce quotes Joshua 1:8, "This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your ways prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success." Then she breaks it down and explains it. "To meditate is to murmur, mumble, and roll over and over in our minds the truths we read in the Bible. We are to focus on God's Word, to think about it, and to speak it quietly to ourselves."

I hope this helps anyone seeking a deeper relationship with their Father who may need a little help in getting started. And to give you some encouragement, in the DVD Let Go & Learn to Enjoy, Joyce says, "We need to take in all the information that God wants to give us and then we need to trust the Holy Spirit to do what He said He would do, bring everything to our remembrance when we need it." And if you've never had that happen to you personally, I can honestly tell you that the Lord will do it. I was showering one day and right when I needed it, Deuteronomy 6:5 came to mind. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." He is truly amazing, He is alive and He is always here for us!