Last post I shared with you that when we abide or remain in the Vine (Jesus), we will produce fruit. It will be a by-product of our time with Him. If you missed it or need a refresher, click here to read The Christian Woman’s Foolproof Way To Bear Fruit.

So, if bearing fruit is the by-product of spending time with Jesus, what are ways we can do that?

There are many way, including, spending time in the Word, prayer, being thankful throughout the day, etc. Over the course of the next few posts, we’ll cover some of these way to abide in the Vine.

Today, we’re going to focus on Spending Time in the Word.

Most of us know we need to do spend time in the Word of God, but for the many of us, it’s either a drudgery, it’s boring or it’s a bit confusing.

Going back to abiding in the Vine, remember, remain (or abide) means to continue in Him or be held by Him.

Spending time with Jesus in His Word should be something that brings you joy not sucks it out of you.

For some of us, we just don’t know where or how to start. We know how to READ the word, but most of us have never been taught to STUDY the word.

I felt this way for a long time. I’d open the Bible and just guess where to start. I’d usually get something out of it, but when I would listen to Christians who knew how to study the Bible, I was in awe. I wanted that understanding and passion for scripture. But, I didn’t know how.

When I tried to read my Bible, it was as if I were a baby not being able to feed myself. I would get fed when I went to church, but made a mess of it at home when I tried to feed myself. Well, just as a baby needs help from mom and dad, we need some spoon-feeding in the beginning and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But, as a baby grows, mom and dad teach the now growing toddler to hold their own fork and begin to feed themselves. It’s messy at first, but little by little, they start to get it. Eventually, they’ll move on to using knives to cut their food. This youngster continues to grow and will eventually learn to cook their own food. And, then progress to cooking for others.

It’s the same for us. We eventually get to that place where you can crack the Word open and skillfully wheeled that knife to cut into the meat of the Word and dig deep for ourselves. Even progressing to helping others understand the Word.

So, today, we’re going to get practical on how to study the Bible so we can learn to handle those forks and knives to feed ourselves the delicate and delicious Word of God.

Disclaimer – I am not a theologian or a Bible scholar. This is “how to study the Bible” from the perspective of the average gal.

Tools needed:

Bible
Internet Access
Notebook
Pen(s)
- Colored pens are fun if you want to indicate different colors for different steps or different things (i.e. word definitions, questions, history personal insight, etc). But, one color will work just fine too.
Time
- This is a process not a one day event. Take as much time as you need. The more time you invest into this process the more you will get out of it.

Step One

Pick a topic (God’s love, joy, fruit of the Spirit, calling, etc)

Or choose a particular book or chapter of the Bible to study.

I like to ask God what I need to work on in my own life at the moment and go with that.

Write the Topic in a notebook

I also like to write down why I want to study this. It helps keep me going when

Step Two

Find Scriptures and Read

Read the passage if you’re studying a book or chapter.

If you’re studying a topic, look up scriptures using a concordance, or online using a site like biblegateway.com.

Write out the scriptures you find in a notebook.
When doing a topic study, be sure to read scripture in context (read the surrounding scriptures).
- It’s important to not just pick and choose scriptures out of the Bible without looking at the surrounding verse to see if it’s really about that topic.
- By taking scripture out of context, you can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say. But, we don’t want to say what we want to say. Our goal is to find out what God says about this topic.

Step Three

Translation Comparison

Look at the same verse(s) in multiple Bible Translations.

Some of my favorites to compare are: NKJV, NLT, NIV, AMP
Notice what differences you see.
Notice what words each translation uses that’s the same.
Each translation helps bring clarity in different ways. You’ll discover which translations are your favorites.

Step Four

The 5W’s

Answer these questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How

Who: Who was the text written to?
What: What is this passage saying? Or, what is this passage about?
When: When did this take place in time? Where there any special events in history surrounding it?
Where: Where did this take place? Can you find it on a map? (Some Bibles even have maps in back, or there is always google)
Why: Why was this text written? Why is it important for us today?
How: How can we apply this to our lives today?

Step Five

Application

From this point, I like to create a summary of what I’ve learn about the topic (or chapter or book) I’ve been studying and how I am going to apply it to my life.

Ask yourself how am I going to apply this to my life?

James 1:22 AMP

But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].

By following these simple steps, you'll begin feeding yourself God's Word. Over time you'll get better and better at it.

Since, we’re on the topic of feeding ourselves the Word of God with skill, next time, we’re going to add some extra cutlery to your arsenal that you can add into your Scripture Study that will bring even more clarity and understanding to God’s Word.

Discussion

What topic or book are you going to study next? Or, share with us your favorite resource for studying scripture?

I've personally been studying overcoming rejection from my past.

Podcast-Blog

How To Study The Bible In Five Simple Steps