Tips For Effective Bible Study
Studying the Bible can be intimidating. Where do I start and how do I start?
I have 5 tips for effective Bible Study.
1. Pray before you begin to ask the Lord to speak to your heart. The Bible is His living word, and He will not let it return void. If you are earnestly seeking to know Him better, He will respond to your heart's desire.
2. Choose a book to study and follow through. Beginning with some books can be better than with others. It would be a great idea to read 1 Corinthians before reading 2 Corinthians. Reading Genesis before Exodus would be clearer than starting in Exodus. It is not a hard fast rule, but it could provide some perspective if the books were read in a chronological order.
3. Take notes. Even if you do not go back to your notes, you will be able to see things more clearly after you have focused your thoughts. Writing those thoughts down helps. Writing down observations about different facts--location, time of day, important holidays, Old Testament sacrifices, and others--makes is possible to get to the heart of the studied verses.
4. Ask lots of questions. I have learned that asking lots of questions is a great way of engaging my brain. Having questions to answer gives you something to look for in the context. Looking for answers is a great way to study. In the middle of a debate about homosexuality, I was able to study Leviticus by asking, "What did the laws say about this topic and how were they interpreted by the Israelites." Instead of just glossing over the specific laws in Leviticus as laws before Christ died, I was able to ask some pertinent questions for today. Also, ask how this ties together with what you just studied.
5. Talk about what you are reading with God, with yourself, and with others. What do you think about the verses? Someone in your life may have a perspective you hadn't thought about, and it will make the verses richer or understandable. When I feel stuck in trying to figure the latest passage out, I tell God that I don't understand what he wants me to know.
There is no right way to study the Bible. However, using these tips for effective Bible study will help you to enrich your time in the word.
It has for me.