Studying the Bible is not just for pastors, theologians or people in Bible school. Studying the Bible is for every believer! It’s not enough to listen to sermons and podcasts and other people’s interpretation of the Bible, you need to study it for yourself. Maybe you want to study the Bible but you find it a bit intimidating and overwhelming? This video is for you! In this video I answer your basic Bible study questions such as: Which translation of the Bible should I read? Digital or printed copy? Which books of the Bible should I start with? What if I find Bible study boring? What if I don’t understand what I’m reading? What are some simple methods I can use to study the Bible? And what are some Bible study tools and resources I can use? If you want to know the answer to any of these questions, then stick around!

Hi I’m Bekah welcome to my channel. On this channel I share practical tips on how to grow in your relationship with God so if you are interested in this then please subscribe!

There is a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible and studying the Bible. The dictionary defines study as : the devotion of time and attention to gaining knowledge. So they key word here is devotion and I believe that is why having Bible study is also known as having your devotion. It means dedicating time and doing a detailed investigation and analysis of what you are reading so you can have a better understanding. So I’m not talking about just reading the Bible and going about your day but I’m talking about studying the word. So let’s get into some questions:

Which Bible translation should I read: The simple answer is read a translation that is easy for you to understand. It needs to be in a language that you understand the whole point is for you to understand what you are reading. But if I am to recommend a Bible translation then I would say for a beginner start with the New Living translation. It is a thought for thought translation and the language is simple and easy to understand. Once you grow in your understanding you can move on to the English standard Version (ESV). Which is more of a word for word translation. I use both Bibles the NLT is a study Bible which has amazing illustrations and information for Bible study and the ESV is a journaling that means I can make notes directly in the Bible. If you want to get just one, I will say get a study Bible and then a notebook that you can make notes in. I have linked them all below and I get a little commission from Amazon if you use my link so please support the channel.

Digital or printed copy? This depends on your personal preference, but I have found that using a printed Bible rather than Bible on a device works very well for me. On a device I get a lot of notifications so I will start off in the Bible app and by the time I finish I am on Instagram or tiktok! But when I use a printed Bible, I put my phone in another room and I intentionally use the allocated time to study. So, for me printed works if digital works for you then go for it!

Which books of the Bible should I start with? The book of John is a very good place to start it talks about the life and death of Jesus and the language is very simple and straight forward even for a new believer. Other books that you can read are: The Acts of the apostles: this talks about the beginning of the church, and you really see the Holy Spirit in action. You can also read Genesis which shows God’s plans for humanity, and it sets the context for the New Testament so that’s a good Old Testament book to read. The book of James teaches patience and perseverance in times of trials and temptations. Romans talks about who God is and what He has done for us and how we should live. Proverbs is a book of wisdom and how to live in the fear of God. The book of Ephesians is about how to live a holy and upright life and Psalms is about songs of prayer, praise, and comfort. So, any of these books are fine depending on what you want to learn.

What time of the day should I have my devotion? The best time to have your devotion is the time when you can give God your best. I prefer to do it first thing in the morning before I start my day because it starts me off on the right foot. It positively impacts my day and I try to apply what I’ve studied during the day. But everybody’s situation is different. If you have just come from a night shift then the morning will not work for you. So assess your individual situation and pick a time when you are not tired, and there is a quiet atmosphere. It could be when the kids go to school and you are home, or during your lunch break in your car. Whatever works for you.

How long should it be? This also depends on your individual circumstances. If you are just starting, then start small. It is better to study a little than to not study at all. So you can start with 15 minutes then the more you do it the more you will enjoy and the longer you would want to stay. For me at the moment I do a minimum of an hour, but I didn’t start like that. Some days are better than others, there are days that I can only do 15 minutes and there are days that I can sit for 3 hours so yes do what works best for you. The most important thing is that you are doing it.

What if I find Bible study boring? When I started taking my Bible study seriously I actually used to find it boring. I would do a Bible plan on my phone but I realised I was doing it just to tick a box and I wasn’t actually studying anything. So the first thing I did was to physically get out of bed and find a table in the corner of my room and spend time with God. So that physically getting out of bed really helped me. Then I romanticised my time with God so I stopped seeing it as oh Bible study and started seeing it as a date with Jesus so I set up my space to reflect this. I invested in somethings that I like that would also serve as motivation for me to come to that space. I got this light box and put “quality time with Jesus” on it, I invested in some colourful pens and markers, I got a coffee mug with “Good morning Holy Spirit” written on it so I would get up make myself a coffee and then come to the table to start the date. I got some sticky note, some washi tapes some stickers and things that made my quite time exciting. And when I start I will play some worship instrumentals to set the mood for the date! So initially I looked forward to all the extras the coffee and everything else that was what drew me in and the more I spent time with God the more I started falling in love with His word and now I go not just for the coffee but His word. You really don’t need all the extras but it helped me so incorporate into your quiet time things that will motivate you.

What if I don’t understand what I’m reading? The Bible says in John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. So before you start reading the word ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and to explain to you what you are reading. If you read something and you don’t understand it, you can also read it in different translations to help you. You can also speak to your pastor or Spiritual leader to explain specific verses that you don’t understand to you.

What are some simple methods I can use to study the Bible? There are several Bible study methods that you can use and I will list a few of them here and I will do separate videos explaining and showing you how to do each one. Some Bible study methods you can use are: The SOAP method, SWORD method, Character Study, SELAH Method, Book Study, Read through the whole Bible, Topical study, Verse mapping, word study, devotional method, chapter study. I have gone through all of this on my Instagram so check them out.

what are some Bible study tools and resources I can use? I will do a whole study about the different Bible study resources but some of my favourites are: Enduring word Bible commentary, Blue Letter Bible, on Youtube: The Bible Project, David Pawson. These resources are great at breaking down the word and making it easy to understand.

Finally we are all different and we have different ways of learning so this is just a guide to help you. Discover what works best for you and do it. There is no strict formular when it comes to studying the word. The most important thing is that you do it with an open heart!