If you’re a beginner with Bible study, these 3 need to know things will help! I put them together because when I first began studying the Bible in earnest, I was a bit overwhelmed.
Lack of confidence in myself kept me from diving in as deeply as I wanted to go. It almost seemed as if the fear of not understanding the deeper stuff kept me from starting to study at all.
Now, I’m over that (mostly). There’s still so much more for me to learn, understand, and grow from, but no longer am I afraid to get started on any study I find. I pray these three tips will help you get started, too!
I don’t know about you, but sometimes the Bible overwhelms me. So many books, chapters, verses, and they all can appear to jumble together.
It can be hard to know where to begin. And if you’re like me, you might wonder about a few more things, too. Will you be able to understand what you’re reading? How will you find the time?
Before we get further into the things you need to know about Bible Study, let’s talk briefly about why we should study the Bible in the first place.
Related Post: Practical Bible Study Tips for Beginners
One of the things I hold most dear is my relationship with Jesus Christ.
That relationship was something I didn’t fully understand for the longest time. I grew up active in church. We attended every Sunday both for Sunday School and Church. My dad was an Elder and my mother a member of the diaconate. My youth group gave me the most important friends I had in my life at that point (and for years to come).
Going to church was something I’ve always done. I loved it, too. And I loved church camp and anything else I could do with my church family.
After I got married, my husband and I still went to church. However, we didn’t get involved much as our jobs and kids kept us so busy.
Days went by and things were fine. It wasn’t until many years later, after the death of my best friend, that I realized in all those years I had lived from the outside in, looking to worldly things to fulfill me.
When my best friend died, my grief took me on a long faith journey. I realized what it felt like to have the Holy Spirit move through me, and I yearned to know that feeling more regularly.
It’s truly the only thing that helped me through my grief.
I learned that recognizing my connection to and relationship with Christ was only the beginning and that just as with every relationship, I needed to nurture it to help it flourish and grow.
Now all that is a long story to tell you why I believe it’s important we study the Bible every day.
If you yearn for a deep relationship with Christ and an understanding of your purpose and place in the world, then you’ll want to nurture your relationship, too.
We don’t just one day ‘know it all’ and that’s that. No, instead we need to work each day to expand our knowledge and understanding of our faith and how to apply it in our daily lives.
So with that being understood, let’s talk about the 3 things all Bible study beginners need to know:
1. No matter how BIG the Bible seems, you’re not in a race to finish it.
It’s broken up into individual books and while they all fit together to help us learn the ‘big picture’, you can take it small sections at a time. There’s no need to get overwhelmed.
And besides, if you hurry, you run the risk of merely reading the words and not absorbing them. Take your time, choose a method that fits for you, and let the message soak in.
2. The Bible is one of the main ways God communicates with you.
That’s something you might not have thought about before. You might have thought it was just a book to read that would tell you stories and some history.
While that’s true, there’s so much more to it. Communication develops strong relationships. We talk with God through our prayers. He talks to us by moving through us with His Spirit and by His Word.
When you begin studying the Bible, be sure to pray first, and start the conversation. You’ll be amazed at the replies you’ll get as you read scripture.
3. You don’t have to be an expert to grow your faith by studying God’s Word.
I’m the furthest thing from an expert, but my faith tells me that God’s here for me every day and that He’s here for you as well. There will always be new things to learn, new stories, to hear, and new messages God wants to whisper to us.
Please don’t let the fear of not knowing enough or not being able to learn ALL the lessons. Just begin. You’ll learn exactly what you need to.
I pray you take the time to consider these things and take them to heart. Studying the Bible will make a huge difference in your life of faith. Once you know these three things I’ve share, you can start right away.
Here are more articles on Bible study for you:
Practical Bible Study Tips for Beginners
30 Bible Study Terms to Help You Understand the Bible Better
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