Tips for Making Bible Study a Habit
Before we begin our review of Bible Study Methods, there are some very valuable tips that will help set you up to succeed with Bible Study. In this article I’m going to share some great tips for making Bible Study a habit.
Although there are a lot of types of Bible Study methods, these tips apply to each and every one.
My heart is that you will treasure your personal Bible Study time. That it is something you will look forward to each day. These tips will help you get started right.
First, let’s look at some tips or basic guidelines for Bible Study, no matter what method you choose.
5 Tips for Making Bible Study a Habit
- Schedule your Bible Study time
Make it part of your daily or weekly routine. How often or what time of day you select is a personal decision. It is often determined by our current stage of life. A young Mom with babies may choose a time very different from a retired Grandmother. Different stages of our lives may require a change in our preferred Bible Study time.
You may wish to spend 10 minutes 5 days a week and then 1 hour on the 6th day. Or perhaps you will spend 30 minutes every day. The choice is yours.
You want to choose a time of day when you are able to focus and be undisturbed, as well as a time when you are rested and alert.
Try a time and see if it works for you. If it doesn’t work very well, try another. I am confident that you will be able to find a time that works best for you.
- Decide in advance what you’ll be studying.
There are some days when just opening the Bible and reading where it lands may be the only thing you can do, but typically that is not a great option.
It is much better for you to make a plan in advance. Decide what you’ll be studying first. Then decide on the Scripture passages you’ll be reading. It doesn’t have to be every passage you’ll review, but a place to start. As you study you may identify more Scripture verses to include.
Here are a few ideas:
- Specific word (ex. love, rejoice, blessed)
- Topic (ex. The armor of God, Fruit of the Spirit, thankfulness)
- Person (ex. Ruth, Esther, Peter)
- Book of the Bible (ex. Ephesians, I John, Philippians)
- A character trait you’d like to develop (ex. patience, kindness)
You may wish to take a day or so of your Bible Study time to prepare a list of the passages you will read for that study. This doesn’t have to be hard, so don’t be overwhelmed by it.
There are great resources online or in print to help you. For example, a search on Pinterest for Bible Verses about Forgiveness will bring up several lists with 20 – 30 verses each.
Books are readily available that will identify verses and topics that you can study.
It’s perfectly fine to get ideas from other Christians for what to study. They can be personal friends or online friends. As a Christian blogger, I’ve followed many other Christian bloggers through the years. I have learned a lot from them and have also gotten great Bible Study ideas from them also.
Ideas for Bible Studies are everywhere. If you look outside at night and see the stars and the moon, you may think about studying creation. Or, you may see two friends out for coffee and decide to study about friendship. Perhaps your family is planning a Thanksgiving dinner this year and you decide to study thankfulness. I’m sure you get the idea….
Choosing what you will study in advance is important because it will help keep you motivated and encouraged to study your Bible. Knowing what you are going to read each day is extremely helpful.
Knowing what you want to study will also help you determine which study method you prefer to use.
- Begin with Prayer
No matter what method of Bible Study you choose, be sure to begin with prayer asking the Lord to reveal the truth of His Word to you.
The goal of Bible Study is to spend time with your Heavenly Father. Time studying His Word, learning more about Him and more about what how to live our lives.
You don’t want to forget to ask Him to bless and guide your study time.
- Look at More than One Verse
This is a very important tip. When studying the Bible, even if you’re studying a single verse, don’t just look at that verse. It is often necessary to also consider the verses before and after a specific verse so that you can get the true context of the verse.
You may be only writing one verse down in your notebook, but your study work should include more verses.
As you begin your Bible Study you’ll understand how important and helpful this tip is.
- Have the necessary tools.
You can go all out and purchase all kinds of wonderful tools for your Bible Study time. If you’d like to begin a Bible Study with brand new, just for your study time, items please feel free to do so. A brand new set of colored pencils or a brand new notebook may encourage and motivate you as you begin this new habit.
However, all new items are not necessary. It is perfectly fine to begin your study with just a Bible, a notebook and a pen.
Here are the basic items to consider for your Bible Study Toolbox:
- Notebook – You can use a simple composition book, or loose sheets of paper to put in a binder, a pretty journal, or a purchased book like one of our Bible Verse Mapping workbook or our hardcover workbooks. Any of those options are fine.
- It’s important to write down what you are learning as you study. If you only “read”, well then, you are reading. When you write things down, then it becomes a “study” and as you write, it will become easier for you to remember what you’ve learned.
- Pen or pencil. Optional: Highlighter and colored pencils. If you are looking for pens or pencils that can be used in your Bible, be sure to look at this Best Pens and Pencils list here.
- Resources – There are some great resources you can use in your Bible Study time. Bible dictionaries, concordances, study Bibles, and commentaries begin the list. You can review my list of favorite resources here. Some are free and others can be purchased.
Bible Study Method #1 Coming Up
I hope these tips for making Bible Study a habit have been helpful.
Now we are ready to begin reviewing some Bible Study Methods. We are going to review a simple method first. It will take you only 5 – 10 minutes to complete it each day. You can take longer if you wish, but 10 minutes or less is a great way to start your Bible Study habit.
Treasure Hunting
As believers, we are called to study God’s love letter to us, the Bible. He wants us to grow in our knowledge of Him and to mature as Christians.
I like to compare Bible Study to Treasure Hunting. As you study God’s Word, be on the lookout for the “treasures” He has for you.
Get Prepared for Bible Study
- Gather your Bible Study tools together.
- Create a “brainstorm” list of topics / books of the Bible / people you wish to study
- Begin a list of Scripture passages you may wish to study
I can’t wait to share Bible Study Method #1 with you next week.
Bible Study Methods for Beginners
