Bible Study Tools – Tips for Studying the Bible

There is no right or wrong way to study the Bible, but these are some helpful Bible study tools to use with your Sunday school class or Bible study group.

1. Always begin with prayer.  Start with meditation, clearing your mind from all distraction and inviting God to join you during your study session.  Ask Him to guide you to where He wants you to go, allowing His message to sink in and mean something to you specifically.

2. Do not read too much at one time.  One or two chapters is about all a person can truly understand and internalize.  The Bible is not something to be read like a book, where you can read for hours as the plot develops.  While much of the Bible reads like a novel, the point of your sessions is to study it, learn from it, and apply it to your life.  For that reason, you must retrain yourself to read slower, repeating sections that catch your eye and meditating on each passage as it comes.

3. Keep a journal of your sessions.  Write what you read and how it made you feel.  Write what you learned and how you think God spoke to you.  Write even if you feel nothing and cannot find God’s message.  The more you write your feelings down, the more He will work through you.  Before you know it, your journal entries will read like an instructional manual for anyone else wanting to start reading the Bible.

4. Make it part of your routine.  Whether you begin or end your day with the Bible or study it after dinner every night, having a consistent time for study will allow your brain to focus entirely on the thing at hand, instead of remembering everything else there is to do when you finish.  Not only does it make your time more enjoyable, making the Bible part of your everyday life ensures that it won’t get left behind when you take trips, get caught up in work, or deal with visiting rela-tives.

5. Ask for help.  If you cannot understand a passage, leave it alone and ask a trusted friend or mentor for their take on the words.  Pray for the ability to understand God’s message and ask the friend to explain it to you as they understand it.  This will open a dialogue for future collaboration as you study the Scriptures.  It is always more fun to join in fellowship with others as you read the Bible, so don’t be afraid to ask for help or even offer it.

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