How Can I Read The Bible

How To Study The Bible: The Ultimate Guide

If you want to know how to study the Bible and how to understand the Bible, youll find this post helpful.

When it comes to getting more out of the Bible, how to understand the Bible for all its worth, how to read the Bible and gain a fuller and holistic understanding of Scripture, I think these suggestions can be very helpful. Theyve certainly helped me understand the Bible more effectively.

Here are 21 powerful strategies to help you learn how to study the Bible and understand the Bible more fully.

Remember, these are methods. They dont replace the Holy Spirit or diligent devotion.

With that said, lets dive in.

Here are 21 tips for how to read the Bible more effectively.

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Hear real life stories of parents who have made the decision to choose life even though the circumstances were overwhelming. Youll see why ALL life is precious to God and why choosing life is always the right decision!

Yes, I Promise to Pray for the Pre-born and Their Moms!

Will you pray for the pre-born and moms that are facing unexpected pregnancies? We will send you a 7-day prayer guide that will help guide you along this journey with us!! You can even choose to receive this great resource by text!

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Newest Release – Episode 3: The Power of a Picture

Newest Release – Episode 2: Heroes Providing Hope

What Kind Of Routine Should I Develop

Spending a little bit of time each day is the most beneficial way to read the Bible and connect with God. Having this quiet time or devotional time isnt about checking a task off a list or becoming more acceptable to God. Its about communicating with him and cultivating an intimate relationship with him. When we want to get to know people, we spend time with them, learn about them, and simply enjoy their company. The same is true with God. The more time we spend with him, the better we will know him and his will for our lives. Given that life is so full of distractions, how can we prioritize this time? Here are a few tips for developing a routine.

Find a PlaceUtilize a special chair, a spot on the floor, a different desk, or a room in your house that you never use. All you do there is spend time with God. Make it an environment that is good for listening.

Choose A TimeSchedule it dont try to just squeeze it in. When we get busy, we always compromise relationally. Try spending time with God first thing in the morning set the direction for the whole day.

Read/StudyTry to read through entire books of the Bible, meaning read through a few passages at a time until a given book is finished. Follow the outline provided above for studying a passage. As you wrestle with each step, allow God to reveals things to you. Another option would be to follow a designated reading plan through various parts of the Bible. Click HERE for examples of Bible reading plans.

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Fresh Ways To Read Your Bible In 2021

Turning to Scripture should be an intuitive response for Christians when we feel anxious about the world we live in. Yet the American Bible Societys annual State of the Bible 2020 report found an alarming trend: A mere 9 percent of Americans read their Bible each day in 2019the lowest number in ABSs decade of research and decreasing more in the first few months of the pandemic. But if 2021 carries even a fragment of the uncertainty we experienced in the past year, we need Scripture for guidance and reassurance even more. In my years of leading in-person Bible studies and an online Bible reading group, Ive found sometimes we need practical ideas for getting started or picking the Bible back up again. Here are ten ways to read the Bible with fresh eyes in the new year.

1. Add a new translation to your bookshelf.

2. Read Scripture out loud.

3. Listen while driving, cooking, or walking.

4. Take a year to read the Bible chronologically.

5. Use a commentary or study-aid tools.

Use a new-to-you commentary to aid in researching the passage or book youre reading. Commentaries go further than a study Bible in offering historical background and cultural context, and they help tie together the narrative of Scripture in a holistic way. Other multimedia resources, such as She Reads Truth, The Gospel Coalitions free courses, or BibleProjects videos and studies, can complement our daily reading of the Word.

6. Read a whole book in one sitting.

Use A Reliable Study Bible

The same principle applies to study Bibles as commentaries: dont make them your first stop. But again, they can be very helpful as you work your way through different sections of the Bible.

Im a fan of the ESV Study Bible. Its got loads of insightful notes, historical charts, diagrams, and more. Plus, its big so it doubles as a self-defense weapon.

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Apps To Help You Read The Bible

The best app Ive run across is the Bible app. Its the most popular app and for good reason. Not only does it give you multiple options for reading through the Bible in a year, 90 days, 30 days, etc. but it also gives you special devotions. It offers quite a few versions of the Bible and so much more.

Bible.is is my favorite app for listening to the Bible. You can listen to the Bible dramatized which Ive found makes the stories come alive. This app is also great for listening to the Bible with your whole family.

Audible is another great app option for reading the Bible that you can listen to while youre doing other tasks. Daily Bible Verse is an app I have enjoyed as well.

Why Should You Teach Your Kids How To Read The Bible

Were told that All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work .

The importance of reading Gods Word is clear, and its certainly a habit worth passing down to our kids. So, how do we do that? Well, its a bit more nuanced than simply telling your child to read the Bible.

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How Reading Notes Can Help

Many people find it helpful to find a quiet and comfortable place to sit and read the Bible and make sure that they read it every day. Take time to digest what it says. You could say a quick prayer asking God to help you understand what you are reading and its relevance to you. Another letter in the New Testament notes how the Bible can touch the very heart of the issues we all face. The letter known as Hebrews calls the Bible the word of God and says it is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

There are plenty of tools around to help you read the Bible. You might like to use a daily reading plan, which gives you a structured way to navigate the Bible. These usually include portions of the Old Testament and the New Testament to read every day.

Continued below…

How Do I Read The Bible

June 2, 2017NPM Digital

There are two significant issues for anyone who wants to spend time regularly reading the Bible. First, how should I study the Bible so that I can understand what it is saying? Second, what kind of routine should I develop to help me apply the Bible to my life? Below are some suggested practices, tips, and questions to ask as you study the Bible.

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How To Read The Bible By Casey Shirley

What is the Bible, really?

In fact, everything I needed to know about God and life was found within the pages of Scripture, right? But all too often, I felt like I was hitting a dead end. How did the 80% of the Bible I wasnt reading relate to the 20% I was reading the majority of the time? And when I did try to read other parts of the Bible it was confusing and weird.

Best Bible Recommendations For Beginners

There are the bible translations that I recommend for beginners based on their accuracy level. Ive also included a sample of the same scripture from each translation.

Word for Word Translation

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12

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Whether Or If Google Home Can Really Read The Bible Is An Open Question

There is no extra setup necessary for Google Home to read the Bible. Its a given that Google Assistant activities are triggered. YouVersion Bible, GodLife, jw.org, and Pocket Bible are some of the greatest Google Home bible reading activities. Try saying, OK, Google, instruct YouVersion Bible to read John 3:16..

Where To Start Reading

Like any great story it makes sense to start at the beginning, but perhaps if you are like me, skipping ahead to the climax of the story is also very attractive.

Its up to you where you start, and hopefully as you read, study, discuss and digest Gods truth, you will learn that every new page is God speaking to you and into your life. Enjoy every pageits a book that youll never get tired of.

Although this is not an exhaustive list, the passages found in Jesus on every page: Reading the Biblical narrative in Five Acts can be a good place to start as you seek to understand the overview of Gods story. Once you have read through these, dig deeper into the life and teachings of Jesus Christ starting in the book of John, in the New Testament.

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Trying To Read Straight From Genesis To Revelation

My former American literature professor swore up and down that reading the Bible this way was the best thing she ever did. But when I tried it myself, I flew through Genesis only to lose speed halfway through Exodus and grind to a screeching halt in Leviticus.

Looking back, I realize I was destined to fail. Reading the Bible in its exact order meant I was reading dull, dense, repetitive Old-Testament law without the context of Christs message in the back of my mind to infuse it with meaning.

How to fix it:

My old roommate, Lyndsey, has a severe reading disorder, but she read the whole Bible without getting stuck because she didnt go in order. Instead, she broke the Bible into manageable chunks and sorted the pieces into the parts of a house:

As You Read The Bible Don’t Shy Away From The Hard Stuff

One of the most significant weaknesses of most Bible teaching in the traditional church is the void where all the hard stuff in the Bible happens. Pretending the difficult portions of scripture dont exist doesnt delete it from the Bible. If God hadnt wanted us to see it, know it, and think on it, He wouldnt have filled up His self-revelation with it.

How do we read and understand the hard stuff in the Bible? We must read it and consider it. We must be willing to wrestle with it. We have to look at it not as a bunch of isolated incidents and texts that might be problematic but as part of the whole. If we are going to read the whole story of the Bible and look for how it all points to Jesus, then we need to see how the hard stuff fits in. It is all there on purpose because it all paints a picture of God. And just because we dont understand all parts of the Bible doesnt mean we can reject it.

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To Know Jesus And Freedom From Sin

God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die for those sins that separated us from God. Through Jesuss sacrificial death and on the cross, and his resurrection, our sins were forgiven and our lives restored back into harmony with God.

The Bible was given to us so that we would believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life . And in knowing Jesus through the Bible, we would be set free from sin and death .

Read The Bible In A Year Testimonials

• If you want to grow closer to the Lord, reading the Bible will certainly do it. I can’t think of anything that has strengthened my faith more than getting into God’s Word on a daily basis.

  Brian

• I thought I knew who God was. After reading the Bible in a year I realized how little I actually knew. Now I can’t wait to find out more about Him.

  Jess

• I thought I could never read the Bible in a year. It seemed like too big a challenge. But having a plan helped keep me on pace. And after a few months, it just became part of my daily routine. Thanks!

  Emma

• I love reading through the Bible with my friends. It helps keep me accountable knowing someone is reading with me.

  Todd

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Why Does This Matter

Even if you only read a chapter or two before work, you can still turn your mind toward God throughout the day. Think about what you read during your lunch break. Ask other Christians what they think about it. Pray if one of the verses you read has you stumped.

Finally, keep in mind that youre not meant to figure out the whole Bible by yourself, or even to build a workable routine by yourself. You have an unstoppable God in your corner, and He will give you what you need to read and understand His words.

Sonya Downing is a novelist, freelance writer, and content editor with a bachelors degree in professional writing. Her freelance work has been published in Focus on the Familys teen girl magazine Brio, The Evangelical Church Library Association, and The Secret Place quarterly magazine. She has also blogged for IlluminateYA Publishing and edited for Mountain Brook Ink. You can follow her on , , , and .

Look For Jesus In All Parts Of Reading The Bible

This is the advice I would suggest to any Christian who finds the Bible to be stale and lifeless: look for Jesus. So much of what we miss in Scripture is because we look for characters and themes and lessons other than Jesus. But He is both the primary character and the primary plotline of the entire Bible. To look for anything else first is to rip out the heart of Gods Word. Because Jesus, as John 1 tells us, is the Word made flesh.

Every page of Scripture points to Jesus. It all fits together to point to Him and to glorify Him and depict Him and reveal Him. When we read the whole story and see Jesus throughout the pages, we see Him afresh, not as whatever preconceived notions we had. We see Him as more than a teacher, more than a healer, more than a model character. We see the breadth of Jesus from the man who sat with children and loved widows to the sword-wielding King of justice and glory. Read the Bible to see more of Jesus in everything.

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Get A Bible You Enjoy Reading

Bible reading isnt very fun when you dont understand what youre reading. Its incredibly helpful to have a Bible that can help you understand whats happening .

If youre looking for a helpful resource, the NIV Student Bible will provide a lot of insight. Built specifically for students of the Bible, it gives you just the right amount of help without overwhelming your time in the Word. And it has its own three-track reading program!

Another great resource is The Books of the Bible. Broken into four-volumes and by many of the genres mentioned earlier, this Bible is free from chapter and verse numbers that provides a seamless reading experience. When done with a partner or group, this approach to reading the Bible can be very enlightening and meaningful.