Make Bible Reading A Habit
It might be tough at first. You might doze off, but you have to strengthen your muscles because your devotional muscles are weak now. However, the more you devote yourself to Christ and His Word the easier it gets. Reading Scripture and prayer will become more enjoyable.
Satan knows how to distract you and he is going to try to distract you. It might be with TV, a phone call, a hobby, friends, Instagram, etc.
You are going to have to put your foot down and say, No! I want something better than this. I want Christ. You have to make a habit of turning down other things for Him. Once again, it might be rocky at first. However, dont get discouraged. Keep on going! Sometimes you have to separate from your groups so you can spend uninterrupted alone time with Christ.
Joshua 1:8-9 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Have accountability partners
Im starting to be more accountable with my Christian friends. I have a group of men who keep me accountable in my personal Bible study. Every day I check in with a text and allow them to know what God has been telling me through His Word the night before. This keeps me accountable and it allows us to motivate each other.
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Recommended Beginner Bible Study Books
Two books Ive read and recommend for learning more about studying the Bible are:
Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Mindsby Jen Wilkin
We all know its important to study Gods Word. But sometimes its hard to know where to start. Whats more, a lack of time, emotionally driven approaches, and past frustrations can erode our resolve to keep growing in our knowledge of Scripture. How can we keep our focus and sustain our passion when reading the Bible? This book will equip you to engage Gods Word in a way that trains your mind and transforms your heart.
In a simple, step-by-step fashion, this book explains how to glean truth from Scripture. It is practical, readable, and applicable. By following its easy-to-apply principles, youll soon find yourself drawing great nourishment from the Wordand enjoying the process!
Why Christians Need To Read The Bible
In the 90s, there was a popular acronym for the BIBLE, which stood for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
And thats what the Bible is. Its our roadmap to how were supposed to live life on this earth as a representative of God and his son Jesus Christ.
The Bible has information on:
In short, the Bible is our instruction manual for how we should live in the world, filtered through the eyes of Christ.
- The nature and character of God.
- The history of our faith.
- Who Jesus is and why he died for our sins.
- How we should interact with God and other people.
- Proper conduct and behavior for Christians.
The Apostel Pauls sums it up perfectly in his letter to Timothy, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. .
Now that weve covered what the Bible is and why its important to read it, lets talk about the best way to read the Bible.
The Bible is our instruction manual for how we should live in the world, filtered through the eyes of Christ.
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Start With Reading With One Of The Four Gospels
If this is the first time that youre opening up the Bible, we strongly encourage you to read about the life of Jesus. We suggest starting with the book of John.
If youre already familiar with the life Jesus, we suggest starting with the book of Proverbs. It has easy to apply principles about living a life better.
Choosing A Bible Version
Before you choose a Bible version, it is important to note that you dont have to be vast in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek before you grasp the scriptures. Over the years, Bible scholars, theologists, and spiritual leaders have translated the original texts into different languages, including English.
Since there are different Bible versions globally, the existing challenge is choosing a Bible version that aligns with your needs.
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How To Read The Bible: Pray Before You Begin
Pause before you open your Bible and ask God to speak to you. Remember, the Bible is Gods Word it is Gods love letter written to His people, which includes you.
Ask God to help you understand His Word. Ask God use His Word to teach you, to direct you and even to re-direct you, when necessary. Ask Him to use His Word to help you know Him and love Him.
Jeremiah 29:13 says, You will seek me and find Me, if you seek Me with all your heart. God loves to reveal himself to those who seek Him.
Choose A Personality To Study
Another option is to choose a particular person to study, such as Paul, and spend time researching about that person. For example, if I was studying Paul, Id make notes about what his name meant, where he was born, where he was from, what do we know about his childhood, what major events happened in his life, etc.
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Learn Who The Main Characters Are
Each section of the Bible has different figures that are central to the main storyline of the Bible. There are, of course, many more people in both the Old and New Testaments. Here are the 4 major figures in each of the Testaments with the general timeframe in which theyre alive.
Timeframe and the Main People in the Old and New Testaments
| Section |
| PaulJohn |
Abraham . In the Old Testament, God chooses one man, Abraham to be a blessing to all the nations of the world. Abraham responds to God in faith, becoming the father of all who believe . Abrahams grandson, Isaac, has sons who will eventually become the nation of Israel.
Moses . Moses is the man that God chooses to deliver the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. The Israelites were living as slaves in the land of Egypt at the time. God delivers the people through Moses and gives them the Law. The Law describes how the Israelites became Gods people and how theyre supposed to live so that Gods plan to bless all the nations of the world will be fulfilled.
David . David was the second king of Israel. David ruled over the nation of Israel for 40 years. David makes Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
Israel was at the height of its glory during David and his son, Solomons, reign. It was a major step in establishing the nation of Israel in the land. During Solomons reign, there was a civil war that divided the nation of Israel into two: the Nothern region of Israel and the Southern region of Judah.
How I Studied The Bible When I First Started Out
My own interest in Bible study first began about 20 years ago with the desire to read the Bible from cover to cover.
After several failed attempts to complete a read the Bible in a year plan, I decided to try something different. The 90 Day Bible came to my attention, and it perked my curiosity. Maybe, if I really dedicated myself to it, I could read the Bible through in 90 days?
On one hand, its a lot of reading to do each day, and I didnt have much time to do a deep dive into many Scriptures. However, I did get a great overview of the Bible, and 90 days wasnt too long for me to keep my commitment. It seemed more manageable than the typical 365 days, at least for the stage of life I was in at the time.
Before I knew it, my husband had decided to join me. We ordered not one, but two copies of the 90 Day Bible and began setting our alarm to wake up super early each morning so we could each do our reading and discuss it together.
Oh, how I loved our Bible time in the mornings! Since his degree is in Theology, and he was already well versed in Bible study and understanding Scripture, our conversations were rich and wonderful. I learned so much during those 90 days.
We loved completing that plan together, and did it again the following year. It was a great foundation. From there, I began to focus on other Bible study methods and continued to grow.
And Im still learning, even after all these years!
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Heres The Best Bible Reading Plan For Beginners
While youre certainly welcome to read the Bible in any order youd like, heres the order I would recommend when youre still learning how to read the Bible for the first time.
This Bible reading plan for beginners will help you cover all the key people, stories, and teachings and start with the easiest, most applicable books first, before you get into the more obscure or difficult Bible books last.
- Matthew John
What Are Some Good Bible Studies For First
Over the years, Ive come to realize that Gods Word was meant to be understood by regular people, just like us. Its not meant to confuse us! If you have a Bible, a desire to learn, and the Holy Spirit working in you, begin by simply opening up your Bible you dont need to buy any Bible studies. I have a masters degree, but I didnt need it to begin studying the Bible. I didnt need any degrees or special classes to get started, and you dont either. Take the first stepsimply use the Bible and other tools mentioned in this article, and let the word begin to take root in your heart. God will illuminate His Word to you!
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So How Long Does It Take To Read The Bible
Some people make it a goal to read the Bible in a year. While others never actually read the entire Bible.
If you are wondering how long does it take to read the Bible, or if you want to read all the books in the Bible, it’s important to focus on how much you absorb when reading as opposed to how fast you read.
You should take as long as you need to read the Bible, as long as you are truly studying and meditating on Gods Word and allowing it to become a part of your life.
If you only read one bible verse or passage a day, and you truly meditate on it and apply it to your life, that is more important than rushing through the Bible in a certain period of time.
Some people can read the entire Bible in a year, but may read it so fast that they miss out on how God wants to speak to them.
How To Start Reading The Bible How To Read The Bible For All Its Worth
The first step to reading the Bible is deciding to put God first and to make the Bible a priority. Showing up everyday to read the Bible is half the battle.
And once you sit down to read, it’s important to understand how you should meditate on God’s Word.
Thanks to a wise Pastor at my church, Ps. Kwacha Davis pointed out that God doesnt say that you should read the Bible.
Rather, God says that you should meditate on his Word, to observe it carefully, and to study the Word of God.
The best way to read the Bible for all its worth is to read it slowly. Dont be in a rush.
Reading the Bible shouldnt feel like a chore or something you check off on your to do list every day.
God wants us to study his Word so that it can live in our hearts. He wants to speak to us through his Word and he wants us to live out the Word in our everyday lives.
God wants you to have revelations when you read the Bible, where you have lightbulb moments of understanding where God reveals something about a particular situation.
As you read the Bible, its important to remember that God wants you to soak up his Word. Reading the Bible isnt about how fast you can read the Bible, its about how much you can learn and how you start living Gods Word in your life.
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What Book Of The Bible Should I Read First
Start with a Book of the Bible such as John.
Part of the reason I would recommend starting with the book of John, and not a book like Genesis, is that John gives you an overview of the story of salvation: the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
Genesis, though an extremely important book in regards to creation and also salvation, can sometimes be overwhelming to a new believer because of the geneologies, Old Testament practices and other details interspersed throughout the 50 chapters.
All of Gods Word is inspired and without error, so certainly you will want to get to Genesis at some point! But starting with John, which is shorter and easier to understand if you do not have a background of reading the Bible , will bring the rest of Scripture alive and give it deeper meaning as you continue to learn and see how all Scripture goes together to paint the beautiful story of Gods love for us!
Another great book to move on to after John is the book of James. It is practical, full of wisdom and able to be easily applied to your life.
Overwhelmed? Just read 5-10 verses each day. And then think on them for a couple of minutes and pray over what youve read!
Bible Reading For Beginners
The Bible is such an amazing book to read. Not only does it tell us about the life of Jesus, it is filled with history, poetry, drama, and so much more! But how do you go about reading it for the first time?
You could, of course, just open to the first book and begin reading it in order from there . The problem is that once you get past the story of Creation and Adam & Eve, you can easily get bored as it goes into some pretty dry reading about lineage and other stuff that is somewhat hard to follow. And the truth is that the physical order of the books in the Bible is not actually the order in which all the events happened.
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How To Study The Bible For Beginners
JaimeBible StudyOctober 29, 2021
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Grow closer to God and deepen your faith as you learn how to study the Bible for beginners. Well show you how to get started in this handy guide to studying the Bible!
If youve wondered how to start studying the Bible when youre a beginner or new believer just starting out, then you should know: Ive been there, too, despite having grown up sitting on a church pew.
Sure, I knew a few feel-good Bible stories, and had memorized a handful of popular bible verses over my childhood, but it wasnt until I was an adult that I began to really dive into Gods Word. Did you know, its possible to know Bible stories, yet totally miss the Bible story? Many of us who grew up in church experience this, not just newcomers. If this sounds like you, youre not alone. Keep reading, because Im going to break down how to study the Bible for beginners.
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When we pastored, I saw this same dilemma among the precious people there. Whether youd grown up in church all your life or were totally new to Christ, over time you came to the realization that you needed to enrich your understanding of the Bible and get rooted in your faith.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to items I think may be helpful to you.
Books Of The Bible To Read First
People often ask me, where should I start reading the Bible?
This is a good question because the Bible is not one book, it has 66 books. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament.
But the question remains, where should you begin? At the first book of the Bible, Genesis? Or should you begin in one of the Gospels in the New Testament?
I want to give you my top 5 Bible books to read if you are starting to read the Bible for the first time. I will list them in my order, give you a little overview and then tell you why I think its a good place to start.
Feel free to jump down the list. But I believe that once you finish reading these 5 books, you will have a new grasp on this wonderful book God has given to us.
1. The Gospel of John in the New Testament
Why this Gospel? John is doing something pretty significant. He is telling us why Jesus came and how His coming to earth has an eternal effect on all of us.
If you want to understand the Mission of Jesus, John lays that out for you in a very nice manner. John tells us the purpose of his Gospel in John 20:30-31.
John is a great book for someone new in the faith or exploring Christianity. He gives us some of the basic teachings of Jesus and places the emphasis on His mission to earth.
John, the author of the Gospel, wrote so that his readers would place their trust in Jesus as Savior and find eternal life.
2. The Book of Genesis is the First Book of the Bible
3. The Book of Psalms
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