How to start Reading the Bible | Tips to help you dive into the word of God.

The Word of God

Reading the word of God is such an important step in your faith journey. Scripture is God-breathed, and when you take the time to read it and study it you gain so much strength and wisdom! The more you start to hear what the word of God says, the more your days will be filled with peace because you’ll have a good understanding of who God is in your life. The Bible says faith comes by hearing. Hearing the word of God. Fill yourself with his word! The word is sharper than a two edged sword and is a mighty defense against the schemes of the enemy! 

 

Prayer

You have to stop and take a moment to connect with God. After all, you’re trying to read your bible to better understand God and build your relationship. Ask The Lord to reveal himself through his word to you. Go to your Heavenly Father humbly, and eager to learn. He'll open your mind to all sorts of possibilities and give you so much wisdom and insight. 

 

Heart Posture

 Where is your heart posture for reading the Bible? I ask because Jesus said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others, I speak in parables, so that, Though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand” [Luke 8:10] 

There are secrets and treasures of the kingdom that are to be revealed to Believers, but if we’re looking to use the Bible to beat each other, we will quickly miss its secrets.  For example, the Pharisees missed the secret of Jesus. They were so fixated on the Law that they didn’t realize Jesus came to fulfill it. If you’re using the Holy Bible to find scriptures that fit your narrative of what someone should or shouldn’t do you may miss God speaking to you!

 

Book Summary

One thing that helped me understand my bible was to take the time to write a quick summary of each book. Obviously, this is time-consuming but don’t freak out. You can take it day by day, book by book. I encourage you to do a simple online search on the summary of what book you are wanting to read. By doing a little research you are giving yourself background on what you are reading. That’s so much better than going in blind.  

Example:

The book of Mark is a brief account of Jesus’ earthly ministry, authority, and servanthood. 

It seems so simple, but it helps when you’re just starting!

 

Find a version that fits YOU!

Growing up, I thought I HAD to read the King James Version of the Bible, and no other version was worthy. Almost as if the other versions weren’t as worthy.  Whether you can relate to that or not, it’s so important to read a version of the Bible that you can understand. There are so many different translations that you can look through. I even like to hope around different versions of the Bible comparing my scriptures. Find one that fits YOU!

 

Go with the flow 

Don’t think that you have to start from beginning to end. The Bible is composed of many books and doesn’t have to be read the way you might read other books. Each book of the Bible offers its own strong contribution to the word of God. Of course, some books are “part 2s” to other books and many of the bible books flow together in sequence. But you can still get so much value by reading any book in the Bible [especially if you do those Summaries I mentioned earlier] Some people start and Genesis, while others start with the Gospels. It’s all up to your preference I just want to emphasize that there is no specific way to dive into the word of God. You can be reading the book of Matthew where Jesus is riding on the colt of a donkey and then flip to Zachariah where the donkey and the messiah were prophesied. One minute you’re reading Ezekiel’s description of the Cherubim and then the next thing you know you’re reading John’s depiction in Revelation. I didn’t fully appreciate Genesis 1:26, “ Let us make man in our own image”, Until reading the Gospels and figuring out the “US” is the Father and Son. You will hop all around this incredible book. Just dive in and go with the flow!

 

 

Friends, I want you to enjoy reading the Bible. I want you to be so filled with the word that when the enemy tries to worry you with petty things, you have the word of God to hold on to. I know you get the word from so many sources like social media, bible study, and even Sunday sermons. But there is something so powerful about having a special time with just you and God, diving into the word that's meant just for you!