How I Study the Bible

How I Study the Bible

We all go through dry periods where we struggle getting into God’s word. I recently got out of one and wanted to share with y’all how I study in the hopes that it will help you get into the word. I try to set aside 20 minutes a day for personal study, and that small amount of time has totally changed my relationship with the Lord. I hope that this helps you! :)

The first thing I do is decide where I want to study. Right now, I am working my way through Romans, but earlier this year I went through Genesis. I personally like to jump around, but you can go through chronologically or study sections, like Paul's letters or the books of prophecy.

Once I know where I want to study, I break it up into sections. Depending on the chapter length, I may study a chapter a day or I might break it up into even smaller sections than that. I then read the section I selected for that day at least twice, sometimes three times. I always read it aloud once because it helps me to understand it better.

As I am reading, I will mark any words that I do not know. I then go in and write the definitions in next to that word. I typically do this after the second reading and then reread it a third time, replacing the words I did not know with their definitions.

Then, I look up the Blue Letter Bible commentary on the section I am reading. I read the commentary and write down any notes that stand out to me. I might write down definitions, historical context, or a statement that explains what is going on. For example, Romans 1:1-7 was hard for me to understand, but the Blue Letter Bible compared it to a 60 second gospel, which is something I do understand. I wrote that down in the margins and reread those verses in that context and it made so much more sense.

From each section, I pick out two verses to highlight. The first is the “main verse”, the thesis if you will. This is the verse that encompasses the idea of the section. The second verse I will highlight is my favorite verse from the section. For example, in Romans 2, the “thesis” is Romans 2:13  and my favorite verse is Romans 2:29.

The last thing I do is write down my “what now?”. I just read this whole thing, but what is the point? How am I going to change how I live based on this? What have I learned that will change how I see things? You will never read the word of God and leave unchanged. The point of this step is to what inside of you is changed.

What is your favorite book of the bible to study? Mine is Romans! This is my fourth time reading it and I am still discovering so many layers within each verse! Please comment down below, I would love to hear from you!

Finding Your Way Back to God

 

Finding Your Way Back to God

We all go through dry seasons. Seasons when we are exhausted, burnt out, and it seems like God has all but left us. Recently, I went through one of these seasons and it is a lonely and lost place to be. So what can we do when we go through one of these seasons?

First, do not abandon all of your christian activities. Don’t stop going to church, small group, bible studies, service projects, and the like just because you are feeling distant from God. If anything, you should go and participate in these things with more fervor because these are the places where people will understand what you are going through. They can pour into you and give you love. These are the places that christians meet and have fellowship and the holy spirit is there when people gather in his name. It one of the best places to encounter the Lord, whether it be in someone’s testimony, a sermon, or a worship song.

On the note of worship songs, listen to christian music. This is an easy way to integrate more of the Lord into your daily life. Listening to secular music is fine (blog post on is secular music bad), but sometimes it can feed into the lies that you are hearing. In the dry seasons, even if you never pray or go to church, if you are hearing the truth in your music it can make a huge difference.

Pray. Even when you really don’t feel like it. I know it can be hard and it feels like you are talking to yourself, but give God a short prayer. Cry out to him and ask to feel his presence. He will most certainly hear you, even if it feels like he isn’t responding.

Find a bible study. A short one, nothing too in depth. Find one that reminds you that God loves you and he has a plan for you. The one that really helped me recently was “Finding your way back to God’ from Youversion.

Trust God. Don’t listen to the voice in your head that says he left you and does not love you, because that is a lie. God has a plan and he loves you more than anyone ever will. Do not doubt that love just because he is silent.

When we feel ourselves drifting, we need to remind ourselves of the truth. God loves you, he will never leave you, and he has a plan for you. There are times when he is silent, but he is not gone. If you are struggling through a dry season, I am praying for you and I desperately hope that this post has helped you!

Why listen to Christian Music?

  

Why do I listen to Christian Music?

Lately, my tastes in music have been changing. I have been listening to more and more secular music, which isn’t really bad, but it has been causing me problems. I have found myself drifting from God and listening to secular music is not helping. It is not the cause, but it is certainly not making the situation better. I recognized this and for the past week or so, I have began listening to christian music again and I have felt closer to God. It has not cured the drifting feeling, but it has been a step in the right direction.

First, we need to address if secular music is bad. Jefferson Bethke has a great video on this, but these are my thoughts on it. God created music. He created all music. There are some great secular songs, songs that are about uplifting things, but not necessarily about God. Some bands like this are Owl City, NeedtoBreathe, and Mat Kearney, they don’t talk about God, but the songs are good. Then there is music that promotes drugs, sex, idolizing money, and ungodly living. Personally, when I listen to that type of music, it makes me feel bad. I almost feel violated. So, all in all, I would not label secular music as evil, but I would say that we need to guard our hearts against music that endorses things that we are not in favor of.

So why should we listen to christian music? I don’t know about you, but I have music playing 24/7. It helps me to focus and makes work more exciting. When the music I listen to is christian, it helps me to keep my focus on God. I often don’t have time to do a long devotional and meditation session, so listening to christian music helps me to keep God in mind as I go throughout my day.  

When you know God, you desire more and more of him, and that shows in your taste in music. If our one desire is God, then we want him in every aspect of our lives. For me, this means listening to christian music. I love God and I want a constant reminder of that. So, no, you don’t have listen to christian music to be a “good christian”, but for me it is a positive step in the right direction.

What are some of your favorite lesser known christian bands? Mine are About a Mile, I Am They, and Consumed by Fire!