I Don't Know How to Study

Need some study ideas? Do you feel like you just won't understand what you're reading? I know how you feel. I was in that same place not too many years ago. Finding the right tools and methods will make your study much more fruitful.

Write It Down - The more ways you get information into your brain, the better it stays. You can read it, say it aloud, write it down, the more ways the better. Copying down any scripture will help you slow down and really focus on the words and let it sink in. I copy a Psalm a day, or sometimes just a part of a Psalm if it's long. You can go through a book of the Bible, or just write down some favorite verses.

Understanding - Understanding what you're reading is key. Matthew 13:19 - When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. A good study Bible is very useful. I like my New King James Spirit-Filled Life Bible, many people like the ESV Study Bible. A study Bible will give you commentary (comments on passages), and other helpful things, like maps. My study Bible has little boxes here and there that explain certain concepts, or certain words. And it has articles on popular topics.

Commentary - Another way to gain understanding is to read various commentaries. You can download e-Sword for free, and download various commentaries they have available. My favorite commentaries are Dr. Chuck Missler's audio commentaries. I believe he has one on every single book of the Bible, many of them are streaming free on his website. If you pay, you actually get college credit for these. They are in-depth. Click here to see. Sometimes I listen and take notes, and if I'm short on time, I will listen while I do housework.

Teaching - Another useful tool is to listen to sermons by seasoned, mature Bible teachers and preachers. My favorite is Andrew Wommack (click on Extras at the top and then browse the left bar). He offers a large selection of free content. I also warn not to just go around listening to anyone and everyone. I listen on the recommendation of close, spiritually like-minded friends, or my pastor. And above all, check your Bible, to see that what they're teaching is truth.

Reading Schedules - There are many reading schedules out there that take you through the Bible. I tried the One Year Schedule for a while. I completed the Bible in 90 Days schedule. Biblegateway has many schedules to choose from, some short, others long, some on Bible highlights, other on Bible characters. I think these are useful because they keep us reading the whole counsel of God. Also, there is a time for shallow and a time for deep. And we need balance of both. When you dig into a topic so deep that you ignore all else, you can fall into error. But if you only ever skim the surface, shallowly, you also won't get the wisdom and insight that you need. So, some of both is wise.

My Favorite - A schedule I have found that I like a lot is different from the others. Dr. Chuck Missler's wife, Nancy, came up with it. You divide your Bible into eight sections and ideally read one chapter from each per day. Eight chapters a day were too much for me, so I cut it back to four. More recently I added sermon time to my study, so I have cut it back to one chapter a day, but I still go through the eight sections.

The eight sections I am referring to are as follows:
*Pentateuch/Torah - Five Books of Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
*Historical - Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
*Poetic - Job & Psalms
*Wisdom - Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
*Prophetic - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekial, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
*Gospels + Acts - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
*Epistles - Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I & II Peter, I, II, & III John, Jude
*Revelation - this one is in its own group, it is prophetic, but references so many other books of the Bible. This book promises that the reader will be blessed. Rev. 1:3

Word Studies - Sometimes digging into the original language helps clarify meaning. You can go to BlueLetterBible.org or use a concordance to lookup the Hebrew and Greek. Greek especially is much more descriptive than English. For example, there are ten Hebrew and Greek words in Scripture translated by our one English word "world." All these words have a different shade of meaning. Even looking up the tense of verbs is very helpful. Greek has more tenses than English.

Dictionary - Would you like to know the difference between training and admonition, as described in Ephesians 6:4? It might be helpful, since this verse is about a topic that most of us are involved in every day--parenting. I wanted to know, so I looked them up in Vine's Expository Dictionary. I don't own one, so I used the online version, you can too, click here!

I hope these have been helpful. The important thing is to just dig in. Even if you only have 10 minutes a day, start now, and you will see a change in your life. And don't be afraid to change up your routine if it starts to feel stale.

Pray Ephesians 1:17 - 23, that God would open your eyes to His wisdom and He will!