Studying the Word of God can seem like a massive task; after all the Bible is composed of 66 books written over thousands of years; including many difficult topics and hard to believe stories.  In fact statistics show that many people who profess to be Christians never completely read their Bible.  True, it can sometimes be very overwhelming but hopefully you can obtain some practical tools here for reading and studying the Word.

Ideas for personal study in God’s Word

1. Before you dive into the Word come up with a game plan.
   1. You can begin with one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John)
   2. Some people read the Old Testament in the morning and others read the New in the evening.
   3. Read at your pace but at least read one chapter a day.
2. Try the 2PROAPT method for studying the Word.  It means to:

Pray, Preview, Read, Observe, Apply, Pray, Teach

Pray – Before you begin reading any type of Scripture whether you are starting in the Old Testament or New Testament pray.  It is useless to start studying a passage without asking God to reveal to you what He means.  Without direct guidance of the Holy Spirit in reading scripture many words of scripture could be misconstrued to mean what we want them to mean instead of what God wants to convey to us.

Preview - Do a scan of Scripture just skimming over the passage that you are studying.  Look for common words such as God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, sin, hope, love, etc.  Also look for common themes this will help you understand the passage more clearly as you actually slow down and read through the Word.

Read – Whether you are studying 1 or several chapters of scripture slow down.  Don’t be in a hurry to read in order to get to your next meeting or some other activity; really dedicate some time to listen to what the Holy Spirit wants to convey to you.

Observe – Meditate upon God’s Word.  All of Psalm 119 is about a man who is meditating upon God’s Word.  He seriously thinks about what God’s Word means.  He doesn’t just read a verse like John 3:16 and says “God Loves Me”, He sees that God’s love is so great for us that he gave (He Sacrificed) His One and Only Son that we may have a relationship with Him.  As we search God’s word further it shows why He did that for us.

Apply - After we have done those things it is good to think of things that we can do in order to apply what we’ve read our lives; to create some action steps to what we have learned.  It is to our benefit if we can think of things that we need to change as a result of studying the Word.  Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  It should do something within our heart. It should change us from the inside out.

Pray – Ask the Lord to help you live out the words that you have read and observed.  If by this point in time you don’t really see how the word you read really applies to you at all or if you completely disagree and don’t understand the passage ask the Lord to illuminate anything that you might be missing.

Teach – Talking about what you have read in the Bible can be very helpful in understanding God’s Word.  But, it can also be very intimidating; especially in a group of peers, co-workers, or those who don’t necessarily believe the Bible or believe in Jesus but remember Jesus’ Words in: Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."”

1. Read the Word in light of the context
   1. Study the culture of the day.
   2. Don’t just jump from book to book or chapter to chapter expecting to understand. Be consistent.
2. Ask questions and try not to leave one unanswered.
   1. A useful tool in understanding Scripture more fully is a free program called e-sword.  It has multiple commentaries, topic notes, bible translations, dictionaries, encyclopedias, devotionals and many other features to help you tackle those tougher questions.  Download the software at www.e-sword.net.

We pray this gets you started with a simple and easy to remember way to study Scripture and that through it you continue to grow in your walk with Jesus and the knowledge of His Word.