3 Powerful Bible Study Methods for Beginners

Do you feel overwhelmed sometimes on how to actually read the Bible?  If so, you are not alone.  If you’re ready to dive into your Bible study, here are 3 Powerful bible study methods for you to try as you grow your faith.

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Studying the Bible can seem like a daunting task.  Where do you even start?

I’ll admit that I have always been intimidated by the Bible.  I felt confused about what to read and also what to do with the passages I was reading.

Perhaps I felt unworthy and unsure of whether it was actually talking to me and my situation.  It wasn’t until I started consistently using a Bible Reading Plan and found some helpful Bible study methods that I fell in love with my Bible reading.

Here are 3 of my favorite Bible study method.  You can try all 3 to see which ones work best for you.

Related: Your Bible Reading Plan

DO I REALLY NEED TO STUDY THE BIBLE?

 

Before sharing the 3 bible study methods to grow your faith, let’s talk briefly about why it’s important to study the Bible.

Do I really need to know the Bible in order to have a strong faith?

I did not grow up reading the Bible diligently.  Of course, I knew about it but my prayers were mostly recited or the ones I made up.  And I love this form of prayer.  I feel closer to God when I am using my own words to express my thoughts and emotions.

As the years went by though I realized the reading and using my Bible was a natural next step in my faith growth.  In order to truly know this God I love so much, I needed to learn about His ways and what He expects from those who follow Him.

I gave myself a challenge to read the Bible daily.  But I found out that it’s not enough to simply read the Bible, we have to live it out as well.

We have to make it so ingrained in our thought and words that we exude God’s words to others.  So that when they see us, they can see God’s goodness and light in us and turn to Him.

So while the Bible may seem intimidating at first, know that it is filled with wealth and riches to grow your faith.

The fact that you have a desire to read the Bible means your faith is evolving and growing.  Congratulations!  I can’t wait to see how God uses your time with Him for His Glory!

So how do you get started with reading the Bible?  Here are the 3 Powerful Bible Study methods to try today.

Related: 3 Pillars to Deepen Your Faith in God

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SOAP Method

One of the 3 Bible Study methods is called SOAP.  The acronym stands for:

S – Search the scripture

O – Observe what is happening

A – Apply it to your life and circumstance

P – Prayer

Let’s see the SOAP method in action.

Verse: Sirach 2: 15-18

Those who fear the Lord do not disobey his commands; those who love him will live as he wants them to live.  Those who fear and love the Lord will try to please him and devote themselves to the Law. Those who fear the Lord are always ready to serve him.  They humble themselves before him, and say “We will place our destiny in the hands of the Lord, not in human hands, because his mercy is as great as his majesty.

1.Step 1 is to write down the verse in your journal (there is also a free bible study journal you can use here)

2. Step 2  is to look carefully at what the verse is saying to you. For our Sirach verse, I observe God’s commands for those who love Him.  God is telling me what he expects from me and his followers.

3. Step 3 is to see how this applies to my own life.  Do I fear the Lord and if so how do I show that fear? Am I living up to the commands in this passage?  If not, what small change can I make starting today to obey God’s commands.

4. Step 4 is to end with prayer.  Speak God’s Words back to Him.  In this example I would say something like:

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for your words and for being in my life.  I ask that I may love you and live the way you want me to live.  help me to try to always please you and to devote myself to your Laws. Make me ready to serve ou Lord and come before you always with humility. I place myself in your hands and ask for your mercy.  In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen

The SOAP method is so easy and can take as little as 15 minutes to complete.  Do

ing this every day can really help you to form a strong relationship with God.

 

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FEAST Method

The FEAST Bible Study method is one that I use a lot and it’s very easy to do as well.  As with all the Bible Study methods, the goal is to really learn the Bible and make it part of our daily lives.

Let’s look at this bible study method closely.

FEAST stands for:

F – Focus

E – Engage

A – Assess

S – Spark

T – Turn

Step 1: Focus on God and prepare yourself to spend time with God.  Ask God to be with you as you start your Bible reading.

Step 2: Engage with the passage by writing it down in your journal so it really sinks in.

Step 3: Assess the passage by asking yourself what it is saying to you?  What does God want you to know from the verse or verses you just read?

Step 4: Think of how this relates to your own life.  Invite the Holy Spirit to help you know how this can apply to you as well.

Step 5: Take the time to fully present yourself to God through prayer, confession and supplications.

To learn more about the FEAST method, click here.

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AWED Method

The Bible study method that works best for me is a combination of both the SOAP and the FEAST method and I call it the AWED method.

AWED stands for:

A – Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you

W – Write down the verse

E – Examine the passage and answer the 4 W’s (what, when, who, and why)

D – Determine how it applies to your own life.

Step 1: Invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you prepare to read the Bible. You can make up your own or use the one below.  It’s also included in your free Bible study download.

Prayer before reading the Bible:  Loving Father, thank you for giving me a desire to read your word.  Please send your Holy Spirit to rest upon me that I have eyes to see what you want to show me, a mind that understands what I am reading and a heart that believes what you want me to know. In Jesus’ Name, I pray.  Amen

Step 2: Write the verse or verses you are reading.  I find writing it makes it more memorable for me and cements the passage more in my mind.

Step 3: Reflect on what you just read and ask yourself the what, why, how and when about the verse. What are the circumstances that the verse is related to?  What is happening at the time that words were spoken?  Who is the verse addressing and why were the words spoken?

Step 4: Ask yourself how it relates to you.  Can you insert your name in the passage?  Can you visualize yourself in the scene?

Step 5: End each Bible study with prayer. Thank God for His mercy and try to pray back the verse to God.

Where to start

I pray that these 3 methods have given you some ideas to try for your next Bible study.  There is no one way to interact with the Word of God and there is no absolute right way.  Try these ones and find the one that works best for you, your schedule and the season of life you are in right now.

Know that God loves that you want to get to know Him more and if you ask Him, He will help you to gain more wisdom and desire to spend time with Him.

To help you get started and take away the overwhelm, download your free Bible study printable which includes prompts, journal pages and bookmarks for each method.

Your Download

1. Click here to download your free Bible Study Journal and Guide
2. Print or save to your computer and complete in your journal
3. Spend a week doing one method before moving on to the other one until you find one you really love.

For more ideas on different Bible Study method, check out Sarah’s post on 11 other Bible Study methods.