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Studying the Bible and spending time with God in His word, doesn’t have to be intimidating.
Although, I still remember the days of opening up my very first Bible and wondering…
“okay, where do I begin?”
It’s a bit daunting to start reading the Bible, but I’m determined to teach you, from my experience,
How to Study the Bible if you are a Beginner!
First, you will need a Bible!
If you don’t already have one, I have provided a link to a Bible that I strongly recommend.
It is radient and immensely similar to my own Bible!
Now, let’s begin!
Prayer
The most important thing to do before you start reading God’s word, is asking God for wisdom and guidance.
Prayer will help you focus on actually understanding God’s word and if we are honest, the only way to truly receive understanding is from the Holy Spirit.
“for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,”.I Corinthians 12:8 NKJV.
Prayer is our way to talk to God and the Bible is His words…
So, praying before reading God’s word, is like talking to God before receiving His response!
It’s the makings of a beautiful conversation!
So, pray for wisdom, guidance, understanding or even specific help for what you’re currently facing in life!
God will respond through His word and direct you where you should go!
Reading the Bible
After prayer, you may have already considered in prayer of what passage of scripture or full book in the Bible that you want to begin reading.
If not, maybe I can give you some suggestions!
Books in the Bible that I recommend studying first:
All of these books lay a foundation for your belief and as you read these books, the Holy Spirit will lead you to read other books in the Bible; all in God’s perfect timing!
Trust me, it is so amazing when He leads you to new books at just the right time!
I still don’t start reading books in the Bible unless I prayed first and felt led to read them.
You will see God show just how present He is in your life and during your Bible study time.
Note taking
As you read God’s word, it’s important to not just allow it to go in one ear and out the other.
In order to deeply plant the wisdom of God’s word into your heart, you need to digest what you read.
Note taking is an excellent way to allow what you read to be rooted deeper and it gives the Holy Spirit more time to offer revelation.
It doesn’t have to be much, just write down what sparked your interest!
There is no certain way to take notes; as long as you are writing out what was on your heart while reading God’s word, what you read will impact you greater.
If note taking while reading God’s word seems intimidating,
I created a journal to help you get started!
This is called the Hungry Still? Time with Jesus Journal.
This journal was inspired by my personal note taking method!
This method is perfect for beginners; however, I still use this format for Bible journaling, eleven years into my walk with Jesus!
I added paraphrased scriptures to the bottom of every section, just in case you needed a little extra encouragement.
The sections are spacious, yet not daunting.
This journal was made to help beginners start really chewing on God’s word and deepening their understanding of the Bible!
I also created a journal with similar aesthetic and structure, except it is purposed for any of your journaling needs!
The Hungry Still? Journal can be used for school notes, church notes, personal diary entries, etc.
Our signature color is the theme of these notebooks, but it also adds a nice autumn aesthetic to your study area!
These journals were made with love with you and your faith journey in mind!
I hope they help you as you start really studying God’s word!
There you have it!
How to study the Bible as a beginner!
I do encourage you to pray after studying God’s word if you would like!
I’m so excited for this new chapter in your life!
Your life will never be the same, I guarantee it!
Please remember to not place expectations on how your time with God should look.
I’ve been there and it doesn’t help your relationship with God, when you compare your time in God’s word with others.
Social media doesn’t help us stay content in the season we are in but I’m here to encourage you to just seek God!
If your notes are a mess and you can’t understand most of what you are reading, without googling definitions…
THAT IS PERFECT!
You’re growing in this season and God loves to see your effort!
There is beauty in this new season!
Your relationship with God and understanding of His word is growing everyday!
Just enjoy the beauty of this journey and when the road gets uncertain, trust that God will bring you through with even greater understanding.
DM us on Instagram if you’ve just started your faith journey or if you have recently decided to really get into God’s word!
We want to encourage and pray for you!
In fact, if you DM @officialhungrystill on Instagram and tell me a little bit of your story…
I will personally make you a phone wallpaper, just for you; that you can use as encouragement, in your walk with Jesus!
Check out our other free resources!
Free Wallpapers, worksheets and more!
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
