Have you ever seen a Bible that just inspires you? I’ve seen a few in the past couple of months. They look worn (sometimes held together with Duct Tape), they are written in, and you can just tell that they are used frequently. These Bibles are inspiring to me because you can tell that they belong to someone who knows and has a relationship with Jesus. These Bibles are used as they should be- not just on Sunday mornings with the preacher says to turn to whatever scripture is being taught that week.
Sitting down to study my Bible scares me. There I said it. When I think about sitting down and digging into the Word, I psych myself out, and I don’t do it. I am ashamed of this confession. I LOVE learning about God’s Word. I LOVE going to Bible study at church and being able to learn more about the Bible. I even ask LOTS of questions….sorry Bro. John (thanks for always answering them and being patient with me)! However, when I think about studying by myself, I panic. This is going to change! I am conquering this fear. First step? I have to get down to why it scares me.
Reason 1: I don’t know where to start. When I have always thought about sitting down for some study time, I’ve always wanted to be able to just open up my Bible, know exactly where to go, and BAM! Start reading and studying. I’ve learned that this is an unrealistic goal-for right now. It’s OK if I have a reading plan to guide me on where to start. In fact a lot of reading plans are put together for a reason, and are a great tool to use.
Reason 2: I don’t have enough Biblical knowledge to study my Bible by myself. Earth to Alyssa!!! That’s why you study your bible (insert palm to face emoji)! I can’t rely on Wednesday night Bible study and Sunday sermons to teach me all I need to know. I don’t know all of the Bible stories, I don’t know all of the characters, I don’t know all of the references…..but how will I ever learn them if I don’t study my Bible?!?
Reason 3: I don’t want to have to have anything but my Bible, a highlighter, a pen, and the Holy Spirit guiding me. This is a stupid thought! Now, I understand that there will be times when I don’t do any extra research or use any other commentaries, but how thorough will my studying be if I don’t use study tools more often than not?!? I found this quote about using a commentary when studying Scripture. I thought it was great! It says, “Using a commentary doesn’t mean you’re lazy or incapable, but rather wise for not trusting your own understanding to get Scripture right every time.” Just because I Google something, or use a commentary doesn’t mean I’m incapable. This just helps me gain more understanding!
Reason 4: I don’t have time. Yes I do! I have time to scroll social media, so I have time to study my Bible! Have you ever just set a timer for 15-20 minutes and tried to get done as much as you could? More often than not, we can get done quite a bit more than we realize.
Once I talked myself through these excuses, because that’s what they are…EXCUSES, I began to do some research. I found this guide that even includes a reading plan of the four gospels. This guide was written by Jordan Lee Dooley. It is GREAT! It has some amazing ideas and resources in it. One of my favorite things she says is, “Messy in the WORD= confident in the WORLD.” How great and true is that?
So, with all of that being said, here is my plan:
- Start setting aside 15-20 minutes every day to just start reading and studying my Bible. So what if I can’t quite finish the entire reading for that particular day? At least I got started.
- Use the LOGOS Bible app for commentary and meanings of words and phrases (Jordan talks more about this in her guide).
- If I have a question and can’t answer it right away, I’m going to write it on a sticky note and research or ask someone about it later. Then, I’m going to keep that in my Bible!
- Start with the reading plan of the gospels that Jordan includes in her guide.
I know I’m not the only one with these thoughts, fears, and feelings of unworthiness. My prayer is that if you feel this way too, that you decide today to conquer this fear/feeling and start digging into the Word. Satan is doing his best to keep us from learning more about God and His purpose and plan. Let’s not give him more ammo to use against us. He has enough of that already!
If you are someone who already has a way of Bible study that’s effective for you, please share in the comments below! Everyone studies differently and your plan may work for me, or even someone else!
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Below are links to the guide and reading plan I am using! There is also a link to a book Jordan references, as well as the Bible and some supplies I am using.
Marathon Mama 