How to Study the Bible by Yourself…

…along with the help of the Holy Spirit

Hi friends. I have two questions for you.

1. Would you like to learn how to study God’s Word without having to use someone else’s “Bible Study”? (Don’t get me wrong – I love doing Bible studies other believers have created and taught. But picking up the Bible and studying it by yourself is just as attainable and rewarding!)

2. Do you think that the Bible study writers, the Billy Grahams, pastors, and other Bible teachers are the only ones who can open a Bible and get a special Word from the Lord consistently?

If your answer is “yes” to the first question, you’re in the right place.

If your answer to the second question is “yes,” then I hate to say it, but you couldn’t be more wrong!

The good news is: If Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, then the same Holy Spirit that lives in Billy Graham (or your pastor, or favorite Bible teacher…) also lives in you. In John 14:26, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and remind us of what we’ve learned from Jesus. This is a promise for each one of us.

The more we read and study God’s Word, the more we know Him, hear Him, love Him, and realize how much He loves us – enough to invest in every tiny detail of our lives. Our time in God’s Word each day is not a waste. It’s an investment we can’t afford not to make.

Digging into God’s Word is like going on a Treasure hunt – where Jesus is the Treasure! If you want to grow deeper in your walk with Christ and study a portion of God’s Word on your own, here is an effective method to use. You can think of them as tools in the dig.

PS: This is a more detailed method because I want you to understand each step and purpose. The more comfortable you become as you study God’s Word, you will find yourself adjusting, dropping, combining, and /or adding other ways to your study time.

Where to start: The Gospels (especially John), James, 1st John, and Psalms are some great books to use in learning how to do a detailed Bible study.

Choose one book to study, then read a little about the context of that book. Who wrote it? To whom was it written, and when was it written? What was going on at the time this book was written? What is the major theme? Some Bibles contain these answers in a brief introduction to each book of the Bible. However, if your Bible doesn’t offer a book introduction, there are many free websites and apps that do.

Two of my favorites are:

The Bible Project (under the Guides tab). Offers short, animated video overviews for every book of the Bible, detailing their literary design, historical background, and core themes

Blue Letter Bible (under the “Study” tab – Bible Book Introductions and Outlines). This website (and app) is my absolute favorite online Bible study tool for everything! It features lexicons, concordances, and a library of conservative commentaries to explore original Hebrew and Greek meanings… it goes as deep into studying as you’ll ever want to go!!!

Once you’ve chosen your book and learned a little about the context and setting, you’re ready to start digging.

The R-Method of Bible Study

1. Request – Pray Psalm 119:18 and ask God for wisdom to know, love, and understand His Word. Ask Him to speak to you through it today.

2. Read – Start reading in God’s Word at the very beginning of your selected book. As you read, you are looking specifically for these types of Truth: a name, characteristic, or action of God, Jesus, or Holy Spirit; a truth about God’s Word, love, ways, plans, and purposes; The truth about life, mankind, the world, the enemy, the past, the present, or the future.

Because God’s Word is first and foremost a book about God, and not about us, when we read to study it, we need to make it a practice to look for Him in it. Then He will help us apply His Word to us and our own situations.

If you sense a need to pause and ponder, do it. That’s where you’ll stop for the day. (You’ll pick up right at this place tomorrow and continue reading.) You may have read only one verse, or 20… but on this treasure hunt, you are going to stop and examine every. single. treasure. (You have time. There is no rush to finish. This is not a race. It’s a slow and steady savouring of the tiny details in the Scripture.)

As Jeremiah 29:13 says,
“You will seek Me
and find Me
when you search for Me
with all your heart.”

3. Recap – Write down the passage reference you just read, and briefly recap what the passage was about. What Truth made you pause and ponder?

This step answers the question: WHAT did God speak to me today in His Word? This is the INFORMATION.

4. Re-evaluate – Look at what you wrote down: Prayerfully reevaluate your life. What is the Holy Spirit revealing to you about your life, your thoughts, your actions, or reactions? Do you need to know something? Thank Jesus? Confess something? Change something? Stop something? Start something? Whatever it is, write that down.

5. Respond – Respond in prayer concerning what was revealed to you. Thank Him for it; ask for help to obey it. Pray God’s Word back to Him in worship and/or request.

(You can either say or write your response prayer. Sometimes writing your prayers is helpful for a future day when you need to remember your conversation with the Lord about a certain subject in His Word. A written record of your walk with Jesus as He speaks to you and you respond to Him is a treasure to both you and Him.)

Step 4 and 5 answer the question: SO WHAT am I supposed to do with what God spoke to me in His Word? This is the APPLICATION.

These last steps answer the question: NOW WHAT am I supposed to do next? This is the ACTIVATION

6. Remember – Is this a verse to commit to memory? Do you need to meditate on this truth? Do you need to write this truth down and post it somewhere? If so, do it.

7. Recall – Ask the Holy Spirit (who will bring to your remembrance – John 14:26) to do His work in your life and help you not forget what you have learned.

8. Reveal – Ask the Lord if there is anyone you can bless by humbly revealing what the Lord has shown you in His Word. If so, be sure to share with that person… otherwise you may be robbing him/her of a blessing from God.

Keep Repeating this process each day, picking up where you left off the day before. This brings on the TRANSFORMATION. If you consistently study God’s Word, you’ll be amazed at the vibrancy in your life!

Need a shorter version of all the R’s? You are looking for this as you slowly study through a book of God’s Word:

Information: WHAT does God’s Word say?
Application: So WHAT does God’s Word mean for my life?
Activation: Now WHAT am I going to do about it? What step of obedience will I take?
Transformation: That’s WHAT happens in my heart and life as I continue to study and obey God’s Word.

Then one day, you’ll hear a favorite Bible teacher say something God taught him/her from His Word, and it just might be something God has already spoken to you. When that happens, especially for the first time, you can’t imagine the JOY!!! God is so good like that!

“Your words were found,
and I ate them;
and Your words were to me a joy
and the rejoicing of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.”
Jeremiah 15:16

To learn how to start the practice of a Daily Quiet Time, see this post.