Here are 5 Bible study tips that will help you dig even deeper into the Bible:
- Bible Study Tip 1: Use a Bible Reading Plan
With our busy work schedules and personal commitments, sometimes it’s hard to stay on track with your daily Bible reading. A scheduled plan can streamline and organize your Bible reading time. Use our FREE 2015 Printable Bible reading chart and join our 30-Day Bible Challenge to read the Word of God along with us. - Bible Study Tip 2: Apply It!
Think about ways you can use the Bible reading in your life. As you do your Bible study, look for:
• An example to admire or avoid
• A command to obey
• A sin to confess
• A promise to embrace 
Bible Study Tip 3: Write in Your Bible
Write, highlight, and underline those passages and words that stand out during your Bible readings. It helps you get engaged with the Scripture, and research shows the actual act of physically writing something down helps to register the text. Surprise Bible study tip: Crayons can be your Bible’s best friend. They don’t bleed through the pages. They’re cheap. And you can use different colors for a color-coding system to help you emphasize certain ideas or words over others.- Bible Study Tip 4: Listen to Learn
With the Bible on tape, CD and popular radio programs that feature Bible studies and sermons, you can hear God’s Word wherever you are. A popular and user-friendly audio Bible site is Bible Gateway’s, “The Listener’s Bible.” - Bible Study Tip 5: Use your resources
If you haven’t already, invest in a concordance (or use one online—we like BlueLetterBible’s easy concordance tool). They locate all the occurrences of a word in the Bible to help with word studies and putting Bible verses in context.
Other Bible study tools include:
- Bible Software (Logos Bible Software, Then and Now Bible Maps, QuickVerse)
Bible Dictionaries (Holman Bible Dictionary, New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Zondervan Pictorial) - Quick-Reference Pamphlets (Christianity, Cults and Religions; The Tabernacle; Feasts of the Bible; Armor of God)
- Bible Atlas and Timeline (Then and Now Deluxe Bible Maps, Bible Timeline Pamphlet,)
- Commentary (Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Zondervan Commentary, Matthew Henry’s Commentary)
- Bible Handbook (New Unger’s Bible Handbook, Holman’s Bible Handbook, Halley’s Bible Handbook)
- Topical Bible (Nave’s Topical Bible, Topical Analysis of the Bible)
Bible Websites (our top picks are here)
Creating even just a small library of Bible resources for your reference can help you gain deeper insight into what you’re reading. Try out one (or all) of our tips during your Bible study. Feel free to share them with your church, small group and friends!
Our 30-Day Bible Reading Challenge is an interactive and easy-to-follow plan to get you started on a lifelong habit of daily Bible reading. FREE 2015 Bible Reading Plan included. To join the challenge, simply comment “I Join!” below, and share this post to invite (and challenge) your friends, family, and church to join!
What are your thoughts on our Bible study tips? Do you have methods that are helpful for you on how to study the Bible? Please share your comments below.
I really appreciate all that you had to say here. These tips will help me apply what I learn, like you said it point two. Listening sometimes and reading other times will help change things up a bit. Making a note to help myself remember and make the lessons I learn stick with me is a great idea. Thank you so much for the great post.
Hi Ethel, so glad you found this useful! 🙂 God bless!
When it comes to my Bible studies, I have to have a plan with my study or else it often doesn’t happen. I always have a purpose as I study and begin with a prayer. I have found a study journal to be helpful so I can write down what I learned and then I go out and share i with others.
Jason, I’m so glad you share what you glean from your own study! This is an incredibly helpful and loving way to share God with others. 🙂 God bless you!
I try to read my Bible every day, however, I want to make sure that I’m doing this effectively. That being said, you suggest to write in your Bible because this will help you to be more engaged, and I agree! Additionally, I think that writing thoughts and highlighting scriptures will not only help me to engage more and understand what I’m reading more, but it will help me to be able to go back and remember what I was thinking or feeling, which makes the scripture study a lot more solidified. Thank you for your insight!
Lauren, thanks for sharing your insight! Those are excellent tips! 🙂 God bless!
I underline in red or blue with a fine point pen that does not bleed. I also use a ruler to keep it neat. I only use yellow colored dry high-liters. I get distracted by other colors and I won’t own a high-liter in any other color. Call me weird, but it’s the truth.
I’m trying to get into the habit of marking my bible, however i dont want to go over board with it so how can i minimize my marking my bible, also can you recommend some material on bible marking.
Hi Tracy! Some folks have separate Bibles for making notes and for reading. Others use post-it notes. There are also wide-margin Bibles for note-taking. 🙂 Hope this helps!