Updated. This Bible study post was originally published on May 1, 2020.
Are you tired of being told what the Bible means rather than being able to study it for yourself? Have you ever done a Bible study and felt like you were learning so much, but when the study ended, so did your growth? Do you feel like you can’t have spiritual conversations because you just don’t know enough? Are you afraid to witness because someone might ask you a question you can’t answer?
There are few things in this world more frustrating than the feeling of inadequacy when you think you should be confident. I grew up in a missionary’s home, attending church from the very first Sunday I had breath. I could answer all of the Sunday school questions, and I knew all of the Bible stories. I graduated from Bible college AND seminary. In spite of all of that, I felt unqualified to have spiritual conversations, and I didn’t know how to apply what I knew to real-life situations.
The truth is that growing up in a preacher’s home created some challenges for my personal walk because it was always easier to ask my dad than to search Scripture for myself. And this was my pattern even through adulthood. It wasn’t until my dad started showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s that I realized I needed to bulk up my own spiritual muscles. But where to start?
Pursuing Godliness through Bible Study
I like to compare the pursuit of godliness to a health journey. We know the only way to get healthy is through diet and exercise. In the same way, we know the only way to get healthy spiritually is through personal Bible study and prayer time.
If you’re like me, you have a cabinet full of shakes, pink drinks, supplements, and wraps to help the weight loss process along, but if you look at the fine print, they will all say “works best when paired with proper diet and exercise.” In much the same way, we buy books about the Bible, listen to sermons, subscribe to podcasts, and do big-name Bible studies to help our spiritual walk. All of these things are good, but they all work best when paired with personal Bible study and prayer.
Without personal Bible study, how do you know the book you are reading or the sermon you are listening to is teaching truth? We have to put in the effort to cut out the middle man. We have to learn to study Scripture and pull out the principles on our own.
“God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God” (Psalm 14:2 & 53:2)
God wants you to look for Him.
God wants you to seek Him.
God wants you to find Him.
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Here’s the good news: Godliness is learned! It isn’t reserved for an elite few. Godliness is available to all of us.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3)
The way we grow in godliness is by growing in our knowledge of Him. And you have all you need to do that in the pages of your Bible. Ok, so what’s the first step?
There are many plans out there that you can try, but if you don’t want to look any further, you can find your guide here. I took the Bible study tools that worked and created a Bible study process. I have created a blog series that spells out the unique process that always begins at step 1 but only goes as far as your current season of life allows. If you would rather download the process in a FREE workbook, you can enter your information below, and it will be delivered directly to your email.
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