How I Read and Study The Bible: Part 1

If you've been following along with me recently then you may have seen my posts about reading my Bible and feeling called to share. I actually saw a girl's Tiktok (of all places) where she explained how she reads and studies her Bible and it really led me to try it. 

I got saved when I was 12. I went to a Christian school and church my entire life. I have tons of scriptures memorized (mainly because I had to for Bible class lol). I know the books of the Bible and I know the stories. 

In times when I needed some encouragement or grace or clarity I'd open up my Bible just expecting to magically find the right verse jumping out at me to fix my problems. I'd do devotionals, specifically on the Bible app. I'd find ones geared toward motherhood, anxiety, marriage, faith, or whatever issue I was dealing with at the time and read the words but then just skim through the Bible verse part because, to be honest, it seemed SO LONG and drawn out and usually I didn't fully understand or get anything from that part. Does that sound familiar to anyone else? Because I feel like its the case for A LOT of us. 

So I started doing some research (I'm an enneagram 5 and research is kind of my thing) on how to study and understand and journal the Bible. But then came the hardest part- DOING IT. It took me a couple of days to get into a bit of a system and figure out what worked for me (which may not even be what works for you, by the way) and now I feel like I've gotten to a point where I sit down and dive right into it and find ways to help me understand. And I have felt closer to God, received more clarity from Him, felt his presence and peace, and UNDERSTOOD God and the Bible more than I ever have in my entire life.

When I shared a little glimpse into my Bible reading I had an overwhelming response from people who said they needed that push, who had questions on where to start, who said this was something they wanted to do too but didn't know how, and LOTS of questions about my Bible, journal, resources, method, etc. 

So I'm going to break this into three parts- 1) the tools and resources I use, 2) how to get started and different books and chapters to start with, and 3) a step-by-step way of journaling and note-taking verse by verse. I REALLY hope this is helpful and I welcome any and all questions. I can't promise that I can answer them all but I will try! 

All about my Bible + note taking tools: 

I made an Amazon list of Bibles, journals, and items that I use to help me take notes but I'll break each thing down as well. (You can find complete the Amazon list here)

Bible: 

You only need ONE Bible and its definitely a personal preference. Some people prefer large print, large margins, thick pages, commentary, different versions, etc. but these are just a couple of my personal favorites. 

1. She Reads Truth Bible. This Bible is brand new to me but I've wanted it for a while. Its pretty and girly so that's a major plus (lol) but it also has tons of extra information in it to help you study like charts, maps, timelines, devotionals, and reading plans at the beginning of each book with extra verses to look up to dig a little deeper. It also has big margins to journal and write notes in. 

2. "Beautiful Word" Bible. This is the one I was previously using (the one that's pictured). I've had it for a while and its the Bible I already had so that's what I started to use. Its super expensive on Amazon right now (I'm not sure why) but the one I linked is the same Bible but this one just happens to have coloring pages included. 

3. The Message Bible. I LOVE The Message. It isn't the Bible I use for my every day studying but I love to use it to read and compare with whatever scripture I'm currently using. It puts each verse in words and ways that I actually understand. If I'm a little confused about something or how it could apply to me, I look it up in The Message. This one is pretty inexpensive but another (free) option is to use the Message translation on the Bible app on your phone. 

Journal: 

I got my journal from Walmart and I'm sure you could too. This is another thing that is personal preference but just in case, I'll link a few different options. 

1. Basic Journal Notebook - this is what I use, just a basic lined journal

2. Dotted Journal - this one is great for bullet journaling or sketching

Highlighters + Pens: 

One of the most important parts of note taking and journaling is being able to highlight important parts and write comments, context, etc IN your Bible. I do a huge part of my journaling in an actual journal but I wouldn't be able to do that without highlighting and writing notes as I go (as I read). This is important because looking back through my Bible later I may not go and search through my journal, but I'll see the date and important notes and verses written IN my Bible right next to the scriptures. AND the best thing for highlighting in a Bible is NO BLEED HIGHLIGHTERS!! Trust me. These actually write more like crayons but they're very transparent so you can still read the text under them. I also recommend getting a pack with at least 4 colors because I use 4 different colors to represent 4 different things (I'll get into that later). 

1. Mr. Pen No Bleed Highlighters

2. BLIEVE Bible Study Pen/Highlighter Kit

3. Mr. Pen No Bleed Pens
(for the record I just use a regular black pen but I'm linking these just in case anyone is interested)

Miscellaneous 

1. Post-its in varying sizes

2. Book mark (I like these elastic ones because they stay put) 

And some things that are totally not necessary but they're fun and cute: 

- washi tape (I like it just to separate parts of my notes, stick my post-it notes, etc)

- page markers (I use these to hold my place, mark places in my bible or journal, etc)

- Bible tabs (these are great for helping you find the books of the Bible. I got mine from an Etsy shop but these are just as good!)

Other Resources

There are a couple of other things I use other than my Bible and journal and they're probably the most important. 

www.EnduringWord.com 

This website and the commentary has been LIFE CHANGING for me. I use it every single time, verse by verse. It has given me so much clarity and I truly don't think I'd understand anything I'm reading if it weren't for using it. I will go further into it when I explain how I study, but the most important thing is to know you have to click "commentary" at the top, scroll down and choose which book, then select which chapter (number) at the top. It will then break it down in outline form with context, extra information, quotes, and more importantly, insight and commentary on what each verse means. 

A Bible Dictionary

I use a Bible dictionary app on my phone. You could use a physical one or use one on your computer. The most important thing is that its a Bible dictionary, not just a regular dictionary, because its important to learn the definition of a word and how it applies in Biblical context. 

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Now that I've typed all of this out I realize it seems overwhelming. I promise it isn't.

Bible. Journal. Highlighters. Pen. Computer or phone. 

Those are the most important things and basically all you need to get started. And to be honest, if you just really feel a push to read your Bible. ALL YOU NEED IS YOUR BIBLE! 

I want to make it clear that this is how I personally have been reading and learning and studying the Bible. You don't need a fancy Bible or expensive highlighters or perfect handwriting. You don't need to know what you're doing or understand what you're reading right away. What's important is that you pick up your Bible and read it. Pray before you read it to understand and have some clarity in what your'e reading. 

But if you're interested in studying and reading and journaling your Bible in a way that might help you understand a little more, apply it a little more, and hopefully feel closer to God, then stick with me because I'm going to get to that very soon! 

xo,

katie

** I want to mention that these links ARE affiliate links. You are in NO WAY obligated to order directly from these links. To be honest, I mainly posted links so you could have a visual of the items I have or use. Most of my stuff came from Walmart or Target and yours can too. But if you're like me and are already ordering a Bible through Amazon I thought it may be easier to find the other things all together. Like I mentioned yesterday, I am picking a couple people from my comments to send a Bible to and the very TINY (and I mean tiny) commission I could possibly make from these links will go toward that.