Sunflower Faith

Bible Study Basics: 5 Fruitful Bible Study Techniques!
By Ameerah Lewis

Studying the Bible seems simple enough, right. I mean, you just pick it up…and read it.

But, there is more to connecting to God through His Word than groggily picking it up for 5 minutes before you hop into the shower.

Yes, you’ll be able to check it off of today’s to-do list. But is that really all you wanted to get out of it?

Of course not.

You serve a God who promises He will use His Holy Word to renew your mind. Your Bible study time is His chance to begin changing you from glory to glory.

So, how do you study the Bible?

There is only one way to do it – With the Holy Spirit by your side!

“But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes,

He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth)…”

- John 16:13 (Amplified)

And that is the first of your Bible Study Basics. And, the most vital.

Once you have that first Bible study basic down, here are some others for you to add in. These are things that can really help your time in God’s Word bear good fruit for Him.

First, invest in sticky tabs. They are an excellent alternative to bookmarks. They are a great way to indicate scriptures you want to meditate on, or to organize an in-depth topical study. They can be placed anywhere near the edge of the page – top, side, or bottom – depending on where the scripture is that you would like to reference. Plus, they give you the option of color-coding your studying by topic.

You may also want to pick up a few packs of post-it notes. When you want to write a longer note to yourself on a scripture, write it on a post-it. That way, when you return to study that verse at a later time, the revelation that you received is still there.

Which brings us to our next Bible Study Basic. Don’t be afraid to write inside of your Bible. It is one of the best ways to meditate in God’s Word.

Read a passage that touched your heart? Then highlight it. And when you feel the Holy Spirit revealing something to you about a verse, don’t be afraid to make a few notes in the margins.

Then, revisit your notes on a regular basis. This keeps the things you are learning, and the revelations that you receive fresh in your mind. And God can use these things as the foundation to take you to even higher heights in Him.

Another Bible Study Basic that many people skip over is picking an actual study topic. Most of us just aimlessly pick passages and wonder why we begin to lose interest in the Word.

Do you want to search though Proverbs for all of the hidden wisdom, or scour the entire Bible for how to be a godly wife?

Take a hard look at where you are spiritually, and ask God to help you decide where to focus your studying. If you focus your study around what you need personally, you’ll be more excited about your time in God’s Word.

Another great Bible studying technique is journaling. Writing about what a specific scripture means to you can really make God’s Word come alive. Especially when you begin to journal on how you are going to apply that Word from God to your own life.

There are other fruitful ways to study God’s Word as well. Attending a class through a local church or using a Bible study book can be great ways to learn more about God through His Word.

Another excellent idea is doing your Bible study online. There are free online Bible study lessons all over the internet. Taking ten minutes of your lunch time to nourish your spirit before you nourish your body has never been easier!

The ways that we learn are as various as the methods that we can use. God made each of us unique. But, the one thing that does not change is the first Bible Study Basic – Let your study time be guided by the Holy Spirit. Then, regardless of the techniques that you chose, your study time will always bear good fruit!

Ameerah Lewis helps Christians draw closer to their Heavenly Father though free Bible study online courses at hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org . Her e-courses and monthly e-devotional are perfect for the busy Christian.

This article may be only reprinted in it’s entirety-link included.

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Deepest Thanks, Deeper Apologies: Reconciling Deeply Held Faith with Honest Doubt by S.C. Shortridge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Written by an artist, “Deepest Thanks, Deeper Apologies: Reconciling Deeply Held Faith with Honest Doubt”, by S.C. Shortridge, reflects the brushes of a paintbrush, as Shortridge explores how we can have a faith that often is brushed with shades of doubt in our life.

Though we may often find ourselves feeling as if something is wrong with us, if we doubt, sometimes it is through our doubts, that we will find ourselves questioning not our Father, but really ourselves and in the process, go on that much needed push forward to understanding and discovering, what is it that our Father in Heaven, is calling for us.

Living a life of faith, isn’t really a life of mystery, but of discovery and as the reader is taken away by Shortridge, brush style of writing, that as the author shares, “Faith that is only religion is too fragile, too fussy, and too demanding to become real faith”.

“Deepest Thanks, Deeper Apologies: Reconciling Deeply Held Faith with Honest Doubt” is reminiscent of the challenges of creating a work of art….it could be a simple sketch, the brush of watercolors across the canvas to capture the light of the object at hand, or the precision of a finely crafted oil masterpiece, this is an encouraging, personal look at an artist and believer, into exploring how to have an honest walk with our Father in Heaven, while being challenged by truths and doubts.



***Thank you to Worthy Publishing for the opportunity to read, review and share this book with others***

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This has been going through Facebook for awhile and I thought it was just very inspiring and encouraging and would love to share it with you.

I don’t know who the original author is and when I find out, will make sure to give credit where credit is properly due, though the verses are credit to our Father in Heaven!

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The other week, I was asked about the Crayola Twistables® Crayons and wanted to use this week’s post to go a little bit into how they have been a really big help with bible reading/studying.

Now, with everything, there’s always pro’s and con’s and at the end of day, you need to ask yourself, some of the following questions:

1. What are your study habits like?

2. What type of highlighting and underlining do you do? 

Some people really get into highlighting and underlining to the point they have personal, complicated systems that reads more in depth than the Dewey Decimal system.

3. You want something that if you want to use at church, or away from home, you won’t feel like you’re carrying everything, including the kitchen sink with you.

For myself, I really have loved the use of the, Crayola Twistables® Crayons, because they offer a variety of colors from an 8 count to 30 count (and for personal disclaimer, not being compensated by Crayola Twistables® Crayons, I just like the fact that for once I found something that doesn’t rip, or bleed through the bible pages and leaves the pages still readable).

The biggest pro about using these, has been the fact that when you mark or underline passages or words in the bible, you have control over the intensity of the color and you don’t have to worry about ripping the pages after you are done.

This helps keep the eye from being distracted reading God’s word while all the while still leaving space for personal notes and observations with a pen.

The con, for me, is that its pretty bulky carrying 8, or even 30 count twistables, so I’m still back to the 4 color bic pen that I use on Sunday’s when in bible study class or listening to a sermon and I try to take time, when we get home, to review that morning’s sermon and follow up with any highlighting or underlining of anything that just really has stood out or hit me at the heart.

I wish that Sharpie would offer a non-bleeding, non-color intensity version, because I just really love Sharpies, but I can’t really say I don’t like , Crayola Twistables® Crayons, either since they do their job well.

So if you are looking for an answer to dry  highlighters that still drag at pages or using highlighters that bleed, using, Crayola Twistables® Crayons, are an inexpensive alternative to the more expensive bible highlighters that do the same job as these crayons, but tend to be a little more pricey.

How about you?

Have you found anything that works like the Crayola Twistables® Crayons so you can have the variety of color and use while reading and studying your bible?

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Out of curiosity, I asked how many mark and highlight in your bible (poll is still open here, if you would still like to vote/chime in) and really appreciate the response. Today, I wanted to hear from all of you, do you use anything particularly to mark or highlight in your bible? For me, its been a mixture of using a 4 point Bic pen, pencil (easy to write and erase), and crayola twistables, because they,

1. Will not bleed,

2. Colors are not too dark,

3. I can adjust the highlighting/or underlining,

4. For thin, onion skin bibles, its friendly though I would recommend not pressing down to hard, due to still risk of tearing the paper easily.

How about yourself?

What is your standard marking/highlighting tools that you use in your own bible?

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This is an amazing image of an, obviously, well-loved, and well-used bible and it brings to question.

Do you write or highlight in your own bible?

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Walk By Faith Coffee Mug

Even though I can’t drink coffee right now, I’ve enjoyed the times I can take a break and enjoy a warm cup of milk or herbal tea, using one of the many coffee cups that I have.

One of them is my, “Walk by Faith” coffee cup and on it is a reference to  2 Corinthians 5:7 ; A constant reminder  having a relationship with Christ is personal and not a set of rules, but at the heart, having faith in Him and allowing Him to work in our lives and to grow within us and strengthen and refine us from within out.

⁷ We live by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7, Common English Bible)

Matthew Henry Commentary shares in an excerpt of the passage,
“The present graces and comforts of the Spirit are earnests of everlasting grace and comfort. And though God is with us here, by his Spirit, and in his ordinances, yet we are not with him as we hope to be. Faith is for this world, and sight is for the other world. It is our duty, and it will be our interest, to walk by faith, till we live by sight. ”

Our faith keeps us strong and encouraged as we move forward through each day and on those days  we would feel weak, it is encouraging,

 ⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, King James Version)

We are going to have days ,we may not feel strong enough and He is there.

We are going to have days when we have many reasons to rejoice and He is there.

There really isn’t a day,He isn’t there and though we may feel our Father in Heaven is silent, He is still there.

What a great reminder….but also a reminder too…..How is it express in our lives and with others?

I have to bring up this great pendant , I won some ago and when I see it, yes…it is a reminder of God’s great faithfulness, and a reminder, there is a ,sense of peace and joy that should go with it….not burden or sadness.

Do we encourage or are we quick to criticize or condemn or be negative and instead of lifting up, tear down or discourage?

⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5:6, New King James Version)

There’s an articleout today called, “Hold the Truth Tightly and Your Passionate Opinions Lightly” and in the article, an excerpt goes:

Pendant created by "IamBlessed"

“As Christians, all of us (myself definitely included) regularly face the temptation to moralize our opinions. In other words, we can take something that we feel strongly about and attach a spiritual value to it. Then, when we see others who don’t live according to our standards, we can tend to look down on them or make them feel as if they are less godly than us……Because when we start elevating certain things as more godly than others, we turn into Pharisees. The Pharisees were experts at creating additional rules to lay on top of the Bible. In fact, they loved their rules more than they loved God and more than they loved people. They looked down on and excluded those who didn’t follow their rules. They crushed people with their rules. Their rules prevented them from seeing and delighting in Christ.“

Matthew Henry Commentary (MHC), shares the following insight

“As all good comes from God, so no good can be hoped for by sinners, but from God in Christ. And the best good may be expected from God, as our Father, for the sake of Christ. We should pray, not only for ourselves, but for others also; remembering them without ceasing. Wherever there is a true faith, it will work; it will affect both the heart and life. Faith works by love; it shows itself in love to God, and love to our neighbour.

And wherever there is a well-grounded hope of eternal life, this will appear by the exercise of patience; and it is a sign of sincerity, when in all we do, we seek to approve ourselves to God. By this we may know our election, if we not only speak of the things of God with out lips, but feel their power in our hearts, mortifying our lusts, weaning us from the world, and raising us up to heavenly things. Unless the Spirit of God comes with the word of God, it will be to us a dead letter. Thus they entertained it by the power of the Holy Ghost. They were fully convinced of the truth of it, so as not to be shaken in mind by objections and doubts; and they were willing to leave all for Christ, and to venture their souls and everlasting condition upon the truth of the gospel revelation. (1Th 1:6-10)”

When we are out walking with others…we don’t walk ahead of others and what do we do?

We stop and make sure the person we are with, can catch up or we give them a hand and help them catch up, instead of walking ahead or walking behind.

Are we seeing and delighting in Christ and making that known or are we making our walk less by faith and sometimes more by sight?

The words we speak? Are we lifting up and encouraging or we just adding burdens and tearing down or discouraging?

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