Beginner’s Guide to the Bible

I once heard a quote that said, “Don’t say God is silent when your Bible is closed. Complaining about a silent God with a closed Bible is like complaining about no text messages with a turned-off phone.”

God speaks very clearly to His children through the Word, and I believe that God wants to develop a deeper appetite for His Word through your understanding of these few things.

How to Get the Word of God Inside of You

1. Read the Bible

One truth you’ll come to realize in your walk with God is that the less you read the Word of God, the less you’ll desire to read it. Many times Jesus said the phrase, “Have you not read…?” (Matthew 12:3). Meaning, there is an expectation for us to be reading the Scriptures.

According to the American Bible Society: 

• 87% of American households own a Bible
• The average home has 3 Bibles available
• Just 11% have read the entire Bible
• 30% of Americans surveyed have read no more than several passages or stories

These statistics show that many people keep their Bibles closed and as a result, their lives are affected. Choose to make a commitment to read the Bible no matter what distractions come.

The best translation you should read is the one you’ll actually read and apply.

Read: Bored Reading the Bible?

2. Listen to the Bible

We see throughout the Bible that the authors wrote the Scriptures primarily to be heard, not read (Deut 31:11; Col 4:16). In fact, Scripture also says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom 10:17).

As you are driving or are going on a run, I would encourage you to try listening to the Bible to help build your faith.

3. Meditate on the Bible

The Bible tells us that we are to meditate on God’s actions, law, and testimonies (Josh 1:8; Phil 4:8; Ps 19:14-15).

Now, this type of meditation is different than that of Eastern Meditation:

• Eastern meditation empties the mind. Christian meditation fills the mind. 
• Eastern meditation is detachment. Christian meditation is an attachment to God.
• Eastern meditation is passive. Christian meditation is aggressive.
• Eastern meditation is demonic. Christian meditation is Holy Spirit-filled and inspired.

In this sort of meditation that the Bible commands us to do, we are actively filling our minds with the Word of God and thus connecting ourselves with God as we think about His Word.

4. Memorize Verses

Memorizing the Bible allows the words of Christ to dwell richly in your soul so that you can have victory over sin and the devil (Ps 119:11; Col 3:16; Mt 4:4). This will strengthen your prayers and sharpen your witness; your mind and attitude will be different, illuminated by the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit. 

In fact, when we study the Scripture, we see that Jesus quoted the Old Testament over 60 times. How many do you know?

I took this challenge to heart and opened a Bible Memory Group to help others and myself grow in this area.

You can join the group here.

5. Obey the Bible

Lastly, the biggest problem with Bible study is not the failure to understand a passage but failure to apply the words of God which we do understand. The Bible tells us in Matthew 7:24 that we are called to do what Jesus said in order to build a firm foundation, not just listen and forget.

Once you begin to apply God’s Word, you’ll begin to see a rapid transformation in your hunger for God and in your character.

I pray this help you as you grow in your walk with the Lord.