Winner from the Emily Ley Planner Giveaway is Tammy!!!

“I hope I win. I need better organization in my life.
I am excited to start reading your blog and learning from you!” – Tammy  Email me at marylindsey@hopefilledhome.com

So, if you aren’t Tammy, you may be a little bummed that you didn’t win.  But, keep reading! There is so much more for you in this post!!

If you could see me, I am grinning from ear to ear, shaking my fists beside my face, and squealing because this is my favorite part of my blog!!!

Know why?  Because this is where YOUR life gets to be changed.

I’m just the little ol’ tour guide.  But, I hope to guide you straight to the presence of my Heavenly Father.

I want to teach you how to be able to study the Bible on your own.

I hope to give you a solid outline over the next few months that you can continually come back to as you walk with God.  These beginning steps may seem so very simple. But, don’t skip them.  They are crucial.

Some steps, I’m going to ask you to put forth a little more effort.  But all of it will be completely doable.

So, the first step, is to make a plan.  Choose what you want to study.  I am currently going through 1 John with my group of girls, so I will use this as my example as we keep on walking together.  Some other shorter books to study in depth include:  James, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Peter, & 11 Timothy.  They all have 4-6 chapters.

Second step is to buy a notebook just for this study.  I personally like a spiral bound, college lined notebook.  I had a little cutesy notebook when I first started and ran out of room writing in it!  I filled up the pages fast! And, get a favorite pen, too.  These are my absolute favorites!

The third step is to begin reading.  I want you to read your passage of scripture/book of the Bible in at least 3 different versions of the Bible. Some of my favorite versions are

• NASB (New American Standard Bible- closest English version to the original Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek),
• NLT (New Living Translation – more contemporary language),
• NIV – New International Version (the version I grew up on),
• Amplified Bible (some words are expounded upon in parenthesis all through out, giving you a better grasp on what you are reading.

You pick the translation of the Bible.  This step is to give you a broad view of what you are studying.  You want to be able to understand what you are reading and notice slight differences.  Highlight verses that stand out to you.  You are just getting yourself used to the scripture.  It is very easy to find different versions of the Bible on You Version (app for your iphone/ipad).  There are also choices at Biblegateway.org or Biblehub.com.

If you have never had time with God, or have never carved out time to seek Him, it is not too late.  Begin now.  I usually like to do this first thing in the morning.  I feel like I’m giving Him my day when I do that.  When I was in high school, though, my time with God was at night before I went to bed.

I begin my time with Him in quiet prayer.  I usually get on my knees with my face on the ground.  This isn’t a have to.  You can pray anywhere!  But, if you haven’t ever gotten on your knees before God in prayer, I would highly recommend getting in this position to pray.  It just brings your complete attention before Him and humbles you.

Then, I get in my chair or on the couch and begin my Bible reading.  I use this little guide of symbols to write in my Bible.  One of my precious Bible teachers, Karla, gave me this guide to help us understand and pull out what is being said in scripture:

• highlight/ underline verses that speak to me
• —–> God gives instructions
• ! Belief
• Unbelief
• ? doubt, fear, questioning
• O = obedience
• R = remember (for generations to come)

I have this printed out and taped to the inside of my Bible to remind me of what to look for when I’m reading.  But, let me add, the first time you read, just read.  Let the words just wash over you and get the big picture of what is being said.  Then go back and look deeper.

After I read, I usually record one or two verses in my journal.  Then, I journal what I believe God is speaking to me.  At first it feels funny and you may doubt God speaking to you, but you will be surprised at how it is confirmed!  When God speaks it will always line up with the Bible, and it is amazing how it will be confirmed in your life.  Trust Him.  He wants to speak to you.

Okay, loves, get to reading and writing!

If you want to dive in, what will you be studying?  Tell me in the comments!