A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study by Jen Hatmaker

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. The Holy Spirit works through the Word to guide, teach, and convict us of sin.įor the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Even when our motives may be selfish, guess what? The answer is the same: study His Word. We are all susceptible to this! Pray during each encounter with His Word. Ask Him to help you fall in love with Him and His Word. Come humbly to His Word and let it transform your thoughts and motives. If you find your motives are from the first list, then confess it to God. Let’s be honest with both God and ourselves. To teach me so I mature and reflect His character to others?.To reveal sin in my life so I can confess and repent of it?.To be equipped to walk in a manner worthy of Christ?.

Because I believe that if I do, life will turn out the way I want it to? Or God will give me a formula and guarantee that my children will follow Him?.So that I will have the answers and people will be impressed with my biblical knowledge?.In order to be seen a certain way by others?.Because I believe that it is what “good” Christians do?.So that I can check it off my spiritual “to do” list?.So prayerfully consider, “ Why do I want to study Scripture?” When we make a decision to do anything in life, we really commit when we know our why. So let us connect with God through His Word. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of self always go hand in hand. The Bible does tell us who we are and what we should do, but it does so through the lens of who God is. It is about Him-so we can know Him, love Him, and glorify Him. Jen Wilkin says in her book Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both our Hearts and Our Minds, “From beginning to end, the Bible is a Book about God.” Y’all, it isn’t about us, though he unfolds his beautiful story of redemption and how we should live. I read something recently that really impacted how I approach studying the Bible. We are going to look at each of these over the next few weeks-connecting to God through prayer and community-but today we will begin with His Word. Let’s do this individually and in community. Let’s strive to be in His Word, wrapped in prayer. When we do, he draws near to us (James 4:8a). Whether prayer, Bible study, a community of believers, or a combination of all three-we have the opportunity to draw near to Him. We need God’s wisdom for this homeschooling journey, but more importantly we need Him! God gives us many ways to connect with Him in a personal relationship.

A Modern Girl's Guide to Bible Study by Jen Hatmaker