Get Out the Colored Pens and Prepare

Matthew 4:4 (NKJV)

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’"

 

Studying the bible is super important in the life of a Christian. Its like our food. In the verse above Jesus says that we cannot live without God's word and He's QUOTING GODS WORD!! That's why Matthew 4:4 is one of my favorite verses. He is pointing out clearly that we should memorize the Word. But that in itself can permit a problem. How exactly do you study God's Word?

Well I will let you in on my life and give you ideas of how I study the Bible and maybe you can give me some inspiration too.

First things first: our tools

Of course a Bible. Here is my hardcover (yes it's taped) study Bible (named Bibly Two):

Next I always like to have colored pens (red, blue and black) and sticky notes:

And also I love using tabs to mark things:

(Purple are some of my favorite verses; Orange is verses about salvation; Pink is kind of hard to explain; Green is for things I'm dealing with)

 

Now that we have all of our supplies we can begin reading and studying the Bible. I absolutely hate it when I don't have pens with me when I'm reading because writing is how I learn.

Currently I am going through the book of Acts so I am journaling a lot with that. However first I will explain how I annotate the Bible.

Obviously I am not a neat person. I underline or circle or box sentences that stand out to me then I write notes on the side in the same colored pen so I know what notes go to what verse. If I don't have enough room to write something legibly then I go to...

However if my bible can't contain my note I turn to my trusty dusty journal.

My journal holds so much. Lately I've been using a journaling technique I learned at a girls conference my church had around a month ago. 

This help me think through passages and understand what it says and how its relevant. Writing also helps me remember what I've read and learned.

Some of my post are even old journal entries.

Here are some random things I do in my journal: pictures and list and such.

Just like the prayer post from last week, this is not the only way to study the Bible. You don't have to have a journal or annotate your Bible. I know someone who hates writing in them, it's just not her thing and that's fine!

Post ways you like to study the Bible in the comments below so I can get more ideas!