How Bible Study Affects Your Life

This post originally was published as Episode 1 of the Bible Study Made Simple Podcast. You can listen here. 

Do you ever wish you felt more comfortable studying the Bible? Maybe you have heard of others talking about their thriving time with God on the pages of His Word, and you want that! You just don’t know where to start? You are in the right place. 

I am Eva Kubasiak, and this is Bible Study Made Simple. Have you ever felt intimidated or confused by the Bible? Or maybe you have started studying the Bible before but haven’t found a way to incorporate it into your regular routine. The Bible Study Made Simple podcast is here to help you move from intimidated and confused to confident and joyful in your approach to Scripture, and help you find a routine that sticks. The goal isn’t checking off a box perfectly, but instead, our goal is an intimate connection with the God of the Bible - plus having tons of fun along the way! 

In this episode, I want to tell you about who I am and then I have a story for you about 3 girls. Let’s jump right in!  

If we have never met before, my name is Eva Kubasiak. I grew up in church, in fact, my dad was a pastor! I saw him every morning reading his Bible in a big comfy chair that was in our living room. He would wake up before the sun, click on the coffee pot and a lamp and connect with God through the Bible. Now, what may have drawn my attention at first was the fact that he had a cup of colored pens that he used for his Bible study. I mean, what little girl doesn’t want to get her hands on colored pens? 

When I was around 8 or 9, I asked him to teach me how he studied the Bible. He outlined his color code for me, and I got my very own colored pens to use in my own Bible. It was all very cool. As I got older, he taught me other ways to connect with God through His Word, and I absolutely loved it. God came alive to me through His Word in ways I never knew possible. In fact, it was because I had this foundation that I was able to walk through some hard times with anxiety and depression. I was able to rely on God, knowing that He is who He says He is in His Word, even when my feelings didn’t line up. 

In 2018, I was reflecting on this and how grateful I was for my background, and it hit me. Not everyone has a dad to teach them how to study the Bible. And since studying the Bible was so crucial for me and my relationship with God I wanted to share that with others. 

Since then, I have had the opportunity to teach so many people how to study the Bible in different ways. I have published two guided journals to help people connect with God through His Word, and have several courses that do the same. And now, I have started this podcast. I have seen the life-changing power of studying God’s Word, and I just can’t shut up about it. It truly excites me to no end to see what God is doing through His Word and how He is using it in the lives of others, and I want to be a part of that! 

Now the story of 3 girls. Girl number one loves God. Like really. You can tell it in the way she talks about Him, in her dedication to worship, and it boils over into her conversations. She has Bible verses scattered across her room and written in her journal. She even wants to love God more! But her relationship with God wavers sometimes. When she can’t feel Him, she struggles to connect and wonders if He is even there. Because of this natural rhythm in her faith, sometimes she feels close to God on a spiritual high and sometimes feels like He couldn't be further away on a spiritual low. She desperately wants off this roller coaster of emotions and into a stable relationship with the God who created her and loves her deeply. 

Girl number two knows all the right answers. She grew up in church, can quote verses like it's her job and Bible drills were her jam. If you asked her a question about God, she would probably know what the answer was and where to find it in the Bible, but her relationship with God Himself falls a little flat. She doesn’t know how to take her relationship with God from a facts-based level to a heart-based level. She wants to not only know about God but truly know Him in an intimate way. 

Girl number three does all the right things. She goes to church every Sunday and is the first to sign up to bring a meal to a friend in need. If you need someone to talk to, she will drop everything and be at your door with coffee in 5 minutes. She knows exactly the right words to say. If there is a service project, you know she signed up. And children’s ministry? She makes sure to get on the schedule to help there too. The only problem is she feels empty. She starts to grow resentful. She is doing all the right things, but for some reason, they feel hollow and aren’t giving her purpose. She wonders if God even cares that she did all those things for Him. 

Now friend, do you resonate with any of these girls? I know I do. And at different points in my life, I was probably each one. And I am going to tell you the secret that each of these girls is missing. Are you ready? 

Personal Bible study. 

Yep. That’s it. Personal Bible study. Girl number 1 is so focused on the feelings of loving God, that she is missing out on knowing Him truly and intimately. When she knows who God is, she can trust that He is who He says He is, even when she doesn’t feel Him. 

Girl number 2 knows a lot about God but hasn’t taken the leap into a personal relationship with Him. And studying the Bible and looking for the character of God on the pages of Scripture will help her move from knowing about Him to knowing Him intimately. When she truly connects the head's knowledge to the heart, her whole relationship with Him will be changed. 

And Girl number 3 is serving God, but again, the lack of personal love and intimacy with Him is making her resentful over the steps she is taking without moving into that closeness and intimacy with Him. Service out of obligation leaves her feeling empty, but service out of love will help her truly worship through her actions. 

Bible study takes each of these 3 girls deeper into who God made them to be and deeper into how He wants to relate to them. And that’s what it will do for you too. I don’t know where you are on your walk with God. But I do know that God wants to connect with you on the pages of His Word, and He wants you to know Him more! 

Week by week in this podcast we will go over what that kind of Bible study looks like, how you can take action, and start to get to know God better in this way. And as a bonus, you don’t have to have hours a day to study your Bible. You just have to offer the time that you have, and a willing spirit to meet God. He is ready and waiting! 

So here’s your action step today. Talk to God. Tell Him if you relate to one of these girls. Ask Him to draw your heart closer to His and tell Him what might be holding you back. This conversation doesn’t have to be fancy - just a few words from your heart to His. 

Maybe you don’t have the words yet, and that’s okay. Here are a few that you can borrow today. It’s my prayer, and it can be yours too. 

Father, thank you that you have given us your Word. I am so grateful that You want a relationship with me and give me the opportunity to have a relationship with You. When my heart feels like you aren’t there, remind me that there is no place I can go away from You. When my head feels like a bunch of facts, remind me that You deeply desire a relationship. When I feel like all I am doing is routine and mundane, remind me that my actions are worship to You! I truly want to know You more. Amen. 

If you don’t know how to take the first step towards God through His Word, I would recommend getting into a Bible reading habit. I have a free guide just for you that you can download at evakubasiak.com/habit or just follow the link in the show notes. As you take your next steps towards God through studying the Bible, I pray that you remember our goal is connection with God over perfection in our process. Remember, your time with God doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.