How to Get Started With Bible Study

This post was originally published as episode 4 of the Bible Study Made Simple Podcast. You can listen here.

When studying the Bible it can be hard to know where to start. If you have ever asked the question, how do I get started studying the Bible this episode is for you. 

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!  

We are often told that we should study our Bibles. We covered why we should study our Bibles in episode 2 of the podcast, and then we talked about where people usually get stuck in episode 3. In this episode, we are going to break down exactly what you need to get started. 

The first thing you will need is a Bible. This can either be a hard copy, like a physical Bible, or it can be the Bible app on your phone. I highly suggest getting a physical Bible - however, if you are just getting started, there are two scenarios where I recommend a digital Bible - like the Bible app first. 

The first scenario is if you don’t have a physical Bible. You might be tempted to wait to start reading until the physical Bible you ordered arrives in the mail. Or even wait until you have time to go to the book store and pick one out. In this case, I recommend you go ahead and start reading on your phone or computer right away. Why? Because this helps you take advantage of the motivation you currently have. Motivation isn’t everything, but why not use it while you have got it? 

The second scenario is if you don’t know what version of the Bible you prefer. Some people have a tried and true version and know what they like, and some people are still looking for one that is easy to understand and reliable. If you don’t have a version that works for you yet, try a few on your Bible app before getting a physical copy. Here is a blog post for picking a translation if you need help in that area too.  

The next thing you will want is a pen. Or, if you are like me, a cup full of colored pens. I want to be able to mark what is standing out to me immediately! You may have some hesitation about writing in your Bible. Can I just encourage you that if you are being respectful, there is nothing wrong with writing in your Bible? If you are worried about a particular Bible that you have, get a second one that isn’t as special to you for writing in. And if you are worried about messing up, I love the frixion erasable pens. I will put a link to them in the show notes! 

Okay, so we have our Bible and a pen. What now? We need to pick a time and place. Try to pick a time and place that are as quiet as possible - but don’t let lack of quiet keep you from reading. Now, the time and place are our ideal, but if you miss your time, try to work it in to a different time of day. If you miss the day altogether, pick it back up the next day and give yourself some grace. 

Bible. Pen. Time and Place - now we need to pick a place to start. My top 3 book recommendations for first-time Bible students are Mark, Philippians, or James. Each of these books is a simple read that goes deep into our faith. They teach us about the heart of God and are great first books to study. Pick one and go at your own pace. I usually recommend less than a chapter a day if you are studying a book. You want to go slow enough for it to soak in. In fact - I often like to read it repeatedly to soak in overtime too.  

If you want a guided plan for studying each of these books, you can download some free bookmarks at evakubasiak.com/bookmarks. This will help you break down each of these books into bite-sized chunks to study. 

Now you might be wondering why I suggested these 3 books instead of the first 3 books of the Bible. Well, the Bible is laid out in two separate parts. You have the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament traces the story of the Jews throughout history. It gives us the backstory for Jesus coming onto the scene in the New Testament. Often, people avoid the Old Testament because it can be confusing and hard to read. I get that - but we don’t want to avoid it. We just want to know what we are doing when we approach it. After all, the Bible was written over 2,000 years ago to a completely different audience. We need to know some background information before approaching it. 

This is actually why I started the Bible Reading Group in 2019. This is a group where we - you guessed it - read through the Bible. My goal through that group is to help you read through the Bible and understand a little more of the context and storyline of the whole Bible. If you have been avoiding the Old Testament or if you think it is boring or hard to understand, I highly recommend you join us in the Bible reading group! 

So to start studying the Bible, you need a Bible, a pen, a time and place, and then a reading plan. The last thing you need is prayer. Prayer is such an important part of our time with God. God promises that He will help us as we are reading His Word, and prayer is our way of aligning our heart with His. We want to understand Scripture rightly, and we want it to change us. So we ask God for those things. 

As you are getting started in your Bible study time, here is a quick prayer to borrow.

Father, I want to know You more. Amen.

Yep, that’s it. Asking God to know Him more, and aligning your heart with His will totally and completely transform your Bible study time. So carve out some time today - don’t wait. And get to know God on the pages of His Word. 

As you take the next steps in studying your Bible today, here’s my prayer. You can borrow this one too if you’d like. 

Father, I want to know You more. And when my heart isn’t in it? Help me to want to know You more. I want a rhythm of Bible study in my life. I don’t want it to be an every now and then thing - but I want it to be a life-changing habit of me intentionally setting aside time to meet You. Thank You for meeting me where I am. Amen. 

If you don’t know how to engage with God’s Word when studying, I have a mini-course just for you with 10 different ways to engage with God’s Word. In fact, if you are listening to this in real-time, there is a challenge starting Monday. We will go through all 10 ways in 10 days. You can check that out at evakubasiak.com/challenge. Both of those links are in the show notes. And no matter what your next step is, as you take that step towards God through studying the Bible, I pray that you remember our goal is connection with God over perfection in our day-to-day routine. 

Thank you for listening to episode 4 of the Bible Study Made Simple Podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, would you share it with a friend? It can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you are the only person who struggles with Bible study, but that’s not true! In fact, we can all use some encouragement for our time with God. So send some encouragement to a friend today by sharing this podcast with them. I am so grateful for you, and I am looking forward to chatting again next week on Bible Study Made Simple.