Disclaimer – This is not a post geared towards bashing devotional books because I personally use and love devotional books and am always on the lookout for a new theological read. But what happens when these books start to replace the Bible?
Christian books and devotionals are often easy to understand which is why a lot of us, myself included, are drawn to them over the Bible. Studying the Bible is hard work but when we consume more and more of Christian lifestyle/devotional books, we start to lose our “taste” for the Word and makes it harder for us to “get into” the Bible because we don’t have an author explaining hard concepts or points to us.
So, how do you make the switch from depending on a devotional to studying the Bible on your own? Here are a few tips!
1: Pick a passage to study daily
You can make your time in the Word much easier if you choose ahead of time what you are going to study. I like Jenny’s (from the Little Faith blog) monthly Bible plan because it gives you a passage of scripture to read for every day of the month while also giving you the space to study on your own while still feeling supported by a structured outline.
Giving yourself a set plan for what you are reading will help you stay focused and consistent, which is one of the advantages of a devotional book.
2: Ask Questions!
Devotionals walk us through concepts with questions, stories, and examples. The Bible is full of these as well and come to life when you ask the questions. If you don’t understand something, write it down and find out the answer and as you read the text ask yourself questions like:
- Who wrote this?
- Why did they write this?
- Who are they talking to?
- Who is God in the passage?
- What do I learn about following God in this passage?
- How does this affect my life today?
Asking questions will keep you more engaged and pay attention to the text instead of mindlessly reading (don’t worry, I’m guilty of it too).
3: Don’t be afraid to go slow
Studying the Word isn’t a five-minute deal and then you’re done. Why? Because when you are actively taking notes, asking questions, highlighting, praying, meditating, and thinking about what you read, it will slow you down. Which is okay! Studying God’s love letter to us is not a race. Take your time and soak in what you are learning.
4: Context is everything!
When studying the Bible, you want to get a better idea of what’s there and a huge part of Bible study is reading verses and passages within the context of where they are placed in the Bible.
It’s easy to pick out singular verses and apply them how we want them or thing they should apply to our life, but if we don’t look at the whole of the chapter in which the verse is found, we lose context.
Use this time to study well known verses that you are familiar with and try reading them within the context of the passage or book you are reading, what did you find?
5: Utilize all the great resources around you
There are countless free and easy-to-access resources that make it easier to study independently than with a devotional book.
Here are my favorites:
If you have questions, comment below! Do you have any Bible study or devotion tips to share? You never know who might need to hear it!
Rebekah is a young writer and podcaster from Southern California who is a lover of all things books and Christ and has been writing and publishing articles on Christian living since the tender age of twelve. Her mission in life is to bring light to the darkness through the written word via fiction and nonfiction. She is the assistant manager of The Wilting Rose Project and hopes to inspire young ladies in their walk with Christ in a world where hope is hard to come by.
I like this! I used to be very dependent on my devotional book but now I’ve been focusing on reading the Bible. Great tips!
We’re so glad it was helpful, Emily!! May you continually pursue Jesus!
This is a wonderful post! Rebekah speaks the truth with the right tone. Devotionals are good for encouragement but they are not the way we are equipped in learning how to study Scripture. That is actually my passion behind a project I am working on called “According to Your Word”. It is such an encouragement to read young people who have this wisdom and share it too!
Thank you so much for your encouragement, Theron!
Your book sounds so amazing! We can’t wait to read it.