Helpful Bible Study Tips for Growing in God’s Word

Praise the Lord for guiding us into another year! At the beginning of the year, many of us take time to reflect on our spiritual disciplines and identify the areas we want to grow. Maybe you have started a new Bible plan, set a goal to read the Bible in its entirety by the end of the year, or committed to studying a chapter each day. Whatever form it takes, the desire to want to know God through His Word is a good and worthy one.

With that in mind, I have compiled a list of practical tips you may find helpful as you seek to grow in consistency, depth, and reverence when studying Scripture. These are simply practices that have helped me along the way, and I hope you may find them useful in your own walk as well.

Approach God’s Word With Reverence

Before we consider the practical tips, it is important first to reflect on how we approach God’s Word in the first place. In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul reminds us that Scripture comes from God Himself. Because God is the author, His Word carries divine authority and should be approached with reverence. Reverence means recognising that when we open the Bible, we are not merely reading human opinion, current news, or the work of a skilled writer. We are listening to God Himself speak.

Approaching Scripture reverently also requires humility. This means allowing Scripture to examine us: to convict, challenge, and reshape our thinking, rather than selectively choosing verses we like or bending the text to fit our own views.

Finally, we should approach God’s Word prayerfully. Inviting the Holy Spirit to illuminate the text helps us not only to understand Scripture, but to know God more deeply through it. As we read, let us do so with reverence, humility, and prayer.

Eight helpful Tips You Can Apply To Your Bible Study

How to read the Bible

1. Read slowly: Reading slowly is not primarily about the amount of time spent reading, but the pace at which we read. When we rush, we often skim over truth without letting it settle in our hearts. Slowing our pace helps us listen more carefully to what God is saying, sometimes by reading a verse or passage more than once and sitting with it before moving on.
2. As time permits, read whole books, not just sections: While chapters and verses are helpful, they can sometimes limit our understanding. Reading an entire book helps us see and understand the message in its entirety and keeps us from isolating verses from their context. Even reading a book over a few sittings can help us remember what came before and understand what comes after.
3. Read with others: Reading Scripture in community — whether in church, small groups, or prayer meetings — exposes us to insights we may not notice on our own. Hearing how others encounter Christ through the Word strengthens our faith and often helps clarify passages that once felt unclear. God frequently uses His people to teach and encourage us through Scripture.

How to uderstand the Bible

4. Ask questions: Asking questions helps us engage actively with Scripture rather than reading passively. Simple questions such as “What does this reveal about God? Why is this included? How does this point to Christ?” can open up deeper understanding and reflection as we read.
5. Pay attention to repeated words and phrases: Repeated words or phrases often signal what the author wants to emphasise. Noticing these patterns can help us identify key themes and better understand the heart of a passage, rather than focusing only on individual verses in isolation.
6. Take on focused studies: Alongside regular reading, it can be helpful to study something specific: a theme, a word, a character, or a repeated pattern in Scripture. For example, you might study prayers in the Bible, prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament, or the attributes of God. Focused studies help us trace God’s truth across Scripture and gradually build a deeper, more connected understanding of His Word.

How to respond to the Bible

7. Pray before, during and after reading: Prayer prepares our hearts, sustains our focus, and helps us respond rightly to what we read. Scripture study is not separate from prayer — it should be surrounded by it. When our minds wander or passages feel difficult, prayer re-centres our attention on God and reminds us that understanding comes from Him.
8. Seek opportunities for application: The goal of Scripture is transformation, not information, and true understanding of the Word leads to obedience. A helpful piece of advice I once received from a pastor was this: “When you hear a sermon on Sunday, pick just one thing—even one small thing—to focus on or practise during the week.” The same is true of personal Bible study. Even applying one small truth can reshape our daily walk with God.

It is a great blessing that we have God’s Word so readily available, and that through it we can know the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we continue through the year, may the Lord draw us nearer to Himself, and may our hearts be shaped and transformed as we devote ourselves to His Word.