51. What should you do before you open the Bible?

What should you be doing before you even open your Bible to make the most of your time in God's Word?

In this episode, Whitney discusses three important things to do or consider before you even open the Bible to understand and connect with Scripture.

Whitney also shares her personal experiences and insights on how these practices have transformed her Bible study journey, encouraging you to approach your Bible reading with prayer, patience, and the right perspective.

If you have been asking questions like:

• What should I do before I even open my Bible?
• Why is it important to invite God into my Bible study?
• How can I stop feeling in a rush to read my Bible?
• How can I enjoy the Bible reading process?
• How can I move past spending time in God's Word feeling like another checklist task I have to accomplish?
• How can I make the most out of my Bible study time?

Then this episode is for you!

Take the Next Step on Your Bible Study Journey:

1. Bible Study Made Just for You is a 6-week 1:1 coaching program with Whitney where the Bible transforms your life and takes your faith to the next level as a Christian woman. *only 5 spots*

2. The Bible Study Made Simple community is where you learn about the Bible and make it a priority so your faith grows as a Christian woman.

3. The Bible Study Made Simple guide is where you learn what to do every time you read the Bible, so you actually understand it.

4. These are the best Bible study tools on Amazon that will help you start reading the Bible with confidence.

5. Follow Whitney on TikTok @stepintoboldfaith for simple Bible study tips, encouragement, and practical help to grow in your faith.

Transcript

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Today we are going to be talking about something that I don't even think that a lot of people even consider when they start to go study their Bible or read their Bible. And that is thinking about what we should be doing before we even open our Bible. And there are things that we should be doing before we open our Bibles to make sure that we can really understand it, that we feel connected to it, that we feel engaged in it. And so I really want to go over some things that really helped me as a Christian woman who is really deep into Bible study. And I just love it so much. And just some of these things really helped me in my Bible study journey. And I didn't even realize that I was doing them until I really thought about the concept for this episode of being like, you know, what am I doing before I open my Bible? Like, what are the things that are really working for me? Because I've been able to read through entire books of the Bible, understand them, be able to get through the entire New Testament in less than six months. I was able to just really like actually go in every single day. And I feel deeply engaged in the text. I feel like I walk away knowing so much. It constantly is revealing so much to me. I'm so connected to God through it, through his word. I love reading it. I have a genuine excitement and eagerness to read the word every day. And so a lot of this though can't happen unless we're doing the right things even before we start to read it and before we start to open our Bibles. So I thought that it would be really, really beneficial for us to go over these things to make sure that you are doing them. So by the end of today's episode, you are going to know exactly what to do before you even open your Bible and why it's so important. And hopefully really start getting some good results with your Bible study. So I'm so excited. So let's get into today's episode. So welcome to Step into Bold Faith. This is the podcast where I help you make Bible study simple. And I'm so excited that God connected us. So thank you for being here today. And this is just so great because this is something that I feel like no one talks about, right? I feel like no one talks about what are you supposed to do before you even open your Bible. Everyone talks about Bible study and you know what we do like when we're in there. But what about even like before, you know? Because when I started doing Bible study, I don't really remember even knowing like these things or how I found out about them or if I listened to a podcast or read a book where it included this, honestly. Like I feel like this was kind of a revelation I had for myself or something I again just started doing. And I felt like it really, really impacted my Bible study time each time I did it. And so I just really wanted to share this with you because I felt like it was so helpful for me. And I really feel like it's gonna help you too. So before we even get into that, so when we're talking about before we even open our Bibles, right? Like when we're going to go into our Bible study time, there are so many tools that we could be using, right? But like the most basic tool, like when I'm talking about opening your Bible, you need a Bible, like a physical Bible. And that's what I'm gonna be talking about today. Having a physical Bible that you relate to, that you feel connected to, that you feel like you can understand the language that feels really good to you, that you enjoy reading the text, right? And so having a good Bible that you love is so important. And I'm gonna be coming out with a really great free guide with all of the Bible study tools and resources that I use that you're gonna need to go buy on Amazon right now. And it's gonna be so good. And I'm working on it, so just stay tuned. But make sure to check out the link in the show notes soon and I'm gonna be uploading that for you. But until now, again, for this episode, the biggest tool that we're gonna be needing or using is our Bible. But again, this is like before we even open it. So we're just looking at our Bible in our in our minds right now. Okay, so let's get into the actual like practical things. So this morning I was sitting doing a lot of prayer, a lot of searching, and I always just kind of like to talk to God about, you know, the podcast and like content and what I need to be doing and what I should be talking about for the day, right? And I was thinking about, you know, like I haven't even talked at all about like what we should do before we even open our Bibles. And I realized like I do these three things that I'm gonna be telling you today. And so there's three different things we're gonna be going over, and they each start with the letter P, which I thought was really funny, and I kind of like made it flow like that, which I thought would be really fun. So the first thing we need to do is prayer. So the biggest thing before we even go to open our Bible is to connect with God and make it a holy moment and really ask him to help you understand what you're reading and reveal what he wants you to learn through his word, right? So the Bible is so great because a lot of times, you know, we're learning about different people's pasts or experiences or God's character or things we should be doing or things we shouldn't be doing, right? But a lot of this is meant for God to speak through his word to us and see what we need to be working on through his word and seeing what he wants to reveal to us. And prayer for start this the first step to being able to start to do this, right? So when we pray and we ask for God to his help, we're inviting him into that conversation. We're inviting him into this holy moment with us, for him to reveal things to us through his word. So prayer is the really the first step to being able to get into this space of wanting to open our Bibles and actually getting something from it every time we read it, right? And when we pray, I pray very specific things like I pray for presence in the word, for him revealing things to me in the word, for him to help me like stay focused in it, to see something that I didn't know before, to show me what I need to know, right? And so when you're praying, you really want to give gratitude not only for the word and for what the word does for you already and what has done it has done for you in the past, but also what do you want it to do in the future for you or what you want it to do in that moment, right? And really asking him for those specific things because he wants to give you what you feel like you need. But a lot of times we just aren't asking for the right things and we're not digging deep enough to know what we even want from it. So that would be even a good thing for you to even just start thinking about what do you really want from your time in the Word, right? Like what really is going to help you so much? Okay, and so the second thing here is the second P is patience. So remind yourself that understanding the Bible, it takes a lot of time and you do not have to know everything about it right away, and things are going to be slowly revealed to you over time. So this was the one of the biggest things that I had to learn about myself. Like when I first started reading the Bible, everything was like I was trying to do it on one of those yearly planned things, you know, where it's like you read this much every day. And I just did not love it because I felt like it was rushing me. I felt like it was putting me on a timeline. Like I like to read entire books of the Bible. I want to understand the entire book, like each section, but also as a whole, like I am in these books. Like I want to understand it. I like love spending time in it. And so I don't like being rushed. I don't want to feel like I have to be rushed because I'm on some kind of timeline. And so you're not on the timeline when you're reading the Bible, you know? And one of the biggest things that really helped me in the beginning was realizing like the Bible, it's always gonna be there and it's gonna take my whole life to get through it and get through it multiple times, right? Just because I'm like working my way through the Old Testament now to finish it for the first time, like that doesn't mean that it's ever going to be finished, right? There is no finish line with the Bible. The Bible is something that we're gonna be reading over and over and over again. And since it's a living and active word, it's always gonna be revealing things to us. It's always going to be, you know, helping us with different things. Where we're at right now isn't where we're gonna be in five years when we read that same part of the Bible. Even five months ago, I go back to parts of the Bible that I read, highlighted, journaled about, and it revealed to me something totally different. And it's like I go and look at that section and it's like I didn't even look at it. Like I can't, I don't even remember like writing those things down. And so we have to have a lot of patience when we're studying the Bible and before we even open it and just reminding ourselves like this is not a race. I'm not here to rush and finish it. Like things will be revealed to me slowly over time. Like, even if I don't, you know, get it all right now, it's gonna be okay. Like I will, you know, keep coming back, right? And keep that consistency in order for it to reveal more and more things. And then the third thing here, the third P today is perspective. So again, don't rush the process, don't compare yourself to other people. Your journey with reading and studying the Bible, it's personal and it really does happen little by little every single day. Every single day, God reveals different things, and I'll realize after like a week of studying the Bible with him that I'm like, this is what we're trying to work on right now, or like this is where he's leading me in the Bible, or this is where he really wants me to see right now. And so having that that right perspective of I'm not rushed, it's gonna take me as long as it needs to take me. I'm enjoying the process, I'm connected to God, like I'm doing as much as I can, and you're not putting all this pressure on yourself. And so, really just enjoying the process, enjoying the journey, making finding a lot of joy and contentment in the journey because it is a lifelong process. And so, some different examples with this again, like the first thing I do before I even open my Bible is I'll pray, I'll ask for what I need. I usually kind of have the same prayer that I like to say over and over again. I'll really just remind myself like this is not a race. Like, as much as I want to get through in a day, I get through. Sometimes that's literally just going through the day before and like writing journaling prompts and questions and notes that I had from the day before with all that I Bible highlighted. Sometimes it's I get through like three, four, five new sections. Sometimes it's, you know, I just really meditate on like one section and I don't even get very far. Right. And so really having that patience with yourself, like you're gonna get from it what you need every day. And so not always striving to do more and more and more, just being like really content with where you're at. And then same thing kind of with the perspective, like not putting yourself on a timeline, not comparing yourself to where other people are at in the Bible journey, in their Bible journey. Just because someone else read the whole Bible in a year and followed the daily plan and actually accomplished the daily plan doesn't mean that they're gonna understand any of it or that they felt personally connected to it or like God was revealing what they needed to know, right? And that's what I really want to be here to do to help you with is to not just make Bible study something that you're checking off your list, but something that you truly enjoy, that you really want to spend time in, that really makes an impact in your life, that it doesn't feel like a waste of time or just another check in the box because it really can be such a wonderful, beautiful journey and way to connect with God, way to connect with yourself, way to connect with other people, to become a better person, a better woman, a better wife. Everything you need is in the Bible, but you have to, you have to allow it to transform you. You have to allow it to do these things. And so a lot of these things do happen through following the right processes. So again, those three Ps before we even open our Bible is to pray, to have patience and have a good perspective on it. And so today, I really want to challenge you. So tomorrow when you wake up to read your Bible and start doing your Bible study, hopefully we're doing it every day, even if it's just five minutes, right? So tomorrow when you get up and you do your Bible study, try to follow these three P's, right? Have a prayer that you you want to say that you feel like you really want God to connect with you on. Have that patience. Know that, you know, think about, you know, what you're gonna get from it is what you're gonna get. And make sure that you're you're not rushing your process, that you're really enjoying your time in the word, that you're having the right idea and the right mindset behind it to make it really valuable for you. And really dig deep and think about what you really do want it to reveal to you, what you want to feel like you accomplish after you read it every day. So I just again want to really encourage you that Bible study, it can be so much more than just a check in the box or something you feel like you have to do every day. It can be something that you love that you wake up and you feel encouraged by, and that really sets the tone for your whole day and really just transforms your life. There's so much, so much beautiful, beautiful stuff that comes from reading the Bible, right? And so again, we went over those three Ps and why they're so important. And so I really would love you to follow and subscribe to the show if you are loving knowing about Bible study. I have been in a crazy journey with God right now, honestly. We have been going through some big changes with my podcasts, with my platforms, with my offers, what I'm gonna be helping you with. And we're gonna be sticking with Bible study made simple, but I have so many wonderful resources coming out. I have a community that's gonna be coming out. I'm gonna have one-on-one opportunities available to really help you have this transform your life. And there's gonna be so many wonderful things coming. So for right now, I just want you to follow and subscribe to the show so you don't miss anything. All these wonderful resources that are gonna be coming. And so just stay tuned for now. And I just want to say thank you so much for your patience. I know that there's been a few episodes that I've missed lately, and I've been a little MIA online. I took a full week off work this week and I've just had a lot going on, but I'm so excited to help you with your Bible study. I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere and I'm here to help you. I'm here to encourage you. And you can reach out to me anytime via DM on TikTok at Step Into Bold Faith, and I would love to help you with your Bible study journey too. So now let's end in our prayer. God, thank you so much for each and every woman listening to this episode right now, Lord. I hope that she feels confident and encouraged now to open her Bible and actually start getting something from it, Lord. Please help show up during that Bible study time and fill her with the presence of the Holy Spirit and reveal things that need to be known in that moment, Lord, and that she really can get so much from the Word if she does these processes and that she takes the time and really has a new perspective on it and really invites you into this, into this time with her, Lord, and and has that patience and isn't feeling rushed, Lord. So I just ask you to help with all of those things and so much more. And we love you, we worship you. In Jesus' name, amen. So thank you again so much for today's episode. I hope you loved it, and I can't wait to talk again soon. So until next time, I hope you have a great rest of your day and bye for now.