Yes, Please Sign Up for Bible Study! How you Benefit from Regular, Weekly Time Studying God’s Word

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There’s lots of ways churches “do” their ladies Bible studies, but the benefits, blessings, and spiritual habits that we gain from time in the Word is the same for all. At Anchor Bible Church, our ladies Bible studies run from September to May with a break at Christmas. I have friends whose studies run 6 or 8 weeks and then have a break before resuming again. Some run their studies every other week, but we’re looking for the same things. As leaders, we want to be in God’s Word, studying it deeply, and learning how to handle it accurately and faithfully—and we want that for the ladies in our churches.  

What I’ve written below is my encouragement to any who do my Scripture Paths Bible Studies, but they’re also true for any who join a weekly study so they can get to know the Lord better. It’s worth it, lovelies! He’s worth it! You won’t ever be sorry you spent time studying God’s Word, though you might be sorry you didn’t.

What Studying God’s Word Week after Week Will Do for You

  • A weekly Bible study will build spiritual discipline in you.

  • A weekly Bible study will strengthen your faith and knowledge of God’s Word. One of the reasons my studies at Scripture Paths are designed the way they are is to get you into the Bible in a way you might not be able to do on your own—at least not yet.

  • A weekly Bible study will whet your appetite for more of God’s Word. My goal with every study I write is to make you hungry and eager for the Bible.

  • A weekly Bible study will increase your love for the Lord as you get to know Him better within the pages of His preserved Word.

  • A weekly Bible study will change you and help you overcome sin as you treasure God’s Word in your heart.

Encouragement or the “You Need to Know This” Part

  • Your brain will hurt at first. When we begin working out after a long break, our muscles get sore. Our brains are similar. Most of us haven’t really studied much of anything since we left school. Your brain might feel like it’s rusted shut, but let me encourage you, the routine and time in the Word will soon have it working like a well-oiled machine!

  • You can’t do this on your own or in your own strength. Reading God’s Word and studying the Scriptures is a spiritual work. You must ask the Lord’s help! Remember, you are engaging in a spiritual battle every time you sit down to read and study God’s Word. Satan wants nothing better than to discourage you, so you quit. Only in the strength that God provides will you finish—and finish well.

  • I’ve given you the study, but you need to make time to do it. I can’t do the study for you. I can't make you sit down and work on the lesson. That comes from you as you rely on the Lord for help. I’ve given you everything you need to begin to study God’s Word, now you need to plan for when and where you will do your lessons. If it’s helpful to you, enlist the aid of a friend to check in and see how you’re coming along. Better yet, meet with them to do the study together.

  • Don’t keep what you’ve learned to yourself. Telling others what you’re learning is crucial. This one simple step helps you nail down what God is teaching you as you study. It helps you remember the lessons, so they stay with you longer. It also encourages others and will build in them a desire to learn all the fun stuff you are learning.

Objections or the “I Can’t Do this Because…”

  • The Bible studies look too hard for me. They aren’t, I promise. I am no genius. I just go slow and try to see what God has said. Once I have figured out that much, I start asking questions about it. I promise these studies are not too difficult for you.

  • The lessons themselves are soooo long! I generally try to ask 20 or so questions per lesson on a paragraph or section of Scripture. My goal is to get us to slow down and peer at God’s Word deeply enough that we begin to discover some of the treasures He’s hidden there. Everyone works through the lessons in a way that works for them. Some gals answer 5 questions per day and complete the study in 4 or 5 days. Some work on the lesson in one sitting. I usually take a day or two to complete a lesson.

  • It’s going to take forever to finish this whole Bible study! It might feel that way if you were trying to do the complete study on a particular book in one week, but we’re not going to cram all those lessons into one week of your life. We’re going to do it slowly. Week by week. Poco y poco—little by little. And by the end you will have gained a deeper understanding of a particular book—and Lord willing, you will have grown in your Bible study skills, your understanding of God’s Word, and gained a deeper love for the Lord. The goal is not checking off the boxes to get another Bible study completed. We want know our good and gracious God, who has revealed Himself within the pages of the Scriptures.

  • I’m not very good at finishing things. Me either. But God is. He completes what He finishes in us (Philippians 1:6). One of the character qualities God builds in ALL His children is perseverance—faithfulness—endurance. Just start by reading my “Welcome to Scripture Paths Bible Studies” on any of the study home pages, then move onto the first lesson. If you don’t have time to complete the whole lesson in one sitting, don’t worry about it. The goal is time with the Lord. The goal is getting to know Him better. The goal is gleaning the treasures God has given us in His Word.

Oh friends! Don’t miss out! Get involved in your local church’s Bible study. And if your church doesn’t have one, print out one of my studies, try it out, and then take a group through it. Don’t settle for just reading what someone else learned when they studied God’s Word—study it yourself! You’ll be hooked! And more importantly, you’ll be changed as you behold the Lord’s glory through His Word (2 Corinthians 3:18)!

Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul observes them.

The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

I opened my mouth wide and panted, for I longed for Your commandments.

Turn to me and be gracious to me, after Your manner with those who love Your name.

Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.

Psalm 119:129–133

Want to learn how to study God’s Word on your own? My hubby trained me, and now he can train you! Check out what he has available to help you at Driven Nails!