Bible Study

The S.O.A.P. Method is a way to hear from God on a daily basis while exploring the Bible. Spending daily time studying the Bible re-patterns the way we think, opens our hearts, and helps us become more like Jesus! Creating a S.O.A.P. journal is a simple way to process what we learn from the Bible and how it inspires us. It is also a useful tool to use at a later time when we want to reflect on some of the ‘gems’ that we have discovered.

Here’s a breakdown of the S.O.A.P. method:

S - SCRIPTURE
Open your Bible to the passage you are reading and write down the name of the book, the chapter number, and verse numbers (for example, John 1:1-15). Read the verses and see how it inspires you. When you are done, look for one verse that particularly speaks to you that day, and write it in your journal.

O - OBSERVATION
Write down what you see happening in the passage using the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when, and why.

A - APPLICATION
What practical idea can you apply to your life from your reading? Is it a prompting to change something? Is it an encouragement? Is it a challenge?

P - PRAYER
Write out a prayer to God about what you learned from your reading and how you will apply it.

Below is an example of the S.O.A.P. method to look through to get a feel for how it works. At the end of this devotional is a S.O.A.P. form that you can print out and use.

You are more than welcome to use this devotional for yourself! Feel free to download it and print it out.

Bible Reading Plans Online

Reading plans are a great way to move the Bible from intimidating to approachable. Below are links to different online reading plans for you to try.

www.bible.com - This resource provides a multitude of reading plans to choose from. You can enter a topic or a book of the Bible in the search bar.

5X5X5 New Testament Reading Plan - This is another great plan for those of you that are starting to read the Bible. Here’s the breakdown; you read for 5 minutes a day, x 5 days a week, x 5 suggestions they give you to help pull deeper meaning out of the passage. Just print out the PDF from the link.

Daily Reading for Personal Growth - This reading plan gives you a passage a day to read for 40 days. The verses you read will give you insight into the character of God and the nature of our faith.

Bible Reading Plan - This plan gives you a passage to read for the day. Click the link under the passage and it opens up for deeper exploration including, insights into the passage along with reflective questions.

Psalms - Psalms is an inspirational book of poetry in the Bible. It gives you a great glimpse into people who are completely honest revealing their trials, hardships, victories, etc. It’s a great place to start by reading one Psalm a day. If you don’t have a Bible, just click on the link with the Psalm and you can read it right on your screen. You can sign in to this plan to track your progress.

Christmas Reading Plan - Are you in the holiday spirit and looking for something to read during Christmas? You can treat this plan like an advent calendar and read a passage a day beginning on December 1st. You can sign in to this plan to track your progress.

Important Note:

If you find yourself falling behind, please do not quit. Feel free to abbreviate your reading or switch to a new plan all together.

If life happens and you hit a reading gap, there’s no need to feel guilty. You can just pick up where you left off.

Start small. Find a shorter plan that you can finish. It’s better to start small and finish, then go big and wear down.

Devotionals

Devotionals provide an opportunity for spiritual inspiration. Typically, they contain a verse or verses, and a thought for reflection. They vary in length based on the author’s discretion. They are a great place to start if you are new to reading the Bible.

New Believer - This resource is aimed at walking new believers (regardless of age) through their first few steps in Christ over the course of 9 days.

The New You - This is a devotional about taking small yet deliberate steps toward the life you were meant to live. It is about unlearning what has taken you away from wholeness and relearning what is needed to return.

Closer than Close - This devotional explores what it means to be close to God.

The Power of a Simple Prayer - Here is a great devotional if you are new to prayer or just want to improve how you connect with God.

Breathing Room - Worn out and exhausted by life? In this devotional, you will see how God offers an invitation for peace for the overwhelmed.

Discovery Bible Study Method is a very simple way to study the Bible with friends, family, co-workers, etc. The beauty of it is that you don’t have to be a Bible scholar. Ken describes the method in this video.

Here are the questions shared in the video:
1. What does this teach me about God?
2. What do I learn about people or myself?
3. What is a take away that I can apply to my life?
4. How will I do that?
5. Who will I tell about it?

Websites to use for research if you have questions or run into a challenging verse:

• www.biblehub.com

• www.biblegateway.com