Reading the Bible can open your spiritual eyes and allow you to get to know God better. But understanding what you read isn’t always easy.
Check out these tips to improve your comprehension of the Holy Book.
1. Read Your Bible Regularly
If you hear, see, or read something many times, you’re likely to have an easier time remembering it. When it comes to the Bible, the same rules apply. To read and understand the Bible, read it regularly.
It could be every day early in the morning before starting your day, or late in the evening before you retire to sleep. Whatever time works best for you, make sure you read your Bible at least once every day.
2. Analyze, Analyze, Analyze
The key to understanding what each verse you’re reading means is scrutinizing. First, read the passage. Then, take a moment to ask yourself how the passage reflects on life today.
What can you learn from it — how can you make changes in your life to suit the lessons held in the particular passage you’ve just read?
Being analytical helps you discover new truths about the Bible. If you find that you struggle and you are unable to understand some of the chapters, how about find a Bible guide or Bible dictionary to help you understand better?
3. Be Systematic
Many people read the Bible without a proper plan. But you have a better chance of understanding it if you read it systematically. Here, a Bible guide comes in handy.
Guides are great because they help show you where to find spiritual nourishment.
For example — if you are feeling resentment towards someone, or they are feeling the same towards you, guides can help show you chapters or verses that help you feel loved and learn how to love, too.
Find out what works for you. Make a habit of reading the Bible at the same time each day, in a particular pattern. A systematic way of reading the Bible helps you find it easy to understand the message that’s in store for you.
4. Be Persistent
Do you find it hard to grip the meaning of that Bible passage the first time? Why don’t you try reading it again and again?
If it’s your first time, or you are trying to develop a habit of reading the Bible, it can be difficult to understand everything. You may end up getting distracted by external factors, or give up reading altogether.
But try and be persistent about it. If possible, have a pen and a notebook nearby.
Write down what you didn’t understand and what you found inspiring. Later, find time to research further about the words and phrases you wrote down.
5. Be Observant When Reading the Bible
Pay close attention to what is said. Look at how the terms are used, their structure, repetition, and emphasis.
Note that if something is repeated many times, for example, it holds a higher level of importance than other phrases and ideas.
The same way, if you read a chapter or a verse that’s much longer than the average length, then you know that there’s a significant level of emphasis on the message being conveyed.
6. Read to Completion
You may have resolved to read a verse or two for the day. This, however, may prove less sufficient if you are looking to get spiritual nourishment out of it. You are better off studying chapters dedicated to each topic to completion to benefit from it.
Some books tend to be more intriguing than other books in the Bible. You may find it easier to read the interesting books in length and to completion, but find it harder to maintain focus with the difficult-to-understand books.
Either way, make the deliberate choice of reading Bible chapters to completion. This, because it’s the only way to reap all that the holy book has to offer.
7. Interpret the Meanings
To read the Bible effectively, you need to have the ability to interpret the words.
Without this, you will get very little out of it. But how do you learn how to be a good interpreter? Look at it this way — it’s a skill you have to master.
First, understand the context held by the passage. Here you will have most of the questions answered. Second, understand the culture behind how the Bible is written and structured.
Note that the culture present during the writing of the Old and New Testament are quite different from what we have now.
You should read a passage, interpret it, understand it, and then apply it to your life. The Bible speaks blessings upon those who make conscious moves to apply the true teachings of the Bible.
Do you know the seven last words of Christ? You can find them in this article. Read them and then practice interpreting their meaning.
Hard to Understand the Bible? This Is How to Make It Work
Reading the Bible shouldn’t be something you do only when you feel like it.
It is supposed to be a part of your daily routine. At first, it can prove harder, but with time and help from the tips listed above, you are bound to discover many life secrets.
It’s also important to note that reading the Bible and prayer go hand in hand. Whatever you read, remember to ask God through prayer to enable the word to manifest in your life. These two things are a great way of keeping you emotionally healthy.
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