Is there anything as intimidating to a New Believer than learning how to read the Bible?
Okay… maybe walking into church for the first time can be more intimidating than that.
But reading the Bible for the first time can be really daunting too!
In this video, I’m going to teach you 5 ways to start reading the Bible that are NOT
intimidating at all!
And by the way, welcome to the channel.
My name is Whitney Meade, and this is where Great Faith and Real Life Collide!
#1 - The first thing you should know is that the Bible was originally written in Greek.
So… over the centuries, it’s been translated…and translated… and translated again!
There are LOTS of different “translations” of the Bible that you can purchase from your
local Christian bookstore or on Amazon.
One of the most popular versions is the King James Version, or the KJV.
I do NOT recommend this version to those of you who are starting to read the Bible for
the first time.
It was written in 1611 and because of the words they use and the sentence structure,
it can be really hard to read.
So, have two other recommendations for you.
The first is the New International Version, or the NIV.
It was written in 1978 and revised in 2011, and it’s on an 8th grade reading level.
The NIV was my first Bible and the main Bible that I read in my own quiet times.
The second translation for you to check out is the NLT, or the New Living Translation.
It was originally written in 1996 and then revised in 2007, and it’s on a 6th grade
reading level.
I enjoy using the NLT when I’m preparing messages for YouTube and studying in my own
quiet times just so I can have another version to compare.
Sometimes, if you don’t understand a sentence in one Bible translation, another translation
will give you more clarity!
#2 - If you’re reading the Bible for the first time, start in the Book of John.
The author of John is “anonymous,” but it refers to the “disciple whom Jesus loved,”
which was His disciple John, Jesus’ best friend.
John will give you a great birds’ eye view of the life of Jesus Christ, so you will get
to know Jesus in this book.
You can find it about halfway through the Bible, right after the book of Luke.
#3 - If you ever get confused about something you’re reading in the Bible, there is something
called “Bible Commentaries” that you can look up online.
These are experts opinions of the scriptures.
When I study, I like to read Matthew Henry’s commentary on BibleGateway.com, and I also
like to use the study notes in my NIV Bible for deeper reference.
You can actually buy a study bible that has half of a page of scripture, and below it,
half of a page of notes that further explain what you’re reading.
It makes it so much more simple!
#4 - Don’t be afraid to write in your Bible!
If you flipped through the pages of my Bible, you’ll see highlighted passages, notes in
the margins, circles around important notes, prayers for my friends and family, and scriptures
that I claim for different seasons of my life.
It’s so fun to look back over the answers to prayers that I’ve written in my Bible
in different seasons of my life.
I’ve been rocking this particular Bible now for over 14 years!
#5 - Pray before you read.
To understand what we are reading in the Bible, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the
secret treasures laid within.
1 Corinthians 2 says, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind
has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things
God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them?
In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by
the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God
but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned
only through the Spirit.
The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not
subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct
him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.”
So, when you sit down to read, pray a simple prayer, “Holy Spirit, help me understand
what I’m about to read.
In Jesus’ name, amen.”
It’s as simple as that - but profoundly impactful to your understanding and revelation
of scripture!
So to recap, get the right Bible translation for you, start in the book of John, look up
Bible commentaries if you get confused, don’t be afraid to write in your Bible, and pray
before you read.
Now… it’s time to click that SUBSCRIBE button, and join me for my free 21-day video
devotional series, Fitness and the Father.
We’ll study Fitness of the Mind, Body, and Spirit, all for free, at FitnessAndTheFather.com.
Thank you for watching, and I will see you next time!