Growing up in church (right in the middle of the Bible Belt, I might add), there were a lot of things I did know – God loved me, Jesus died for me, etc. I also knew the popular Bible stories every Sunday School curriculum offered.
But when it came to growing in reading God’s word for myself, I was at toddler level. I knew I was supposed to read the Bible but I actually didn’t realize there were several ways to read the Bible. So along the way, I made good and bad habits surrounding Bible reading.
Hey, quick thing! If you’re eager to begin reading your Bible today, I’ve got a special freebie just for you. Countless women have already benefited from this free resource to kickstart their Bible reading journey.
Maybe you’re like me. You KNOW you should be reading your Bible but no one has ever shown you how. You’ve never been discipled before, so you’ve just been trying to do the best you can. But not all things are beneficial, and sometimes they’re dangerous for us.
So let’s look at 3 ways we need to avoid reading the Bible.
3 Mistakes to Avoid when Reading Your Bible
My goal here isn’t to shame anyone, but rather bring awareness to some unhealthy habits we’ve formed in reading Scripture and show you a better way to read God’s Word that will lead you into a deeper understanding of who God is, which will ultimately lead to a deeper love for our Savior.
Reading the Bible to make yourself feel better.
People have given this method different names, but a popular one is the “Xanax Approach.” Feelings anxious, read Philippians 4:6 to help. Feeling ugly today, Psalm 139 has the fix for that!
But here’s the problem.
If we are only looking to God’s word to make us feel better, then several outcomes are inevitable.
1. The lens through which we read scripture is skewed from the start. We approach the Bible as “What can you do for me today?” instead of “How can I learn to be more like Christ today?”
2. We are only reading a few verses here and there that sound good to us, so we are missing the deeper meaning within the entire Bible. We actually don’t know much at all. CONTEXT MATTERS.
3. We are not even looking at who God is – what are His attributes?
If I am only reading God’s Word to see how it can serve me, then what happens when I approach the hard scripture? Or when I hear false teachers questioning the character of God?
I have nothing to fight against the lies because I am only used to taking it to make me feel better and then I move on.
Let’s not diminish the beauty in the less popular verses like Romans 3:10-11, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they become worthless; no one does good, not even one.“
Knowing this is true about me, but then realizing Christ came for me anyway…
THAT is way sweeter than one verse telling me how to be less stressed.
The point in reading the scriptures is to grow in our love for Christ as we are transformed to be like Him.
Let’s not miss out on this because we just want a quick fix instead of the deeper Truth.
The Genie in the Lamp Approach
When I don’t have guidance or know where to read, I will just ask the Holy Spirit to lead me wherever I happen to land in the Bible (eyes open or shut).
Maybe I need a “word” to make me feel better. Or maybe I need to know if I am supposed to get married, switch jobs, or eat lunch. This approach gives zero thought to context – historical, cultural, or textual. It has no awareness for the author, original audience, or original intent.
When we use this method, it’s like we’re treating the Holy Spirit as the genie, and the Bible is the lamp.
We “rub” the lamp (open our Bible to where it lands, close our eyes and hope for the best, etc.) and read while waiting on the Genie (Holy Spirit) to give us what we want.
The Holy Spirit cannot oppose the character of God.
And we know the character of God by reading the Scriptures.
He brings clarity, not confusion. He gave us His Word, written with specific detail from beginning to end.
Yes, we need the Holy Spirit to reveal Truth to us in the scriptures, but it will be done according to God’s character.
So instead, we read it in context, praying before, during and after. We study slowly, asking questions that turn our minds towards God.
The Buffet Line Approach
This method reminds me of going to a restaurant with a buffet with my boys. If I don’t lay the ground rules, they will come back with only desserts and nothing else.
As a parent, I know that if I only let my kids eat what they want or like – it won’t lead them to a healthy future, but instead, it will actually leave them malnourished.
The same is true with God’s Word.
If we know all about Proverbs 31, Ruth, and Jesus from the Gospels, but we have little to no knowledge of the prophets, the Jews’ wanderings, or even Apostle Paul, then we are malnourished in God’s Word.
Here’s the thing, when someone is malnourished – they’re starving – they likely don’t realize it, or care. They will eat whatever food comes to them because they’re desperate.
But we must not be that way with scripture. If we just want what we can “chew and digest” easily, our hearts and souls are malnourished.
The longer this goes on, the harder it is to recover.
So we must CHOOSE discipline. We must seek the Holy Spirit to help us understand the harder parts of scripture. We must read all Scripture, not just the easy parts.
I share my 5 simple steps to start reading the Bible in this blog post.
If you’re guilty of any or all of these approaches, you’re in good company. Remember I am guilty of all of these as well! It’s not your fault. The church hasn’t done the best job at discipling us to read God’s word.
We need to be women who have a well-rounded understanding of God’s Word.
His entire word – from Genesis to Revelation – is sweet and savory to us.
What a beautiful gift from our Creator and Father.
See y’all around,
Shai
P.S.
This guide will help you take your Bible reading to the next level. You can print it out and keep it in your Bible to use every day!
[…] Before we dive in, we need to remember one important point when we approach our Bible Reading. (To see 3 ways how NOT to read the Bible, click here.) […]