Prerequisites for Good Bible StudyThe way you approach your time of Bible study will determine how fruitful it will be. For a productive time in God’s Word please consider these three essential ideas before starting: 1. NEW BIRTH: Only born again believers can truly enjoy Bible study. Spiritual thoughts will not make sense to the natural man because the spiritual side of him has yet to be born. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 2. HOLINESS: God has set us apart for His purposes. If we insist on indulging in sin, the sincere milk of the Word won’t settle well in our stomachs and we will probably end up with indigestion or no appetite at all. What we do when we are away from the Bible greatly affects how clearly we will hear God speaking to us when we are reading His Word. If you have a great Bible study method, but a hard heart, your time in God’s Word won’t benefit you that much. 3. PRAYER: Always begin your study time in prayer asking the Lord to reveal His character and nature through the passage being read. Time spent in prayer before studying the Bible is non-negotiable. The unaided human mind is incapable of grasping the Bible’s eternal message. One benefit of studying the Bible, as compared to studying any other subject, is that we can talk with the Author through prayer. Andy Deane, Learn to Study the Bible: Forty Different Step-by-Step Methods to Help You Discover, Apply, and Enjoy God’s Word (Maitland, FL: Xulon Press, 2009), 18–19.
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