1. the devotional method of bible study
definition this involves taking a passage from the bible and prayerfully meditating on it until the Holy Spirit shows you a way to apply its truth to your life in a way that is personal, practical, possible, and provable.
why application is important you cannot really know the Bible until you apply it to your life knowledge alone can be dangerous
application is hard work!
it requires serious thinking
satan fights it vigorously and viciously
four steps to practical application
step one: pray for insight on how to apply the passage 1. you know God wants you to do two things: obey his word and share it with others. 2. in your prayer, tell God you are willing to obey and willing to share it with others.
step two: meditate on the verse(s) you have chosen to study 1. visualize the scene of the narrative in your mind 2. emphasize words in the passage under study, e.g. Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” 3. paraphrase the verse/passage you are studying, i.e. rephrase it in your own words. 4. personalize the verse/passage you are studying, e.g. John 3:16 “ For God so loved (your name) that he gave his one and only Son that if (your name) believes in him (your name) shall not perish but have eternal life.”
step two: meditate on the verse(s) you have chosen to study 5. use the SPACEPETS acrostic Sin to confess? Promise to claim? Attitude to change? Command to obey? Example to follow? Prayer to pray? Error to avoid? Truth to believe? Something to praise God for?
step two: meditate on the verse(s) you have chosen to study 6. pray the verse/passage back to God, e.g. Psalm 23 “Lord, I thank you for being my Shepherd…”
step three: write out an application
1. personal: “I must…” “I need to…” “I will…” 2. practical: Plan a definite course of action you can take 3. possible: Make sure it is something you can accomplish 4. provable: Set up some sort of follow-up to check on your success in doing it
step three: write out an application
E.g. Ecclesiastes 6:7 “All man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.” Suggested application: I need to…lose some weight…lose 5 kilos…before the end of the month.”
step four: memorize a key verse from your study 1. scripture memorization is a key to the application you have written. 2. often, God will work on one area of you life for several weeks or even months, due to ingrained habits. Memorizing scripture helps to keep you on track.
conclusion
A man saw his friend coming out from church one Sunday, and asked, “Is the sermon done?” His friend replied, “No, it was preached, but it has yet to be done.”
conclusion
sample of “Devotional Bible Study” (see attached notes) exercise for “Devotional Bible Study”: choose from Ps 15, Ps 34, Rom 12, 1 Thess 5:12-22, 1 John 4