Today I’m finally sharing to you how I study the Bible using S.O.A.P. method.
Before, finishing a book or even a chapter from the Bible would be an
impossible task for me. I had plenty of excuses back then – I don’t understand
what’s happening, I don’t have any time to do it and ultimately, I don’t know
where to start.
I realized that the key to fully devote in the Word of God is to
simply obey. One night last June, after an act of surrender, I opened the Book
of Mark and read chapter 1.
Then I found out about S.O.A.P. which is currently the method I use to
study the Bible.
I am excited to share my journey to you all and it is my hope that
through this post I encourage you to spend time with the Word and make it part
of your daily habits too.
Why study the Bible?
The Bible is more than just an ordinary book. It is the very Word of God. It is God’s way of communication to us, letting us know His plans for our life, His promises, His warnings and more.
Thus, the Bible is not just meant to be displayed. It is intended to read and even pondered upon.
Meditating in the Word of God is important in building a strong relationship with Him. Without knowing the foundational truth that is in the Bible, how can we respond and act? How will we get to know God even better?
What is S.O.A.P. method?
Currently, I am using S.O.A.P. method to study the Bible. This is a
method I knew years ago but never really committed to do on a daily basis.
S is for Scripture. In this part you are encouraged to write down
the scriptures that speak the most for you while reading the particular chapter.
O is for Observation. In this part you will now dig dipper in the
Word. Who are the characters in the scripture? Who is it intended for? Is there
a repetition of words? A comparison? A contrast?
This is also the part where I ask questions. This is actually a tip I
learned from the Purple Book Class I attended last September. Pastor King
encouraged us to ask questions too whenever we study the Bible.
A good article about asking questions on your personal Bible study is
found here.
A is for Application. Here you will now apply God’s Word in your
life. This is the part where you will personalize the scriptures and see where
it applies right now.
I enjoy this part the most during my bible study.
What I do is make a list of the following:
Is there a promise to
keep?
Is there an attitude
to change?
Is there a command to
follow?
Is there an example to
emulate?
P is for Prayer. And finally end it with prayer. Based on the
Word I studied, I write out a short prayer and pray for it for couple of
minutes.
Here are some helpful resources about S.O.A.P. Method:
How I Use S.O.A.P. to Study?
Below is a page from my faith binder so you get a picture on how my study looks.
I usually write the SCRIPTURES that stand out for me. It’s amazing what writing out verses does. Sometimes
a chapter will have too many great verses like Luke 6 where I almost wrote the
entire chapter because every verse just cut deep in my heart.
This is the chapter where Jesus redefined Sabbath, where he chose the
12 apostles and where a large crowd followed Jesus as He went places to places
to minister and to heal.
This is also the chapter where Jesus stood in a level place to preach
in the entire crowd about beatitudes and sorrows, love your enemies, not
judging others, that a tree is is identified by it's fruit and how important
building a solid foundation is in your walk with God.
Such an amazing chapter to study and one of my favorites so far.
In OBSERVATIONS, I reread
the chapter once more and try to dig deeper in the Word. I identify the main
characters, the main events. I ask questions. I really ponder upon what the
chapter is telling me and it's
importance in my life at my current season.
Here’s a favorite observation I wrote down for Luke 22.
Luke 22:1-6
The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.
OBSERVATIONS - This is what I really wrote down:
- What is Passover? What is the equivalent of that today? What happens during that?
- Why were the leading priests plotting “how” to kill Jesus? Why were they afraid of the people’s reaction? Is it because they don’t want to be perceived as bad? Have I instances like that? Nagmamalinis ako?
- So Satan entered into Judas. Does it mean we should not hate Judas but Satan instead? Is Judas not in his right state of mind kaya niya nagawa yun? And Judas even if he is already one of the disciples was used by Satan. Paano pa ako?
- Did Judas betray Jesus or was Judas made to betray Jesus?
During APPLICATION I do
bullet points and personalize the verses I just read and wrote. I jot down any
personal application such as promises, reminders, attitudes and commands I feel
like God is letting me know.
Mostly my application is based on the observation I made earlier.
To end my bible study I write a PRAYER. I seal whatever personal
application I wrote down with a prayer.
One of my favorite prayer after a Bible Study was last September 28,
after studying Acts 3. I wrote down the following:
“Lord I pray for boldness in the midst of my sanctification. I pray
that like Peter I may be able to step up and discern an opportunity to let
others know Your love. Thank You Father for You are great yesterday, today and
tomorrow.”
That is a relevant prayer because in Acts 4, Peter and John were both
filled with the Holy Spirit. They boldly spoke about God and how powerful God
is. Through faith they were able to do many miracles, healing and casting out
of spirits.
My Tips when Studying The Bible
1. Block out time for
Bible Study
Choose what time every day you
will be spending to study the Word of God. Some do it in the morning while
others, like me, do it at night. Every night after I take a shower I go straight
to my war room to study. If I don’t dedicate time for it and really put it on
my agenda I will most likely not do it. This is has been the most helpful tip
ever.
2. Always begin with a
prayer
Thank God
for the opportunity to hear Him. Invite the Holy Spirit to intercede during
your quiet time with God. Simply talk to God to grant you wisdom and
understanding on what you are about to read.
3. Set the mood
To fully set the mood during your bible
study routine you can play worship songs in the background. Here’s my 10
Favorite Worship Song to Play during My Quiet Time.
4. Read according to your
phase
Don’t
overcommit. Reading the whole book of Mark in one night is not advisable. I
pray that you read not just to check off a to do list but because you are
excited as to what God will reveal next.
5. Decide on what you
will study
There are
plenty of ways you can start studying the Bible. You may go book by book or
topical. There are a lot of Bible Reading Plans you can print out to get
started. When I decided to read the Bible, I commit to reading one chapter a
night. The first book I read and finished was Mark followed by Luke and now I’m
on Acts. I realized that I can actually finish more than one chapter a night so
I’m in the process of increasing the number of chapters I study.
That's it.
Have a blessed Sunday ahead.
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