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If you’ve been following Boldly Rise for a while, you know that my passion is encouraging women to study God’s Word. As God has been teaching me how to study the Bible on my own, I’ve learned a handful of ways that actually make studying the Bible intriguing! One such way is using a Bible journal. Bible journaling has completely changed my outlook on studying the Bible. So I want to share with you all the different reasons to start Bible journaling in your walk with Christ based on my experience. Because honestly, it’s that great.
Reasons to Start Bible Journaling
You will learn so much as you dig into God’s Word.
Over the last year of breaking the barriers that I can’t study God’s Word deeply on my own, I have learned SO much from Bible journaling. I’ve begun to see the key themes of a book as well as the intricate details that we’re not supposed to miss. Words stand out on the page that I’ve carelessly glanced over. Connections to other parts of Scripture have clicked in my head. I’ve seen Jesus whispered in between the written lines. And you will too!
You get to set the pace.
Unlike doing a Bible study written by someone else (though they’re definitely not a bad thing to do), you get to choose what you want to study, how deep you want to go, when to study, how much at one time to study, and so on. In one way, it teaches you to be diligent in studying it. Yet in another way, it allows you the freedom to study a lot at one time or focus on a couple verses each day. It’s entirely up to you.
You begin to see how Scripture interprets Scripture.
As I’ve studied different books and verses, little lightbulbs turn on in my head as the Holy Spirit reminds me of other places in Scripture that talk about the same thing. It’s so fun to see how verses in different books support each other. It also aids in deepening your understanding of those particular verses as oftentimes they expand on each other.
The bond with the Holy Spirit grows stronger as you rely on Him to teach you.
While it’s wonderful (and needed) to listen to others teach on the Bible, it’s also necessary for us to learn to rely on the Holy Spirit to teach us directly. As you grow in your trust that God will teach you in His perfect timing, an intimacy is developed that wasn’t there before. Bible journaling allows you that quality quiet time with the Lord that we each desperately need.
You’ll notice things you’ve never noticed before.
Even if you’re studying a book or passage that you’ve read and learned about before, you will still notice new things. God’s Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and therefore will always be teaching us. It’s always exciting to go over a passage you’ve read several times and still learn something new from it. Our God is never boring, right??
You’ll be challenged to study the hard stuff – things you may have never had to confront before.
There have been passages and verses that I’ve come across that leave me oh so confused. But that confusion has compelled me to dig a little deeper to attempt understanding it. Sometimes I find an answer, sometimes I don’t. But either way, I’ve been learning to push myself to not just skim over the things that don’t make sense. That verse or that passage is there for a reason.
There are several churches and teachers that only want to talk about the nice things in our walk with Christ. But as a believer, we have to understand there are hard things as well. We cannot ignore parts of Scripture, no matter how difficult or frustrating it may be to learn.
It’s a fun way to be creative.
Bible journaling has also been an outlet for my creativity. Whether you think you’re creative or not, Bible journaling opens the door to using your different types of creativity for His glory and your good. Personally, I love hand lettering some verses or having fun with the colorful highlighters. I enjoy creating different “tip ins.” And if you like being creative, this is a great outlet for that.
What you study is rooted in you much more than just simply reading it.
Though simply reading your Bible is good and beneficial, studying God’s Word roots it in your heart and mind a little deeper. You’ll remember what Scripture says a lot more when you study it than when you just read it.
You have space and freedom to write as many notes as you want to.
I’ve found it hard to write in my primary Bible (I like to keep it neat and tidy). Though I underline a lot in that Bible, my Bible journal is a mess comparatively. I have the freedom to mark all over my Bible journal to write down what my thoughts are, what I’m learning, things that stand out to me, correlating verses, and so much more. I have the desire to highlight the verses to help me understand them better and see how everything connects.
The times when you flip through your previous journaling will be precious moments.
If you’ve ever journaled or looked at pictures from long ago, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. As I’ve read over my notes from what I wrote last year, I’m delicately reminded by the Holy Spirit what He’s taught me and what God’s Word says. It’s a sweet moment to remember where I was when I needed to learn what He had to teach me. It causes me to praise Him which He more than deserves.
Other Takeaways
It doesn’t have to be overwhelming – keep it simple.
One factor I’ve noticed that turns many (including myself) away from studying God’s Word is feeling overwhelmed. The beautiful thing about Bible journaling is that you get to set your own pace and you get to determine how you want to study the Scripture with your Bible journal. If you want to go all out, by all means! But if you simply want to underline and take a few notes, do that! Avoid getting overwhelmed. Take it one passage by one passage. And do what you enjoy doing whether it’s being creative or keeping it simple.
It doesn’t have to be pretty.
Aka… stop looking at Instagram and Pinterest. It’s easy to get caught in the “pretty trap.” But friends, we’re not studying God’s Word with a Bible journal to look pretty. We’re studying so that our hearts will be transformed by His Holy Spirit. Also, don’t start Bible journaling for the sake of your social media. I’ve seen way too many women do this. If you’re going to start Bible journaling, do it for your sake and your relationship with Christ, not the feeble relationships created by a click of a follow button.
Just to clarify, it’s not bad to look at IG and Pinterest for fun Bible journaling tips or ideas or takeaways. However, don’t add the unnecessary pressure to feel like your Bible journal has to look like a picture you saw on social media.
Don’t be afraid for the Holy Spirit to teach you and convict you.
There have been times when I’ve struggled to want to read and study the Bible out of fear of what the Holy Spirit will show me. It’s not easy to be convicted. But isn’t it better to be convicted and act in obedience than to sit in our disobedience? So don’t be afraid to let Him teach you and guide you and convict you and ultimately strengthen you.
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I highly recommend you start Bible journaling. It’s changed my walk with the Lord, it’s taught me so much, and it’s reignited a desire to spend time in God’s Word. I bought my Bible journal from The Daily Grace Co. (because of the sales), but there are several different places that sell fun Bible journals as well (Hosanna Revival, Olive Leaf and Co., Crossway, Lifeway, etc.). I would love to hear if you start Bible journaling as well as your testimony if you already use a Bible journal!! It’s fun to hear what others learn as well as fun ideas they do with their Bible journal.
For the Bible highlighting guide I use as well as using “tip ins” (Bible journal life changer), check out my Pinterest idea pins!
If you’re looking for Bible journaling tools to enhance your studying times, check out this post – Helpful Bible Journaling Supplies.
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