6 Practical Steps To Apply The Bible To Your Life
Do you ever spend time reading your Bible and five minutes later you’re wondering, “What did I even read today?” This article is for you! We’re talking all about practical ways to better apply the Bible to our life.
Readers are leaders, they say, but only when they take what they learn and run with it. If you want a true life change, you’ve got to have an action plan.
Here are a few reasons we’re told to study the Bible in scripture:
1. We Read The Bible To Reveal Who We Really Are
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4: 12
Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Bible reveals our thoughts, desires, and who we really are as we read it. (Through the power of the Holy Spirit, of course). That includes the good and the bad, the parts of our life where we are obedient, and the parts of our lives where we are holding onto our sin.
What makes the Bible powerful is who wrote it and who it’s about. The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible to be written in order to reveal God’s character to us. It reveals a bigger story outside of ourselves that started way before you and I were born and will continue into eternity. It’s pretty powerful when you think about it!
2. We Read The Bible To Know How To Obey And Honor God
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
Psalm 119:105
Psalm 119:105 says that scripture is our guide. It shows us what’s right and what’s wrong. What’s honoring to God and what’s sinful.
3. We Read The Bible To Be Equipped To Do The Work God Has For Us
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
How does scripture equip us? By training and teaching us how to be right with God. Whether that’s obeying what He directly asks us to do in scripture or rejecting old patterns of sin, the Bible is the tool God has given us to help.
Ok, Now We Know Why We Read The Bible…So How Do We Put Our Reading To Work?
Surprisingly, God doesn’t tell us to read the Bible just to check it off our list each day and make sure we get our gold star on our sticker chart in heaven. We’re expected to utilize what we learn and read in our daily life.
What happens when you accumulate all of the information in the Bible and don’t actually apply any of it to your life? You become much like the Pharisees in the Bible. They started off with good intentions to obey and honor God, but ended up being the very people who opposed Jesus and put Him to death. As James says, “Faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)” We aren’t saved by what we do, but what we do matters.
Whether it’s our thoughts, choices, or relationships, the Bible has SO MUCH amazing wisdom for us! God truly gave us a gift in His Word, so let’s brainstorm some practical ways to do this:
1. Start With Prayer
This will be my first recommendation for anything in life. Start by asking God to reveal to you how He’d like you to apply the Bible to your life. Ask Him to reveal any sin that needs to be confessed. Confessing sin may be your action step after reading your Bible! Ask Him if there’s anything that He would have you stop doing. Is there anything He’s calling you to do that maybe you’ve been resistant to previously? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal new things to you that you’ve never noticed before. Pray for a humble heart that would obey what God tells you to do.
2. Be Honest With Yourself
The first step before undergoing any transformation is, to be honest with where you’re at. Following Jesus involves life transformation! The word the Bible uses is sanctification. I love how John Wesley put it when he said that, the ultimate goal of sanctification is to “renew men’s and women’s hearts in (God’s) image.” As we follow Jesus, read His Word, and obey what He says, our life will look different.
So step 1, commit to being honest when you seek to apply the Bible to your life.
3. Ask Yourself, Who Is This For?
Some commands in scripture were meant for a particular people at a particular moment in time. Other commands in scripture are still meant for us today. Make sure you identify the context of what you’re reading and if it’s a command that’s carried throughout the whole Bible.
4. Start With Your Thoughts
Is there a lie that you’ve been believing? About God, yourself, or others? Everything we do starts in our minds. As you read through a section of scripture, identify what’s true and point out any lies you’ve been speaking to yourself.
An exercise I do when I’m struggling with negativity or anxiety is to write out all of my thoughts and identify what’s not true. Then beside each one, I write down the truth about what God says. It’s an amazing practice that has been so helpful to help me battle thoughts that aren’t from God. Try it next time you’re feeling anxious, worried, or in a rut!
5. Make Some Plans
After reading, write down one way you can apply what you’ve read to your life right now. Journaling is one of the best ways to apply the Bible to your life. Write down what you learn, then spend time thinking about how you can apply what you’ve learned. One of the best gifts of journaling is that it makes you slow down and process what you’ve read. Not to mention you can look back and see what you’ve learned and how God was working in your life.
Be specific! Remember the old goal-writing requirements? Goals should be SMART:
(S) Specific:
Avoid general goals like, “I’d like to pray more” or “I’d like to be more patient with my friends/family/co-workers” and think of a specific way you could do this. Who is involved? When will it happen? How will it happen? (Think about what materials and the location you need to make it happen).
(M) Measurable:
How will you measure this goal? Pick a metric for how you’ll know if you hit your mark!
(A) Achievable:
BE REALISTIC! This is the part where I feel like most people drop off from whatever goals and vision they have for their life, whether it’s spiritual, physical, relational, educational, or otherwise. Make goals achievable for your stage and season of life.
(R) Relevant:
If you’re having trouble deciding if your plan is going to lead you to your desired outcome, this is a great time to invite a friend to help you make sure you’re on the right track.
(T) Time-Bound:
I personally like to focus on daily and weekly goals. A few times a year, I zoom out and make sure what I’m doing each day and week is leading me where I want to go this year. But typically, zooming in on how I spend my time each day and week keeps me motivated!
6. Grab Some Friends
Life change is not a solo endeavor. Most of us are terrible at being accountable to ourselves. Grab some people who will hold you accountable for your vision for your life. Have someone ask you each week (or I know some people who have daily text threads) if you’ve done what you said you were going to do. If you want to be successful, you’ve got to have some people around you who are willing to ask you the hard questions and get in your business sometimes (because they love you, of course!).
What Are You Waiting For?!
Time to get to work applying the Bible to your life. If you need more resources for reading the Bible, check out our other articles on Our Favorite Bible Outlines, How To Start A Bible study with other women, and How To Dive Deeper In Your Bible Study. Don’t miss the free Bible Study Outline printable, too!
Thankful to have you here in the SIE community!
