GOD TALK-ADD S.O.A.P To Your Bible Study

“I’m leaving this church,” he said. “I enjoy being here, but I’m not being spiritually fed. I need to go to a church where I can really grow in my Christian faith”.
In truth, each Christian believer is responsible for nurturing their own Christian growth. Everything that is needed to cultivate one’s Christian faith, and develop spiritual maturity is available through daily Bible reading.
Taking copious notes, while listening to a captivating expositor, who has skillfully applied all the rules of hermeneutics for a proper exegesis of Biblical text, can be very beneficial. But there is no sufficient substitute that will replace personal time reading the Bible. There is a limit to what anyone can glean from any study by merely hitchhiking on someone else’s notes. For maximum benefit, personal work is needed.
There is no substitute for involvement in a church family either. Don’t be a Bible student in seclusion. Do your homework, you will be a greater asset to the ministry of the church.
A weekly church gathering should not be the only exposure to the Bible. No pastor should be held solely responsible for spiritual maturity of a parishioner.
One author put it this way, “The Bread of Life is not ready –cook in the Bible; only the recipe and ingredients are there. Man must bake the Bread of life himself. Just as diamonds must be cut, oil refined, granite quarried, and waterfalls harnessed; so the Bible must be studied if its worth is to be fully known”.
Commentaries, books about the Bible, devotional studies, and sermons are great, but must be used along with personal reading of scripture text. There is nothing intrinsically special about the paper and ink used to print a copy of the Bible. The Bible contains some 773,692 words. The words are common everyday words like the words in any other book. As one observer said, “you have to look beneath the words, between the words, and through the words of the Bible to the message to gain the good that it can do. The intent and method in which the Bible is read, as well as what is read in the Bible makes it rich and meaningful”.
The old saying “Experience is the best teacher” is not totally accurate. Experience alone will not guarantee learning. What you learn from your experiences is what will transform your future.
It is helpful to have a planned schedule for daily Bible reading. In his book, “Divine Mentors”, Pastor Wayne Cordiero describes the Bible as God’s choice for a “life-dictionary”. He states that each of life’s experiences, both positive and negative, should to be defined biblically. Personal knowledge and faith can grow by examining the experiences of people recorded in the Bible. God’s solutions can be discovered and greater meaning can be seen in the events of our own lives
Pastor Cordiero recommends S.O.A.P. a “self-feeding” method for personal daily Bible study. A journal is used to record a personal response to each day’s reading.

Scripture-Write the reference of scripture text read for the day.
Observation –Chronicle your observation, i.e., what it is happening in the text, who’s is effected, what is taking place, or the instructions given, and why.
Application- Write out how you plan to put into practice the lesson God has brought to your attention. Ask yourself “How will I be different today as a result of what I have just read from the Bible?”
Prayer-Write out a prayer asking God to help you apply what you have learned.
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Application is critical to the process of studying the Bible. It answers the question “How does this verse or thought apply to me?” Knowledge of the Bible without a commitment to applying it is worthless information. Doing what the Bible says is what seals the Word of God in the heart.
The greatest malady in Christendom today is the phenomenon of living a life that is inconsistent with what is believed. Something powerful happens in the Christian when “what we believe” and “how we live” come closer together.

With sermons available through television, CD, and MP3 downloads, somewhere along the path allotting time for personal reading of scripture is neglected.
Many start out with good intentions to reading the Bible regularly, but stop for various reasons. If you miss days, keep going! It is important to stay with it. Keeping a journal is beneficial for maintaining the daily discipline of Bible reading, a quick review, and an account of spiritual growth.
God reveals Himself through His Word. George Washington Carver, a great American scientist was once asked about the source all of his discoveries and inventions. Carver’s response was that his inspiration came from reading his Bible. “It is there that I‘ve come to know the Author of the Book.”