Share the love!

We live in a busy, fast-paced world. I know a lot of women are trying to figure out how to find time to spend with God, that’s truly meaningful. And look, I get it. I’m a wife and mother of five children. We homeschool and I run my business and this blog from home. There’s a lot on my plate, in this season of my life. The ONE THING I want to always keep, as my main priority, is my quiet time with God. So today, I’m going to share with you a busy woman’s guide to studying the Bible.

This is not to glorify “busy.”
I’m not about that life.

But I am about reality.

I understand that sometimes life is busy because it really is and there’s little you can do about it, except breathe.

So, no shame or guilt if you happen to be in a season of “busy.”

Just try not to stay there, ok?

A Lesson For Single Ladies

I remember my single years. Life was much simpler than it is now.

I could spend hours upon hours upon hours of time in the Word of God, just studying and laying at his feet.

Now I just can’t.

I have a husband to love and respect, children to raise and teach, and all of life’s happenings.

I used to feel so guilty about that, and one of the things God had to remind me of was this – during my single years, I was literally creating this storehouse of the deep, rich Word of God,  within me that now it just flows out like rivers of living water.

That’s not to say that I don’t study now.

But that season of my life was a great time for me to spend quality time with God and just allow His Word to permeate through every part of my life.

I want to encourage you during your singleness, particularly if you don’t have any children at all, to use this time wisely. Use this season to dedicate your time to the Lord Jesus.

Dedicate to studying His Word and digging in.
Dedicate to extra time in prayer.
Dedicate to serving him and others with your gifts, time, talent, and resources.

Then you will have this storehouse you can then pull from, when life gets super-duper hectic – and you’re a wife, you have kids, and you have all of these other responsibilities.

My heart’s deepest longing is to still spend that intimate time with God, but finding a way to do it given my new life changes.

The reality of it is, since I’m not single anymore, I just don’t have hours upon hours of free, alone time on my hands.

My kids are calling me.
My husband needs me.
Homeschooling.
Homemaking.
Running my business and blog.
#Life

“Angela’s Question”

I got a Direct Message on Facebook from a friend of mine a few years ago. Here name is Angela and I could hear the sense of desperation in her voice. I’ll keep the majority of our conversation confidential, but there are some key points I think will help you, as you are trying to figure out, “How can I find time to spend with God? My life is so busy!”

Angela’s question was similar, she wanted to know how she could remember the Word of God better. She knows all the stories, but memorizing a particular verse and its exact location, in the bible was a struggle for her.

So, in my reply, I reminded her of Psalms 119:11 where is says

“Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.”

I encouraged her in the fact that she knows the story or parable, so much so she could tell the it to anybody! Even though, she may not know the exactly verse, she was living out Psalm 119:11 – God’s Word was hidden (or stored) in her heart.

Hiding God’s Word in your heart allows you to be able to live out His Word in your life, daily.

You become a living epistle.

That’s way more important than remembering a verse. Yes, verse memorization is important and part of good Christian discipline. But what’s more important is that the Word of God is hidden in your heart. After all, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, knew all about the bible, but they were not living epistles of God’s Word. Jesus called them out on several occasions, as being hypocrites.

It’s certainly a noble thing to want to memorize a verse, but that’s not the main thing. The main thing is getting an understanding and being able to apply His Word to your life. That’s wisdom.

Proverbs 4:7 reminds us of this:

Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.

This is when you know God’s Word is hidden in the crevices of your heart.

Tip #1 – Focus In On One Passage Of Scripture

The other thing that I said to Angela was about a strategy I used in college, to help me remember God’s Word. Here’s what I would do. . .

I would focus and hone in on one passage of scripture, at a time.  I didn’t spend time trying to study books upon books of the bible, at once or really, really fast. I would simply focus in on just a particular section of the Bible.

For example, maybe I wanted to read the story of Esther. I would spend an entire quarter reading and studying the book of Esther. (Yes, an entire quarter.) I would gather up different resources like my bible dictionary, concordance, bible history books, etc. to use as I studied.

My goal wasn’t to rush through reading the Book of Esther, just so I could say I had read it and then checked it off my list. My goal was to study and gain a deeper understanding. And studying takes time. 

I think one of the things that causes a lot of guilt, shame, and frustration in women, as they go through the busy seasons of their lives, is that they think they need to be on a sprinting race with studying God’s Word.

Let me set you free, SisterFriend. . .

. . .this is not a race.

This is about a relationship with God.
Relationships take time to develop and grow.

The best way to grow in your relationship with God is to read His love letter to you. (His Word.) And to take your time in reading it. Believe it or not, God actually wants you to understand His love letter. That’s one of his deepest desires for His daughters.

If you’ve been feeling like you have to read the bible cover to cover in a year, I pray this tip of taking your time to focus on one passage of scripture, can take some of the overwhelm off of your life.

Imagine if you stuck to just one book of the Bible for an entire year and your focus was “I’m going to hide this Word in my heart, so I don’t sin against God. I want it so deep in the crevices of my heart that I am a living, breathing epistle of God’s word.”

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with reading through the bible in a year. It also doesn’t make you wrong if you don’t. Let that legalism go, ok?

Tip #2 – Use Index Cards To Help You Memorize Scripture

The other thing that I used to do when I was in college was to use index cards to memorize scripture.

Let’s say there was a scripture that I just felt compelled to memorize, I would write that scripture down on an index card. I would then tape them on my the walls of my apartment. This way the scripture was right there in front of me and it was something and was constantly keeping before eyes.

Then, I made a habit out of going around my apartment reading and quoting the scripture from my walls. When I got up in the morning, I would read it. If I came back to my apartment in the middle of the day, I would read it. At night before I went to bed, again, I would read it, one final time.

After doing this so many times, eventually you will memorize it easily!

A lot of times I would put those scriptures on the back of my door so on my way out, for the day, I would just read that scripture before I left out. So again, I was reading those scriptures, with the intent of committing it to my heart and lifestyle. And eventually I was able to memorize it.

Another thing strategy I used with index cards was placing just one on the dashboard of my care. So scripture was right there, as I’m driving.

Angela and I are both educators. We know and understand the more times you see something, it increases your likelihood of remembering it. When I was an educator in the classroom, I had what was called a word wall. (If you’re an educator, you know exactly what a word wall is.) You have words up on a wall that you want your students to remember because it’s essential to the lesson or essential to your course.

Think of it like this. . .since you are in the course of ‘studying and reading God’s word and becoming a great powerful woman,’ you want to have your own personal scripture word wall.

Guess what? You you can have the scripture on a wall in your house!

After all, did God tell the Israelites to write his commands on their door posts and gates, so they wouldn’t forget them?

Deuteronomy 6:6-9:

⁶ “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Your doorpost or gate, might be inside of a closet, your bathroom vanity, behind your door, your kitchen, or anywhere you want to see scripture and being memorizing it.

Give this simple strategy a try and let me know how it goes!

Tip #3 – Dedicate A Set Time To Pray, Seek God’s Face, & Study The Word

Another thing I want to encourage you to do is finding the time to study the word of God.

I know it can be a challenge, for this busy season of your life, but just hear me out.

I “get it.” I really do.

Wife.
Mom of 5.
Homemaker.
Home Educator.
Business Owner & Blogger.

(Remember?)

Let me say this. . .

. . .set a time.

Anytime.

Whether it’s in the evening, whether it’s in the morning, whether it’s in the middle of your day, just set a time and commit that time to God.

When you’re just starting out, it may just be 10 minutes. That’s perfectly ok.

Just say this to God. . .

“I’ve got 10 minutes with you. Please make this a powerful moment with you. I’m going to read this one scripture. I’m going to commit it to my heart. I’m going to meditate on it day and night. God, please allow my prayer time to be effective. Allow my time with you to be very, very meaningful and don’t let me feel guilty because that guilt comes from the enemy.”

Then spend those 10 GLORIOUS! minutes with the Lover of your Soul.

Any time you spend with God is valuable time. Do you know that?

Psalm 84:10 reminds us of this:

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

He knows that you have children you have to feed, a husband to love, work to do, chores to complete, and everything else that’s on your plate.

He understands.
Trust me.

Also know, you will have to FIGHT for that time some days. But it will be a fight that’s well worth it!

If you’re late one day getting to that quiet time with God, it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up. Get in there and make it the best 5 minutes with the Lord. 

Tip #4 – Build A Personal Library Of Inspirational Books & Resources

Another thing that I personally do – I have several encouraging books I keep with me at all times. When I worked outside of the home, I would keep them in my work bag. So any time I’d have a free moment, I would pull out one of those books to read. They were (and still) are a source of encouragement for me.

Now that I am a SAHM, I have a small bag where I keep all of my books. It sits underneath my work desk, so it’s nearby for me to grab when I want some additional encouragement, during my free time. . .

. . .even if it’s only 10 minutes alone in the bathroom. (Hehe!)

Related: My Favorite Bible Study Resources & Tools

Tip #5 – Use Free Apps & Technology

Two of my favorite apps are the Bible Gateway App and the YouVersion App. Both of them have nearly every bible translation you can think of!

It’s great because if I’m sitting outside of my kids golf practice, I can pull up the app and read right there. It’s not ideal, but it works! (See, squeezing in that time, even while in a busy season.)

The point is to find times when you can study.
Any moment is so precious.

God can come and speak to you anytime and anywhere. He can speak a word so very clearly to you, it’ll set you free in that moment.

He can meet you right where you are. You don’t have to be in your particular prayer closet at home. You don’t have to necessarily be kneeling before your bedside. You can be in your car on the way to work. You can be sitting outside from your daughter’s gymnastics practice or soccer practice. You can be on your lunch break. . .

. . .God can speak to you and he will speak to you. And as long as you’re honoring that time with him, he’s going to honor, he’s going to bless you, and he’s going to show up!

Tip #6 – Use Your Travel Time To Talk & Commune With God

I encourage you to really begin to think about other ways that you can study the Word of God, even in the busiest of season in your life. It doesn’t have to be how it used to be before marriage and children. Remember, God’s word says, in Isaiah 43:18-19:

¹⁸ “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.

He’s doing a NEW thing in your prayer life and devotional time with Him!

For those of you who work outside of the home or even if you are running errands without the kids in two, this tip REALLY works!

Use your travel time to talk to God.

I can’t tell you how many times I’m driving down the highway, doing grocery store shopping, taking the kids to their activities and literally I’m having a conversation with God as if he’s sitting right there in the driver’s seat with me. Talk to him while you’re on your way to work or from work. Or from one errand to another.

Put in a CD or hook up your phone to your car and listen to music or your favorite Christian podcaster. You can even record yourself reading a passage of scripture and then hook it up into your car and have that playing over and over again in your car.

There are so many ways that you can get the Word of God into your heart, even now that you’re married, you have children, and life is just busy. The possibilities are endless! Then you can rise up and be this living epistle and great, powerful woman of God, where Word of God literally flows out of you and your belly like rivers of living water.

I’m telling you, God will honor you.
Your time will be honored.

Your life will be blessed for it and there’ll be no condemnation on your part whatsoever. God will show up and do some miraculous things in your life!

Tip #7 – The S.O.A.P. Method

I want to share with you a very simply method to studying the Word of God. This is especially helpful if you are new to your christian walk or if you’re just pressed for time and you REALLY want to honor your devotional time with the Lord, in a meaningful way.

Try using the SOAP method which stands for:

Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer.

Here’s how it works!

You’re going to write down the scripture.

Then you’re going to write down an observation that you made from your reading. It could be one word. It could be a drawing. It could be a whole essay or book!

Then you’re going to write down how you could apply the scripture you just read to your life, right now. After that, you’re going to pray over it because we know the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. We don’t want him coming in and stealing, killing, or destroying any ounce or any ounce of Word of God that has been imparted into your life.

Simple. That’s it!

By the way, if you’re interested in a self-paced Bible Study that uses the SOAP method, I’d like to invite you to join me, in my Proverbs 31 Bible Study!

It comes with, Exclusive Study Video Lessons + Daily Study Blog Posts + Bible Reading Plan + Daily encouragement emails! Best of all it’s Completely FREE!! You can register below. . .

Let’s Start Your Journey,
As A Proverbs 31 Woman NOW!

Wrapping It Up!

I pray this was encouraging to you.

I pray during your time with the Lord, you will grow into an awesome woman of God, you will have a better awareness and understanding of what it means to be a woman after God’s heart, that you’ll focus more on the character traits than you will any of the works. Because Godly character is more important to develop than it is the works, especially if the works don’t come from the heart of God.

I pray that your life is blessed.
I pray that not a single ounce of time is wasted.

I pray you have no guilt, shame, or condemnation for this busy season of your life and that God reveals to you ways to manage it, in a way that glorifies Him.

I pray the enemy will not come in to kill, steal or destroy any word that is put into you during this time.

I pray as you dedicate this time to God, he gives you an increase, he gives you double what you thought you were going to receive, as a result of you dedicating time to Him and studying his word and in prayer.

I pray your home, your husband, your children, and your family increase, as you increase. And they rise up and call you blessed.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Busy seasons mean being creative with our approach to bible study and prayer. Click To Tweet

Which tip will you put to use this week, even though you’re in a busy season in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! You can chime in by clicking here!

Comments

comments