Roadblocks to Studying Your Bible
After much crowd testing and rigorous surveying (Instagram polls), I think I have found three of the most common roadblocks that prevent us from studying the Bible.
They are all things that I've faced myself and am learning how to bypass. I also believe that we encounter these roadblocks in stages as many people seem to struggle with them in the same steps. These blockages are not knowing WHY we should study the Bible, HOW to study the Bible, or WHEN to study the Bible.
Stage 1 - The WHY roadblock
Earlier in my own discipleship journey, I would read the Bible and journal about my observations. But I didn't understand why it was important to go deeper and study it further by intentionally learning more about the structure, inspiration and themes of the Bible. I didn't realise that studying the Bible would do a few helpful things for my Christianity such as:
Learn about the character of God
Learn about the nature of man
Understand God's intentions for mankind
Understand the role and significance of Jesus
Learn principles and lessons from various biblical authors
But as I've become more familiar with the message of the Bible and how to utilise content and tools to study it, why I should be studying the Bible has become a personal conviction rather than another task. Ultimately you need to have your own revelation of why you should be studying the Bible, and this comes from and hunger and desire to experience God in His fullness.
A lot of this is rooted in Philippians 3:7-12 where Paul writes about really knowing and encountering God at a relational level, not just through knowledge and wisdom of the law.
Stage 2 - The HOW roadblock
Once I knew why I should study the Bible, it was then a case of figuring out HOW I can study it.
I've previously completed formal studies through a couple of Bible colleges, but they were more focussed on ministry and helping others rather than theological studies. And many people don't have the time or budget to commit to formal studies. But I have noticed that there are more theologically trained content creators who have a passion for making informal theological education accessible to lay people. This includes many of the sources I've mentioned here.
So having some sources is great, but what do I do with all this information?
This is where having useful study tools, disciplines and processes come in to play.
There are numerous apps and platforms designed to help you capture, process and summarise information, so how do you use them specifically for studying? These apps can range from free resources to complete online study applications. But it can get overwhelming when you realise how many tools are out there, and uncertain on when to use them.
I'm planning on sharing some specific study techniques and processes that I'm using that have helped me gather my learning together and action some great lessons I've learnt. My goal is to teach you how to use these tools at various stages of your comprehension and learning, and how to keep them flexible and adapt to your stages of life commitments. When you learn how to use the resources and tools, then next roadblock can become a lot more apparent.
Stage 3 - The WHEN roadblock
Ok, so you have a personal conviction about studying the Bible, and you have a list of resources and tools to help you gather and process all this information. When exactly are you meant to find the time to actually do all this?
If you're like me, you're probably a very busy person (or you think you're busy) and you don't know where you're supposed to find the time to do this. I've tried to start the conversation here and here to help with finding the time to do all this, but there is a lot more to cover. The main thing to focus on is what unnecessary things should be cut out of your life to make rooms for things you're passionate about.
For example, I love video games and Xbox and was a very casual but avid console gamer since my teenage years. But when I became a father in 2019 I realised that if I wanted to keep playing games, I would need to intentionally make time to do so. This meant I wouldn't have time to do other things like spend time with my family, or get extra tasks done, or get jobs done around the house, or get proper sleep in. So I decided to sell my console and games to make room for other things in my life. I still miss gaming, but I've become much more passionate about other areas in my life that it isn't a big deal anymore.
This is an area I'm wanting to write about a lot more - productivity and learning. I love productivity and life hacks designed to help you optimise your time and effort, and I believe these tools can be focussed towards your own personal Bible study.
So what can you do to overcome some of these roadblocks?
Overcoming the WHY roadblock
This comes down to your own conviction, but start by just reading the Bible some more. I talk about why we may not have a conviction about this here.
Overcoming the HOW roadblock
Just start by reading the Bible. Don't worry too much about all the tools and resources, but get to know the story and the Bible itself. Try and read through the whole Bible and write down all the things that don't make sense to you - this will become your first study plan. I talk about this here.
Overcoming the WHEN roadblock
I've written about this before, but try and utilise the available time you have to get studying. Don't try to be a time lord and set unrealistic goals, cut out the infinity pools and use that time to start using the tools at your disposal.
Which stage do you think you are on?
Maybe you're early in on the journey of building a Bible roadmap and you don't really understand what all the fuss is about. Or maybe you're really passionate about it, but you simply don't know where to find the time to do it all. Regardless of which stage you're in, the direction you're facing and having a desire to move forward and go deeper is really important.
Keep in mind that this is a lifelong journey. Start at stage 1 and get your own personal conviction on WHY you should be studying the Bible. Don't get caught up in all the resources and tools if you don't have a passion to really encounter God through the scriptures.
And that is the point of studying the Bible.