I had a fresh pen, perfectly crisp highlighter and the stiff pages of my newest Bible study book on my bed. The babies were put down for a nap. I quickly cleaned up the kitchen dishes and snuck into my room to open my book and my Bible and crack into the new study.
My heart wanted it. My soul craved it. And I had the best of intentions. Until the phone rang.
Of course the doctor’s office would call now.
I quickly answered the call and chatted with the nurse for 60 seconds and hung up.
Ok, here we go….page 1.
And that’s when it happened. My perfect little napper, who always slept 3 hours suddenly started crying through the monitor.
“Ignore it. He’ll grab his blanket and go back to sleep.” I told myself. He’s a great napper, what is happening???
The cry that began as a whimper turned wail, turned hysteria.
“CRAP. I’ve gotta get the kid before he wakes his brother. I’ll come read this later.” I told myself.
Down went the book, and my beautiful highlighter and the stack of crisp Post-It’s I had just bought. (Because really, who doesn’t love new Post-Its???)
OVER AND OVER scenarios like the one above plagued my world as I jumped from one study to the next. Over and over I started the cycle of wanting to be in my Bible, but constantly finding opposition at every turn. And if I’m honest, for years, the struggle didn’t seem worth the reward.
The more I tried to get into my Bible daily, the harder my life became.
ANYONE ever been there with me??? {Please, oh please, tell me I’m not alone in this????}
Until one day I sat down and started talking this out with a friend. Unmasking the guilt I felt for being in a constant battle to get some Jesus into my life. As I began to discuss my struggle I uncovered how many women were in the same struggle. Wanting to study, but finding opposition at every turn. So it got my attention.
Why did Bible study seem such a battle?
The answer….Because it is.
Studying Scripture, worship, and prayer are spiritual weapons we use to wage war against our enemy. And when we begin to engage in the battle we are going to face opposition. So here’s what I learned in my Bible Study Journey that helped me conquer my battles:
1- Set a realistic expectation.
In my mind, the perfect Proverb’s 31 Woman was the one who had the crock pot on at 6 am, dinner in the making and had spent the last 45 mins with Jesus on the back porch deep in her Bible. Surely, I could make that happen in my life, right? Well as I was pregnant-with morning sickness all day long and nursing a 9 month babe at the same time, life just wasn’t going to look like the Pinterest Christian Woman I imagined….so I had to set realistic expectations. I couldn’t get 90 minutes of Bible study in a day when I could hardly get 90 seconds alone in the bathroom. So dropping my expectations down from in depth Bible study to a simple mom’s devotional book helped me find a measure of success.
The enemy had me stuck in my expectations of what I should be doing, and since I couldn’t meet them I failed to do anything at all.
2- Set up a routine that works for you.
I really loved the idea of giving God the first of my day each day…but if I’m honest, the first part of me in the morning isn’t the best part of me. I’m nasty and grumpy and my head is in a fog. Or at least it was for many years. When you spend your night rocking teething babes, and then are asked to wake 45 mins before sunrise to meet with Jesus..oh, I met with Him, but I wasn’t pleased about it. And because I was resentful I wasn’t engaged. So I reworked my schedule, and my focus, to do my devotional book before bed or in the car pool line.
I’m happy to say, I no longer resent early morning meetings with Jesus, but the season of my life has shifted to where I can rise early because I choose to, and I’m not dealing with tiny crying humans at night 🙂
Regardless of what time of day you study, or for how long you choose to do it, just do something and keep consistent.
3- Change your mindset.
I viewed quiet time with Jesus as having to be a certain way. I had to sit at my desk or in my bed and have a pen, highlighter and study guide. I had to research and investigate. Now I realize all I really need is an open heart and a willing mind. I can just as successfully learn about Him through listening to the Bible app read me Scripture in the car as I can in my quiet spot at home.
There is no perfect way to study the Bible. It’s just what works for you and your life.
4- Recognize your enemy.
Studying Scripture is a battle. And when I realized just how much would change in my world once I immersed myself in the Word, I understood why the enemy was trying to keep me out of it. So the more I understand the tactics of warfare the better I know how to respond and engage. What were seen as distractions before now are viewed as warning signs. When life gets hectic and I find the enemy distracting me from my study time, I fight harder to invest the time because I know there must be something he wants to keep me from learning. Satan’s goal is to “steal, kill and destroy.” So as I view all the distractions in light of this, I fight harder to get the wisdom from the Word my soul needs.
5- Redeem the wreckage
In the ongoing cycle of jumping into Bible study and failing with epic proportions, I slowly began to believe the lie Satan was feeding me that because I hadn’t been successful I should give up. And sadly, for long seasons of my life I stayed away from studying the Bible because I felt like if I couldn’t do it perfectly I shouldn’t do it at all.
And y’all, Satan wins when we sit on the sidelines!
But when I began to get into the game, regardless of how “successful” I felt, I began to see God redeem all areas of my life and my study time. Pockets of time once wasted suddenly became opportunities to spend time with Jesus. And because I had adjusted my expectations and changed my mindset, I found moments of time in my car where I could pray, time in the bathroom getting ready where I could worship.
When I sought the Lord, I found Him….and He redeemed the wreckage of the past by multiplying the efforts in front of me.
Every time we open our Bible and step into time with Jesus we are nourishing our souls, equipping our spirits and fortifying our lives. Of course Bible study is going to be a battle. Satan wants us no where near our Bibles.
[bctt tweet=”Of course Bible study is going to be a battle. Satan wants us no where near our Bibles.” username=”nataliadrumm”]
Because the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than a two edged sword. His Word never returns void. It pierces the marrow of our lives.
His Word changes us. Transforms us. Redeems us. And we better believe we will face opposition when we seek to spend time in Scripture. But the battle is worth it. The change is necessary, and we must be willing to press on and stay encouraged.
You see that time I had, even just 5 mins a day when my babes were little, while it felt like pennies comparatively, I made those deposits and I trusted God to multiply it. And multiply He did. Slowly as my heart, mind and life shifted away from me and focused onto Him, those few minutes turned into longer stretched of time. My mind became clearer as I studied deeper. I tasted His goodness and I craved more. Before I knew it I could spend hours studying His Word.
Never despise the battles, for they build us up and make us stronger…and the end result is victory because we serve the Victorious God.
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