How to Create Your Own Bible Study Notebook

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**A Bible Study Notebook can be a great tool to help you efficiently organize your quiet time, so you can focus on spending rich, quality time in the Word.**

Do you ever struggle with distraction, disorganization, or discouragement in your Bible reading time?

I think we’ve all been there at one time or another!

In fact, for years I felt this way! I would get distracted, lose focus, become demotivated and just eventually stop reading the Word.

With 5 kids at home who were either infants or homeschooling, I found it hard to spend rich, quality time in the Word. I was always getting distracted or interrupted.

I eventually realized that I needed to be intentional. But even more than intentionality, I needed a plan….a structured way to keep me focused, organized, and on task when I sat down to dig into scripture.

That’s how my Bible Study Notebook was born.

Perhaps you’re in a similar place right now. You have the desire to spend quiet time with God and dig deeper into scripture, but you just can’t seem to figure out where to begin or how to structure it.

Friend, I truly believe that a Bible Study Notebook will help you get there!

What is a Bible Study Notebook?

A Bible Study Notebook is an organizational tool designed to help you stay consistent in the Word, dig deeper into scripture, and be free to journal your thoughts about what God is speaking to you in the process.

Although it may seem a bit overwhelming, organizing a great Bible Study Notebook is actually quite simple!

Here are a few things you’ll need to get started:

• 1-2″ 3 Ring Binder
• Paper for your sections
• Bible or smartphone to look up your scriptures

3 Main Sections of a Bible Study Notebook:

Section 1: Scripture Study

The first section I put in my Bible Study Notebook is the Scripture Section.

In this section there are several parts that will help you to have a consistent, rich time in the Word:

• Bible Reading Plans
• Verse Study Guides
• Scripture Cards

Methods for Studying the Bible: Reading Plans

There are several ways you can choose to read the Bible every day: By Book, By Topic, and Chronologically.

Read the Bible by Book

To read the Bible by book, you simply choose your book and begin reading scriptures from it each day. The benefit of reading the Bible this way is that you can have a greater understanding of the overall picture of what the author is trying to teach. It also really helps with keeping scriptures in context because you are reading all the scriptures before and after. You can break down your reading by chapters or by sections within chapters. If you do choose to study the Bible this way, you can also find Bible studies on that book to give you better insight into the chapters.

Reading the Bible Topically

This is my favorite way to read it. With this particular method, you study scriptures that are related to a specific topic. (ex: Forgiveness, Joy, Hope, Marriage, etc.) The scriptures can be from any book of the Bible, not necessarily just one. The benefit of reading the Bible topically is that you get to go deeper into one topic. It also helps you to apply it to your life. I have found that studying the Bible this way allows me to connect scriptures from different parts of the Bible and reinforces what I’ve already read. Often times I will find similar verses in the Old Testament and New Testament, which helps me to connect the two.

Reading the Bible is Chronologically

You may have seen “Read the Bible in One Year” plans. These plans usually bring you through the Bible from start to finish based on when events occurred. For example, you would start in Genesis and end in Revelation, but you may be reading out of Kings and Chronicles at the same time since the books are related in events. The benefit of this type of plan is that it gives you a linear view of the order of events in scripture.

Verse Studies

One of the things I love to do when reading the Bible is to study the original words from the verses that I’m reading. One way to do that is to use BlueLetterBible.org. This free resource allows you to put in any scripture and it will show you the Hebrew or Greek word and the meaning of each word in the verse. I like to choose a few words that stick out to me and study those words. This resource is also available as an app on your phone.

Another thing you can do is look up the scriptures before and after the verse, you are studying. Anytime I’m reading just one verse (rather than a whole chapter) I like to read the verses before and after. It gives you a better idea of what the author is saying, preventing you from taking the verse out of context.

Scripture Cards

This is an optional part of this section but I really like it! Making scriptures cards helps me to memorize certain scriptures that stick out to me. You could make several sets of these cards (either on a computer or handwriting them on index cards) and keep them in various places. You can keep one set inside this section of the Bible Study Notebook so that you can go over them during your quiet time. Also, you can place them around your house (on your fridge, bathroom mirror, in your closet), glove compartment, or purse so that you have access to them when you need them.

Section 2: W.A.R Journal

In this section of the Bible Study Notebook, I keep daily W.A.R. journal sheets to help me process the scriptures I’m reading for the day.

I love to journal….for many reasons. In one of the darkest times of my life, I was encouraged by my mother-in-law to begin journaling. I wasn’t a fan at first. However, journaling became an outlet that God used to heal me in many different areas where I was struggling. Those pages have become an encouragement to me over the years. It helps me to see how far God has brought me!

Journaling has other benefits as well:

• It helps us process some of the scriptures we are reading
• It allows us to record what God is speaking to us as we read the Bible
• Last but not least, it gives us a way to record specific prayers for issues that rise up during our Bible time

Section 3: Prayer and Praise

This last section is one of my favorites! There are two main sheets in this section: The Prayer Sheet & the Praise Sheet.

The Prayer Sheet can be used as an ongoing list of prayers that you have for yourself, your family, your friends, small group members, or others. An ongoing list works great because it serves as a reminder to pray specifically each day.

The Praise Sheet is just as important!

On this sheet, you can record the answer to prayers that you have received for yourself, your family, and others that you’ve been praying for. This sheet is one of my favorites. It can become a “stone of remembrance” for what God is doing and has done in your life and the life of others. In the times when you are believing in faith for a breakthrough, you can look back on this sheet and remember God’s faithfulness. If He did it before, He will do it again!

Another thing that I love about the Praise Sheet is that it helps us to praise God and give Him the glory for all that He has done. It’s a reminder to turn our eyes back to Him and thank Him for His intervention in our lives.

One important thing to note for each of these sections…Don’t forget to record the dates of your prayer requests and praise reports. Seeing the span of time between our ask and our receiving can be an encouragement for our future times of waiting. We often forget how long we prayed and believed for things we have received in the past. Recording the dates can help us to keep believing and push through in the difficult times of life.

Are you ready to create your own Bible Study Notebook?

I have a special gift for you! If you want a basic way to get started with organizing your Bible time, you can grab your FREE Bible Study Notebook here!

What you’ll get:

• Printable Organizational Sections: You’ll have Printable Tabs, Section Dividers, & a Notebook Cover to keep your notebook organized
• A guide to structuring your Bible time: With the My Scripture Plan Worksheet you’ll learn to find the scriptures on the topics you want to study most, so you can create a personalized plan for reading the Word each day!
• Printable Journal Sheets to help you process through the scriptures: You’ll have daily W.A.R Journal Sheets to help you process what God is speaking to you through the scriptures.
• Printable Sheets to help you record the amazing things God is doing in your life: The Printable Prayer & Praise Sheets will become “stones of remembrance” of all the amazing things God has done and is doing through your life!
• Additional weekly encouragement and resources to help you continue to grow in faith and overcome in life!

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