Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Study
Growing in your understanding of God’s Word is a lifelong journey. One powerful and accessible way to begin is simply by listening to the Bible.
Pray for Spiritual Understanding
As you study and listen to God’s Word, remember: true understanding comes through the Holy Spirit. As such, before starting your study, pray that the Lord will open your mind to understand the scriptures. We see that Jesus did this for the disciples in Luke 24:45 "Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." We also see in John 14:26 and John 16:13, that even after receiving the Holy Spirit, we will continue to be guided by and taught by the Holy Spirit. Even in Acts 16:14, we see that "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message". Thus, begin your study sessions by inviting the Holy Spirit to help you to understand God's Word.
A Simple Prayer
Lord, I thank you for giving me the mind to read your word.
I praise you for your goodness.
I pray, that as I begin to read (or listen to) your Word,
that you open my mind to understand the scriptures.
Holy Spirit, I pray that you would use this to teach and guide me.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Start by Listening
We highly recommend listening to the Bible regularly. This allows you to take in large portions of Scripture and begin to understand the overall story and flow of God’s Word. At the end of this page, we provide links to audio Bibles to help you get started.
For many people, it can also be helpful to intentionally reorder daily habits for a season in order to make space for God’s Word. This might look like replacing certain routine activities such as scrolling social media, listening to music in the car, watching television shows, or playing games with listening to a book (or section) of the Bible instead.
Over time, you may find that what begins as discipline becomes delight. As you continue, you may find yourself increasingly immersed in Scripture and looking forward to continuing where you left off. We also highly recommend using a simple method to stay consistent: track your progress as you listen. You can check off chapters or books in a Bible reading plan so you always know where you stopped and can easily continue the next day.
Pair Listening with Overviews
For larger or more complex books of the Bible, it can be especially helpful to first watch an overview from BibleProject, though these videos are valuable to watch for every book of the Bible, not just the longer ones.
These short videos give you a clear understanding of:
The structure of the book
Key themes
Important context
Most BibleProject overviews are typically one video per book, though some books are divided into two videos due to their length or complexity (for example, Genesis).
The first overview video of Genesis is included. After watching, listen to the full book. This combination helps everything connect in a meaningful way.
Engage as You Listen
As you listen:
Highlight or write down Scriptures that stand out to you
Reflect on what God may be revealing
Revisit passages that resonate deeply
See the Bigger Picture
This listening approach is especially powerful for gaining an overview of the entire biblical narrative—from beginning to end.
By God’s grace, this will not replace deeper study, but prepare you for it.
Over time, you will:
Read each book more closely
Study Scripture in greater depth
Grow through Bible studies, church teaching, and personal reflection
Start with the Big Picture
Before you begin, we encourage you to watch both videos: the BibleProject overview of the Old Testament and the New Testament.
This helps you begin with a broad overview of the entire biblical narrative, so that as you move into individual books, you already have a clear sense of the overall story and structure of Scripture.
From there, you can go deeper, studying each book one at a time with greater understanding and context.
Audio Bibles & BibleProject Video Links🔗
Below you’ll find direct access to the full resources used throughout this page. These are designed to help you both hear the Word and understand the structure of Scripture.
A Call to Personal Testing of the Word
Believers are also called to be like the Bereans, who did not accept teaching blindly, but “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). In the same way, readers are encouraged to study the Word for themselves and to test all teaching against Scripture. Faith is not meant to be passive or dependent solely on others, but active, rooted in personal engagement with God’s Word. Every message, including this one, should be measured against the truth of Scripture so that what is received is proven, sound, and faithful to God’s Word.
