PERSONALIZATION OF SCRIPTURE
- Pray – talk about what you would like from your time with God.
Ephesians 1:17-19 is a great place to start!
- Determine which passage of Scripture you would like to spend time talking with God about. Remember that time in the Word is not necessarily reading about Him, but rather, listening to Him. The Bible is a gift given to us for our transformation, not merely information.
- Read the passage to yourself
- Read it aloud. Imagine the tone of voice the Lord would use in speaking this to you. Imagine His inflections, His pitch and volume, where He would pause, and which words He would stress. Read it aloudthat way!
- Underline words and/or phrases that catch your attention
- Read the passages in different versions and paraphrases. You also may want to copy and paste various versions into a document for underlining and taking notes.
- Copy the passage, exactly as it is written in your Bible
- Write it in first person, using personal pronouns such as “I”, “my” and “mine”.
- Enlarge your thinking using these options …
* Write alternative meanings for words/phrases
* Write it in your own words
* Write it as a personal prayer
* Write everything that comes to mind i.e., written meditation or journaling
* Create statements of intent. For example: “I will…and therefore…”
* Ask questions: with obvious answers, unanswerable questions,
thought provoking, probing questions
* Create Who, What, When, Where, Why, Which, How Questions
* Create personal application questions for example: How will this change me
at home, when I’m alone, when I’m at work, etc.?
10. Find the key verse and memorize it
11. Pray through the passage in detail, talking with the Lord conversationally
about all He has been saying.
12. Pray for an opportunity to give away what you have learned = Discipleship!
13. Possibly do something creative to illustrate the passage