The past year for me has brought with it lots of transition and I’m so excited to look back on it and see where the Lord has me now. Since my college years began, the Lord has been constantly building my trust in Him and confidence that He keeps His promises and is faithful in all things. Graduating from LSU and now being here at the Kanakuk Institute in Branson, Missouri is one huge way God has continued to be faithful. (Our campus is called K-Kuai; hence the island life). Wow, I’ve been here for just three weeks and God has already taught me so much from His Word, given me a deeper understanding of who He is and what He calls me to, and brought me into the sweetest community I’ve ever experienced. Pretty pumped to be here.

The Kanakuk Institute is a discipleship program where we’re immersed in Scripture study under incredible teaching, discipled and held accountable in authentic community, and participate in some type of outside ministry internship. So far, we’ve learned how to resolve conflict from an informed Biblical perspective and how to inductively study Scripture. In our in-depth study of conflict resolution, we were transparent with one another and put our whole life into the light. By that, I mean we were real and honest about what we’ve struggled with and shared what the Lord has redeemed in our lives. It was the most freeing thing to be real about sin and no longer live in any shame that the devil could take advantage of in our lives.

As Christians, we have been set free in Christ. However, often times we fail to actually walk in the freedom we’ve received. Wow, the Lord has offered us life abundant, not just the eternal reward of life with Him in heaven, but also the current blessing of a life of fulfillment in Him on this earth (John 10:10). And what a shame it is that we miss that so much because we allow ourselves to lose sight of the God who’s reconciled us to Himself as we exchange that truth for lies from the devil. But being here, I want to continue to learn how to walk in freedom and confidence in who I am in Christ – made right.

How, though, do we constantly walk in freedom and not allow ourselves to fall back into those lies from the devil? How do we keep our eyes focused on Christ and His purpose for our lives with full confidence of our identity in Him? It starts within our own hearts, in our daily pursuit of Him. We pursue Him through prayer and time in the Word. As Christians, our time spent reading God’s Word is absolutely essential to our life. But if we really intend to grow and experience true sanctification in our hearts and lives, we can’t be content to just read the Bible; we must study and meditate on it. We hear that all the time.. “Don’t just read the Word. Study it. Meditate on it.” But the question that we often fail to ask is “how?” How do we really study scripture? We can find good devos and commentary on particular passages. But if all of those outside sources are taken away and we’re left with nothing but our Bible, would we be able to most effectively study it on our own? I couldn’t honestly answer that question with a confident “yes,” but I want to.

This past week at the Institute, we had the opportunity to be taught the Inductive Bible Study method by David Lawson. He led us through some of Genesis, and we will continue to study Genesis on our own with the inductive method for the rest of the semester. Next semester, we’ll use it to go through James. The inductive method is a really awesome way to break down passages of scripture and slow down reading so that a deeper understanding can be had. It focuses on observation, interpretation, and application.

When looking at a passage of scripture, it’s good to first read through it one time without stopping to get a good overview. Then, go through and observe all the details. Who is the author? Who’s the author speaking to? What’s the condition of the society at the time? What’s going on historically? Search for obvious details in the text like people, places, and events. Highlight, underline, circle, and draw symbols in different colors to mark these important observations. Record what you learn and recognize repetition, literary devices, and specific things to apply.

Interpretation is the next step in the inductive method. It’s so important to accurately interpret scripture and not take anything out of context. Read before and after the passage to get a good understanding of the context. Look over your observations to find any repeated or unfamiliar words or phrases to further study. Cross-reference. Cross-referencing is very beneficial to effective Bible study. To cross-reference is to go to other passages of scripture that refer to the particular people, places, events, or topics being studied to gain a deeper understanding. Compare what you find and form a more comprehensive story.

Lastly, and most importantly, we must apply what we study. This is where we ask the tough heart questions. What does my study of this passage tell me about God? What does it say about me? What do I believe based on what I’ve just read and studied from God’s Word? Has my perspective on the particular topic/person/book changed at all? If so, how? Where is the Lord placing conviction in my heart in regard to this study and how can I apply it today? What are some practical steps I can take to apply these truths in my life?

To finish the inductive study, use what you’ve learned to form a summary of each paragraph from the passage, then summarize each chapter, and each book. Already, this method has been super exciting to help me dig into God’s Word in a very effective way. I can study scripture with a much clearer focus and informed perspective. I hope it’s as helpful to others as it is to me.