WHAT IF MY SPOUSE DOES NOT BELIEVE?

I would like to offer some encouragement to anybody that has a spouse that doesn’t believe in God. If there is one thing I could say to you it would be this:

Don’t start thinking it’s hopeless!

My husband did not believe there was a God. We had so many discussions (always brought on by me) after I accepted Jesus as my Saviour. He always had an excuse not to believe. He would say things like..

• There are to many bad things happening in the world for there to be a God.
• Good things still happen to unbelievers.
• It’s an organized cult.
• I would not want to serve a God who sends people to hell.
• If God exists, why does He not show Himself?

See, he didn’t understand but neither did I until I was a Christian. And I’ll be honest, I got so frustrated at him at times. Sometimes, I felt like it was hopeless to try. I prayed and prayed and even started doubting the God I had put my faith in. I prayed hard and nothing happened. None of the approaches or schemes I tried worked. I bought him church clothes, played Christian music around him, posted bible verses on sticky notes all over the house and still nothing. I talked with my pastor and he came to visit us twice. The pastor gave him a couple books to read but that didn’t help either. So I stopped trying so hard. I prayed and stayed faithful to God. I lived out my faith without frustration and worry. Ever now and then, I would ask if he wanted to come with me to church on Sunday with a smile on my face. He would say no and I just told him I would be back.

But then it happened.

I went to the sanctuary for service after Sunday school and sat down. I few minutes later he walked in and sat beside me. I didn’t ask any questions. I just thanked God because He is always faithful.

And guess what! He is now the pastor of a church. He serves God faithfully and preaches his Word. Our God is working things out even when we don’t see them. Please, never give up hope. God’s desire is that all men be saved.

My husband is always telling people that he saw Jesus in me and wanted what I had. He said it wasn’t the books he read or anything I said. It was the glow, happiness, and joy I had. He saw a change in me. I was a new creature that visibly showed.

Don’t give up my friend, God is always working!

Remember, if you have found your joy in Jesus, share it!

Best Supplies for Inductive Bible Study!

Not only do I absolutely love inductive Bible study but I also love the thrill of finding great supplies. I’m a true sucker for all stationery products. I get that fluttery feeling every time I see pens, pencils, notebooks, journals, washi tape, post-it pads, tabs, and everything in between. I know it’s weird. We will call it my weird obsession.

Anyways, there are so many office and stationery products out there that it’s a real task finding what works for you. I wanted to make a few suggestions based on what I use and what others I know use. You shouldn’t have to be stressed trying to find good products especially if you are new to inductive Bible study and trying to learn that.

These are a few I’ve found that work well with the specific task of inductive Bible study.

In inductive Bible study you use highlighters and pens and/or pencils to mark certain words from scripture using mainly symbols. I need you to know that you do NOT have to have these supplies to do inductive Bible study. You can study inductively without marking anything. Marking just helps you slow down and see words that are important to identify in scripture.

Up first is pens I use on a regular basis. They are called triplus fineliner by Staedtler which are my favorite. They don’t bleed through the pages as easy as most other pens I’ve tried. This largely depends on the thickness of your Bible pages. My pages are pretty thin. I found these on Amazon. Now, Micron pens are awesome but a little more expensive.

Next up is some colored pencils. Just basic and inexpensive colored pencils(below). They definitely don’t bleed through and are great for shading. However, they are not as bright as pens but still do the job.You also need highlighters. You could use the colored pencils and not use highlighters but again I like the brightness of pens and highlighters. I like the colors bold and popping. Remember, I have a weird obsession. So it’s likely that you aren’t as concerned as I am and that’s perfectly fine. I use two types of highlighters. These are gel highlighters made for Bibles (below). I found them on Amazon.

The sometimes use the standard retractable highlighter (below). I got them cheap at Wal-mart. But be aware that they do bleed through if you press or move slow.

You will be writing down what you learn as you studying through a book of the Bible. I often write down everything on regular notebook paper and then transfer the information to large sticky notes in a neater and more organized way (I’ll talk more about this during the study). By doing this I can put the sticky notes in my Bible and therefore carry my insights with me. Any will do but I have grown fond of these I discovered on Amazon a few months ago (below). They have them in lighter colors too.

So we have covered pens, colored pencils, highlighters, and paper. Again, I need you to know that you do NOT have to have these supplies to do inductive Bible study. You can study the same way without marking anything. But when you use this method of marking it helps you to retain the info and makes words jump out at you like never before. It helps to slow you down while reading and notice important words in scripture. I see symbols on words that I haven’t even marked yet. It somehow helps your brain to start looking for these words. So, maybe you don’t like the thought of marking and that’s fine just try the inductive process without it. Who knows, you might decide to try it later after you learn the  “How to Study Inductively “ method.

Now the last thing I would like to mention is a dictionary and concordance. I have the “Strong’s Concise Concordance And Vine’s Concise Dictionary Of The Bible: Two Bible Reference Classics In One Handy Volume” that I purchased from Amazon. But honestly, I mostly use the dictionary unless I’m studying a particular subject such as forgiveness, prayer, or sanctification and not a book of the Bible. I also have just the “Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible” by itself. I found it on eBay for around $4.00. A dictionary is an invaluable tool. 

I hope this article is helpful. I haven’t set a date yet but we will start an inductive Bible study right here on my site.

Remember, if you have found your joy in Jesus, share it!

What is Inductive Bible Study?

Inductive Bible Study is one of my favorite ways to study the Bible. It gets very deep and the insight you can gain from this approach is absolutely amazing. I’ll be starting a series soon where we will do inductive studies right here on my sight. With that being said, I wanted to explain a few things about inductive Bible study. But first, let’s look at a few reasons why we should even study the Bible.

1. WHY LEARN TO STUDY THE BIBLE?
I. Mainly, we study to know who God is. He shows us this in scripture.

II. We study to know who we are. Where do we fit in this world? What are we supposed to be doing (after all we were created by God for God) and what we mean to him?

III. We study to find answers. Every question we could have is inside the pages of the bible. We can use it to always find our joy in Jesus. We can use it to help others.

IV. To be better equipped to share Jesus and the joy found in Him.

V. God wants a close relationship with us. He wants to be a Father to us. God has to talk to us for that relationship to grow. He talks through His Word.

2. BUT WHY STUDY INDUCTIVELY?

I. This approach allows you to study any scripture without study books because you use the Bible as your number one source for interpretation. Scripture supports scripture. You will consult a Bible dictionary and concordance. (It’s not second-hand interpretation.)

II. It doesn’t tell you what to believe. Many Bible studies and commentaries tell you what to believe but studying inductively allows you to discover the truth for yourself. (You will check your interpretation.)

III. You will be learning to read the Bible in a new way where you see what the text says, what it means, and how it applies. The great thing is you can use it on any scripture for the rest of your life. You don’t even need a certain version of the Bible. You can use whatever version you currently study from. I do use King James Version while studying and posting scripture because it is one of the word-for-word translations, I love the wording and it speaks to me.

There are three parts to this study method.

First, you find out what the scripture says which is observation. You learn what to look for so that you can remember and understand what you’ve read. Do you ever read and 10 minutes later forget what you’ve just read? This helps to eliminate that. Most of your time will be spent on this first step carefully observing and observing and observing some more. So observation is first.

Next, you find out what the scripture means. You just observed the text and now you will see what the passage means so you will interpret it.  Interpretation starts flowing out because you observed so well. You will get to use cross-references and do word studies. Let me just say it is very exciting when you discover the spiritual riches in the Bible that you have never seen before and the best part is you discovered this yourself with the Holy Spirits guidance.

Lastly, you will identify how to apply the scriptures to your life. We observe, interpret, and then adjust our lives to the truths we discerned. This last part is called application.

So, in inductive Bible study, you have observation, interpretation, and application. This was a brief description of inductive Bible study.

This is one of the best ways I have ever studied the Bible. It does take time and practice but it is unquestionably worth it. You will be amazed at all you learn and remember. It has transformed my life.

What do you need to do inductive Bible study?

1. Your Bible (any version)
2. Paper
3. Colored pens and/or pencils and highlighters
4. Bible marking symbols sheet (I use these from Karikingdent.com) or you can create your own markings.

Check out this post for a better understanding and suggestions on these supplies.

My plan, if the Lord is willing, is to start an inductive study of the book of Philemon right here on my site. We can walk through it together. So, don’t forget to come back for a start time. I’m excited about it and I believe the Lord will bless us for it.

Remember, if you have found the joy that comes from Jesus, share it!