Hello and a warm welcome to the Ladies Who Love Christ Ministries blog. We are so grateful you are here with us. So much has been taking place around the Ministry and it has been a year of wonderful growth for us. We are now airing Ladies Who Love Christ Radio on FaithTalk Atlanta each weekend and live producing our radio program every Tuesday. It is incredible & we are so grateful to our Ministry sponsors at Any Pest for their wonderful support and making this programming possible.

We are also teaching year round, live online Bible Studies (33 live online Studies to date) and have made these totally free to participants in 2021 as we are authoring them. If you would ever like information on participating in our studies, you can contact us right here through the website & we will connect you to our amazing Community.

All of that to say, we are grateful and excited to be back to regular blogging here. We know it has been a minute but you gals can look forward to some great content here to help you develop intimacy with Jesus. After-all, there is nothing more important we will ever do.

This week, we will be unpacking how to get the most out of your Bible Study time. Bible Study is essential to growing in your relationship with Jesus. God’s will is revealed in His Word. So often, people mistake Bible Study as simply reading another author’s interpretation of scripture or following people before investing time in The Word. Now, do not get me wrong- there are many talented teachers of God’s Word and incredible Authors, but if you’re simply following people and not taking the time to pour over Scripture yourself, there is so much you will miss.

I am going to keep this super simple & bullet out some great tips for getting the most out of your Bible Study time. We are all busy with life, hectic schedules and demands but please, please, don’t crowd out Christ. As I always teach my ladies in the Ministry, give Jesus the BEST of you and not the REST of you. When you take the time to immerse in The Word, and to get alone with Jesus, He will do things far greater than any of your stressing, running and trying to make things happen, ever will.

1. PREPARE AHEAD: Taking the time to prepare ahead of time, eliminates distractions and really allows you to come into God’s presence and to give it your best. Are there things you can prepare ahead of time? Maybe it is as simple as making your coffee the night before & getting it all set up (I most definitely do this), setting out your Bible, pens/post-it’s and preparing your space. Think of your time in God’s Word as a non-negotiable, you have to have it, so prepare well & you’ll reap the benefits.

2. PRAYER: Bathing your Bible Study time in prayer helps to prepare your heart. Invite Jesus in to your Study time and ask Him to give you wisdom and understanding of His Word. I often pray to still distractions and to focus my heart in on Him. He is a HOLY and RIGHTEOUS Father, who is so worthy of our praises, prayers and devoted time spent in His Word. Psalm 141:2 says “May be prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” We must always remember that it is a gift to be able to go to Jesus directly in prayer, and not forsake this time with Him- as we draw near to Him in the Study of His Word.

3. INVEST THE TIME: So often, we want to invest our time, resources, finances and efforts into things that do not offer an eternal lasting hope. We focus on things that are temporal and fading away. The time you spend in God’s Word & in building intimacy with Jesus is time that is NEVER wasted and it keeps you focused with an eternal perspective. Be willing to invest the time and effort to really study the Scriptures, not to check off a list but to give your time in God’s Word- and your understanding of it- your absolute best. I love Psalm 90:2, it says “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”.

4. CREATE YOUR SPACE: & ELIMINATE TECHNOLOGY: It helps to have a quiet space to get alone with Jesus and to study His Word. Often times, it can be an office, a little desk, or even a closet. It does not need to be fancy but having a dedicated space to study the Bible helps calm distractions and allows you to really focus. One of the biggest things that vies for our attention is technology. As much as possible, try to limit studying God’s Word with devices open! Take a paper copy of your Bible and really focus. Phones and laptops tend to spit back emails, texts and other messages that only serve as a distraction. It always helps me to remember I am coming into the presence of a Holy Father and to treat my time with Him with reverence.

5. Journal & Write Out Scriptures: It always helps me to write The Word. What we write, we often retain. Jot down thoughts, scriptures and other things that The Lord is teaching you through His Word. I often use notecards to jot down scriptures as well and post things from my study time around the house and in my car for further reflection. You want to start to commit scripture to heart as much as possible and these methods help greatly.

Ladies, the most important thing is to approach your time in God’s Word as the MOST IMPORTANT piece to your day! When you spend time in the presence of Christ, when you study His Word to understand & not to check a box…. He will do so much in your life and heart. He is a good Father that desires time with you. He is holy, righteous and so worthy of our praise and time. Do not crowd this out with things that offer no eternal value.

For more info. on the Ministry of Ladies Who Love Christ, our radio program that airs each weekend on FaithTalk or our Podcast, please visit us at LadiesWhoLoveChrist.com & search Ladies Who Love Christ on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. We are a lively, fun group of women from all over the world, seeking Jesus TOGETHER.

In His Love,

Ashley Poptodorova

Founder, Ladies Who Love Christ Ministries

A special THANK YOU to our Platinum Ministry Sponsors at AnyPest.com :

A special THANK YOU to our Gold Ministry Sponsors at:

SouthernPhoenixServices.com

HappyHealthyCaregiver.com