Girls Night #92: How to Read the Bible (and Actually Understand What it Means!)
IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
What the Bible is and why God gave it to us
Why it’s important to study the Bible
What book of the Bible to start with
How to understand the Bible (and apply it to your life)
How to make time for reading the Bible
How God changes our lives through the Bible
(You can also listen right here!👇)
ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!
Our guest for today’s episode is my new friend, Gretchen Saffles. (And can I just say, you guys are going to LOVE Gretchen! She and I were instant friends, and I know you’ll feel the exact same way!)
Gretchen is a wife, a mama, and the founder of a global online women’s ministry called Well-Watered Women. She’s also a passionate writer, and has amazing wisdom when it comes to reading and understanding the Bible.
And today that’s exactly what we’re talking about: How to read the Bible! Which… if we’re honest, can be really hard to figure out sometimes. But that’s why I’m so glad we have Gretchen here.
Gretchen is going to help us answer some really foundational questions, questions like, what even IS the Bible, why did God give it to us, and why is it so important?
And she’s also going to help us with more practical questions like, what translation of the Bible should we be reading? Is there a book of the Bible we should start with? And how do we begin to actually understand the Bible and apply it to our lives, instead of flipping to random pages hoping God will speak to us?
Gretchen is going to talk us through all of it, and I’m so excited.
Whether you’re new to your faith or have been a Christian for years, my hope is that this episode will help make reading the Bible way less intimidating, and that it will reignite your passion for God’s word.
PIN ME!
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
Steph’s book, The Lipstick Gospel (here’s a paperback copy and here’s a free digital download!)
Steph’s new prayer journal, Every Single Moment
Into the Unknown: A 10-day devotional for seasons of uncertainty
Journals Gretchen Mentions: Walk in Grace Journals
Women of the Word book
Podcast episode from Marri that Stephanie mentions: Trials Vs. Temptations Vs. Tests
Quotes Mentioned:
"Don't let fear keep you from reading the Bible" - Gretchen
"The word of God is for you" - Gretchen
“We study the bible because we want to know God” - Gretchen
"God's word never changes, but it always changes us" - Gretchen
“It changes your souls tastebuds to want more of Him” - Gretchen
“Every word of the Bible is put there on purpose” - Gretchen
“The more you feed on God's word, the more you're going to say, "I want that"“ - Gretchen
“Every time I spend time in God's word, it changes me” - Gretchen
“When you don't understand something, don't give up...press in further” - Gretchen
“Read the Bible with faith, not fear” - Gretchen
Scripture Mentioned:
John 14:16
2 Peter 1:21
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Psalm 119:10
Hebrews 4:12
James 1:5
Psalm 34
Books of the Bible Gretchen recommends to start with:
Luke & Philippians
Original text language:
Hebrew - Old Testament
Greek and Aramaic - New Testament
Literal Translation Bible:
ESV (the one Gretchen’s been studying from)
NASV
CSV
Dynamic Translation Bible:
The Message (more of a paraphrase)
NLT
Gretchen also recommends:
Amplified Bible Translation
ESV Study Bible
Stephanie’s Bible:
NIV Study Bible
Picture of Stephanie’s Bible cover:
WE LOVE OUR SPONSORS!
Our sponsor for today’s episode is Audible. To get your 30-day free trial, all you have to do is go to audible.com/GirlsNight or text ‘[GIRLSNIGHT]’ to 500500 to get started.
WHILE WE’RE ON THE SUBJECT
here’s another resource I know you’ll love!
Every Single Moment
A 100-day prayer journal to help you savor the present and prepare for the future!