SOAP

Before I go any further in this post, I must make a confession to all of you. I have never been a big Bible-reader. Growing up, I tried several times to start at Genesis and read all the way through, but I would get to about the middle of Leviticus and give up because it seemed so boring and dry and hard to understand. I didn't see how any of it connected or how it possibly applied to me. And so I never got any further than that. 

So, instead of trying to read the whole thing, I would just take notes during service on Sunday and study the verses the pastor used or read through a devotional book and study those verses. I got some good words doing it this way, but I still didn't really see the connections or how it really applied to me personally. 

A couple months ago, I decided, again, that I was going to read through the whole Bible. But this time, I am trying a different approach. I started in Genesis, of course, because that's the beginning, but I also started reading in Psalm, Matthew, and Acts. I read a couple of chapters from each section every day and it gives me more of a glimpse of the whole picture and how it all plays out in the end. Kind of reading the beginning, middle, and end of the story all at once. 

As much as I am loving what I've been doing, it still wasn't becoming personal to me in the way I wanted it to. Until, a sweet friend asked me to do a study with her. I hesitated at first when she suggested we start with the book of Acts, because I had just finished reading through it a few days before. But, in the end, I figured it couldn't hurt to reread it and maybe I'd actually have an advantage because it was still fresh in my mind, so I agreed.

We decided to use the SOAP method for our study.  For each section I read, I choose one scripture that stands out to me (S), then I write down what I observe (O) about what I read. What are the surface details of what the scripture is telling me? Next, I look for the application (A) of the verse to my life. How does this speak to ME? And finally, I write out a prayer(P) asking God to help me live out what the verse is speaking to me. I LOVE this method. Because I'm reading such a small section at a time, I can focus on the details of what is written, rather than just reading it as one big text. By doing this, I can hear  God speaking directly to me. 

The other thing I love is that she and I don't always pick the same scripture. So, I get kind of a two-for-one lesson. And even when we do choose the same verse, God often speaks something very different to each of our hearts. Hearing someone else's perspective is always beneficial.

I love this method so much, I want to share it with all of you right here. I'm going to be go through the book of Philippians and share my SOAP each day with my readers on my blog. I am so excited because I know God is going to speak to my heart and to yours through this study! 

Stay tuned...the first post will be up later tonight! I'd love for you to join me in my study. Leave your SOAP in the comments on each post and let's learn from each other. 

Have a wonderful day!