In Australia we have a lot of beaches. Have you ever been at a beach and noticed how much harder it is to walk on soft sand? I have. I immediately got tired quicker and had to put in more effort to cover the distance. I didn’t realise how difficult it was until I stepped onto firm ground – everything got easier.

This simple illustration paints a picture of why I love intimacy with God. We can walk through life relying on our own strength, relating to God occasionally or we can build our lives on a solid foundation of truth with deep intimacy and relationship with God. John 15:4-5 really highlights that we need to be one with God as He is our source of strength.

I have discovered my greatest source of strength in life will come from my relationship with God.

A close and personal relationship with God is like having something solid under your feet. It makes all the difference. God desires us to draw close to Him. The Bible tells us to “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8)

In the journey of life we face many different seasons.

There are great moments but also moments where we may be feeling down and discourage (especially if you are in lockdown right now.) We may feel alone, like we are simply drifting through life, or perhaps we haven’t laughed in a while, or been able to see your friends or family. You may be worried about your next set of bills or not know where rent is coming from this week.

Through every season I have learned that the key to moving through all of this is a deeper intimacy with God. If we look at Jesus life, He constantly withdrew to spend quality time with God. Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Matthew 26:36

Here are 9 simple ways I have developed intimacy with God.

1. Aim for quality time with God not ‘quiet time’.

2. Intentionally invite God into your day and tasks, Don’t keep God in a 30min box in the morning

3. Pour out your heart to Him in prayer. Also take time to listen to God’s response.

4. Go for a walk and listen to some worship music

5. Spend time reading a verse and meditating on it.

6. Join a small group and learn with others

7. Find a place of beauty to enjoy and give God an opportunity to speak.

8. Journalling can be a great way to write down your prayers and process with the Lord.

9. Practice thanksgiving and gratitude to God for what He has given or done for you

It’s important to remember that intimacy with God doesn’t get rid of the trials and the pain of life, but it gives you a solid rock to cling to in the storms, a sure footing when the world feels too much, and provides a father and close friend. In John 15:15 Jesus literally calls us friends.

Living a life of true and deep relationship with God is empowering, encouraging, life giving, and secures your identity.

I hope you feel encouraged to step out into a deeper relationship with God and see what a difference knowing His solid character and nature will make to your life.

______________________________

If you would like to listen to some teaching to help you develop your relationship with God; check out our podcasts on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts. You can also find them on our website www.ywamnewcastle.com.

The post 9 Ways to Grow Your Intimacy With God appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Here are some fun ideas to help you create a new routine and make the best use of your day…

 1. SKIP THE SNOOZE BUTTON

It’s best to try and save this little luxury for the weekends. To begin your day well why not skip the snooze button and start your morning slow? With many of us working from home we now have more time to use in the mornings. This is a great chance to listen to some worship, grab a cuppa and read a devotional all in the comfort of your cosy bed. Slow down and savour this moment in God’s presence. Don’t forget to write down what you are getting from the Lord as you seek His heart for your day. Enjoy!

2. NOURISH YOUR BODY

Now is a good time to create a new habit to forget social media until you have had breakfast. Feel free to mix things up a little and get creative. Sometimes it’s the small things that make a breaky that little bit extra, eg. honey on your oats or shredded coconut on your muesli. Whatever your breakfast preference is make it top priority to give your body some nourishing fuel for the day.

3. GET ACTIVE

It doesn’t need to be a huge work out (unless that’s your thing) but why not go for a walk around the block? If that is not an option find an app that has your exercise style and give yourself a ten-minute timeframe. It’s not about the length of time but the regularity. Start small and build yourself up to a new routine.

4. USE THAT WARDROBE

As tempting as it is to lie around all day in sweatpants – it’s important for your mental health to make an effort to get dressed in the morning. Have a bit of fun and experiment with outfits or bust out something fancy. Putting on a change of clothes can also positively impact your mood and help bring you into a new day.

5. A NEW READING ROUTINE

Choose a book to learn and a book for fun. This season is a great opportunity to be ‘mentored’ by authors who will challenge you to go to the next level. Ask your mates for a good recommendation and read it together. Reading is a good activity to keep your brain alert. Along with a teaching book be sure to pick up a good novel – one that sparks your imagination!

6. A ROUTINE TO GET INSPIRED

In the age of the internet, there are so many online resources available to keep you inspired. Watch a TED talk, listen to a podcast, start a new Bible reading plan or read a cool blog. Pick a topic or an interest and get inspired!

7. STAY CONNECTED

Although we have more time to be online it doesn’t mean that we are necessarily ‘connected’. Don’t forget the value of intentional relationship especially in a time like this. Being intentional is something we need to be deliberate about and put in a little extra effort. Why not reach out to someone and connect online over a coffee and chat? It can be an opportunity to share what is on your heart and ask what God is doing in theirs. It’s important to process things in your life that you are reflecting upon and get input from others you respect and admire.

8. SET SOME GOALS

Make a list of things you have always wanted to do but never had the time for. Make it realistic and try not to challenge yourself beyond what is possible for this year with the current situation. For example, one goal could be to read the entire New Testament or start learning a new language. It’s important to know why you are setting these goals and what you hope they will achieve.

Pick a routine above and make it a part of your daily habit. There are beautiful things that God is doing in this season; pay attention to your day and don’t miss it!

The post 8 Ideas To Create A New Routine appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

We know a missional God whose unfailing reaches out to individuals. God has things on His heart for this season and we can ask God for His heart.

Check out these 5 ways you can engage in the needs of others in a missional way without leaving your couch…

1. Prayer & Intercession 

Now is as good a time as any to stand in the gap and intercede for a country, nation or people group. The terrible stats we are seeing daily in Spain and Italy moves our hearts in pain and we can cry out to God on their behalf. We know a loving God who responds to praying people! His mercy is never-ending and his comfort is supreme. Why not dedicate 15 minutes a day to prayer on behalf of others?

2. Share on Social Media

A lot of us are using some kind of social media platform and whilst it’s fun to share about workouts, movies and random stuff we get up to being at home, there is so much more! Pray about how you can share a simple testimony, prayer, or devotional to your followers. Be sincere and be yourself, but allow God to raise your voice. This is a time for others to see how your relationship with Jesus is leading you personally through this crisis.

3. Host a Virtual Dinner Party

Sadly many people are at home alone. There are plenty of apps (eg. houseparty) that create opportunities for you to facetime multiple persons at once. Create a list of persons you think may be dining alone in their home or apartment. If you can’t think of anyone ask friends or your church. Then arrange a time for each of you to log in together and share a meal online. Have a few fun conversation starters and enjoy connecting! At the end ask if anyone needs prayer and be open to sharing any words of encouragement.

4. Reach Out To a Random

Pause and ask the Lord if there is someone you can reach out to that you normally wouldn’t connect with. Embrace the awkward and contact the person God puts on your heart. An old school friend, neighbour or relative are all good starting points. It’s important that we check-in online or via the phone with people in times like these. Don’t assume that everyone is doing okay, or that other people are talking to that person. Reach out and ask if there is anything you can do or if they just want to chat. Make yourself available.

5. Get Creative!

Lastly, just take a moment to ask the Lord how you can be missional using your gifts and personality. The bible is full of times when God reached out to a hurting world in creative ways – just look at the life of Jesus! Be wise in following your country’s protocol and get creative with cool ideas to show someone they are loved and valued today!

Do you have a cool idea or something to add about how you are staying missional during this time of worldwide crisis?

Let us know and how we can be praying for you!

Stay safe everybody.

The post 5 Ways To Be Missional When “Staying At Home” appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Packing Carry On Bags for Air Travel

Here are a few things I always make sure to have with me on my Air Travels:

• Water Bottle – be sure to empty it before security and keep it filled at airports to yourself hydrated on and before your flight.
• Headphones – Bring your own headphones for the flight – noise-cancelling ones are even better!
• Compression Socks – these are great for circulation and long flights of 20 hours and over.
• Eye Mask – sleep is so important and if the person next to you has their reading light on; this will help you to be gracious.
• Baby Wipes – perfect to freshen up or clean your hands after eating.
• Moisturiser – flights can dry your skin out big time so always keep a bottle handy! Coconut Oil is my preference and it stays as a solid with the cabins air conditioning making it easy to apply!
• Neck Pillow – find one that suits you and try to purchase it before you get to the airport.
• Phone Charger – most airports have USB chargers available for you to use. Some airlines will provide this at your seat on the plane.
• Travel Purse – it is helpful to include print outs of your visa, an address of where you are staying, and flight itinerary handy. Sometimes I have been asked for this information if they can’t find it on the system. Also, carry a pen to fill out customs declarations on the plane before arrival.
• Vitamins – whether it’s a Multi, Vitamin C, or Grape Seed – it’s always a good idea to keep your immune system topped up during travel. Your body needs all the help it can get!
• Protein Bars – for those flights that don’t feed you enough or have an overpriced menu.
• Keep Cup – you can ask host or hostess to fill it with coffee or tea on your flight. Also, most airports have hot water facilities so if you bring your own instant noodles you can make a cheap snack during your layover.

Getting Through Security Easy

No one likes waiting in line longer than necessary. Plus, the pressure to empty your bags, take off your shoes/coats and then re-pack everything with a queue of people waiting behind you can often be stressful. Here are a few tips to make getting through security a breeze.

• If possible; avoid big jackets which you will need to take off.
• Put all your carry on liquids in a clear case and try to avoid wearing belts or watches so you can go through security quickly.
• Try to wear shoes that you can easily take off if needed at security (usually for flights in the USA).
• Have your laptop accessible to easily remove into its own container to go through a security scan.
• Make sure your water bottle is empty! (You would be surprised how often people forget).

Air Travel Layover Hacks

If your itinerary involves a 13-hour layover or longer you can ask the airline for a complimentary motel. It can be subject to availability but is a service you can request from most popular airlines. Don’t forget to ask for food vouchers too! If you miss your connecting flight because your first flight was late – go straight to a service desk and ensure they update your luggage tag to keep track of where your bags are. If you have been rebooked on another flight the next day – be sure to request a hotel and food vouchers.

Download Apps & Entertainment Before Your Air Travel

Another handy tip is to download the App of the airline you are travelling with. Having this on your phone can be helpful to access wifi on the plane or keep track of your baggage and giving you information updates on flight gates. Some Airline apps will even direct you to your next gate using an airport map. This is very handy for those short run-to-your-gate layovers!

My fave travel app is: Go To Gate. This app sorts out your itinerary in a way that is easy to understand and has on-time information about departure times and gate changes.

Grab the Netflix app and download movies or documentaries you have been wanting to see; just in case your plane has no good entertainment options 😉

Got a Long Layover? No Worries!

Lot’s of airports have fun things to do if you have the time. Go to Info booths or check online to find out your options. I once spent 8 hours at an airport and then discovered later that you can get free meal and entertainment vouchers to spend on long layovers!

• It’s always best to do a walk to get your circulation going after a long flight. Have a browse around the terminal or go try on a new perfume (this is my favourite thing to do).
• Find a place to stretch – even just having your legs horizontal or above your head for a few minutes will help a lot!
• Some airports even have showers so you can freshen up.
• Bookshops – the bookshops in an airport can offer you a good insight into the culture of a country. As a missionary it is so important we understand the culture so if you want a glance at what is popular in the headspace of locals check out what books are for sale.

by Sarah McCutcheon
YWAM Newcastle Staff

The post Air Travel Tips That Will Make Your Journey More Comfortable appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Recognise this? Then this blog is for you!

“I’m not good at saving!”

“I don’t earn much money…”

“I have debts that need to be paid off.” 😣

“I just had a huge and unexpected bill come in.”

“I prayed about my financial situation, but nothing changed!”

All these excuses seem fair enough and are easily justifiable, but really, they’re still just excuses!

I want to share a few of my experiences with you as I’ve trusted God for finances.

God is always more interested in what we give than what we get.

In Malachi 3: 10 He says: “Test me in this”, says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it!”

All the excuses above were once mine! But once I made the decision to do a DTS, it became my goal (free tip: set a goal!). I found the strength (God’s Spirit in me helping me) to give my all (my time, giving up shopping and such) and through that, I learned when we give our ‘little’ God will give ‘heaps more’!

4. Be Persistent

I worked hard, didn’t go out anymore, gave up shopping, saved all I could, sold a lot of my things, organised a benefit concert to raise money, sent out newsletters and most importantly, I did it all open-handed and with God! While I was trying to sell my things to raise money, God told me to just give away more than half of it! I had a whole apartment full of furniture and belongings and gave it all up. God taught me to be generous. Because I gave most of my things away rather than selling them, I found I had some spare time to rest and breath in the midst of chaos and change. I had raised half of what I needed when I suddenly received a very generous gift. Someone unexpectedly decided to pay for my full DTS! Thanks to their generosity I was able to attend DTS much sooner than I expected.

2. Be Generous

Once I had arrived in Newcastle, I felt reassured knowing I had some savings in my bank account. I wanted to save this money so that I was able to come back and join staff after my course finished. However, God wanted to teach me that all we have is really His. One girl on my outreach team didn’t have all her finances and God asked me to give her a generous donation. My first thought was, ‘Really God? I want to save this money for after DTS!’ God replied, ‘She needs money now, you have money available now, what you need in a couple of months will be provided for you in a couple of months’.

3. Don’t worry!

Right before my team was due to fly home from our outreach in Brazil, a volcano in Chile erupted, filling the air with ash. All flights were grounded and we were stuck in Brazil for 9 extra days. In the end, we all had to fly directly home from Brazil rather than return to Newcastle for our commissioning and graduation. As you can imagine, this was going to cost a lot of extra money! We tried everything we could to have the airline pay for our flight changes but to no avail. Every person I spoke with at the information desk over the nine days told me there was no way they were able to give me a flight home.

Instead of making a quick decision, I decided to wait a little longer, giving God space to speak. He told me to share some of the stories from my outreach with people at the airport and He would look after my flight to Europe. I chatted with a group of people and we had a great conversation. Afterwards, God told me to go to the information desk once again. I was amazed to discover that this time there was a ticket waiting for me! Within one hour, I was on a free flight home! Wow!

4. Count your blessings.

Here are a few quick stories to encourage you!

For my last outreach, I needed $5000 dollars but all I had was $2000 dollars in savings (set aside in case of an emergency). At one point, God challenged me to give away all my savings. This wasn’t easy for me at all, but I was obedient. That same day I received a $4000 dollar anonymous gift and within 3 days I saw the complete $5000 dollar amount come in!!

Another time I saw God provide was when He asked me to lead our Youth Street ministry at the Skate Park each Saturday and. When I said ‘yes’, I suddenly was given a skateboard; I hadn’t even asked for one! When I saw we needed more skateboards for the team, I was generously given 2 more skateboards, just like that. My birthday was coming up and I asked God for a pair of skate shoes. The big day rolled around and, at the end of the day, a friend handed me an envelope of money and a note saying, ‘this is to buy yourself some skate shoes’! I was surprised at how helpful something like skate shoes turned out to be, I was able to connect with the skaters even better than before.

My last story happened just recently. I have never been a big reader, but since joining YWAM I have become a lot more interested. A few weeks ago I tried to find some books on healing, evangelism, and human trafficking. However, because I don’t know much about books, it was hard for me to find something good to read. So, I prayed and asked God for help. I expected to find someone who could help me out, but instead, three different people gave me a book, one on each of these three subjects!

A few final thoughts…

One important thing to know is that God doesn’t want to create spoiled brats! However, He really does want to bless us more than we can imagine! He has been blessing me in the most unexpected ways and this has stretched and grown my faith incredibly! I’ve found that often when I make a list of possible financial supporters, I will most likely receive donations from completely different people! If you don’t think you have many friends who are able to support you, I challenge you to send your newsletter to 200 different people (easily found on Facebook or through the few friends you have). Believe God will move! Prayer is very important, the Bible says “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5: 17). God is faithful, He has never failed me and will never fail you either!

by Dieuwke Twyerould
YWAM Newcastle Alum

The post How to Not Let Excuses Get in the Way of Fundraising appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Over the years I’ve discovered that it’s actually a lot simpler than I’d always made it out to be. I would stress and worry over whether I was doing the right thing. Should I quit my job? Should I pursue further education? Am I wasting my money by travelling overseas? Is it wise to move to the city? Etcetera, etcetera. The only thing this achieved was a lot of headaches and sleepless nights.

However, I’m discovering that it all comes back to the attitude of my heart.

I personally believe that God sees our hearts, and when we make a choice, truly believing that it is the best He has for us, He blesses us for stepping out in faith, regardless of whether we made the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ decision. Ultimately He is after our hearts. Yes, there are some choices we make which are far better for us than others, but often I find myself having to decide between two really good things. In these moments I find that God is quite happy with me choosing either direction, as long as I’m still pursuing Him.

I think we can get so caught up trying to invite God into our story, we forget that we are already a part of His.

In every choice we make, we have the opportunity to choose who we are going to worship. Choose Him, and all the rest will go well for you. Jesus wants what is best for you even more than you want to make the ‘right’ decision. If you are asking what His will for your life is, then you’re headed in the right direction. The Psalmist wrote: “The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.” (Psalm 27:4).

So, whether it is a new job or a mission trip, choose to delight yourself in God. Trust that He is a good God and will bless you in your choices when your attitude is focussed on getting to know Him more. It’s not always going to be easy, but He is faithful to stand by us. He gives us the support we need in every season. And who knows, perhaps like me, as you run after God, you may just find yourself in the place you least expected you’d end up, and love it.

by Kali Wratten
YWAM Newcastle Communication Staff

The post How to Know If You Are Making the Right Decision appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Whilst I didn’t know my next step, one thing was certain, I wanted to be a part of whatever it was that had transformed their lives so greatly!

Little did I know what I would be getting myself into.

I began to research a couple of countries that I had always wanted to visit – surely God knew I wanted to travel. Although I was looking at locations in western Europe God began altering my research to YWAM Newcastle, Australia.

There was one problem that arose… I didn’t want to go to Australia. There are spiders, and sharks, and snakes. Oh my!

I was afraid to leave home and not move into what I had planned for my own life. The idea of going to a university sounded comfortable and safe, whereas the risk of letting go of the control over my own life and stepping into the mission field, sounded daunting!

I was afraid of the unknown.

Why did I feel like I needed to hold back from God? Why couldn’t I just step out in obedience to what He was clearly calling me to?

I had lived my whole life in the same place, but was I ready to leave it all? As fear crept up on me, I remembered back to my childhood Sunday service stories where I had been taught about Peter stepping onto the water when he saw Jesus approaching during the storm.

“But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.”
– Matthew 14:26-29

Sure, Peter questioned if it was the Lord who was on the water, but He trusted God above his own fear of the storm that surrounded him. All it took was for Jesus to say one word: “Come”, and just like that, Peter jumped out and started walking towards Him, no questions asked. When Peter stepped into the unknown, he didn’t just step out and stand there, he continued to walk towards Jesus keeping his eyes on the Lord.— I knew, despite my fear of the future, that the God who was calling me was the same God who had called Peter out on the water. This was the same God who caught him when he began to fall.

The Lord said “Come” and now it was my turn to decide if I would follow Him in faith.

So, I did one of the toughest things I have ever had to do. I chose to step out of the comfort zone of the boat I stood in and give it all to God. As I did, the impossible took place. He began providing, blessing, and confirming every step I took as I walked into His plan.

Through His blessings every single day, He pushed out all my fears and replaced it with excitement and trust.

Now, with whatever God calls me to next, I am ready to take the step of faith and trust that my God will catch me.

by Bailey Scully
YWAM DTS – Trailblazer student

The post Overcoming Fear of the Unknown appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

“Sometimes I’m leading worship, and even I’m in a bad mood,” Nate said. “But it’s not about me. In those moments, we can choose to say, ‘yes’ to those grumpy feelings, or we can choose to actually reject those feelings. We can say, ‘no’, and then say, ‘Hey God, this is what I’m feeling today’. Ultimately, we aren’t in worship to hear new music or feel good about ourselves. We’re in worship to pour out our affections to our Creator. Be free. Be simple. Be loved.”

I was blown away. I had no clue that I could choose to say, ‘no’ to my grumpy attitude, and engage my heart.

But of course, I was sceptical. It wasn’t until the following Tuesday when I was really forced to put this to the test. I had overslept, and while making my coffee that morning, I knocked over my AeroPress and spilt it all over my cute worship outfit. So yeah, rough morning. I walked into campus worship once again with my arms crossed, but this time I heard Nate’s voice in the back of my mind: “We can say ‘no’ and then say, ‘Hey God, this is what I’m feeling today’.”

I decided at that moment to give Worship a try.

“Hey God,” I said, “I’ve had a pretty rough morning. I don’t wanna be here right now. But God, I want to worship you. Can you help me to position my heart so I can?”

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began to think of all the things I knew about God. His kindness. His faithfulness. His intentionality. His goodness.

I smiled and heard God’s voice in my head say: “Thank you, my child.”

It’s okay to not always “feel like” worshipping but we have a choice to either stay in the place of “I don’t feel like it” or to submit those feelings to our Father and move on. Let’s not miss out on an opportunity to enter into the presence of God just because we don’t “feel like it”!

The post How to Worship When You Don’t Feel like It appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way!

1. Come to God willing to receive anything.

Sometimes when we spend time with God we come with an agenda, but He has different plans for what He wants to speak to us. There have been times when I’ve been so ready to hear an answer from God, but instead, He has said, “Just sit with me.” When you spend time with God, ask HIM what He wants to speak to you.

2. Ask God what to read.

Instead of looking around for scripture to answer what you want to know, ask God if there’s anything specific you should read. There was one day when I had messed up and I asked God what to read, instead of jumping to a Bible verse I knew would make me feel good. I felt God tell me to read Colossians 3, and when I started to read, I understood why He wanted me to read this passage.

Rather than feeling ashamed for messing up, I felt God encouraging me through verse 12.

So, as God’s own chosen people, who are holy [set apart, sanctified for His purpose] and well-beloved [by God Himself], put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience [which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes, with good temper].

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight words, thoughts or ideas to you.

When reading, it’s easy to get confused by what’s going on in the verses or to find yourself reading a part of scripture that you’ve read hundreds of times before. The Holy Spirit is our helper, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s as simple as saying “Holy Spirit, would you show me something from this/these verses?”

4. Journal your feelings.

How did the scripture make you feel? Did you learn anything from these verses? Is there something new that you hadn’t realized before? How does it make you feel? What emotions does it provoke in your heart?

5. Write a letter to God.

Tell Him what you’re thinking, what you’re struggling with, what areas or characteristics you want to grow in. Tell Him something cool about your day or something you didn’t find fun. Tell Him how His Word made you feel. Ask Him questions! (Psalm 17:6-9)

6. Apply the things you’ve learned to your life.

Is there something specific that God revealed to you during this time? Is there something that stood out to you in the passage you read? How can you apply that to your life? Did God show you something in your life that you need to change? Reading scripture is good, but the way to bridge the gap between what God revealed to you and your life is through application. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Let’s put into practice what we’re learning right away!

The post 6 Ways to Get the Most out of Your Quiet Time appeared first on YWAM Newcastle.

1. Read out loud

Reading out loud is a great way to stay focused on what you are reading. Often when we read in our heads we don’t realise what we are reading. Our brains tend to tune out and start skimming the words without actually processing them. Reading aloud helps avoid this by actively engaging all three learning styles – auditory, visual, and kinaesthetic. Our eyes see the words, our mouth makes the sounds, and our ears hear them. This gives your brain three sources of input rather than only one and allows it to better process the information that it is receiving.

Reading aloud also brings more life and feeling to the words. Try to avoid reading in monotone just to read out loud. Read with expression! Find the passion in the words and feel it. Through doing so, you’re able to understand the meaning in the scripture that you are reading. You’re allowing yourself to be engaged in what God is trying to say by giving it emotions as you are studying the Bible.

2. Summarise

Repeat back what you have just read. Try to stay true to what the Bible is saying and make short summaries using only words found in what you just read, rather than your own. Get creative with your summaries! Try limiting your word count to make you truly look for the main point.

3. Colour it!

Colouring in your Bible can help you read more carefully. Choose what words to colour and assign a colour to each. Some helpful things to colour are names, places, and repeated words in a passage. Looking at these things can help show you what is happening in a passage, see things that may get overlooked, such as places, and outline the main idea.

4. Know the storyline of the book

It is much easier to understand what is going on in a moment if you know the context of what it’s talking about – especially being aware of what happened before. Knowing the overarching story of a book can help makes sense of events, feelings, and ideas that may come up in what you’re studying.

The Bible Project is a great resource for this as they have video summaries for all the books of the Bible. They also have some really good video studies on themes and words in the Bible, and even how to read the bible.

5. Look up some historical background and geography

The Bible is a collection of events that happened to, and words spoken by, real people, in real places, in real history! When we understand what was happening in the world at that time, we can better understand why things happened the way they did and peoples reactions to those things. Some great questions to ask are: Who is involved (person in the story, author, recipient, etc)? When did this happen? Where did it happen? What was life like in that place at that time (religion, politics, etc)?

6. Get Creative when Studying the Bible!

Draw, paint, sing, dance -however you process best- make sense of what you are reading. If you can’t picture it in your brain, put it on paper, in song, or act it out. This is a great tool to help picture what is going on as well as get it into your brain for remembering purposes.

7. Roleplay

Get into the mind of the people in the story, the person who wrote the story, or the person hearing the story. Think about what they thought. Feel what they felt. Only once you understand what it meant to them, can you accurately see what it means for you…

8. Now do it. Study the Bible!

Ask God what you can take away from what you have studied and how you can live it out. Make a measurable plan to implement what you have learned into your daily life and walk with God. Study not just to gain knowledge but to transform your life!

Written by Caitlin Friesen,
YWAM Newcastle Bible Core Course Staff

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