I’m always looking for ways to read, study, and apply God’s Word to my life and I’ve recently discovered a helpful method from my new CSB Disciple’s Bible called the H.E.A.R. Method. It stands for:
H.E.A.R. : HIGHLIGHT | EXPLAIN | APPLY | RESPOND
Since I’ve recently started doing my bible study with this method and have had a few days with it… I’ve taken the liberty to adjust and add my own pieces to it. Check it out:
HIGHLIGHT the verses that stand out.
- Write out the name of the Book
- Which chapter(s) and verse(s) stood out to you?
EXPLAIN what this passage means.
- To whom was it originally written? Why?
- How does it fit with the verses before and after it?
- What is the Holy Spirit intending to communicate through this text?
- Do you know of any other verses that are related or can be cross-referenced to these?
APPLY what God is saying in these verses to your life.
- What does this mean today?
- What is God saying to you personally?
- How can you apply these verses to your life?
RESPOND to what you’ve read.
- In what ways does this passage call you to action?
- How will you be different because of what you’ve learned?
- Write out a prayer to God in response to what you read today.
PRAYER (I added this so… technically I’m using my new “HEARP” Method haha)
- Take parts of what you’ve read and pray it back to the Lord.
This method has been fun and has helped me apply what I’m reading (currently Week 31 in the H-260 Reading Plan) which is the Gospels and I’m loving it!
What methods do you use in your personal or small group study? What do you like about that method?
I hope you find this helpful to use in getting scripture into your heart, mind, and soul to apply to your daily life.
My prayer for myself and all of God’s people:
“Let us not only have notebooks filled with biblical truth, but a life marked by biblical application.”
