Faith in Action

S.O.A.P. Study

How’s it going? Have you added Word Studies to your Bible study time? If so, I hope you’re enjoying it! 😊 If you want, feel free to hop on the Flourishing Faith Instagram page and leave a comment to share what you’re learning!

 

If you’re just joining us, we are adding tools to our study toolbox to enhance our Bible learning experience. In the last post we discussed a Bible study technique where you search for key words in a verse to learn more about what the verse is saying. You can find that post here.

 

Today we’re adding the S.O.A.P. study method to the toolbox. You may have done this before or at least heard of it. It’s a simple way to journal about a verse or passage. S.O.A.P. studies are also great to share with your friends or share in a group chat, so you can discuss Bible verses together!

 

Let’s start with the basics. S.O.A.P stands for:

S. | Scripture – Read a section of scripture and write down a verse or two that touches your heart. We’ll discuss how to find scripture next.

 

O. | Observation – observe what the verse means in context. Read the whole chapter or the verses in the same sub-section. What is the author’s overall message? A lot of Bibles also have introduction pages before each book that give a wonderful summary and great details like the timeline of when the book was written, why the book was written, etc.

 

A. | Application – how does this verse (or group of verses) apply to your life? Are there any commands? Principles? Warnings? Did God reveal something new to you? Maybe He showed you something specific to a situation you’re walking through right now? Use this section to write down everything you’ve learned from your time with Jesus. Try not to write just a sentence. Really explain your thoughts as you journal.

 

P. | Prayer – use the wisdom you’ve gained from this verse as inspiration for a prayer. Really be honest with God about what you are walking through in life and let the verses you read inform your vision of who God is. Then tell Him how you see Him in your prayer.

 

Super simple right? It may not require a seminary degree, but I promise that you will get so much “gold” from adding this to your time with Jesus! It’s a wonderful way to record what the Lord is teaching you through your time together and because it requires you to “dig a little deeper” 😉 there is so much you will find!

 

Now to answer the age-old question: where do I start? The good news is, there are so many places to start!

  • Perhaps the most obvious place you could begin would be your Bible’s Table of Content. I’m serious! Find a book of the Bible that maybe you’ve never read before or have only read a few verses. Or flip through the different introduction pages in your Bible and find one that sounds interesting to you. Then, read through a chapter a day of that book, writing a SOAP for a verse or two in each chapter until you finish. Could be a great way to summarize what the whole book is about, for reference later!
    • You could also start by reading the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John! This would be a great introduction or reminder of Jesus’ ministry here on earth.
      • In fact, Annie F. Downs, the host of the That Sounds Fun podcast, is reading through the each of the gospels every month this year in her other podcast, Let’s Read the Gospels! Each month she reads different translations and in a different order. You could listen to that and then pick a verse or two to SOAP.
    • There are several “Read the Bible in a Year” plans and devotionals available as well.
  • Another great resource would be reading plans and there are so many out there! Here are a few:
    • She Reads Truth – Y’all! These books are beautiful and the She Reads Truth team is so intentional to find passages that are linked together to take you on a journey. For example, each year during Advent at Christmas, they have a “themed” reading plan pointing your heart to celebrate Jesus’ 1st coming, while longing for His 2nd And it’s not just Christmas! They have countless reading plans on different topics and even entire books of the Bible!
      • If you don’t want to buy the books, that’s ok! Their reading plans are available on their website for free!
      • In addition, they have an app that has reading plans on it and lots of beautiful things to discover.
    • The Bible App – Speaking of apps, you probably have the Bible App on your phone. Did you know that they have reading plans on there too? You can even invite your friends to the same reading plan so that you can read together and leave comments in the app! Put your SOAP study in the comments! 😊 If you don’t have the app on your phone, just search for “YouVersion Bible App” in your app store and download it for free.
    • Devotionals – There are lots of devotionals with daily scriptures out there and many of them are written for girls your age! Here are a few:

 

Well, girls! Hopefully something in that list will inspire you to explore. I promise once you start, you’ll enjoy it so much. Make it fun! Go to the store and pick out a cute journal you really love, find some colorful pens, and really get creative with it! You’ll learn so much and cherish these journals for years to come!

Have you ever kept a Diary with a friend that you passed back and forth? I shared one with my middle school BFF. Your Bible Study journals will be like that but so much better! God longs for a relationship with you. And if you have accepted Jesus into your heart, the Holy Spirit lives in you, guiding you in knowledge and in truth. Spending time with Him through reading scripture can be such a personal, precious gift. I hope you discover that too!

 

DIG A LITTLE DEEPER

Alright! Time to practice!

Here is an example from James 2:26:

*    Let’s add to what we learned last week about the Sermon on the Mount. Read Matthew 5 and do a S.O.A.P. study for a verse or two that stands out to you.

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