Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren believes that daily devotionals are necessary for Christians' spiritual growth. However, even if Christians are motivated to read the Bible and pray, they have no clue how to do it or where to start, he observes.
"To have a meaningful quiet time, you will need a plan or some kind of general outline to follow," he wrote on his website. "The main rule is this: Keep your plan simple."
Warren said the necessary tools for Bible study include a Bible in a contemporary translation, a notebook for writing down thoughts and prayer lists, and also a hymn book in case people feel like singing praises.
The next three steps, said the pastor, would be to relax, request, and read. People should not come running into God's presence and start talking immediately, he said, since people should settle into a reverent mood first. Warren quoted the Bible verse Psalm 46:10a: "Be still, and know that I am God."
Then, Warren suggested that people pray briefly. "This is not your prayer time, but a short opening prayer to ask God to cleanse your heart and guide you into the time together," he explained. "You need to be in tune with the Author before you can understand his Book!"
Christians will then be ready to read a section of Scripture. "This is where your conversation with God begins. He speaks to you through his Word, and you speak with him in prayer," said Warren.
To effectively read the Bible, people should do it slowly and not race through it, he said. Sometimes, it's also necessary to read a passage over and over again until it meaning sinks in. In order to help understand a passage, Warren suggested that people read it aloud but quietly, since reading aloud helps improve concentration.
Warren said it's important for Christians not to stop in the middle of their devotion. "Don't stop in the middle of a sentence to go off tangent, and do a doctrinal study. Just read that section for the pure joy of it, allowing God to speak to you," he said. "Don't use the "random dip" method — a passage here, a chapter there, what you like here, an interesting portion there. Read through the Bible as it was written — a book or letter at a time in an orderly method."
