When you’re reading a passage from the Bible, you need to understand what it meant to its original audience by reading the NIV Study Bible introduction and/or watching the Bible Project video for the book.

What was the context of the original audience? There are at least two contexts that should be considered for every Bible passage:

Historical setting: Who wrote this book? Who were they writing to? What problem were they addressing in the lives of his readers? When did the action in this book take place? What was going on in the world at the time?

Literary setting: There are different kinds (or genres) of literature in the Bible, and different rules for interpreting each one.

Here are four things to keep your eyes open for as you read. If it helps, you can use the acronym TRTS (“treats”) to remember them:

T - Theme: What word(s) or phrase summarizes what this passage is all about? Hint: Look at passage’s headings in your Bible.

R - Repeating Words or Ideas: What comes up multiple times in the passage?

T - Truths about God: What does this passage tell you about God (Father, Son, or Spirit) and the nature of humanity?

S - Something Striking: Anything jump out at you?

From your observations, ask, “What life lesson could you take away from one of your observations?” Try to sum it up in one, simple sentence.

A tool to help you find the principle behind one of your observations is the acronym SPECS. Ask yourself, if you see one of the following in this passage:

S: Sin to confess
P: Promise to claim
E: Example to follow
C: Command to obey
S: Statement about God

At this point, you pause to pray. How does God want you to put the message you gleaned into proactive? Be specific.

Write down the practical takeaway to which God's Spirit leads you and ask for his help to live it out.

Here are some tips for applying the message of a passage to your life.

⦁ Make it personal and specific.
⦁ Confess inwardly or outwardly to God.
⦁ Write it down.
⦁ Ask the Spirit to impress particular Scripture upon you.