This is so true and it addresses every aspect of life. From those times when you need to cut down/trim back a tree limb or to write a budget sheet for the new year, the right tools make SUCH a difference in the quality of the task you perform. It is SO much easier to use a chain saw or electric limb cutter than a dull saw, right? The first two will get the job done in a fraction of the time and save you a VERY sore arm/back later. Your budget is going to be SO much more effective (and you avoid the stress headaches) if you gather the tools and supplies ahead of time, instead of pausing half way between to go hunt down an elusive bill. Or worse that receipt that you forgot to write down the total of and now there are two similar charges listed and you can't remember which one is the one you needed to turn in for a reimbursement. (btw: is it just me or do these things always happen mid-way through crunching numbers?!?)
This idea is equally true for your personal Bible study time. The right tools make a HUGE difference in how you not only interact with the Word of God, but also are instrumental in how you apply it to your life.
The following is a list that I am going to be using in 2025, and besides the first one, they are in no particular order:
1) Prayer - I am embarrassed at how often I forget this step. This is THE most important step - everything else just makes it easier - this is the ONE thing though that makes or breaks your time in the Word.
Dear God, thank you SO much for your patience with me. Please open my eyes and my heart and enlighten my mind so that I can clearly see who You are, understand what You desire for me to know today, and strengthen my will and change my heart so that I can walk out Your will.
2) Bible Hub and/or The Blue Letter Bible - I use Bible Hub more often than I use The Blue Letter Bible, so I am MUCH more comfortable recommending Bible Hub as a GREAT Bible study tool. But I will say this, the Blue Letter Bible is SO SO SO SO much better on a computer than in the app.
3) A good Bible dictionary. There are SO many good ones out there, either in physical book form, or free ones through apps/websites like BibleHub, but my favorite dictionary to use isn't a Bible dictionary per se. It is the Webster's 1828 dictionary. It comes in physical book form or you can simply google it and use the site for free. It often includes scripture references when giving examples of definition.
4) A good set of pens. Again this is all about preference, but my favorite pens to use for Bible study are Pilot Knock Gel Ink Extra Fine Ballpoint, Juice Up 04, 10 Color Assorted. They range in price from 14.50 to 17.99, I try to catch them when they are closer to the fourteen dollar range. I used one set all the way through my Bible last year and I took LOTS of notes and underlined a LOT. I did not color code, I just liked seeing the different colors. My method was this : I chose a different color for each chapter, just constantly rotating through nine of the colors (I saved the black one for when I needed to emphasize something that I underlined or to draw attention to notes I took). Also a cheap set of colored pencils is a GREAT resource to have. They never bleed through - no matter how thin the paper is in the Bible you are using.
5) Something to organize and carry your pens in...and whatever other craft/office supplies you choose to use. I use a large pen bag that has Pooh Bear on it 😊 and includes the following : the pens I mentioned, post-it notes, washi tape, stickers, a small ruler, and a set of four marker/highlighters that I only use on the thickest of papers as they totally bleed through and ruin everything else. (Faith Womack from How to Faith a Life had THE best idea to prevent those nasty surprises. Use those extra pages at the beginning or end of your Bible that aren't terribly important and try out the pen or marker you want to use to make sure it won't bleed through.)
6) Commentaries. There are SO many *usually very strong* opinions on whether to use a commentary or not. I don't have a very strong opinion either way. I use the free ones on Bible Hub *most frequently gravitating to Matthew Henry, but I am new to using commentaries and do not have a wide range of knowledge about them. I would say this though, read through the Word on your own, pray through it, struggle through it, before you reach for what someone else says about it.
7) A good journal. Something you aren't afraid to spill coffee or tears on (I do both regularly 😐). It can be as fancy as a Moleskine journal or as simple as a spiral bound you find on sale...but a journal is important. You may want to take all of your notes in it (some people do NOT like to write in their Bibles) or you may want to use it as a spot to record prayers, definitions, verse maps etc; The how and why you use it are completely up to you, I just recommend that you have one. (This year as I do the chronological read through I am using a workbook that Growing4Life created. It has a spot for prayers, a Bible reading check-off sheet, and a spot for a daily entry for you to summarize what you just read. It is a great resource.)
8) This last one - it won't be for everyone - but I find it so helpful. Find people you admire (on social media, blogs, y0u tube, in person classes etc;) - follow them or attend their classes, whatever platform they use, plug yourself in to it. I am personally SO encouraged by four things of this sort right now : How To Faith a Life on Y0u Tube, SheLovesBible on Inst*gram, sermons linked to the book of the Bible through The Blue Letter Bible site (for example right now I am in 1 Timothy and under the study section there are four sermons by Paul Washer that are SO helpful in my study of this book of the Bible), and an in person Bible study we attend in the fall and spring.
9) (bonus one) A Journal Bible. This has been a game changer for how I interact with the Bible. I use NIV Journal the Word Bible. I now have two. Last year I used the hardback/cloth covered version. This year I tried the leather one and I actually prefer the hardback as it will lay flatter, making it so much easier to underline and take notes.
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