I took some time to poll the readers of Intentional By Grace at the beginning of this year.
One of the questions I asked was, “Are you satisfied with the amount of time you spend in God’s Word?” Of the 650+ responses, 85% of those who responded said they were NOT satisfied with their time in the word.
And not surprisingly, only about half of the respondents open their Bible more than 3 times a week carrying a very low percentage of women who actually feel confident in their interpretation and study of God’s Word.
In their research, the Barna Group, summarizes the situation this way:
“Americans revere the Bible–but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.”
Still, even more poignant on the status of Bible literacy is this excerpt from the Holman Bible Handbook:
“While Medieval Christians were separated from the Bible by ecclesiastical authority, many modern Christians are separated by apathy. Herein lies the first and most vital principle about the Bible for Christian living. In order to guide faith and life, the Bible must be read and used. The most potent enemy of Christian life has always been neglect of Scripture.”
If we don’t read and use our Bibles, Satan wins.
Oh, friends, let this not be so!
So how do we as women respond to this situation of Bible illiteracy ?
- We talk about it.
- We are honest with ourselves about the true value we place on scripture in our lives.
- We educate ourselves on what Bible literacy actually is.
- Then we take actionable steps in our lives to make God’s word central.
If you’re reading this post, then you likely know how important it is to study God’s word.
You’re also ready to take actionable steps to make God’s Word central in your life, but you’re just not sure where to start.
That’s where Jen Wilkin’s book, Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, comes into play.
Jen Wilkin loves God’s Word, and she teaches you not “merely a doctrine, concept, or story line, but a study method that will allow you to open up the Bible on your own.” This book is for every single woman no matter how old, how educated, or how far along you are in your walk with the Lord.
This book will change the way you think about Bible study.
That’s what it did for me. Women of the Word changed the way I viewed my time in the Word and even how I approached God’s Word. This book helped me to see that I had been missing the point of my quiet time for far too long, and it helped me put into words (and actions) my desire to know God through His Word.
As you read in the opening of this post, we live in a time when apathy and a lack of passion keeps us from our Bibles. We, at Intentional By Grace, are no different.
But we’ve also never lived in a time when knowing what God’s Word says and living according to His word has mattered so much!
Jen Wilkin is passionate about taking women seriously as students of the Bible. Women of the Word not only makes a case for Bible literacy but it walks you through step-by-step how to do study your Bible effectively without any fluff.
This is hands down the most influential book on me as a woman of God. This book is in a category all its own! It’s a book that stays in my quiet time bag as a reference, ever teaching and guiding me deeper into God’s Word.
Women of the Word is not a book you will just read and say, “Oh, that was nice.” It’s a book you will read and read again as you implement Jen’s Bible study method over and over again.
If you’re like 85% of those women who said they were not satisfied with their time in God’s Word, then please pick up a copy of Women of the Word and dive in. You won’t regret it!
What about you? Have you read Women of the Word? Do you think this book would be helpful in making your time in God’s word more satisfying?
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Grace,
Thank you so much for this post. I have this book and I am slowly reading it as there is alot in it. I have always been fearful of reading the bible for fear I wouldn’t do it right or understand it the way I should. Fear or should I say Satan has kept me from it. I am more determined now to defeat that fear and diving into the word that I know I cannot life without.
Thank you again. Continue blessings to you and your family.