Through the Word
For ten years I, and our wonderful Soul Friends and contributors, have been steadily spending time with you on-line so we can share about our Lord and Savior. I must admit, this past year was a difficult year for me to do this. Soul deep struggles left me empty to share anything from my heart. Maybe you have felt the same way. For me, the result was stepping away from Sweet To The Soul for several months.
I love this community and sharing and learning about God so much, it has been a great personal loss for me not to be here. But returning to my previous writing and content creation schedule still seems overwhelming. I need God to continue to heal and fill my heart.
When I was praying with God about what He wants me to do this year, His response was very clear, to seek Him and spend time in His Word.
My 2023 Verse of the Year:
Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
1 Chronicles 16:8-13
In seeking God and spending time in His Word, I decided to begin with Matthew chapter one verse one and write through the New Testament. Yes, write.
Writing out The Bible (New Testament) will be my singular goal this year. This endeavor can easily achieved by completing one chapter per day, but I know me and I know I need some breathing room. So I worked out a schedule which allows for extra time each week for weekends off and gives a bit of a break at the end of each book completed.
Would you like to join me in my journey Through the Word?
Through the Word is a Scripture reading plan which focuses on one chapter of the Bible each day. We will provide a suggested schedule for reading through the Bible with us which can easily be adjusted to fit your personal calendar.
Our goal --> spend time with God regularly reading Through the Word allowing Him to speak to each of us individually.
To help in this endeavor, we will provide free printable Through the Word journals.
Each printable journal is focused on a single book of the Bible, and includes:
In addition, we will also be sharing links to journaling and study resources as we progress through each book of the Bible.
These resources can be adapted to your personal study preferences, but here are some suggested uses:
Each printable journal is focused on a single book of the Bible, and includes:
- Background on the book
- Overview Chart
- Scripture Art
- Daily Scripture Plan
- Study Questions by Chapter
- Blank Note and Journaling Pages
- Scripture Cards
In addition, we will also be sharing links to journaling and study resources as we progress through each book of the Bible.
These resources can be adapted to your personal study preferences, but here are some suggested uses:
Each day READ the designated chapter of the Bible.
- You can stick to your favorite translation or read the chapter in multiple translations. If you want to learn more about what you have just read, you might also, 1) read a commentary teaching on the chapter, or 2) listen to a sermon on a specific section of the chapter.
- During our Through the Word journey, we will also be sharing content like blog posts and links to additional material on topics we will be reading about in each book of the Bible. Follow us on facebook & instagram and subscribe to our newsletter to access this bonus content.
MEMORIZE
- Committing Scripture verses to memory is the perfect way to truly hide God's Word in our heart.
- Each week, select a Scripture verse or set of verses to commit to memory.
Each study guide will include Scripture art cards. These cards can be cut out and used in your journaling or kept close as a tool to aid in Scripture memorization.
Each day WRITE out the designated chapter of the Bible.
- Select your preferred translation or change it up and switch translations each chapter. Writing Scripture is a great way to enhance focus, as it slows our reading as we concentrate on each word being written.
- Make multiple copies of the “Notes” page included in this packet, or you could use notebook paper and collect all of your Through the Word materials in a notebook.
- Spiral notebooks or journals are also great to use as you are writing Scripture each day. Your notebooks of hand-written Scripture will definitely be a treasure to share with your family and friends.
My personal goal is to write out the books of the Bible on our lists. I will be using simple single subject notebooks I picked up when purchasing school supplies last year.
Each day JOURNAL about what you have learned about the designated chapter.
- Included for each chapter of the Bible, are a few study questions to prompt you to consider what God want’s you to learn through His Word.
- We’ve also included a special page for you to notate (and answer) any questions which may come to mind as you are reading.
- Also, we will be sharing resources and examples of Bible Art Journaling which you can add to your journal, journaling Bible or tuck inside your reading Bible.
RESEARCH
- As you are reading, there may be words, phrases, verses or themes which stand out to you. These make great starting points to dig deeper in God’s Word.
- A few of the study materials we like to use are Commentaries, Sermon notes and a Bible Dictionary. On-line resources we recommend include BibleHub.com, BlueLetterBible.org and BibleStudyTools.com.
I will be using a notebook to collect all of my study and journal pages. This will make a great future reference guide with all of my notes collected by book of the Bible.
Each day PRAY prior to reading the designated chapter of the Bible.
- All time in the Word should begin with prayer. Talk to God about what He wants you to learn through his Word. Ask him to clear your mind of stray thoughts and open your heart to his teaching.
- Also, as you read the day’s chapter, make note of any verses which you can pray over someone or even yourself and your family. Praying God’s Word back to him is a wonderful way to pray within the will of God.
Each of these study approaches will enhance your time Through the Word. Use all of them or add variety to your study time and select a different method for each chapter. Allow God to lead you and dive deeper as He prompts your heart to learn more.
GET STARTED Today
Will you be joining us on our Through the Word journey this year? It's easy to begin, just grab your Bible, commit to spending time with God each day and download our free study journal below.
Blessings Soul Friends,
Jana
Will you be joining us on our Through the Word journey this year? It's easy to begin, just grab your Bible, commit to spending time with God each day and download our free study journal below.
Blessings Soul Friends,
Jana
Resources
Click the button below to begin your Through the Word journey and download the free study journal for the book of Matthew and / or the book of Mark.
Jana Kennedy Spicer is a wife, mom and Nana. A born and raised Texas-girl who loves boots, sunflowers, and sweet tea. She has a heart for studying God's Word and is passionate about encouraging women to do the same. Connect with Jana at SweetToTheSoul.com
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9 Comments
My pattern on reading through the Bible is to start strong but give up when I get behind. But I'm going to give this a try. ðŸ™ðŸ™
Me too Judy! It is so easy to let spending time with God just slide by. But we're better together, right? So we'll start strong and hold each other up when one slows. And you know, there is really no "getting behind". If a day or two or a week gets skipped, just pick up where you left off.
Thanks for joining me friend!
Thank you. I was going to do something different in 2023. But, I have decided to give this a try. Do you know if your magazine will be back?
So happy you are joining us!
Love this approach! Thank you for the guide and materials! I will try to keep up :)
Happy New Year!!
So happy you will be joining us Kathy! Happy New Year!
Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful Bible study and resources to go along with it. I appreciate all the hard work you put into this and look forward to digging in deeper to God's word this year. Blessings, Bonnie
Thank you Bonnie, I am so happy these resources are helpful. Blessings!
Is the downloadable study journal still available.? When I click on the link, it just takes me back to the overview page and I've tried multiple times. So I'm wondering where I can get access to the downloadable study journal. Thanks.