One of my favorite things to do in ministry is leading Bible Studies. I have been blessed to serve The Lord in this capacity for many years. Women often ask me what are my favorite studies or ask specific questions about certain ones that I have done personally or led. I have led many studies but some of my favorites are ones that I was a participant in. Hopefully in the future, I will have the opportunity to lead some of these that I have mentioned below. I have completed over 20 Bible studies and led 8 in these past 2 years. I love Bible studies because it makes it personal to me, but a huge benefit for me is the accountablity. Knowing that we meet each week to discuss what we learned, helps keep me accountable to do my studying. I love hearing how The Holy Spirit speaks to people in such a personal way.
Below is a list of my top 5 favorite Bible studies, some are specifically geared to women while others are not. Even if its a “Women’s Study,” I still recommend them for both, and the points in the studies are applicable for men and women.
1. Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God
by Henry and Richard Blackaby (Personal Study)
This is my all time favorite Bible Study. Not because it was fun, enjoyable and easy. Its quite the opposite. It allowed me to search my heart on how to deepen my relationship with Christ. The first chapter is “God’s Will and your life,” and this was a great introduction to this life changing study. This is the longest Bible study that I have been part of, which was 13 weeks, but every week was essential in developing your relationship with God.
This study has sold millions of copies worldwide, Experiencing God is based on 7 Scriptural realities that teach us how to develop a true relationship with the Creator. By understanding how God is working through us even as we try to fathom His ways, we can begin to clearly know and do His will and discover our lives greatly and gracefully changed.
“Real Christianity is not merely a religion; it is a relationship with a Person.”
This study is great for new believers, as it teaches the foundation of our Christian faith, but its also great for seasoned believers. We are never too old to learn!
2. Armor of God
by Priscilla Shirer (Women’s Study)
This study truly opened my eyes to what was going in the spiritual world, without me being fearful. Priscilla focuses on the passage, Ephesians 6:10-19, and v.12 impacted me in my daily life. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” -Ephesians 6:12
We have to remember that the real enemy in our lives is satan! Not our husband, not our family members, not our friends, not our acquaintances, but the devil.
“Being a believer doesn’t give you immunity from the assaults of the enemy, but it does give you access to the power of the Father-His power to defend you as well as reverse what’s been done to you.” -Priscilla Shirer.
GLORY TO GOD!! Reading that again, made me stand a little straighter 🙂 I led these in 2 different settings. One was in the young mom’s study and the other was with more “seasoned” women. Both were different discussions on how this study affected them in their season of life. This is my top pick for “Women’s Bible Study.” I cannot wait to lead this one again! The Armor of God, more than merely a biblical description of the believer’s inventory, is an action plan for putting it on and developing a personalized strategy to secure victory. This is a 7 week study.
3. Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan for Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer
by Priscilla Shirer (Women’s Study)
This one wasn’t actually a “study,” but after I read a few chapters, I knew I had to lead this in a Bible study setting. (I pray for specific direction from the Holy Spirit on each study and the demographic).
Fervent is a wonderful companion to the Armor of God study.
We read a couple of chapters each week and discussed the principles and had a specific time of prayer. We were serious and strategic in our time together.
We have an enemy . . . and he’s dead set on destroying all you hold dear and keeping you from experiencing abundant life in Christ. What’s more, his approach to disrupting your life and discrediting your faith isn’t general or generic, not a one-size-fits-all. It’s specific. Personalized. Targeted.
So this book is your chance to strike back. With prayer. With a weapon that really works. Each chapter guides you in crafting prayer strategies that hit the enemy where it hurts, letting him know you’re on to him and that you won’t back down. Because with every new strategy you build, you’re turning the fiercest battles of life into precise strikes against him and his handiwork, each one infused with the power of God’s Spirit.
At the end of each chapter, she closes with a “call to prayer.” She shares awesome Bible Scriptures and encourages us to write out prayer strategies on note cards that are found in the back of the book. This book is for every woman!
4. James: Mercy Triumphs
by Beth Moore (Women’s Study)
I have done several Beth Moore studies and this one impacted me the most, especially in this season of my life. Each of her studies, dig deep, so be prepared to be in your study time for at least 45 minutes a night.
This study focuses on the book of James. James, Jesus’ own brother, started out as a skeptic. See how one glimpse of the resurrected Savior turned an unbeliever into a disciple. James is a book in the Bible that has extremely great wisdom and insight. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” We need wisdom in EVERY aspect of our life, so why don’t we ask God for it? This study goes into depth the 5 chapters of James, but leaving you wanting more.
Topics in this study include: joy, hardship, faith, reversal of fortunes for rich and poor, wisdom, gifts from above, single-mindedness, the dangers of the tongue, humility, and prayer. I love that we get to know the brother of Jesus in this study. Everyone in this world is important!
5. Financial Peace University
by Dave Ramsey (Group Study)
This is a nine-week class and it might seem a little pricey, but let me tell you…its worth it!!! You’ll learn Dave Ramsey’s seven easy-to-follow Baby Steps to create a budget, get out of debt, and make a plan for your money! Plus, your Financial Peace University membership includes 16 weeks of online access to view each lesson anytime!
My husband and I took this class 6+ years ago and have applied Dave’s principles, but sometimes you have to be reminded. We are currently leading this class and we determined to get debt free as soon as possible. Not only that, we want to start saving for retirement so that later we can “live like no one else.”
There are videos that accompany this study are essential for you learning the material. Dave is very energetic and excited about helping people with their finances and its definitely contagious.
Not only is this highly effective in our financial life, Dave teaches that this effects our spiritual lives as well. God has called us to bless others, but how can we if we are drowning in debt? The beautiful thing about our finances is that we can start anywhere, we don’t have to be financially ready to get wealthy. But we do have to be diligent, consistent and willing to say no to things. One of my favorite sayings of Dave’s is, “live like no one else, so later you can LIVE like no one else.” This class is very hands on, as each week there is a reading assignment, making a budget and actively doing things to complete the baby steps.
Also, some great (bonus) books to read, that can be done as a study are:
A.) Fasting
by Jentezen Franklin
We have participated in the Daniel’s Fast for the last 5 years and each year I read this book to prepare for the 21 day fast. This is a great book to educate you on fasting and the reasons to fast. Mr. Franklin explains the spiritual power of fasting and offers a deeper understanding of God’s plan for fasting and the benefits available to those who participate. The book contains inspiring and practical information that readers need to know in order to access the power of biblical fasting. Those who seek God through fasting can expect tremendous rewards for their personal lives as well as for the church. They will see breakthroughs in many areas such as healing, finances, unhealthy dependencies and family relationships. This book also gives stories of those who have reaped miraculous rewards from this simple act of faith.
A definite must read! There is also a “Fasting Journal,” that you can purchase to read along with the book.
B.) Sun Stood Still
by Steven Furtick
The premise of the book is that most Christians fail to live life to the fullest, and never take advantage of the awesome power that is available to us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and access to the Father through prayer. He speaks directly to Christians who long to take their faith to the next level, Sun Stand Still seeks to change readers’ lives. He encourages believers to pray audacious prayers. This is easy to understand and read.
If you have any questions about certain studies or authors, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Happy Studying!!!!
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“Moodsetter Mami with Xochil Elmore”, is a faith and motherhood contribution. She is also the Faithfully Living Contributing Columnist. Xochil offers advice, tips and resources on a range of family-friendly topics from faith, inspirational, family and parenting.
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Thank you for sharing the Bible studies. I really enjoyed watching the Facebook live video. I think it helped break down some of the questions I had about bible studies in general. Looking forward to starting the fervent study soon.
Inspirational article–thanks for sharing! I love it!