Bible is a deep well of many wisdom. But depending on how deep you draw from it, you will get different results. Have you heard people around you saying, “Bible passages jumping out of the pages and speaking to them directly”? I believe that there is something about it that we can experience through the SOAP method for bible study. God speaks in many different ways, foremost importantly through the Scripture, and wants to speak to us daily. Let’s dive into each of the SOAP acronyms and study the Bible together through a free template at the end of the article! 

Soap Method for Bible Study

1. SOAP Method for Bible Study: Scripture

It’s the source and the rock where we draw water from. It’s the garden we cultivate our minds and spirit. Why read commentaries and Christian authors first when the Scripture is the direct source where these books were written from? Schedule a time of the day and place to commit to the Bible reading.

2. SOAP Method for Bible Study: Observation

In different seasons of your life experience, you would see different things popping up in your mind while reading the Scripture. Be sensitive to how you perceive during the reading and record things that suddenly come to you so clearly. Think about what God might want you to learn and realize through the parts of your observation. As you’re taking notes of what you observed, you will get to the reason why it stopped you in the first place. That’s where you can get to the next section of the SOAP method of bible study.

3. SOAP Method for Bible Study: Application

Application is specific, measurable, and time-bound. You may include some things in your daily to-do list. I enjoy reading Bible verses, praying, and spending time with God in the morning to reflect but also to generate the day’s plan. What you want to apply through your scripture reading and observation might result in setting a goal for the year or a to-do list for the week. But try to focus on something that you can implement starting today. Make a new habit that changes your life. Add new habits to the other habits that you already have.

4. SOAP Method for Bible Study: Prayer

If you had some questions from the observation section, now is the time to ask. When you ask, believe that he will answer in His time and His ways. Pray to silence the enemy and clear any preconceptions. Then wait expectantly without role-playing what God might be saying. Try your best to stay honest as simply as you can manage. Utilize the prayer journal so that you don’t repeat the same questions to God and make sure you have implemented what you already learned.

Quote by St. Augustine of Hippo

Scripture Memory

For more ways to study the Bible alone or with your kids, you can find scripture chapter memory printables that go along with scripture memory songs in the links below.  Songs really helped my kids to memorize Bible verses.  You can find more from my Teachers Pay Teachers page as well. 

Devotionals for Kids

I’ve come across many devotionals, and these are the ones that our kids liked the most.  You can listen along Keys for Kids Devotional every day and use the SOAP method of bible study together! 

Books We Love

  • Prince Warrior
    As a reluctant reader, our Sweet Captain who is now an 11-year-old loves Prince Warrior read-aloud time.  After moving cross country for our family, the first chapter of Prince Warrior immediately related to my son, seeing Evan and Xavier adjusting to the new school.  He now enjoys entering Ahoratos in the book with Evan and his friends!  Priscilla Shirer is simply amazing.  Her Bible study books for women’s study groups bring back the desire for sincere faith. 
  • Sugar Creek Gang Series
    Reading Sugar Creek Gang is like returning to the good old days when neighborhood kids went out to catch tadpoles and frogs.  Sincere faith, love for God, and heart to save others to the Lord won my son’s heart to the saving hand of Jesus Christ too.  The book is perfect for 10 to 12-year-old boys who love adventures outdoors and solving mysteries. Join in the adventure of Bill Collins, Dragonfly, and the rest of the gang.   
  • The Sowers Series
    Finding information about famous men and women is easy, but finding books about their spiritual struggles and their faith is not.  The Sowers series books cover famous men and women in their struggles from their journals, letters to friends, and more, and how they were sowers of seeds to us.
  • Lightkeepers Boys Box Set: Ten Boys
  • Lightkeepers Boys Box Set: Ten Girls
  • Christian Heroes: Then & Now Series
  • Little Lights

Get a free template of the SOAP Method for Bible Study

SOAP Method of Bible Study Printable