Welcome to a new way to interact
with God’s Word… 

 

to engage the Holy Spirit as you survey, mine, and refine
your perspective of Biblical treasure,
then align your life with the wisdom revealed there.

My Friend, if you’re willing to submit to the Spirit
and follow five simple steps, you can
confidently study the Bible and begin living by its principles right away:

That’s the power of Digging into Scripture Ourselves (DISO)!

 

 

Start Now!

Gather What
You Need

Choose your study passage, then decide how you’ll record what you discover so you can access it later in the process.
I’m old-school. I write what I find in a notebook or journal,  but you may want to create audio or video files for your findings. 

I also recommend you start with a printed copy of the text you don’t mind marking up. You can make this yourself with these instructions. 

 

Decide When &
Where You’ll Dig

The surest way to master any process is to practice it regularly!

I recommend you create a repeating Bible study appointment of at least 15 minutes in your calendar system. 

While learning this method, try to study daily or at least every other day, ideally in a quiet corner with few distractions.

 

Start Each Dig
with Prayer

Create your own opening prayer or use this one:

Father God, cleanse my mind and open my eyes, ears, and heart to Your Holy Spirit. Help me see and hear Your Word for me, show me its true meaning aligned with Your counsel, and direct me to apply it for Your glory and my good.

In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Survey, then Mine,
Refine, & Align

Using this step-by-step guide, Survey your study verses for “huh?” and “wow!” reactions. Choose one of those areas to mine for elements of setting, circumstances, and emphasis.
Next, use trusted resources to refine your understanding of what you’ve unearthed.
And finally, follow the Spirit to align your life with the rich wisdom He’s revealed
from your dig.

How is DISO different?

    • Traditional Bible study depends heavily on the leader. If the leader lacks instructional skills, or no one wants to lead, the study fails.
    • Traditional Bible study incorporates a “one-size-fits-all” instructional approach. This technique often fails because it cannot respond to individual situations. Instead, it tends to bore some students while leaving others confused.
    • Traditional Bible study often requires hard time commitments. Missing meetings and/or homework assignments can sink your study.
    • With DISO, the Holy Spirit leads. He’s always available, infallible, and ready to work with you through any Scripture you choose.
    • With DISO, your study is always customized. You’ll focus on elements of the passage that resonate with your personal situation, and use reliable, readily available tools to understand and apply what you discover in God’s Word.
    • With DISO, you control when and how long you study. You’re never late or behind on homework when it’s just the Holy Spirit and you!

    The Five Steps

    Pray

    GOAL: Shift your personal focus to the Holy Spirit and what you will find together in God’s Word.

    HOW TO: Start every study session with a prayer that helps you pull away from your other obligations and turn toward God and His Word. You can use mine (above), or write a different one for each passage you study. It’s up to you!

    Survey

    GOAL: Personalize your study by choosing one aspect of this passage to focus on right now.

    HOW TO: Fully focus on the passage verses as you read. Look for and note words, phrases, or sentences that evoke a “huh?” reaction (leading you to investigate it) or a “wow!” reaction (meaning it resonates with you). With the Holy Spirit, choose just one of these reactions to focus on for the remainder of this dig. Record this treasure and where in the study text you discovered it, in your journal.

    Mine

    GOAL: Carefully dig up all the elements of the your newfound treasure.

    HOW TO: Notice
    1 – What the author writes about the setting that relates to your chosen word, phrase, or sentence: i.e., Where and when does action (if any) happen? Who’s involved with it?

    2 – Does that author emphasize the word, phrase or sentence through
    repetition? and/or
    comparison? and/or
    lists? and/or
    special statements like blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, requests, warnings?

    3 – What does the author record about causes of and/or circumstances surrounding your treasure?

    Refine

    GOAL: Properly appreciate the value of this biblical treasure.

    HOW TO: Understand the author and his audience’s perception of your discovery by
    1 – Stripping away any preconceived notions or ideas others have told you about this portion of Scripture;

    2 – Analyzing how the author recorded his overall message. Do you find instruction, law, a letter, narrative, poetry, and/or prophecy in this book?

    3 – Digging into the passage’s literal and historical context for clues about what your treasure means;

    4 – Analyzing the original language in your target verses;

    5 – Consulting relevant cross-references; and

    6 – Reviewing other translations of the study text.

    Align

    GOAL: Use what you’ve discovered in your walk  with God.

    HOW TO: Answer the following questions based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

    1 – What one main thing did the Holy Spirit teach you in this study?

    2 – How has the Holy Spirit used this study to convict you?

    3 – Which word, phrase, or sentence from the study provides divine correction in your situation?

    4 – What or how will you change based on the Spirit’s training here?