There is no one way to study the bible.
Reading it through from cover to cover,
studying more in-depth, book by book.
Be sure to include the Old Testament books in your study.
The Old Testament is rich with God’s thoughts and Him sharing His heart.
There are many ways and many teachings out there that can help you.
The thing to be careful of is that the Holy Spirit is our main teacher.
If you cloud your mind with others’ teachings,
then you might miss what God Himself wants to teach you.
Edited addition: This portion was added after a reader mentioned to pray before we read. Yes. Praying before we read is very important.
Praying that the Holy Spirit will help us understand
with our minds and our spirits.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit,
and I will pray with the understanding also:
I will sing with the spirit,
and I will sing with the understanding also. 1 Corinthians 14:15
It is also important to remain in a prayerful attitude during the time of reading and afterward while meditating on God’s word.
Drink waters out of thine own cistern,
and running waters out of thine own well. Proverbs 5:15
Another thought is: Don’t eat stale manna.
God gave the Israelites fresh manna every day.
Each person was to collect it for themselves, only what they could eat.
Fresh manna, the living word is beneficial for our walk with Christ.
And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Exodus 16:19
Or, what about this part of the Lord’s prayer?
Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11
It is not about trusting in yourself, it is about trusting God to teach you.
He knows exactly how to do that.
He may use others to help you along, but keep in mind,
Jesus is the ultimate truth-giver.
Any fleshly teacher, no matter how great they are,
has imperfections and limitations.
In other words, no person who walks on earth is perfect like God.
While that is not a surprise,
it is astounding how many people will trust pastors and teachers
above the Lord Jesus Christ and His word.
There should be a healthy combination.
That means, you learn something, you check it with God.
Maybe He has more to teach you,
or He might show you a different way to look at things.
Studying the bible is open-ended as the scriptures are multi-faceted.
For the word of God is living and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Jesus has a lot to teach all of us.