How to Apply the Bible to Your Life: 9 Questions to Ask Yourself

You’ve finished your most recent Bible study. Maybe it was a book study, a video-driven study, or a deep dive into one psalm. Whatever it was, you’re done…almost. There’s still one more step: applying what you’ve learned to your life. As believers, we study the Word of God so that we can line our lives up with what it teaches. In other words, we study, then we live what we’ve learned.

Application is an essential part of Bible study. It is meant to change how we think, what we believe, and how we live our daily lives. It can be tempting to think just learning is enough. But Scripture assures us that knowledge alone is never enough. Knowledge without love only breeds pride (1 Cor. 8:1). God frequently chooses “uneducated, common men” and women (Acts 4:13), instead of the wise or powerful (1 Cor. 1:18-20). Then He gets the glory, and we learn to rely on His wisdom instead of our own.

Why Applying Scripture to Your Life Matters

Knowledge is not the end of a Bible study; life change, through application, is. There are as many approaches to applying God’s Word as there are Bible study methods. SPACEPETS is a common application method that has been used for decades to help thousands of Bible students personalize their studies.

SPACEPETS was created by Rick Warren to provide a method of focusing on nine topics that frequently show up in Bible studies. It helps users apply Bible truth to the unpolished parts of our lives.  

Confused about what this all means? If you’ve stumbled across this article and aren’t sure how to study the Bible, let alone apply it, check out How Beginners Can Learn to Study the Bible Effectively or 7 Awesome Bible Study Tips for Beginners. If you’ve done a few studies and want to learn more, this article on doing topical Bible studies is a great option for digging deeper.

Quick Review: What Comes Before Application

I’m not going deep here, so check out the links above for more. But sometimes it helps to see how the pieces of Bible study fit together. This is the basic process I follow, regardless of what type of study I’m doing.

• First, I pray, asking for wisdom, discernment, and understanding of Scripture.
• Next, I commit to being consistent in studying God’s Word and ask for grace to keep that commitment.
• Then I study, taking notes to help me remember what I’m learning. You should see my shelves of journals!
• Finally, I ask the Lord to guide me in how I need to change my life to line up with the truths in His Word. That’s the “Bible study application” part we’re focusing on today. I always want my life to change to match Scripture instead of trying to reinterpret Scripture to fit my life.
• And finally again (just like Paul in Philippians!), I think about how I’ll share what I’m learning. Sometimes that’s just with my husband or friends. Other times it involves writing or teaching. But sharing is an important part of application.

Bible Study Application

Application is the forgotten element of too many Bible studies. It is where the truth of the Word meets your heart and life, through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is where you will see, if you put in the work, great changes in your life. For me, application was easy when I first became a believer; there was SO MUCH I didn’t know! But only two years after being saved, I attended a small Bible college, and application suddenly became more challenging.

I learned a lot in Bible college and am grateful for the opportunity, but it was impossible to learn that much knowledge and apply it all to my life at the same time. We were required to have a daily devotional time that was supposed to help us to stay on track with application, but that often became another intellectual exercise for me.

My college experience, along with my natural tendencies, led to years of learning without much applying. Although I tried not to view Scripture and Bible study as an academic exercise, that was so much easier for me than living what I was learning. I battled the tendency to gain knowledge without changing my life. Over the years, I’ve failed some and succeeded some.

I have learned that reminding myself, “to whom much is given…much will be required” (Lk. 12:48 NKJV) is vital to keeping my focus where it should be!

If you face the same challenge, and most of us do, make prayer an essential part of your Bible study.  Start your study time with prayer and include a prayer that the Holy Spirit will make the Word come alive to you. Pray that the Spirit will use the Word to make you into the person the Lord would have you to be. Specifically, pray that the Lord will show you how to apply that portion of Scripture to your life.

SPACEPETS

Now that you know why application is so important, and what obstacles often arise, let’s take a closer look at the SPACEPETS acronym. Pastor Rick Warren developed this useful tool many years ago. It has helped me and thousands (maybe millions?) of other students of the Bible move past just learning facts. 

Each letter in the SPACEPETS acronym represents a focus question to ask when studying a portion of Scripture. As you read these questions, remember that these are tools. Don’t try to force all nine questions into every passage you study; they won’t fit!

Use what works for each Bible passage you’re studying. And even if four or five fit, you don’t have to use them all. Choose the one or two that focus on the biggest areas of concern you’re currently facing.

1. Is there a SIN to confess? Has the light of Scripture illuminated an area of your life that needs confession and forgiveness?
2. Is there a PROMISE to claim? There are thousands of promises in God’s Word. Not all of them are meant for Christians in the 21^st century, but many are. Does the passage you’ve read contain a universal promise that would apply to you? If yes, ask yourself whether you’ve met the conditions of the promise. Or is there a specific promise to a particular person or group? If that’s the case, ask yourself what does that promise teach you about God’s character.
3. Is there an ATTITUDE to change? Is there something you need to think about differently? Do you struggle with pride, apathy, covetousness, or anger? Confess and commit to change.
4. Is there a COMMAND to obey? Obedience is never optional in the Christian life. If there’s a clear command to obey, but you don’t know how, make that a focus of prayer and consider who you might ask for advice. Remember, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam. 15:22).
5. Is there an EXAMPLE to follow? Are there positive examples to follow or negative examples to avoid? What aspects of the individual lives recorded in Scripture should you imitate? What should you avoid?
6. Is there a PRAYER to pray? There are many recorded prayers in the Bible. Praying God’s Word back to Him is powerful, and beginning with recorded prayers helps. But don’t forget that other passages can become prayers as well, like praying for the fruit of the Spirit to be evident in your life (Gal. 5:22-23).
7. Is there an ERROR to avoid? It’s wise to learn from experience, and it’s even wiser to learn from the experience of others! What can you learn from the errors in the passage you’ve studied?
8. Is there a TRUTH to believe? Often, we’ll read something in Scripture that we can’t do anything about. We simply must believe what it says about God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the past, the future, Heaven, Hell, or other topics in the Bible. When you come across a truth to believe, spend some time praising God for His wisdom and praying for peace without full understanding.
9. Is there SOMETHING for which to praise God? You can always find something in a passage for which you can be grateful to God. And yes, I do mean always!

How to Apply Scripture: A SPACEPETS Example

I don’t know about you, but examples have always been very useful when I’m trying to learn something new. So here’s a quick example of SPACEPETS, using the shortest chapter in the Bible. This isn’t meant to be a deep dive, just a quick illustration to help you see how these questions can help you.

• S – Sin? No
• P – Promise? No
• A – Attitude? No
• C – Command? Yes. I’m commanded to praise the Lord. I can practice that today by singing worship songs out loud while driving, especially songs of praise.
• E – Example? No
• P – Prayer? No
• E – Error? No
• T – Truth? Yes. These verses teach me that God’s love toward me is great and steadfast, and that He is always faithful. I praise Him for being a loving, faithful, steadfast God who is worthy of all worship.
• S – Something to praise? Yes. Verse 2 specifically teaches me to praise the Lord for “his steadfast love” and for His “faithfulness” that never ends. I’ll add “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” to my playlist for today and listen to it and sing it at least twice.

Make Bible Study Application a Habit

I hope the example above helps you see how the SPACEPETS technique can be helpful in applying Scripture to your life. This tool can make finding where or how to apply God’s Word a simple conclusion to any Bible study. To make this even easier for you, you can get a printable copy of these questions in the Treasure Trove, free to everyone who signs up for my devotional newsletter.

If you want more Bible study tools, this “Bible Study Cheat Sheets” is packed full of useful information, all color-coded to help you see the big picture of Scripture.

I challenge you to never close your time of Bible study until you make a clear, firm plan for how you will live out what you have learned. Application is the culmination of your study and the beginning of something far greater: living like Jesus.