iStock//05-18-09 © Aldo Murillo

Step 1 > Pick a character.

Is there a biblical character who intrigues you? Is there someone in Scripture who went through a situation similar to what you’re experiencing right now? Which Bible character made choices that baffle or intrigue you? Pick one of these people, then gather some blank paper and Bible tools, such as a concordance, ­commentaries, and a Bible dictionary. (Or use online resources like www.biblegateway.com or www.mystudybible.com.

STEP 2 > Read about the character.

Use the resources to find Scripture passages in which your ­character is mentioned. If the character only appears in a handful of verses, study all of those verses. However, if your character is a major personality in the Bible, such as Moses or Abraham, you may want to narrow your study to a specific event or time period in the person’s life. Locate the Scriptures that pertain, then read through each of them carefully. Consult a Bible dictionary or commentaries as you read to discover additional information about the person you’re studying.

STEP 3 > List information.

Using the information from your passages and your Bible study tools, create a list of important information about your biblical character. What kind of information should you include? Check out “Fast Facts” below!

STEP 4 > Apply the information to your life.

As you study, think about how the character’s story affects you. Perhaps you’re encouraged by God’s faithfulness or challenged by the person’s strength. You may even discover weaknesses you want to avoid. Jot down what God has revealed to you about Himself, yourself, or the world through this story.

STEP 5 > Pray.

Ask God to give you the strong characteristics this person displayed and remove the weak ones from your life. Tell Him how your problems are like this person’s and ask Him to give you the wisdom you need. Bring your life before God, asking Him to work in you, just as He did in the life of the character you studied.

FAST FACTS:

Tips for how to do a character study in Scripture

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
List factual items about the person’s life, such as birthplace, name meaning, occupation, children’s names, and so forth.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Write down personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, and anything else that makes up the person’s character.

SUCCESSES
What was this person’s big moment? What successes did he or she experience? How did he or she respond to those? Make sure to watch for less noticeable successes, such as staying faithful to God during a trying time.

PROBLEMS
What sticky questions did this person encounter? How did he or she handle them? What were some moral downfalls?

LESSONS
What lessons did this individual learn? How did these lessons change him or her? What difficult situations did the character have to go through to learn these lessons? What lessons have you learned from observing this person’s life?

One final tip: Write it out

When you’ve finished studying your Bible character, write out what you’ve discovered and save that info. As you do further character studies, consider creating an entire notebook of pages dedicated to various biblical characters and notes about what God has taught you through their stories.