My Favorite Jesus Essentials
Welcome, friend. Whether you're just starting your walk with Jesus or looking to deepen your connection with Him, I hope this list blesses your journey. These are the resources and tools I personally love that have helped me come closer to Jesus—little things that help me stay rooted in the Word, draw near to God's heart, and create sacred space in the middle of daily life.
📖 Bible Helps
These are my go-to resources when I want to understand Scripture better, stay consistent in my study, or just fall in love with the Word all over again.
1. Enduring Word
David Guzik’s verse-by-verse commentary is my absolute favorite for going deeper into Scripture. It’s rich in context and completely free.
2. The Bible Recap
If you’ve ever wanted to read the whole Bible but felt overwhelmed, this is the perfect guide. Tara-Leigh Cobble walks you through it chronologically in bite-sized pieces—and her reflections are always heart-stirring.
3. Heart Dive
A beautiful blend of Scripture study and personal reflection, Heart Dive helps me connect head knowledge to heart transformation. I use this when I want to slow down and really soak in a passage with an explanation and an opportunity to truly reflect on my behavior and how I need to change to be more in line with God. Kanoe is an amazing teacher and I appreciate her passion, love, and desire to serve, praise and worship the Lord!! (If you want to know more about other disciples of Christ who have helped me grow my testimony check out the post Voices That Help Me Grow in Spiritual Discernment!!)
4. YouVersion Bible App
The Bible in your pocket. I use this app every single day—whether it’s for reading plans, verse of the day reminders, or listening to Scripture while I fold laundry.
✨ Bible Tools I Love
These simple tools make Bible study feel creative, peaceful, and personal. They help me make the Word my own—and I love the ritual of setting up my quiet time space.
1. Washi Tape
Pretty, colorful, and fun to use for sectioning pages or adding flair to those notes you just have to glue in because let's face it there's just never enough room. I grab most of mine from Amazon or Hobby Lobby.
2. Planner Paperclip Bookmarks
Perfect for marking where I left off or keeping track of verses that speak to me in the moment. You can get some super duper cute ones that match your vibe to make your bible cute. If you're a DIYer you can even find fun youtube tutorials to make ribbon ones yourself!! (Just don't be cheap like I was and buy your paperclips from the Dollar Store you need those metal ends absolutely covered so they don't rip your Bible pages!!) OR check out Pretty Little Bible's Etsy Shop because her stuff is darling!!
3. Sticky Notes
I love jotting down prayers, insights, or questions right in my Bible or journal. It makes my time with God feel interactive. I also absolutely love and adore having some visual cues for tips, tricks, or reminders from God that I need to keep in my mind and heart that jump off the page when I open my Bible!!
4. Bible Highlighters + Pens (Mr. Pen)
Mr. Pen has my favorites—no bleed, soft colors, and smooth writing. A good pen makes everything feel more intentional. And let's be honest color makes the world go round!! If you have super thin Bible pages like mine (I use my Grandpa's old Bible he gave to me) make sure to use the gel highlighter pens and stick to the super pastel colors so it doesn't leak through!
5. NKJV, NIV, or ESV Classic Bible
My tried and true translations! I love the simple, clean Bibles from Hobby Lobby. They often have beautiful covers and large margins for note-taking and I love me some note taking room!!
6. Diaper Caddy (Mr. Pen brand)
Okay, hear me out—this is a game-changer! I use it to organize my Bible, pens, sticky notes, highlighters, and whatever else I need for quiet time. It makes grabbing my essentials so easy and the floral one from Mr. Pen is just SO cute!! If that seems a little too outside your realm of comfort I know that other girls use yarn storage organizer bags (crochet or knitting bags) to keep all their scripture tool fun in as well! OR there is also organizer totes
7. Elmer’s Glue Stick or UHU Glue Stick
Sounds random, I know—but I actually use it in my Bible for little things like gluing in printed study notes, artwork, or even tiny envelopes for prayer cards or memory verses. It dries clear, doesn’t bulk up the pages, and just works. These two glue stick brands actually keep things in place without losing its stick a couple of months down the road.
8. Prayer Journal
This is where I pour it all out—prayers, questions, scriptures that stick, things I’m processing with God. Some days it’s just a few lines. Other days it’s messy and raw. But it helps me stay honest and close to Him. I don’t use anything fancy—just a simple notebook I actually want to open.
9. Bible Cover
I love having a soft, pretty cover on my Bible—not just to protect it, but because it reminds me that this Book is special. Some come with pockets for pens and notes, which makes it even easier to grab everything in one go. I’ve found a few I really love on Etsy and Amazon.
10. Oversized Key Ring for Washi Tape (Large Binder Ring)
Not fancy—but so helpful. I loop all my favorite washi rolls onto one of those jumbo key rings (you can usually find them at office supply stores or Amazon) and then clip it to the handle of my diaper caddy. It keeps them together and easy to flip through when I’m doing Bible notes or journaling. Super simple and works like a charm.
11. Pastel Mechanical Pencils
These are my favorite for gentle underlining or making light notes in the margins. I like the soft colors—they don’t distract, they are harder to lose in the blankets when I'm cozied up in bed, and they just make my Bible time feel a little more peaceful. Plus, no sharpening needed, which is always a win!!
12. Happy Planner
Okay—this one just makes my organized little heart so happy (pun intended). I use my Happy Planner to keep track of Bible studies, prayer requests, sermon notes, and what God’s been teaching me. I love that I can make it totally mine—stickers, dividers, pages I can move around—it turns planning into a kind of worship. It helps me stay grounded and intentional with my time with Jesus.
📚 Books to Bring You Closer to Jesus
These are the books that feel like heart conversations with God—ones that have challenged, comforted, and drawn me closer to His love.
1. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
After moving I attended a church every Sunday where I left each week crying because I felt so spiritually hungry and didn't feel like I was getting spiritually filled at church. This book helped me to recognize how to approach my daily walk with God and what my true calling and purpose is here on this earth.
2. The Daniel Prayer by Anne Graham Lotz
Okay, in all honesty this book has so much to glean and learn from that I have yet to finish it but have had to read it in chunks. It's powerful to read if you feel like your life is a continuous woe is me... Daniel's life I am coming to learn and recognize was NEVER a walk in the park- actually far from it and yet he trust in the God who saves. If you want to up your prayer life and be challenged to reflect on your paradigms of prayer and how you approach the throne of grace than this book is the read you want.
3. War Room: Prayer Is a Powerful Weapon The Bible Study
This book absolutely changed my prayer life and how I approach the King of Kings. Megan Fate Marshman always quotes someone that said to her" if you want to have a boring prayer life be good in your prayers." And that's true. If you want your prayer life to be boring approach God being good. But if you want heartfelt connection get ready to be real and raw with God. This Bible study didn't remind me it taught me that prayer isn’t just something we do when we’re desperate—it’s how we fight. I love how it is so simple in its set up but packs such a powerful spiritual punch. If you want to change your prayer life and have a great intimacy with God then this Bible study is definitely for you.
4. Thrive: Digging Deep, Reaching Out by Mark Hall with Tim Luke
Are you even surprised that this book made the list? Ha ha! I love how Mark Hall's words aren't flowery or overly scholarly. I love that he speaks deep profound truth in every day language making it simple to understand and leaves my soul stirred to live with a deeper passion and fire to live for Jesus. Mark Hall's testimony and trust in God and who Jesus is can help strengthen you and your belief in Jesus and how to go from surviving in your life to thriving.
🌿 A Gentle Reminder
You don’t need any of these things to connect with Jesus—but if any of them help you quiet the noise and sit with Him a little longer, I’m glad to share. He’s the only essential you truly will ever need because He is our everything.
Got a favorite tool or resource that’s helped you lately? I’d love to hear about it. 💌
