Tips To Build Up A Habit Of Reading The Bible Daily
In a previous post, we saw that the first step in understanding the Bible is to read it for ourselves, cover to cover. This is how we begin to acquire the building blocks of Scripture that are the foundation for our understanding of Gods Word. But how do we get started? What can we do to develop this healthy and necessary habit of regularly reading the Bible?
In this post, well go over seven practical tips that will help you build up a daily habit of reading the Bible.
Why Do We Need To Read Bible Everyday
Why You Should Read the Bible Regularly
Reading the Bible on a regular and consistent basis has several benefits. First, the Bible shows us Gods character and provides us Gods revelation of himself to his people. In each section of the Bible, we see Gods holy, unchanging, faithful, gracious and loving character.
It Aligns Our Hearts With Gods Heart
Romans 12:2 reminds us not to be confirmed to the patterns of the world but to instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then it says, you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is We are transformed by daily fellowship with God. How do we fellowship with God daily? One way is by reading the Bible. When we are transformed and our hearts are more like Gods heart, were able to know his will. It is so important to know Gods will so that we dont walk into things that God never intended for us.
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We Need Daily Guidance
Psalm 119:105 says, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. This means that Gods word guides and illuminates our lives. We need daily guidance because we have an enemy wanting to pull us astray. We arent strong enough on our own to withstand his attacks so we need Gods word to help us. Personally, I notice that I am more stressed, anxious, easily distracted, fearful, and prone to sinful thoughts and actions when I go long periods of time without reading my Bible. This is not just a spiritual concept: when we dont eat food, we often become the same way. Just like we wouldnt eat a huge meal at the beginning of the week and expect it to sustain us, we cant neglect our Bibles for long periods of time without going hungry spiritually.
The Bible Is Meditation Literature
I will meditate on all Your work,And on Your deeds with thanksgiving.Your way, God, is holy What god is great like our God?
We are not meant to get it all the first time round. We are meant to meditate on His word. Mediation has taken on a very particular meaning in todays world. Now, it tends to be synonymous with a set of techniques that are intended to encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention by clearing your mind.
But when mediation is applied to Gods Word, it is inviting you to dive in and think deeply on Gods truth.
“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” ~Joshua 1:8 NIV
I have said it before, the Bible is like an Ocean. You can wade around on the surface, but there is so much goodness packed into every verse that can take you on the deepest dives. Read it once. Read it twice. Read it a zillion times. Each time you do you will find more and more to change your life.
Meditate on it. It will do amazing things through you and in you.
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How You Can Build Regular Bible Reading Into Your Life
Reading the Bible is a spiritual discipline, which means that we need to be disciplined in how we approach it. If you lack the desire to read the Bible, pray and ask that God would give you a desire for his word. Then, build a time into your day to read Scripture and make this time a priority. You should then find people to hold you accountable to a reading plan. Maybe even start a reading plan with someone.
Scripture Is The Hope Of Heaven
And what I mean by this is that full understanding, full enjoyment of the truth of Scripture, will be experienced only in heaven.
Now I know in part then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
The knowledge of God all the fullness that a created being can properly comprehend and enjoy will not be withheld from us indefinitely. The frustrations of our present limitations of understanding and enjoyment will be removed. How fitting it is, then, that we be ever growing now in what will be our final joy in the age to come.
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You Become Soft And Strong As A Woman
There are a couple of studies and books that helped to reinforce this for me as I began to read more about my role as a woman, wife, and mom.
Like the book, Strong Women, Soft Hearts by Paula Rinehart.
But, the most important influence has been the Bible. As I read more about who God created me to be, it helped me also to understand how to love others better too. You can read more about what I mean by soft and strong in my post how to be a better wife.
What If I Cant Read The Bible Every Day
I understand that life can be busy and hectic and you may feel like you dont have time to read the Bible every day. Heres the thing: we get to choose our priorities and even though life gets really busy, we can definitely make time to read the Bible for a few minutes each day. When we dont have time for something, it simply means something else is our priority. You get to decide whether the Bible is your priority or something else is.
If youre really struggling to find time to read the Bible each day, this article A Busy Girls Guide to Spending Time With God Throughout the Day might be helpful.
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Have A Pen Or A Pencil
Most of us suffer from short attention spans and our minds frequently wander when we are reading the Bible. One practical way to fight against this is to read with a pen or a pencil in your hand. Reading with a pen or a pencil in hand moves you from passive reading to active reading. Circle significant words, underline verses that stand out to you, and write down questions or insights that you have along the way. In doing this you will find that you pay closer attention to your reading and remember more of what you have read.
Also, a journal could be useful in your Scripture reading as well. Take a few minutes and write a paragraph about what you read. Also, you could use it to write down areas of application or things you need to think through in your personal life after reading. Either way, writing things down after reading Scripture changes the way you read and the way that you remember.
Do You Read Your Bible Everyday Most Churchgoers Say No
A new LifeWay study suggests that those who read the Bible every day are few and far between. More often than not, these daily Bible readers live in the western part of the country, too.
The survey asked those who go to church at least once a month how often they read the Bible. Just 32 percent of the 2,500 respondents answered every day.
LifeWay conducted an online survey between the dates of January 14-29, 2019. They screened for people who attend either American Protestant or non-denominational churches, and sought churchgoers across the United States.
While the ratio of 1 out of every 3 Christians reading their Bible every day may seem disappointing at first, it doesnt seem as bad when combined with the next group of people: those who read their Bibles a few times a week . Those two groups combined represent over half of the respondentsmeaning the majority of churchgoers read their Bible at least a few times a week, if not more often.
According to the results, those surveyed read their Bible:
Every day 32 percentA few times a week 27 percentOnce a week 12 percentA few times per month 11 percentOnce a month 5 percentRarely/never 12 percent
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A Prayer For Reading The Bible Daily
And if you dont know how to start reading the bible, or know what to pray, here is a prayer for you. You can simply read itto help you read the bible daily.
Father, you know my heart.
I know that I should be reading your Word daily, please turn that knowing into a craving for your Word.
Help me, God, to experience reading your Word in a way that helps me to see that I NEED it so that Ill be able to withstand the schemes of the enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.
Lord, please help me to know how to start reading the bibledailyfor your good and perfect will to take place in my life. Help me to experience the benefits to reading the bible in a way that are very tangible to me.
God I pray that you will enable me to set aside just 15 minutes each morning, before my children wake up, for a quiet time with you.
I pray that you will wake me up by the power of your Holy Spirit, that you will guard my time, and guide my heart.
Father I long to know you more deeply.
As I turn my heart to you and seek you first, please bless this prayer, and help me to be like a tree firmly planted by streams of living water . Amen.
How To Read The Bible Every Day: 8 Ways To Make Devotions A Habit
We live in a time in which there is unprecedented access to Bible study toolsmultiple excellent translations, study helps, internet resources, Bible software, phone apps, etc.yet we are also more distracted than ever. Personal devotion to God through Bible reading is a blessing you do not want to skip. And Scripture tells us of the importance of spending time in the Word. Yet, so many Christians struggle to read the Bible daily. It does not have to be that way. If you follow the 8 practical steps below, you will discover how to read the Bible daily as a habit for life.
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What If I Dont Want To Read The Bible
Imagine that your parents wrote a book for youits the history of your family, their marriage, your childhood, how youve become the person you are today, and their hopes and dreams for your future. Woven throughout the book is a clear, underlying theme: they love you very much. Maybe, just maybe, you pick up on another theme as well: you havent always known what was best for you, and they usually know what theyre talking about.
How do you think they would feel if you told them, Look, at least I read a chapter today?
How much you read and how frequently you read is not the point.
Part of my job at Faithlife lets me write reflections on Scripture or dig into biblical topics. To do that well, I need to dig into the Bible daily. But whenever I read the Bible for work, Im reading with an agendaIm hunting for a verse or prowling through a passage. For Scripture to penetrate my heart and permeate my life, I have to read it just to read it, too.
Reading the Bible exposes you to the history of the creators relationship to creationthat includes you. If you want to know who God is, he had 40 people write a whole book about him over the course of about 1,500 years. Now all you have to do is pick a Bible up off the shelf, read the Bible online, or .
However you read the Bible, youre going to get the most out of it if you do it because you want to.
Dont do it because someone is making you.
Dont do it to show off how much you read.
Read the Bible because it excites you.
The More You Go To Church Youre More Likely To Read The Bible Every Day
The study also indicates going to church makes one more likely to read his or her Bible more frequently. Respondents who attend a worship service four times a month or more are more likely to read their Bible every day than those who attend less than 4 times a month .
Breaking the respondents down by age also reveals some interesting insight. The highest group of every day readers came from the 50-64 age bracket , while the 35-49 group and the 18-34 group both came in at 30 percent. When comparing church affiliation, Evangelical Protestants are most likely to read every day , followed by Black Protestants , and finally Mainline Protestants .
Comparing ethnic groups, Hispanics have the highest percentage of every day readers . And those who live in the west are more likely to read every day compared to those in the midwest and even the South .
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Ready To Fall In Love With Gods Word
PinPinReading Gods Word truly CAN be fun, enjoyable, encouraging, inspiring, and so much more.
If youre truly interested in learning how to read the Bible daily, Id love to invite you to check out my brand new book: Fall in Love with Gods Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women!
Practical, encouraging, and full of biblical truth, Fall in Love with Gods Word has everything you need to learn how to:
- Overcome 7 common obstacles preventing you from spending time in Scripture
- Discover the personalized Bible-reading routine that works for YOU
- Learn 15 easy ways to make reading the bible daily more meaningful and enjoyable
- Use Scripture to conquer sin, false beliefs, and negative thought patterns
- Experience fresh spiritual growh and passion for Gods Word.
Please visit Amazon.com or your local bookstore to learn more and grab your copy of Fall in Love with Gods Word today!
It Will Help You Know God Better
Being a Christian is about being friends with Jesus. Its a real relationship just like the one you have with your best friend. Now in all relationships we talk and we listen to each other. And this is what reading the Bible and praying is all about.
When we read the Bible, we are listening to what God has to say to us . In the Bible, God has made sure he has told us everything we need to know in order to be the best of friends with him. So when you pray and read, you are really having a good old conversation with God and that is definitely something worth doing every day!
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Bible Verses About Reading The Bible
Reading the Bible each day shouldnt be a chore we dread doing. Nor should it be something we do just to mark it off of our To Do List. The Bible is Gods Word. It is alive and active. The Bible is inerrant and it is completely sufficient for all aspects of life in godliness.
Quotes
The primary purpose of reading the Bible is not to know the Bible but to know God. James Merritt
Nobody ever outgrows Scripture the book widens and deepens with our years. Charles Spurgeon
A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. Theodore Roosevelt
Reading the Bible is not where your engagement with the Bible ends. Its where it begins.
The very practice of reading will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart. Let nothing take the place of this daily exercise. Billy Graham
God speaks to those who take time to listen, and He listens to those who take time to pray.
Christian God Did Not Save You Just To Read Your Bible Every Day
- Stephen UmCitylife Church of Boston
- 20182 Jul
Once we are saved, what does God want Christians to do?
Many believers would answer with something like this: Well, of course, what God desires is that I pray and read my Bible every day, attend church on Sundays, share the gospel with others and behave myself throughout the week.
I want to argue that this is far too narrow.
Yes, God desires that we pray fervently and regularly. Yes, studying the Bible daily pleases him and grows us in the faith. Yes, the proclamation of the gospel is essential and urgent.
But God also urges us to work for the world to be more like the way he originally intended it. God desires the people he delivers from sin to struggle for shalomthat state of flourishing, fullness, and completeness, which we glimpse in the first two precious chapters of Genesis, and which has been marred by the tragic effects of sin ever since. God wants Christians to do justice.
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