Have you tried to start a daily quiet time? Maybe you call it a Bible Study. There is something about reading the Bible every day that stirs up the attacks of the enemy like little else. I mean, it is easier to diet than start a quiet time! Today we will discuss how to read the Bible daily and stick to it.
Why Is It Hard to Learn How to Read the Bible Daily
Learning how to grow in faith is a goal of mine every year. My goal is never to arrive at perfection but to grow and stay in the process with God. Over the years, while trying to learn how to read the Bible daily, I’ve asked more mature Believers some of these questions:
- How do I start reading the Bible daily?
- How do you read the Bible effectively?
- What happens when you read the Bible daily?
- How much of the Bible should I read every day?
They’ve given me many a daily Bible reading plan and emailed me countless 30-day Bible reading plans. Some talked up the benefits of learning how to read the Bible in a year and even sent Bible reading checklists!
When You Are At The Beginning… Again
Don’t get me wrong, those things are helpful tools when you are already established in the discipline of daily Bible study. My problem is that life is busy and time is short. I need an easy-to-follow plan with simple tips to make the discipline of Bible study practical.
Lol, I need to know how to read the Bible for beginners because I feel I go back to square one so often. Anyone else?
How do beginners read the Bible? The way we should all approach the Bible! They start out just getting to know who God is and what He has said. The Bible is personal, yet we miss that as we mature. We have to go back to reading it with that in mind.
These 4 tips will work for beginners, New Believers who want to learn how to read the Bible. But they also work for the seasoned Christian who keeps falling into a rut and just needs a hand up.
Questions About Reading The Bible
In fact, maybe you have some questions about how to read the Bible effectively. Here are a few I get asked often:
- What is the correct way to read the Bible?
- I prefer to read it like a letter from God.
- What book of the Bible should I read first?
- I love the books of John and Ephesians. Reading those first helps a new reader get to know Jesus and know how much God loves them.
- How long does it take to read the Bible?
- This depends on how long you have. The more time you spend the more you will take out of a daily quiet time.
- How long would it take to read the Whole Bible?
- No one in heaven is judging how fast you read the Bible. Take as long as you need to best understand what you are reading.
- In what order should I read the Bible?
- There is no perfect order to read the Bible. If you need structure, there are countless reading plans to help.
- How do I start reading the Bible everyday?
- Keep reading for specifics, but the point is to just start and get back to it if you miss a day.
- What is the best way to study the Bible daily?
- Just open the Bible, read it and pray through what you read.
- What is the best way to read and understand the Bible?
- Reading and understanding are different things of course. When you don’t understand the Bible, open a commentary or a Bible dictionary to help you. Most are free online.
4 Mistakes That Destroy A Quiet Time
I need things in faith to be simple and repeatable. So it is no wonder I learned how not to read the Bible before I ever got it right! Maybe you fell into one of these four simple mistakes that destroy a quiet time – every single time!
- Treat the Bible like any other book
- Read too much at a time
- Reading at random
- Inconsistent schedule
Treat the Bible Like Any Other Book
In the beginning, I approached the Bible like any other book. I love to read, so this would be just another large volume to master. However, the Bible has to be read like the inspired letter it is or it won’t change my life.
Honestly, I wanted to know how to read the BIble for all its worth so it would completely change me! Who else can relate?
But the more I tried, the more I struggles with the love of reading when it comes to the Bible. It is too easy to pick it up, read a passage, and move on – completely unchanged.
Bible study is not like any other reading.
Reading Too much Of The Bible At A Time
Are you trying to read too much of the Bible in one sitting and setting unrealistic goals?
Me too! It’s easy to feel guilty about missed days and then try to “catch up”. So when someone insists I read the Bible in a year, and life gets busy causing me to fall behind, guilt and shame come. In fact, one year our church taught us how to read the Bible in chronological order and that was even worse for me.
When there is too much to read I am tempted to stop reading altogether or push through too fast. Both extremes are bad for us. It is like we believe there is a leader board in Heaven where we earn points for reading the most or the fastest. It is a lie!
The Bible is not a competition, it is a guide to help us grow in faith!
Reading At Random
There was a season of life when I opened the Bible and just read any random passage my finger landed on. This can also be a mistake as well because you may have found something that needs the context of the whole chapter or book to make it make sense.
I often wondered what the best order to read the Bible for the first time was, but everyone had a different answer. Some said to read it from Genesis to Revelation, but I would get stuck by Numbers. Others said to read the New Testament, but I felt I the Old Testament must also have value since they quote it in the New.
Now, when I have no idea what to read now, I pick a book from the Old Testament if I just finished one in the New Testament or vice-versa. Or I pick the Proverb that lines up with today’s date and a Psalm.
Inconsistency in Schedule
The last mistake that used to derail my consistency in Bible study was being inconsistent. If I am not intentional about scheduling time with God it just won’t happen! My day will fill up and chaos will keep me too distracted to prioritize time with God. I’ve tried and failed this way.
It took some time to realize I had to give God the first bits of my day if I wanted it to happen. I tried to read my Bible before bed but just fell asleep. I tried doing it at lunch but was always interrupted. So now I get up a bit earlier to spend time with Him before everyone wakes up. Every day.
4 Tips: How To Read The Bible Daily
While this past year was a bit off, by and large, I would say my time with God is amazing. The key I’ve learned is that creating a routine helps set a rhythm that leads to consistency.
There are four tips I fall back on when learning or re-learning how to read the Bible daily. They are just a matter of switching out the bad habits so that my quiet time becomes something I can look forward to and make time for!
- View the Bible like no other book.
- Make a realistic reading plan.
- Study topics that apply to your life.
- Make a schedule and stick with it.
1. View the Bible Like No Other Book
Perspective Shift: The Bible is unlike any other book!
For years I struggled to have a consistent Bible study. I remember when all that changed, it was a day when I heard an answer to a specific prayer while reading my Bible.
I remember I had been whining praying and feeling guilty for “wasting” God’s time with my little problems as I opened my Bible:
“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 1 Peter 5:7-10 NASB
The passage just jumped off the page to me and spoke specifically into my struggle.
God cares about what I care about. I’m not wasting His time praying. In fact, the enemy would like me to think that way so I stop praying and spending time with God! I have to resist that snake and lean into God because He has so much more for my life!
How Do You Read the Bible Effectively?
Perspective Shift: God’s Word is alive and relevant, to me, to you, and to everyone every time! His Words are living Words that speak to our specific needs.
This book is different from others. It is powerful and life-changing. I needed to start handling it differently. Instead of asking how to read the Bible verse of the day I ask how to hear His voice today!
Now I go into my quiet time with an expectation of hearing His voice again. It is a sweet time with the Lord!
2. Make a Realistic Reading Plan
Assuming we can all agree the Bible is different from other books was only the start of learning how to study the Bible daily and grow in faith in a powerful way!
To think you are going to consume it, understand it, have it change you, in one year is unrealistic for most of us non-bible-scholars. It is unrealistic for me at any rate.
How Much of the Bible Should I Read Every Day?
Now don’t get me wrong, I love reading through the Bible. There is absolutely a time and place for that. Reading through the entire Bible gives context and develops our understanding of God’s character. However, I prefer to take it on at my own pace.
There should never be guilt over missing a day in the Word or “getting behind” in my studying! When there is guilt, I am less likely to keep at it!
“Let us not lose heart in doing good” (Galatians 6:9-10 NASB)
To stay consistent with my Bible study I had to slow down and take the Bible in smaller portions, in my own time. Slowing down is how to start studying the Bible rather than just reading it.
Related Post: Bible Journaling to Slow Down My Quiet Time
3. Study Topics That Apply to Your Life
So far we’ve seen that you have to approach the Bible as a different book and that you need to take it at your own pace. Those two things alone transformed my quiet time while learning how to read the Bible daily.
The next tip is a reminder that your quiet time is supposed to be like a conversation. God is relational and cares about you. I imagine that time each day like I am sitting down for tea with a good friend.
You are going through something right now. The Bible talks about that real thing. Make the conversation relevant to what you are facing.
- Google the topic.
- Pull a list of verses about it.
- Read them to know what God says.
- Study them.
- Meditate on them.
- Apply them to your situation.
How Do I Start Reading the Bible Daily?
Learning how to start reading the Bible daily is tough if you don’t have a starting point. Try a word study rather than a standard devotional! Word studies are more personal!
After you find a verse or two that applies to your situation – go to BlueLetterBible.org and search that verse out. Look at each word that applies and see where it is used in other places in the Bible.
Ask some key questions about the verse.
- What did it mean to the people of the time?
- What is the context it was set in?
- How did the people who heard it respond?
Using the example of 1 Peter 5 – there are other verses that talk about casting our cares on God.
Other Ways To Study The Bible
You may enjoy verse mapping, where you look at one verse but put it in context. Learn how here ~> Verse Mapping For Beginners
Or a study of a Bible character might be interesting to you. This will teach you how to start ~> How to Study Bible Characters
These are Character studies to give you a better idea:
This year I began Bible Journaling. I love this Beginners Bible Journaling Kit on the topic of Trust In The Lord. Topical Bible reading plans are great for this!
Just To Clarify, Are Bible Reading Plans Bad?
After writing this I got some interesting feedback. “Does this mean you can never read the Bible in a year or join a group study?”
That is not what I am saying.
You can study whatever, whenever, however, you want. God has used group studies to keep me accountable and grow me in surprising ways.
Just be sure to choose a study that is interesting to you, maybe that speaks to your current situation.
And feel free to step out of the study if it turned out to be something else. You have permission! I am just trying to share the tips that help me get back into consistency when I get in a rut and fall away from daily Bible study.
4. Schedule Time With God Every Day
“The thief comes to steal kill and destroy.” John 10:10 NASB
Never forget that we have a real enemy! We have to be intentional to set a scheduled time alone with God each day or that same enemy will keep us from time with God.
Time for prayer and study are critical if we are to grow in faith. Critical. If we are not spending time with Him we are NOT growing!
I don’t know about you, but if I don’t set the time with the Lord, (literally schedule it in my calendar and set boundaries all around it) it just doesn’t happen. The more physically present needs in my life take over and before I realize it the day is done.
What I love about scheduling time with God is that it sets the tone for the whole day. I find I hear from God more regularly like He is there waiting for me each morning.
Morning works best for me, but it may be the evening for you. Find that time. Schedule it. Make it a priority and watch to see what God will do in that time and space!
Related: How To Love The Lord With All My Heart
Will You Learn How To Read The Bible Daily?
This is not a Bible reading plan for beginners. No, we all come to this question at different seasons in our faith walk. I’ve walked with the Lord for over 30 years and still have to ask Him how to read the Bible daily at times.
What is so nice about having walked through these four steps so many times in the past is that I can get back on track quickly now. I can shift the question from reading daily, to “How to read the Bible effectively,” or, “How to fall in love with reading the Bible,” even!
Which of the 4 tips can you put into practice today to read your bible every day?
- View the Bible like no other book.
- Make a realistic reading plan.
- Study topics that apply to your life.
- Make a schedule and stick with it.
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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Dear Tiffany, thank you so much, I have no words to thank God for such wonderful women like you working in His kingdom!!! I joined the Pinterest several ears ago, I found your article while searching for 40 days fasting and prayer. I thought it was my thinking but now I believed that God is the one telling me to go through this program – after reading your articles in relation to this topic. I learnt and benefited a lot, God bless you more.
My name is Genet, from Ethiopia – East Africa. I strongly would like to keep in touch with you. I strongly need to keep in touch with you. I am a member of a leaders’ committee of 9 for a sister’s fellowship of more than 800 female members of our church, but now interrupted due to COVID. However, the committee still continued meeting, praying and sharing the word of God with this small number. I personally wanted to grow spiritually and help my sisters in the committee and our church too. I would like you to be my mentor towards my path to spiritual growth. You may forward me the materials I need to read and study on some pertinent issues that hinders my spiritual growth, as a mother. I planned to start my 40 days fasting and prayer program after 2 weeks. Let me hear from you and we shall keep discussing. Here is my email for your response: gshibeshi@yahoo.com
Thank you so much and God Bless you abundantly!!!
Genet
I will email you soon, Genet. Praying over you and this group of leaders today.
Hello
Pray for re-union of my marriage because a strange woman is taking over my husband life
Lord Jesus, we speak against this relationship. Convict both parties so deeply that they turn back to you. Bring nothing but sorrow until they repent and turn back to YOUR path. Bring hope and healing through the power of the Holy Spirit and show off in a way that is exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever ask for or imagine. Amen.