The Habit of Reading The Bible Daily

When I was 14 years old I took an elective class at my Christian School called New Testament Survey. In this class you read through the New Testament while learning more about the history, the writers, and backgrounds of the time in which each book was written, etc.  When I finished that class I figured since I had read through the New Testament I might as well continue and read the Old Testament as well. (Mind you, I did not take Old Testament Survey because I thought that class would take forever!) As a result of this I got in the habit of daily Bible reading. That habit has continued to this day, 23 years later.

Isaiah 55:11 ESV

“so shall My Word that goes out from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me empty,

But it shall accomplish that which I purpose

And shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

I call it a habit because it has proven to be just that. A well-ingrained habit in my daily life. I will dig deeper into this and let you know how things have ebbed and flowed as well as changes that have occurred but stick with me on this habit thing right now. Reading my Bible is a habit that I trained myself to do. It is as daily a routine to me as brushing my teeth or even getting out of bed in the morning. Some people don’t want to start a daily Bible reading time because they don’t want to do it out of just a “habit” and I totally get what they are saying but reading out of “habit” is better than not reading at all. That’s right, most people who don’t have this habit in their lives, don’t ever read on their own anyway. They want to wait until they feel like it or feel lead to or even when they are feeling extra Spiritual because they think God will speak to them more. This kind of thinking really says “God isn’t speaking to me through His Word, I’m speaking to me through what I read.” The power of God is not hindered by reading your Bible habitually. Just read that sentence and think about the elements of it. Do you think the power of God could ever be hindered EVER, especially by someone opening up and reading His Word? The Bible tells us that His Word will not return to Him void. So, Bible reading as a habit, how does it work? Simple. Take the time to read your Bible every day. Create a habit out of it. This can take work. It’s simple, but not always easy. This is especially true if you are starting from zero. Making Daily Bible Reading a habit will get you through those times when you just read to those times where God seems to be making truths and blessings leap off the page. But if you never develop that habit of opening the Bible, you won’t have the opportunity to experience those intimate times with Him on a regular basis. This is why I say that it is so important to make Bible reading a habit.

Going from Bible reading to Bible Study.

Because I developed this habit at an early age, it has served me well even when I wasn’t serving the Lord well. What I mean is, there have been times in my life when I wasn’t serving the Lord with my whole heart and I was focused on other things and people, but I still read His Word daily and He spoke to me and was there to help me back on the straight and narrow and back to a right relationship with Him. Because of the promises in His Word I knew He was still there longing for me to come back to Him wholeheartedly. When I repented, He was there to restore me. When I was abandoned, He never left or forsook me. These are all promises in His Word that are very real to me. As I’ve continued to mature in my Christian walk, He has proven Himself so faithful and has called me to go deeper into His Word and my relationship with Him.  His Word that I have hidden in my heart and read continually from the pages has proven time and time again to be true.

Bible Study and Prayer are a part of my daily morning routine. (I have a morning routine post coming up soon!) For years, I read my Bible at night before bed but I found, especially after starting my own business, that sometimes I’d be so tired I literally was just reading a verse (because of my habit) or falling asleep before I could get started. Anyone who has started their own business or worked for themselves in any way knows that when you first start that business you feel as if you are “always on.” In other words, you feel like you never have time off. This makes you tired. Oh, so tired. Because of this, I made the commitment to myself about 5 or 6 years ago that before I got started on my business work each day I would read my Bible and Pray First. This not only kept me from not being awake or alert when I read my Bible it also prepared me for my work day. I was in a better state of mind and confidence because I’d just read about who I am in Christ and Who He is. No weapon formed against me shall prosper! I am blessed! It is He Who fights for me! It’s hard to have a bad day or work in negativity with these thoughts in your head. So I have continued that to this day. I even went to work for someone else a few years ago for a few months and continued with it then. I had to get up a little earlier, but it was so worth it!

More Changes & Going Deeper

Several months ago, I experienced some changes in my Bible Study again. Through a study my Small

Group at church was doing and a Christian book on prayer I felt a call to go deeper with God in my prayer life. I began a prayer journal to write out my prayers or specific prayer points each day. I’ve always used a prayer list because, like most people, if I don’t write it down I will forget it. But this went a little deeper and was dated and I was able to watch God work and answer prayers on a bit of a timeline and also follow as my prayers for others changed with the season of their lives and needs. Then as I continued to do this I saw passages from my daily Bible readings launch off the page on the subject of prayer. Many of these passages weren’t specifically on prayer but I began to notice themes and subjects that I later was able to frame out as prayer outlines. I will share some of these with you in the future. This would happen daily for about a week or so and then when it wouldn’t happen I would be a little disappointed. But remember, God’s Word doesn’t return void. It’s all important. This is the ebb and flow of your Bible Study life. Sometimes it’s fireworks and cartwheels, other times it’s a gentle whisper, and yet other times you wonder if the wind is even moving. The point is if you don’t make study the habit, then you won’t get to experience any of it.

Methods and Study Aids

Throughout the years the methods for my Bible Study have changed. I’ve used organized Bible study books from the Christian bookstore, I’ve read through various books of the Bible on my own, and I’ve done Bible studies found on some great “apps.” No matter what method you choose, just choose to do something and let God lead you from there. If you are a beginner and starting from zero, start small so as to not overwhelm yourself and quit before you get going well. Some of my favorite Bible apps are the YouVersion Bible app and the She Reads Truth app. The latter is probably my favorite and I love the Bible studies on it. This year I’ve been reading through the entire Bible with the She Reads Truth app and it has been my favorite way to read the entire Bible at once. The way it separates the books and puts them together with Old and New Testament books is just brilliant and I highly recommend it. Whether you choose an app, a study book, or just pick a book of the Bible you just have to start.

Disclaimer: I know some you may be in a season of your life where “routine” is difficult. You may have small children or even aging parents to care for and life can be unpredictable. Just do what you can and remember this is a “season,” it will pass. Get yourself in the habit of something small and you can build on that when the season of your life changes.

Final Words of Encouragement

I don’t say any of this or anything to impress you, but to impress upon you the importance of studying the Word of God daily. Do I miss a day here or there? Of course, I’m not perfect. But the days I read far outweigh the days I don’t. That’s always been the goal. Reading the Word of God and spending time in prayer builds the relationship you have with Him. If a husband and wife never learned anything about one another or spoke to one another except maybe one day a week (say, Sunday for example) that marriage would be dead. I don’t want a “dead” relationship with my Lord. I want a living, breathing, ever-growing relationship where we enjoy being in each other’s presence and work together toward a common goal. I want to live my life to see Jesus glorified. I long to know Him more. Brothers and Sisters, I long for that in your life too. The best way I know how is to read His Word to learn more of Him and let Him speak to you and to also ask Him to reveal Himself to you in prayer. Why not start today? Wherever you crack open the spine of the Word, He will meet you there. 

Let’s Pray:

(From Ephesians 1:16-19)

Lord, I thank You for the Christian people in my life and those who might be reading this post. I pray that You would touch them and guide them through Your Word. I pray that they might be given understanding of Your Word and enlightenment on how to apply it to their lives. I pray they will know You more by the revealing of Yourself given in Your Word.

I pray they will know the benefits they have in You, who they are in You, and Who You are in relation to Your Power. You are Big! You are all powerful, all knowing, ever present, and able to move on your behalf in any way in any circumstance. Bless the reading of Your Word and Your people. In Jesus Name, Amen.