How to Start a Daily Bible Reading Habit

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:13

My personal daily Bible reading habit began from getting a notification on my phone every day from my Bible app. As I would open the app to read the verse of the day, some days I would click to read the full chapter that the verse was from. That was the extent of my Bible reading for 2 years. It helped me learn verses but I did not feel like I was gaining a deeper understanding of God's word as He intended it.

115 days ago, God changed something in my heart. I've kept a streak going in my Bible app, and each day I look forward to continuing it. It's a simple feature that the app has, but in my mind, it's a tally of days that I have dedicated myself to God.

There is always going to be a debate over what version of the Bible to read, or reading a physical Bible vs reading/listening to the Bible on an app. We all have our personal convictions, but the MOST important thing is that you actually read it, so pick the option that works for you right now, and stick with it!

1. Pray

Ask God to fill you with the desire to know His word. Pray for comprehension and pray that you will see God's truth in the words. So many times I will start my daily reading, just to find that it was exactly what I needed to hear that day. Ask God to bless your journey to grow closer to Him and He will not disappoint.

2. Set a Definite Time and Routine

Pick a time of day that works best for you. Whether it's first thing in the morning while you drink your coffee, listening to the Bible on your way to work, reading on your lunch break, or before bed. Pick one time of day and commit that time to God.

3. Find a Bible Plan or Devotional

As you start trying to dig deeper into the Bible, it may be helpful to join a Bible app plan with friends to keep you accountable. (If anyone is interested in doing Bible Plans together, comment below!!) Or find a good devotional book to get you pointed in the right direction.

Right now I am reading this bible plan: "The Bible In A Year" It's helpful to me because it has a few chapters from both the Old and New Testaments every day, and it's just enough reading per day to not be overwhelming.

4. Life Happens, Just Make Sure You Pick it Back Up

There are days when I only get through half of the daily reading plan. Life gets hectic, our moods vary, distractions come. Don't fall into pessimistic thinking, just pick the Bible back up and start where you left off. Even if you miss a week, or a month. God always wants you to return to Him.

5. When You Don't "Feel Like it," That's When You Need it the Most

The days that reading the Bible falls further down on my to-do list than it should, are the days that I need it the most. Try to catch yourself in the thought of choosing something other than reading your Bible. We are told to take every thought captive to obey Christ.

When I catch myself in thoughts like "I'll listen to my Bible plan later, I just want to listen to music right now." I will go ahead and press play on my Bible app, because that thought does not prioritize Christ.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10: 3 -6

6. Turn Your Distractions into Helpful Tools

God can use anything meant to harm you for good. Our phones are clearly our biggest distraction in these times. However, whether you use your phone to read the Bible, to set a 30 minute timer every morning to dedicate that time for reading, or you put the phone on "do not disturb," you can use this big source of distraction as a helpful tool to grow closer to God.

I used to use Instagram mindlessly when I was bored. But God put it on my heart to create an account dedicated to Him, and now I use it to share art honoring Him that I never thought I'd be making with people I never would have interacted with otherwise. He is capable of using the things meant to distance us from Him in a way that honors Him.

Please feel free to let me know the specific things that you struggle with when trying to keep a daily reading habit, and I will do my best to help. You can email me or leave it in the comments below.