5 Tips to Start Reading the Bible Daily & Be Consistent

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have a desire for God’s Word, or at least we should. And we know that we should start reading the Bible daily in order to know God more and learn His ways. So, we start.

And find ourselves starting yet again.

So, how can we as believers be consistent? How can we not only start reading our Bibles every day, but also stay with it…for a lifetime?

Here are 5 tips I’ve learned over the years to help me stop the roller coaster cycle of victory and defeat in this area of my walk with God. And they absolutely work!

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What Happens When You Read the Bible Every Day?

As you resolve to be obedient and start reading the Bible, God will bless your life and use you for his glory! Because when we come to it with an obedient heart, God uses it to change our lives.

When you pick up your Bible and open it, the words you read are actually God speaking to you – right there, inside that Book you’re holding! You can’t hear Him with human ears or see Him anywhere around, but He wants to communicate with you. And the words in this Book are His way of doing that!

When God speaks – or communicates – something changes. The things He tells us make a difference because it’s not man talking; it’s God! When we hear Him, our lives are changed forever. That is why it’s so vital that we take the time to start reading our Bibles and spending time with God in prayer every single day.

When we hear God, our lives are changed forever!

5 Tips to Start Reading the Bible Daily

It’s hard to stay on top of your Bible reading when life is busy, but it’s not impossible. In fact, there are a number of simple things you can do that will help you read the Bible every day. Here are five tips that work for me:

Have a Set Time and Place

It’s important to have a set time and place to read your Bible. It should be a place you will not be disturbed, where you feel comfortable and relaxed. And it’s good to have a certain time of day when you read your Bible. This repetition helps with developing any habit, as well as, the habit of daily Bible reading.

When my children were young, I set my clock to wake before I knew they would. It would be impossible to stay focused on my reading while wondering what they were getting into or needing from me. These days, distractions would come more in the form of phone calls, computer tasks that never end, or the television being on, or just…life. So, I’ve learned that I still need to rise early in order to have that uninterrupted time with God.

I generally read in my bed, as my husband leaves for work very early. But I know many who rise and grab a cup of coffee to go sit outside on their patio to read their Bible every day. That sounds wonderful to me. How about you?

Except that I don’t like coffee. But you get the idea.

Pick a spot and a time that works for you. And make that your time. And guard it as the most important minutes of your day.

Because they are!

Use a Reading Plan

If you have never read the Bible straight through, I suggest doing that as your starting point. Unless you are a new believer. Then I would suggest that you start by reading the book of John.

To read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, I’d suggest finding a reading plan to help you keep track of your reading. There are many kinds from which to choose: 1 year, 2 year, and even 90-day plans. So, first pick a time frame to complete your reading. That will depend on how long you have to spend reading each day. Of course, the 90-day plan will require that you read more each day than the 2-year plan.

I generally like the 1-year plans and have used them several times. You read enough to help you not feel that you will never get to Revelation. But not so much that it isn’t doable.

Another way to read the Bible from cover to cover is to use a chronological Bible reading plan. The Bible records some of the same events in different books of the Bible. Reading chronologically helps sort out these accounts in order that they occurred in history, rather than reading book by book.

Then there are topical daily reading plans that concentrate on what the Bible has to say about subjects that affect our daily lives. These are most helpful when you find yourself needing to know how to forgive, or how to find your purpose in life, or how to pray, etc.

Listen To An Audio Bible

After many years of starting in Genesis and stopping in Leviticus only to once again start in Genesis, the Lord led me to an audio Bible. I’d bought this set of Bible cassettes (Yes, I know that statement dates me.) a few years back. So, I decided to listen every day for 30 minutes a day.

I got my Bible and read along as I listened. Because I wanted to be able to know that I had READ my Bible through at least once in my life!

Using an audio Bible was a game changer for me! I was able to read so much more in that 30 minutes than I ever could before. I think it’s because I didn’t have to get bogged down in trying to read names. And I couldn’t let myself get distracted by anything I didn’t readily understand, because the reading kept right on going.

And I actually did take it outside a few times in the afternoons while my girls were napping.

And finally, I made it to Revelation 22:21! I think it took me around 3 months!

I so recommend that you read this way at least once. When you can hear the way something is read, it helps you better understand it. Listening to how that person read it, observing all the punctuation, helped me learn how to better read for myself.

Use a Daily Devotional

Another way I’ve used to help me make sure I get my daily Bible reading in is to use a daily devotional. I have several devotional books, one of my favorites being Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon.

But most often I read from my In Touch app the devotions by Charles Stanley. With devotions, it’s important to me that I open my Bible and read the verses in my Bible, so that I can read the verses before and after the focus verse for the devotion. That way I read more from the scripture than I read in a devotion. And I get the context of the passage used.

If you are wanting to start reading the Bible daily cover to cover in your morning quiet time, then reading a devotion each night might be a great way to end your day.

Start Small

You may be thinking, I really don’t know that I have the time to read my Bible every day. And wondering, How long should you read the Bible each day?

I would suggest that in order to establish the habit of reading daily, that you start small. Start with an amount of time that you know you can maintain. Maybe 5 minutes each morning. Or 10 minutes. And stick with that for several months. Then increase it as you can.

Just know that the more you put into your time with God, the more you will know Him and be strengthened in Him.

Make A Commitment To God

You now have many ideas on how to start reading the Bible daily. So, now it’s time to get going. But I’m afraid that without this one last tip, you won’t be able to continue on.

I could never get the victory over my start and stop reading habits until I made a commitment to God about it. I read about this mantra and adopted it for my own…

No Bible. No breakfast.

But let me caution you not to make this commitment, or any commitment, to God lightly.

I committed to God that I would not eat my first physical meal of the day without first eating my first spiritual meal of the day. And I’ve kept this commitment with only a few slip-ups over the years. There have been times when I’ve raised my cereal spoon to my mouth and had to leave the table to read my Bible. Having to eating soggy cereal later will help anyone remember better…at least for another little while!

Keep reading! And keep…

Drawing nigh to God,

Teresa

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT

Have you tried to read the Bible on a daily basis but didn’t keep it up? What tips above do you plan to try? What tips would you add to my list?

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