Are you new to the world of Bible study?
Maybe you recently became a Christian and someone told you that you need to read your Bible every day. Maybe you’ve been a Christian for a long time but just haven’t gotten into the habit of regularly reading the Bible.
If you’ve been there before, welcome! This post is written with you in mind.
This post is all about how to read the Bible regularly so you can grow your faith.
Do you need a resource to use to teach your kids the Bible? Download the NEW Attributes of God 30-Day Family Devotional!
4 Simple Steps to Start Reading the Bible Every Day
The Bible is a wonderful book, but it was written a long time ago to people who lived very different lives. Truly studying the Bible means that we seek to understand what the Bible is really saying. And that means we read it for both what it meant for the original audience and also how we should apply the teachings of the Bible today. And that can feel difficult at times.
But starting a Bible study habit is essential if you want to grow in your faith.
Studying the Bible grows our understanding of God … it equips us to follow Jesus faithfully … and it teaches us God’s will.
So it’s important for all of us to figure out how to make Bible study happen in our lives.
Today I’ve got a simple four-step process for you that will help you build a Bible study habit and finally stick to it.
But before I give you that process, I’m actually going to back up a bit and talk about the way we think about Bible study.
Anytime we want to start something new, our thoughts about that new thing are really important.
So let’s talk about some ways of thinking about Bible study that will actually help you read your Bible more often.
What I’m going to share are some mindset shifts you can make to reset the way you’re thinking about Bible study if you’re having trouble sticking to it.
The first mindset shift you need to embrace if you want to read your Bible more regularly is that daily Bible reading is a habit like any other habit.
And just like any other habit, it will take effort to establish it in your life.
For some reason, we think Bible study should come easily to us.
But would you expect to take on any other habit really easily?
All habits take effort to establish.
No one starting a habit of exercising will tell you that it takes zero effort to continue exercising day after day.
Whether a habit is big or small, it takes time and effort to get your body and mind on board with doing that habit on autopilot.
The second mindset shift you need to embrace is that studying the Bible will grow your understanding over time, but not overnight.
Reading the Bible to grow your faith is a long-term process.
Would you expect to immediately know everything about a subject just because you became interested in it? No!
An interest in American history doesn’t make you an expert in it … but studying it regularly over time certainly gets you closer to expert status!
Similarly, reading your Bible regularly grows your understanding over time, not overnight.
When you begin regularly studying your Bible for the first time, it’s going to feel a little awkward.
You won’t know everything you need to know. There are going to be stories you don’t understand, references you don’t know, and instructions that don’t yet make sense.
But if you’ve already got it set in your mind that reading your Bible regularly, studying it, and understanding it are all going to happen over time, you’re less likely to give up when it’s hard.
Instead, you’ll slow down when you need to. You’ll look things up. You’ll check out some cross references. You’ll ask a friend for help.
Growing your faith isn’t a one-and-done activity. It’s a process that happens over time.
The third mindset shift you need to embrace is that some progress is better than no progress.
I absolutely love this idea when it comes to growing our faith through Bible study.
Most of us are holding onto some ideal version of ourselves and our schedules when we make plans for establishing new habits, and adding in Bible reading is no different.
In an ideal world, all of us are morning people. We all wake up before anyone else in our house, grab our hot drink of choice, and settle in for an hour of amazing study where we understand everything we read. Absolutely no one interrupts us, so we feel connected to God the entire time. We leave our Bible time having learned incredible truths, completely fired up for the Lord.
That might be the ideal, and it might even be what someone has told you is necessary … but the truth is that that setup doesn’t happen most days for most people.
We’re going to have days where we read our Bibles while the kids do homework or even in the car rider line. Days where Bible study is interrupted by a dog that needs to go out or a kid that can’t find something they need. Days where someone is sick. Days where we just feel off.
In order for us to work regular Bible study into our busy schedules, we must embrace the idea that some progress is better than no progress.
Remember that first mindset shift we made?
Bible study is a habit. And just like any other habit, consistency and repetition over time is what matters, not having the ideal conditions.
Remember that second mindset shift we made?
We’re in this for the long haul. It’s ok if not every day is perfect.
Maybe it’s ideal that you sit down with your Bible and have that full study session with no interruptions.
But it’s still progress if you read one chapter a day.
It’s still progress if you start your Bible time, get interrupted, and pick it back up later.
It’s still progress if you do your Bible study before bed instead of first thing in the morning.
If you’ve been tripped up before by not being able to live up to some ideal version of yourself or your schedule, this mindset shift can be absolutely huge for you!
Ok, let’s shift gears a little bit.
Now let’s talk about a practical four-step process that will help you start the habit of regularly reading your Bible and actually stick to it.
I’m going to give you the process, and then I’ll break down each step.
- Step #1 is to pick a place to start.
- Step #2 is to pick a time of day.
- Step #3 is to put your Bible study materials in the right location.
- Step #4 is to read a little every day.
Let’s talk about each one of the steps.
The first step is to pick a place to start.
For someone who is just beginning to read their Bible regularly, here’s what I suggest:
If your church has a Bible reading plan, pick up where they are and follow along.
It doesn’t matter if you’re jumping into the middle of a plan. It’s more important to be reading the Bible than to have a perfect starting place.
If you prefer a guided study, you could choose a reputable Bible study guide or devotional book.
There’s a lot of Bible studies out there that are really great! The author I always suggest someone starting with is Jen Wilkin. She has a book that teaches you how to study the Bible for yourself, and she also has Bible studies that walk you through Scripture slowly and purposefully.
(For Jen Wilkin’s Amazon author page, where you can purchase directly, click here. For a direct link to her book on how to study the Bible, click here.)
If you know you’ll want some accountability, you could join a Bible study group and pick up where they are studying.
If your church has Bible study groups established, find an open group and ask if you can join!
Again, even if you’re jumping into the middle of a study, that’s fine. Just hop in and start studying where they are.
The second step is to pick a time of day to do Bible study.
You could think of this right now while you’re reading this post – just pause and consider your day.
When is a time of day that is generally open for you?
It might not be open every day, but generally speaking, what is a time that might work for Bible study?
If your kids require very little help in the mornings, mornings might be a good option.
If you have a few blocks of time during your day where you tend to scroll social media, choose one of those and decide to read during that time block.
If you have a commute to work, you could listen to the Bible while you drive.
You can always change the time you do your Bible reading later. You won’t know if the time you choose first is really going to work until you try it. And that’s ok!
But taking just a few minutes to ask yourself what time you could assign as your Bible time on a typical day is important to getting started.
The third step is to put your Bible study materials in the right location.
Grab whatever tools you have – I recommend having a study Bible, journal, and pen – and put them somewhere accessible. Maybe that’s a stack on the counter so that you can grab it at any time of day and get it done. Maybe that’s in a basket on your bedside table. Maybe it’s right next to the coffee pot because you know you’ll be going there.
Wherever you can easily grab your stuff for Bible study is exactly where it needs to be!
The fourth step is to read a little every day.
If you are just establishing the habit of Bible study, go ahead and push away that belief that you need to be reading for an hour a day.
No one runs a marathon on day 1. But to be a runner, you must run.
To be someone who studies their Bible regularly, you just need to be someone who reads their Bible regularly.
And if you miss a day? Just pick it back up and start again.
Following these steps might feel a little too easy. I’m here to assure you that they aren’t always easy!
But if you follow these steps, you will see progress.
Day by day, you’ll know more Bible stories and more Bible truths than you did before. Over time, you’ll start to see how God is working around you. And as time goes on, God will use the knowledge you’re storing up from the Bible to do incredible things!
Take Action to Read Your Bible Regularly and Grow Your Faith
As I wrap up, I’m going to give you an action step you can take today to get started on reading your Bible regularly to grow your faith.
Here it is: Read your Bible today, even if it’s just for five minutes.
- Find me on Instagram and send me a DM to tell me you did it.
- Leave a comment on this post to let me know what you read
I would love to encourage you and pray for you specifically!
Quick Links
Connect with Faith Talks Daily
- NEW RELEASE: Attributes of God 30-Day Family Devotional: https://faithtalksdaily.com/attributes-of-god/
- For the free Quick Start Guide to Family Bible Time: www.faithtalksdaily.com
- www.instagram.com/faithtalksdaily
- www.facebook.com/faithtalksdaily
Additional Resources & Links
- Jen Wilkin’s Amazon author page
- Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds
Do you need a resource to use to teach your kids the Bible? Download the NEW Attributes of God 30-Day Family Devotional!