Do you find yourself wanting to read the Word of God consistently, but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you start off strong, but after a few days, you get sidetracked. We’ve all been there. Below is an outline of how to read and study the Bible DAILY. Yup, you heard that right. It is possible.
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Start your daily bible study with Prayer
Praying the Lord’s Prayer before you begin reading His word is a good way to set the tone for your study. Not only will it help bring you into a mindset of peace and learning, but it will also remind you of the goodness of God before you even start reading His Word.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one
{Matthew 6:9-13}
You can also choose to continue in prayer, asking God for His direction and insight as you read His word. However long you choose to pray, use this time to shift your focus to God as you begin your daily Bible study.
Understand that every season will look different for a daily Bible study
It is so easy to fall into the trap that our daily Bible study always has to look the exact same. Maybe in collage, you had a great routine where you were able to study your Bible daily. And you spent an hour or two reading through God’s word and getting great understanding. But now, you are in a season of life with a new job, or a new baby, and your Bible study isn’t the same as it was.
So you get discouraged. You have such great memories of what your daily Bible study used to be, and it just doesn’t match up. You wait to study your Bible on the days that you can dedicate two hours. And because of this, you don’t often study your Bible anymore. Days go by, which turn to weeks, and you know that you want to spend time with God, but finding the time just won’t work.
How to study the Bible in different seasons
The solution is simple. Understand that different seasons of your life mean that you will have different amounts of time and ways that you spend with God. Take a realistic look at your current season. See where you can prioritize spending time with God in daily Bible study.
Maybe you can only do 15 minutes a day, and you need a Bible study that is already pre-determined so that you don’t have to think about it. Or maybe you can only realistically spend three days a week in the word, but those three days you have a whole hour you can dedicate to God. Maybe you don’t have any free time right now, but you have a 30 minute commute to work where you can listen to the Bible.
Think about your current season and how you can make God a priority. Figure out the holes in your schedule where you can have dedicated time with your creator.
Set a specific time daily for a Bible study
One of the best ways to have a consistent Bible study routine is to know in advance when you are going to do it! It has become so easy to go through life on a whim, doing whatever is convenient in the moment. And often, that looks like scrolling on social media or getting lost in a new Netflix series. The truth is, if you want to get something done, you need to set aside the time for it well in advance.
If you are a morning person, set aside the first half hour after waking up to spend with God. Grab a cup of coffee and dive into His word. Or maybe you are a night owl and would prefer to gig through the gospels at 1am. Whatever you decide to do, be realistic about your habits and your schedule. Instagram loves to show the 5am morning routine with God, but that isn’t the reality for most people. And that’s Okay! Think about what time of the day and what days of the week work best for you to have consistent time with God.
Get rid of all distractions
When you sit down to read your bible, turn off all distractions. Maybe you need to place your phone in a different room. Or maybe you need to have an empty table waiting for you. Do whatever you need to, to set yourself up for a successful daily Bible. reading time.
If you need to have a dedicated space to ensure you are getting your quiet time, clear it off and make sure it is ready the night before.
Maybe you need to set a timer for however long you plan on studying God’s word, so that you aren’t tempted to be on your phone looking at the time.
As you read your Bible, think about what your distractions are so you can limit them. The more you practice the habit of reading your Bible every day, the easier it will become to limit your distractions.
Begin your daily study by reading the Bible by itself
It can be so easy to get caught up in reading other peoples opinion about the Bible. Maybe you are new to God’s word, so you think you need help figuring out what it means. Or maybe you have ready the Bible five times over, and you think it is getting boring {the Bible is NEVER boring!}. No matter where you are on your Bible reading journey, start off your daily time by reading the Bible alone.
Grab a pen or pencil and a blank journal to jot things down as you read, or underline things that stand out to as you are reading. The reason you do this is so that you can be engaged when reading scripture. It can be easy to skim your daily reading and walk away feeling as if you did not read at all. By jotting down a couple of verses you are using active reading skills to really engage with the scripture as a whole.
Use Tools to Help You Understand your daily Bible study
After you have finished the daily reading, go over the things you wrote down or underlined. What are the questions you had that made you write it down? You can interact with the verse and think about its meaning. If you have time and want a deeper understanding, you can use online tools such as Blue Letter Bible or Enduring Word Commentary, or you can google the verse and see what pops up.
Blue letter bible is a great resource that takes you to the Hebrew and Greek, so you don’t have to be a Biblical scholar to know all the words. And enduring word commentary is a great generic commentary that gives a good foundation and starting place for understanding what you are reading!
If you are looking for a short daily Bible study that takes about 15-20 minutes each day to complete, has contextual information, and asks application questions, check out this Genesis Bible study!
Find community
If you are not already involved in Cristian community, find one now! This is ultimately the best way to have a successful daily Bible study. Not only does it provide christian fellowship, but it can also provide accountability as you walk along side others in their journey. Everyone is encouraging each other to walk in relationship with God. This accountability is sure to help you have successful time with God each day.
Pray Again
Finally, before you close your daily time with Jesus, pray again. This time express gratitude for everything the Father has blessed you with. Reflect on the scriptures and the impact they have on your life. You can even pray the Aaronic Blessing over yourself as a benediction as you close this time.
The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
Remember… God made you special, and He loves you very much (A veggie tails original saying).
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