God’s words are powerful. Whether creating all things with his words (Gen 1), bringing a dead man to life with his words (John 11:38-44), or calling Abram to himself with his words (Gen 12:1-3), just to name a few examples that show the power of God’s words, God wants us to know that his words are unlike any other words in the world. The words recorded in the Bible are “breathed out,” authored by, him (2 Tim 3:16). That’s why, when the writer of Psalm 119 was struggling and felt like his life was “in the dust,” he prayed that God would “give him life through his word” (Ps 119:25).
Unfortunately, most Christians are missing out on the power available to them in God’s word. Last year, a study conducted by Lifeway Research found that, “A third of Americans who attend a Protestant church regularly (32%) say they read the Bible personally every day. Around a quarter (27%) say they read it a few times a week.” The numbers go even further down when less frequent church attendance.
I’m not sure how many of the 62.2 million “Protestant Christians” (that is, non-Catholic Christians) would be considered “regular attenders,” but let’s just say for the sake of this post that all of them are. That would mean that about 43.54 million of them are walking through the day without the amazing power (not to mention wisdom, grace, love, etc.) that is uniquely found in God’s word.
Think about how different the flavor of American Christianity would be if that many people were being empowered by God’s word? How different would our relationships be? How much more hopeful do you think we would be? More loving? More at peace? The list could go on and on. When we leave our Bibles on the shelves we leave a lot of power on the table.
That’s why I LOVE helping people get into God’s word on a daily basis. I want to see more people experiencing God’s power on a daily basis. And listen, while reading through the Bible in a year is an awesome goal to pursue, I’d encourage you to prioritize daily Bible reading. If you are in God’s word each day, but don’t make it through in a year, that’s a WIN!
If you want to experience God’s powerful presence in his word, I’ve found that the following 5 steps help Christians experience God’s power in his word.
Find The Right Bible – When I worked for a Bible publisher, we saw a study that said that Christians choose their Bibles for about 4 different reasons. Some Christians chose their Bible because of it’s cover, some the type of translation, and others chose the translation their pastor preached from. Whatever your reasons are, look on Amazon and find what you like best. If you’re new to Bible reading, I highly recommend you use a study Bible (ESV or CSB). These study bibles enable you to understand God’s powerful word with greater confidence and ease.
Use A Bible Reading Plan – Most people engage with God’s word consistently when they have some kind of plan. I’d encourage you to start in the NT and read a Psalm a day. But for a wide range of plans, check out this help list from our friends at the Gospel Coalition. As you start a plan, if you are connecting with a particular passage, please feel the freedom to “get behind.” I’ve spent weeks coming back to a passage of Scripture plenty of times. When I was tempted to try to “catch up” by reading a large portion of Scripture quickly, I had to remind myself that it’s not about “keeping up,” it’s about a daily encounter with God in his word.
Observe, Interpret, And Apply – When you read the Bible with a few key questions in the back of your mind, it increases the impact of the Bible reading in your life. That’s why so many Bible readers have been helped by observing, interpreting, and applying the passage that they are reading. When they observe the passage, they ask “what does it say?” When they interpret the passage, they ask “what does it mean?” When they apply the passage, they ask “how should I respond?” For a little more information about how to think about this, read this helpful post.
Find And Prioritize A Regular Devotion Time – Identify and prioritize the best time for you to spend 15-30 minutes in reading God’s word. I’ve found that going to bed a little earlier so that I can get up a little fresher, pays off big time with my Bible reading. Maybe you’re more of a night owl. However you are wired, find a time to get into God’s word. Whatever it is, understand that the Enemy wants to do anything he can to stop you from taking these simple, but significant steps (Eph 6:10-20).
Ask God To Help You Do What He Says – Once you understand what God is telling you to do, ask him to help you do it. Don’t just read your Bible, pray your Bible. Ask your heavenly Father to help his “kingdom come” in whatever specific way you happen to be reading about that day.
God has fresh, unlimited power available for you each day in his word. Ask him to help you experience it as you experience him each day in 2020.
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