How To Stay on Track With Your Bible Reading Plan

I imagine if you clicked on this blog post, you are either currently working through a Bible reading plan or you would like to start one. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or discouraged about your progress so far in your plan, this post will encourage you.

If you’ve been hesitant to begin a plan because you’re afraid you won’t stick with it, this post will encourage you too! Here are four simple tips to help you stay on track with your Bible reading plan.

1. Make it part of your daily routine

This is the thing that has helped me so much. All of my trips reading through the Bible have been by listening to the audio on my Bible app while I get ready in the morning! I prop my phone up on the bathroom counter so that I can see the verses as they scroll through on the app. I can highlight the verses that stand out to me or that I want to look at again later in the day.

My method might not work for you, but you could listen to the audio on your commute, while you exercise, or while you make the bed. Maybe you could read on your lunch break or after you pour your morning coffee.

There’s just something about attaching your Bible reading to something you’re already used to doing every day. I put on makeup every day, so there’s no chance I’ll forget to read the Bible!

2. Do what works for you!

There’s no wrong way to consume Scripture. Daily Bible reading doesn’t have to look like a 6:00 AM serene quiet time, coffee in hand as you sit on your deck overlooking a gorgeous view.

Choose the time of day where you’ll be able to absorb the material (for me, that is definitely not immediately after I wake up!) and the method that helps you to pay attention.

I know my method works for me. Here are a few ways I can tell:

• Often while I’m talking to someone, I’ll remember something I read that morning that applies to our conversation. I can grab my phone and reference the verses I’m thinking about.
• Life change. I am not the person I was a few years ago. God’s Word is the only thing that can bring continual, lasting change. I have a lot farther to go, but I can see the difference that God’s Word has made and continues to make in my life. “Nothing is more powerful for Christian growth than when the Spirit of God takes the Word of God and speaks to the people of God.”
• I have a lot of Bible verses in my brain. When I’m listening to my Bible reading in the morning, I’ll often think of other verses that correlate to what I’m hearing. The Holy Spirit brings them to my mind, but you can’t remember things you don’t know!

3. Take it one day at a time.

Don’t let the daunting task of reading the whole Bible or reading every day for 365 days overwhelm you. Take it one day at a time. If you get behind or miss a day, catch up as soon as possible so that you don’t get too far behind.

Just keep reading! The ultimate goal isn’t to check a box or complete a plan. Time you spend in God’s Word is never wasted.

4. Ask For Help

God wants to be known. He invites us into a relationship with Him, and reading the Bible is how we come to know His character and how we learn to see where He is at work around us.

God isn’t a grouchy college professor, eager to give you a failing grade if you don’t complete the syllabus. I know all about those professors and I know God. There’s no comparison. He wants a love relationship with you!

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Read More:

• How The Daily Practice of Reading Proverbs Changed My Life
• The Bible Reading Plan I Chose For 2022
• Why I Love Reading Through The Bible Every Year