Helping You Stick To Your Bible Study Goals
Every year, many Christians set out with good intentions to read their Bible more consistently. January begins with excitement and resolve, but for many, that momentum slowly fades. While the initial desire is a good thing, a goal without a proper understanding of why we study won't survive the distractions of this present evil world.
Why Consistency Is So Hard
Most people do not struggle to brush their teeth every day. Why? Because they understand the consequences of neglect. Cavities, decay, and long-term damage are real, tangible outcomes. It is a habit driven by a clear understanding of necessity.
Our time in God’s word should be no different. Time in the Bible should not be an optional spiritual extra, for it is daily nourishment for the inner man. Yet many believers are comfortable skipping time in the word and prayer, even though their spiritual vitality depends on it just as surely as their physical life depends on food. Without it, the fruit of carnality comes forth: bringing corruption and decay in its path (Gal 6:7-9; Rom 8:5-6; 1Co 3:1-3; Heb 5:12-14).
A Shift in Perspective
Once you have trusted the gospel, your life is no longer your own, it belongs to Christ. As members of the Body of Christ, we are told:
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." - Colossians 3:1-3
This perspective matters most on the days when we “don’t feel like it” (2Co 5:15; Gal 2:20; Rom 6:11).
Setting our affection requires intentionality. It means deliberately setting aside time to mind spiritual things. Reading, studying, and believing God’s word is how our minds are renewed and our lives transformed (Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:17-23). If you think it happens without God's word, you are mistaken. We must "mind" spiritual things because the vigor of our spiritual life depends on it (Col 1:9-10; Rom 8:5-6).
The Reality of Our Condition
At the heart of our inconsistency is not merely busyness or poor habits, but a failure to rightly understand the flesh. We tend to underestimate how corrupt the flesh remains and how prone we are to stray in our hearts and minds. Left unchecked, our thinking naturally drifts toward the course of this world: its traditions, its lusts, and the deceitfulness of sin. God’s word exposes those lies and provides what we need to walk in truth, love, and spiritual maturity (Rom 7:18, 23).
Most people would never willingly skip a day's worth of physical meals, because they recognize that physical life depends on daily sustenance. Yet many believers find it easy to skip time with God in His word and prayer. Just as the body requires food to live, the inner man requires the continual nourishment of scripture to grow and avoid regression.
"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;" - Ephesians 4:22–23
When we fail to see this reality clearly, we fail to prioritize what we truly need. Spiritual growth does not happen automatically. It requires continual renewal through God’s living word.
Our Greatest Need
Our greatest need in this life is not a better job, a bigger house, or more comfortable circumstances; it is salvation from sin. That eternal standing is settled the moment we believe the gospel (1Co 15:1-4; Eph 2:8-9). We are saved by grace through faith in Christ’s finished work and sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:12–14).
However, while our position in Christ never changes, our daily spiritual condition does. God deals with us continually through His sufficient grace and His living word, cutting away false thinking, carnality, and self-deception. The weapons He has given us are mighty, bringing our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Neglecting the word leaves us vulnerable, distracted, and ineffective in doing God’s will, even when we are unaware of it (1Co 1:18; 2Co 4:16).
Swimming Against the Current
Following the course of the world is easy. It requires little resistance and stirs little opposition. Standing for the truth of God’s grace and sound doctrine, however, brings friction. It is harder, but it is necessary. Right doctrine shapes how we live, how we love, how we serve our families, and how we steward our time (Rom 12:1-2; 2Ti 3:12; Eph 6:11-18; Col 2:8).
If helping others be saved, or growing in the knowledge of God through His word, feels less important than other priorities in your life, what you need is not more discipline, you need a renewed perspective.
God’s Provision and Our Responsibility
God has not left us unequipped for spiritual growth. He has provided everything necessary for us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. What is required on our part is a believing, humble heart that is willing to submit to God’s word above all else.
At a basic level, this begins with daily Bible reading. Regular exposure to scripture keeps our minds oriented toward spiritual things and guards us from drifting with the course of this world. Daily reading functions like spiritual nourishment: it sustains, comforts, reminds, and stabilizes (Acts 17:11; Rom 15:4; Col 3:16). Even when time is limited, consistent reading keeps God’s truth before our eyes and renews our thinking day by day.
In addition to daily reading, God also calls us to intentional, in-depth Bible study. There is no substitute for personal, verse-by-verse study of the scriptures. This is where deep understanding is built, questions are answered, and sound doctrine is established. Sermons, commentaries, and other resources can be helpful, but only after you have done your own study. You are accountable to God for what you believe, not for what someone else believes on your behalf (2Co 5:10). Let God be true and every man a liar. Be fully persuaded in your own mind (Rom 3:4, 14:5)
To help with this, you only need a few simple tools:
A Bible
A believing, humble heart
Basic study helps such as a concordance or Bible study software
A dictionary (I prefer using Webster's 1828)
We are instructed to rightly divide the word of truth, recognizing the distinct instructions given to the Body of Christ through Paul’s epistles. While all scripture is profitable (2Ti 3:16), it is in Romans through Philemon that we find our specific doctrine, position, and walk for the church today (2Ti 2:15).
For deeper study, start with Romans. Work through Paul’s epistles written directly to the Body of Christ. Write down questions. Compare scripture with scripture (1Co 2:13). Make outlines. Search the word for answers by finding the same word or similar concepts in other parts of the Bible. This kind of study grounds you in grace and equips you to discern truth from error, and also allows you to see the necessity for right division as well when you come across passages with different instructions to different groups at different times because of a different dispensational context (Rom 16:25-26; Eph 3:3-9).
There is no required time of day and no fixed duration for reading or study. The goal is consistency with a submitted heart. When people say they “don’t have time,” the issue is rarely a lack of time: it is misplaced priorities. Most of us would be shocked by how much time we spend on screens, entertainment, and distractions. We make time for what we value.
Choosing time in God’s word and prayer is also choosing to say no to the lusts of the flesh. Those carnal priorities must be crucified with Christ. Do not rob yourself of the joy, peace, hope, love, and growth that come from walking after the Spirit.
A Helpful Daily Reading Plan
To help with daily consistency, I have created a Bible reading plan that can be found on the church website here: https://www.sufficientgracebiblefellowship.com/bible-reading-plan. There you will find a printable PDF as well as a downloadable file designed to be used alongside a free and easy-to-use Bible reading plan app.
The plan follows a simple structure:
3 Old Testament chapters daily
2 non-Pauline New Testament chapters daily
1 chapter from Paul’s epistles daily
This balance keeps you rooted in the mystery of Christ while maintaining familiarity with the whole Bible. By revisiting each section daily, it also helps reinforce context and retention over time.
As we press on into the new year, my prayer is not simply that we read more, but that we grow more: more grounded in grace, more renewed in our minds, and more faithful in the work God has set before us. It's not about just checking the box, but coming to God's word with faith and seeing it work effectually in all of us (1Th 2:13; Rom 10:17).
