3 Tips to Form a Daily Habit of Bible Study

The Bible shows that Jesus knew Scripture well. He understood the meaning of Bible passages and could tell when someone used the Word of God incorrectly. When He was tempted in Matthew 4, He used Scripture to combat the devil’s lies. Because Jesus knew God’s Word so well, He could immediately spot falsehood. Knowing the Word of God is important.

I’ve heard it explained this way: bank tellers are trained to recognize what a dollar bill looks like. They study every detail of the dollar bill so if someone hands them a counterfeit, they can recognize it. They can spot the counterfeit because they are so familiar with what the real dollar bill looks like.

In the same way, if we know the Word of God, we’ll be able to better tell when Satan is lying to us. The Word of God is truth, which makes all that doesn’t align with it false. We need to know the truth from lies, so we need to know the Word of God.

And how do we know Scripture well enough to recognize what doesn’t align with it? The answer is simple enough, but easier said than done. We read and study the Bible.

2 years ago, I didn’t read my Bible consistently. In fact, 2 years ago, I didn’t read my Bible at all. I only started regularly digging into the Word about a year and a half ago. I read my Bible a couple of times a week then.

Now, I’ve grown to a point where I read my Bible every day. Jesus has revealed Himself to me through His Word and drawn me in. I want to know more of Him! But I never would have gotten to know Him if it weren’t for consistent Bible study. The Bible reveals Jesus’ character, and the more we know of Jesus, the more we want to have a relationship with Him.

How did I get to the point of consistent Bible study? And how can you get to that point, too? You’re about to find out. Here are 3 tips that can help make Bible study a daily habit.

1. Start small.

When I first started reading my Bible, I read a chapter of Genesis a couple of days a week. My goal was to read a chapter a day, but that usually didn’t work out because I hadn’t established a solid Bible-reading habit yet.

Looking back, I realize that starting small was good for me. I listened to a devotional and read a chapter of the Bible a couple of days a week, which led to me listening to a devotional and reading a chapter most days of the week, then every day, then multiple chapters a day. Starting small helped me meet my goals and establish a pattern of Bible-reading.

When we don’t have a consistent Bible-reading habit, the key is establishing consistency. What’s the most you can consistently read the Bible and not give up? Whether it be once a week or twice a day, I challenge you to set a goal and strive to meet it.

Setting goals can challenge us to consistently read the Bible. But sometimes, if our goals are too big or seem unattainable, they can discourage us. I would have been discouraged if I set out to read 3 chapters a day, every day, right from the beginning of my walk with Jesus. I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with that goal for long.

Initially setting small goals can help remedy this. For example, one can plan on reading the Bible every day for a week instead of every day for a whole year. The week is more attainable, and meeting the goal is encouraging. Then one can move on to the next week, and the next, and the next, and eventually reach a year of consistent Bible-reading.

2. Use your resources.

Some parts of the Bible are easy to understand. But others are very hard. A book like Psalms can be a lighthearted and simple read, but books like Isaiah or Revelation are the opposite. Even in short or clear books of the Bible, an explanation can be helpful.

When I began to read the Bible, I listened to explanations of each chapter on the app Through the Word (which is also available on the Bible app). As I matured in my faith, I switched to other resources. Now, I regularly use Drivetime Devotions and the Tony Evans Bible Commentary to understand what I’m reading. Listening to or reading explanations takes time, but it’s worth it. Often, we need teachers to help us fully understand the Bible.

I think God would rather me understand His Word than have me read as much of the Bible as I can without comprehending what I read. Think about the phrase “quality over quantity”--the quality of our Bible study should be more important than the number of pages we read.

That’s something I struggle with. I have a set goal of chapters in the Bible I want to read every day, but I sometimes wrongly sacrifice the quality of my time with God to get through the chapters more quickly. While this seems more productive on the surface, it actually results in a more shallow understanding of the Word.

Do you understand what you read in the Bible? Explanations of the Word can enhance our comprehension, no matter what point in our faith we’re at. Commentaries and devotionals have helped me in the past, and I’m sure will help me in the future.

However, remember that though explanations are great resources most of the time, we need to exercise discernment while reading or listening to explanations of the Word. We shouldn’t believe the words of man over the Word of God. False teachers exist, and if their teaching doesn’t align with God’s Word, it isn’t true.

3. Discipline yourself.

At the beginning of my faith, there were days when I really didn’t want to read the Bible. There are still many days when I don’t want to read the Bible. Sometimes I’d rather be hanging out with friends, I’m mentally drained, or I don’t think I have time for Bible-reading.

It’s normal to feel unmotivated to read our Bibles sometimes. Jesus never said it would be easy to spend consistent time in the Word. Rather, He says following Him requires us to take up our cross daily and deny our flesh’s wants (Luke 9:23). We shouldn’t sacrifice Bible time for comfort--Jesus clearly states that following Him will be uncomfortable at times, but it’s worth it.

However, when we lack motivation, if we read an easier book of the Bible so we won’t lose interest or sacrifice our understanding, that can be good. When putting quality over quantity, we will gladly choose to read Genesis over Isaiah if it means we’ll focus and learn more.

Here are some practical tips for discipline

Something I heard Brett Harris, coauthor of Do Hard Things, say is that when He doesn’t want to do something or doesn’t think he has time for it, he replaces the phrase, “I don’t have time for so-and-so activity” with “So-and-so activity isn’t a priority.” It’s true--if we don’t make time for a certain activity, it really isn’t a priority to us.

Next time we put off Bible reading, we can say, “Reading my Bible isn’t a priority today,” instead of, “I just don’t have time for it.” Ouch--that statement hurts! When I use that tip, I end up reading my Bible because I want Bible reading to be a priority in my life.

Another tip is to get rid of distractions when we read the Bible. If we put our phone in another room when we read the Bible or turn off notifications, we’ll be less likely to get distracted and put down the Word.

It is also good to avoid procrastination, because we all know what happens when we procrastinate--we’re less likely to do the thing we were procrastinating! We should try not to procrastinate Bible reading, because it’ll be easier to fit it into our schedule if we put it first.

Another tip is to read the Bible with a friend or group. When others expect me to read a certain part of the Bible so we can discuss it together, I feel obligated to read that amount. That can motivate me to read the passage so I won’t let my friends down.

Go out… and read your Bible!

So what are you waiting for? Go open your Bible! If you don’t have consistent Bible-reading habits, establish consistency by starting small, listening to explanations, and staying disciplined. If you already have consistent Bible-reading habits, keep up the consistency! The tips in this article can also be applied to establishing some other spiritual habits.

Bible study is worth it. We need to be able to combat the enemy’s lies with the Word’s truth--and we can do that by knowing and studying the Word.