Do you want to create a new habit of reading the Bible, but aren’t sure where to start?

In my early years of being a Christian, I decided to commit to reading the entire Bible in a year. I knew nothing about the Bible and I wanted that to change. I wanted to create a Bible study habit and stick to it.

I had heard over and over again that I needed to be reading my Bible every day and I started to feel left out in Christian circles because I didn’t know the Bible by heart. I couldn’t quote scripture and I was lost every time someone brought up a “well-known” Bible story.

I didn’t grow up in a Christian home and I felt like I had catching up to do.

I remember being so excited and zealous about this big goal of mine. I had never gone through the Bible on my own and there were whole books I had never cracked open. I wanted to leave no verse untouched. 

I wanted to know it all. 

I started off very strong, but as the months went by, I missed days here and there and began to feel like a failure. I got so far behind that I would speed-read through chapters at a time to try and catch up. 

My Bible was open, but it was slipping right through my fingers like sand. I wasn’t retaining anything I had read. 

I quickly got overwhelmed, gave up, and restarted multiple times. 

I was a few chapters into the book of Isaiah when something dawned on me that completely changed the way I studied the Bible: this plan wasn’t working for me and it was okay to make a new plan that would work. 

RELATED: Why I Don’t Like Bible In A Year Reading Plans

A lot of Christian women do this with Bible reading, especially those new to the faith. They jump into the deep end before they learn to swim and then find themselves in over their heads. 

If this is an area where you struggle, know you are not alone. You are not a failure and God does not love you any less. 

Learning to consistently read and study your Bible is a skill. It takes time to get good at something new and Bible study is no different.

Define Your Why for Creating a Bible Study Habit

Before you commit to anything new or unfamiliar, it’s so important that you really understand the why behind what you’re doing. 

Your “why” is what keeps you going when things get hard. It’s what keeps you consistent when you’re not feeling excited or motivated to open your Bible. 

So, ask yourself why you want to create a habit of consistently studying your Bible. Is it because someone else told you it was important? Because you see other Christian women doing it? Because your pastor preached a message about it? 

These are all good reasons, but your personal why has to be deeper than that. To make real progress on our goals, they have to mean something to us. 

Until you take hold of what the Bible is and why it is important to your personal relationship with Jesus, it’ll just be another item on your to-do list. 

John 1:1  tells us that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God”

God’s Word is a precious gift. It is full of truth and promise and is a lifeline for our faith. It is where we learn about who God is and what it means to live a sacrificial life that glorifies Him and serves others.

It is our light in the darkness because it carries the hope of Jesus in its pages.

Let Go of The “Shoulds” Surrounding Bible Study

Christian women have a lot of preconceived notions about what living out our faiths “should” look like. Many of them come from other believers, but they can also come from what we see on social media or even from the pulpit.

We let ourselves be put in a box of what a Christian woman reading her Bible “should” look like. Here are some examples: 

You should read the whole Bible in a year. 

You should read your Bible every day. 

You should read your Bible first thing in the morning. 

Your Bible reading routine should stay the same throughout all seasons of your life. 

You should be able to understand the Bible on your own.

If any of these shoulds are your motivation for how you study the Bible, you are setting yourself up to fail. When we operate out of these “shoulds” we leave our hearts and minds wide open for the enemy to feed us lies about our worth being tied to performance. 

Bible study is not about checking off a box or making progress for the sake of progress. It’s about growth and learning and cultivating a desire for Scripture.

A desire to study the Bible and for Scripture grows exponentially: the more you dive in and learn, the more you’ll want to. Big goals are made up of small, incremental steps forward and there is no time like the present to get started. 

Evaluate Your Time for Bible Study

The next thing you need to do is take inventory of your time and schedule commitments. Trying to squeeze something else onto an already full plate is a surefire way to set yourself up to feel overwhelmed and like you’re failing. 

The easiest way to get started with creating a consistent habit is to find at least 1 chunk of time in your weekly schedule for deep, thorough Bible study. Over time, as your thirst for Scripture grows, you can find more chunks of time throughout your week. 

This is how I started once I let go of my Bible-in-a-year reading plan.

I was working full-time. My husband and I were both in graduate school at the same time, volunteering at church every week and attempting to maintain our household and marriage. 

My schedule was packed. But, I found one chunk of time on Saturday mornings that usually was uninterrupted. My husband slept in and I had a few hours of time to myself. So that’s where I started. I claimed that time as my weekly coffee date with Jesus and fiercely protected it by not scheduling anything during that time and being mindful of my bedtime the night before. 

Over time, I made it through chapters upon chapters of Scripture and as I dug in, Jesus met me there, and my desire to read my Bible grew. Slowly, I added more weekly time chunks because I wanted to, not because I felt like I “should” to be a good Christian.

Slowly, studying my Bible regularly became a priority. But it all started with those Saturday mornings. 

Make a Weekly Commitment

Now that you’ve taken a look at your own schedule, make a realistic weekly commitment, and stick to it.  

Is there at least 1 chunk of time each week that you can claim? Is there something on your calendar you need to remove to make room for this? Do you need to replace some screen time? 

Figure out your weekly commitment and write it down. Put it in a visible place, tell a friend or your spouse about it, and commit that time to the Lord. 

For me, I committed to spending 2-3 hours on Saturday mornings studying my Bible. Maybe for you, that commitment is 3 days a week for 30 minutes or 2 nights a week for 45 minutes. 

Want a tool that will walk you through this process step-by-step?

Head to the shop to check out my guide to creating a consistent bible study routine! This planning guide will take you through my exact process for finding time every week to connect with God through Scripture and create a solid Bible reading habit.

Choose a Bible Reading Plan that Fits Your Goals

In order for our goals to succeed, we need a plan or a roadmap. It’s important that you find one that works for you. 

For example, if your plan is to study the Bible 2 nights a week while your spouse handles dinnertime, a Bible in a year reading plan is going to be too much. 

But, if you’re in a season where you can get up 30 minutes earlier in the morning and study every single day, that plan is perfect for you. 

For me, I took the approach of choosing a book of the Bible and getting as many chapters in as I could during that weekly chunk of time I had. If I was following a study, I just did multiple days at once. 

Find something that works for you and you can even adapt it if necessary. 

Get Accountability

Accountability can look a lot of different ways because not everyone needs the same kind of accountability. 

Maybe for you this looks like asking a close friend to keep you accountable to your commitment. Maybe this means you join a Bible study at your church, so you have a group of people who can support you and check in with you about your habits.

Maybe you join an online community to study the Bible with. 

No matter what you do, try and find at least 1 person who can support you, challenge you, and pray with you as you work toward your goals.

Celebrate Your Progress

Big changes start with small steps forward. Choosing to learn a new skill takes time and any progress you make should be celebrated. 

Cultivating a faithful habit of studying your Bible is a big life change if you’ve never done it before. As believers, we have a responsibility to seek God through His Word and through prayer but how we make that happen and what it looks like is individual. 

We serve a relational God who has a personal relationship with each one of us and as we dig into His Word regularly, He will teach us, grow us, convict us, and build us up. He will edify us, equip us, and comfort us in our time of need. 

His Word is a balm to our soul and it is worth making the time for. I am praying for you even before you read this that your endeavor would be blessed and that God would make fruitful any time you’re able to spend with Him.

If you want step-by-step guidance on creating this Bible reading routine, don’t forget to check out my planning guide!

Head to the shop to check out my guide to creating a consistent bible study routine! This planning guide will take you through my exact process for finding time every week to connect with God through Scripture and create a solid Bible reading habit.

Your Sister in Christ,