Do you struggle with reading the Bible on a consistent basis because it doesn’t always make sense to you? Find yourself finishing a chapter, sitting there thinking, ‘What did I just read..’? Don’t worry, I think every Christian has garnered those feelings – you’re not alone. Here are tips I’ve learned (through trial & error the past) the last two years. I’ve also included some big life changes I’ve made which may come as a shock to you! I am in no way saying these are the absolute and only correct ways to approach Bible reading and living out your Faith, they’re just methods that have aided me in my walk.
1. The Living Bible/Amplified Version – As mentioned in my He is Greater than I blog post, the Living Bible made all the difference. I always stuck with NIV, KJV, NASB, but still wouldn’t always understand fully what I was reading. I have my own Living Bible I write and underline all over. It is so easy to understand. It’s broken down and worded simple so you can fully grasp everything being said. I’ve never been stoked on reading the Bible until I got my Living Bible. I suggested it to one of my girlfriends and she said the same. Now, some, not many, verses are slightly reworded – therefore I like to then delve or reread the verse in the Amplified version. The Amplified, similar to NIV wording, really delves further into and dissects everything about the verse which I LOVE. You learn things no other Bible version explains.
2. A Simple Bible App – Before I jump into the Bible app I use, let me suggest a disclaimer: When I say Bible App, I’m don’t mean those modern curated apps that decorate the Christian faith with pretty memes, cool photos, and irrelevant quotes that don’t stem anywhere from the Bible.
If you solely rely on those as your daily bread, I’m apologize beforehand if you find this harsh 🙁 but those are “life motivation” apps at most – and here’s why! The thing with the fancy “alluring to eye” Christian apps is that they’re altered to the app developers’ opinions, which aren’t always things directly derived from the Bible. To give an example, I read the daily pop-up message on an app (I cannot recall the name) that read, “Mary wasn’t a hoe, so you shouldn’t be one either” and “Don’t chase the wrong one. The right one won’t run”. The Bible simply doesn’t mention either of those in any way shape or form 🙁 I was sad to see that folks consider that as their daily dose of Jesus.
So why is that relevant? The Bible says that the word of God should not be decorated with extra/fancy words and descriptions. It’s concise, to the point, and blunt. Although those apps stem from Biblical inspiration, it is often times watered down to match the lifestyle of the millennial & that can be detrimental – you can lose the crux of the true message and any Biblical credibility. Take those fancy Bible apps lightly and discern with you heart what you believe actually stems from the Bible! Remember, it’s all about letting God speak to you through his Word!
The Bible app I suggest is, well, any app that’s simply used for reading the Bible! I use “Bible Gateway” but there’s plenty to choose from. Again, God will speak to you on his own timing, in his own way, and through experiences. After all, he didn’t use His people to write the Bible for us just so we can use these shortcut, modern day Bible apps – make sense? There’s a “Verse of the Day” tab I always begin with and most of the time it’s relevant to what’s going on in my life – God always knows what you need to hear. So I’ll read that then click to that chapter and read it in it’s entirety.
3. Non-Bible Thumpers – For those who aren’t Bible thumpers and like to read things in sequential order, start in the New Testament with Matthew. The New Testament was written to take place of old laws in the Old Testament, therefore the New Testament is what is most “up to date” for lack of better words, and what we should follow and obey. Below is a photo from my Living Bible of a page in Matthew. Salt & Light: v. 13-16, GOOD STUFF.
4. The Book of Proverbs. I love Proverbs. Yes, I know I just said start in the New Testament but I mean, there’s still a lot of good stuff in the OT. Proverbs is the ultimate book of gender neutral knowledge. It has 31 chapters – correlate that to the days of the month and read one chapter a day.
5. Girlfriends in God/Daily Devotionals – (*For any men reading – don’t be turned off by the term “Girlfriends”, Tyler has read/loves these devotions as well and says they’re easily gender transferrable). These daily devotions really helped get the ball rolling. The ladies of GFs in God cover every issue (depression, lack of confidence, greed&envy, pride, financial struggles, work struggles, motherhood struggles, etc.) we deal with and share how God guided them through.
Another female Christian leader whom I love is Joyce Meyer. I’ve bought many of her devotional books for my girlfriends whom all love her as well! Give her a search.
6. Read the Bible exactly for what it is – I briefly touched upon this in my He is Greater than I blog post as well. The Bible is God’s guidance and his way of revealing to us what he’s already given us. It was written the way it was and cannot be changed. So instead of turning the other cheek to some ‘rules’, I took them all full on. Not only the 10 Commandments but all the things spat throughout the Bible. Here are some examples (and AGAIN, this is based upon what God has put on my heart through reading His Word! I’m not here to tell anyone that what they’re doing is right or wrong!):
- Not drinking to get drunk. Unfortunately, this is written numerous times throughout. I stopped drinking entirely for 7 months earlier this year. I just stopped craving it and didn’t care for it. When I made the decision to be fully locked in with God, I literally woke up one day and was just over it. Now, with celebrations at the end-coming of the year and amidst my wedding shindigs, of course I’ll have a drink here & there but I still don’t get drunk. I’m not limiting or disciplining myself, it’s just no longer a necessity to my life. I greatly dislike getting “wasted”. The aftermath is pure torture and it is nowhere near worth it to me AT ALL. Moderation and awareness is key.
- Celibacy. Yup! You read right and I’m darn proud of it. Tyler and I took the vow to stop being sexually active and remain celibate until marriage a year ago. The first month was challenging but it’s the best decision we could’ve made for our relationship. It truly showed we weren’t dating for any physicality aspect, but because we truly enjoyed being in each others’ company. Plus, we wanted to honor God and his covenant!
- Cutting cussing. Okay, so sometimes a word (never the F-bomb though!) slips out if I’m angry, but as a whole, I haven’t cussed for a couple years now. I’ve also read several studies that prove one sounds un/less educated if they have a potty mouth. Either way, I just watch my words. Any word I wouldn’t say before Jesus, I try not to say here on earth either.
- Forgiving 70×7 times. This one was/is extremely difficult. People will do you dirty and the initial instinct is to hold grudges and/or get revenge. However, this isn’t a Jesus-like characteristic. It’s definitely a hard task to master and may be something we struggle for the rest of our lives, but you owe it to yourself to have some internal peace. You can forgive others without verbally telling them. It’s something you can come to terms with on your own/by yourself. However, each case and scenario is to their own, so if you believe your reasonings are justified before the Lord, then still forgive, but leaving them behind and moving on without them is also okay. In the end, you must do what’s best for you! Just because you’ve forgiven someone does not mean you need to retain a relationship with them (or at least hold the relationship to the same standard/level as it previously had) moving forward. Don’t be naive to the signs God gives you when trying to separate you from certain individuals. Your relationships and friendships should only strengthen you, not frustrate and burden.
Those are just a few of the bigger tips I wanted to share with you. I hope some of these helpful and I’d love to hear your thoughts or what you’ve also found to be helpful that I could learn from! Dm or comment below, either works!
XO Jess