find your Bible reading motivation
Aaanndddd you’ve hit “snooze” once again. You see your Bible but you don’t feel excited to read. There isn’t a draw for you this morning so you go along with your day. You notice pockets of time that could be used for Bible time.
Buuttttt there’s no motivation to pick up the Bible. Other things are calling. Instagram is refreshing. So you continue on with your day.
Finally, it’s bed time and you lock eyes with your Bible once more. But it’s been a long day and you’d really rather watch Netflix or text a friend before calling it a day. All of the signs are ignored because there is simply no motives or interests.
If I had a nickel for how many times I did that, I would have A LOT of nickels. Sister, if you’ve ever felt anything similar to that… you’re not alone.
I have gotten literally hundreds of DMs, asking how to stay motivated to read the Bible. Like a lot of us, these gals are wondering how to actually desire to read the Bible everyday and stay consistent. Because after all, the Bible is our food and sustenance. If you want to survive and thrive in our life and faith, we must eat much of our Daily Bread!
So let’s get extremely practical and talk about a few ways that could help you remain motivated to read the Bible. At the end of this, my prayer is that your eyes will be opened to the preciousness of the Word and how deeply God wants you to spend time with Him everyday. I pray you know it’s worth it and attainable for you!
6 Ways to Stay Motivated to Read the Bible
First of all, sista, I want to remind you that the Bible is non-negotiable. My good friend Kaci explained it so well in her YouTube video by saying that the Bible is for every believer. Some may say that the Bible doesn’t “work for them”, or “reading doesn’t work for me so I’ll do something else.”
Sure, Christian podcasts, books and music are amazing and so so encouraged. But the Bible is our main source of encouragement. And everything else — podcasts, books, music etc — must flow from that. Psalm 119 reminds us that the Bible is MORE THAN ENOUGH to help us live a right life, be free from sin, encourage others and MORE.
Remind yourself of your why.
With anything in life, if there isn’t a solid “why” behind it, I won’t do it. Can’t we all relate? We crave purpose and meaning behind our actions.
As believers, we have the greatest “why” in the world. And it must center around Jesus and what He did for us. Every time you’re tempted to ignore your Bible time and cave into complacency, remind yourself of this: Reading the Bible is so key in growing our faith. Without consistent time communing with God in the Word, our faith will be left behind.
The Bible is one of the greatest gifts from our Heavenly Father Himself. It’s His literal inspired words, given to human authors to encourage and correct us! If there’s any part of us that wants to live our lives for God, we cannot do it apart from the Word. Our “why” should always be to get to know God more, love Him deeper, purify our lives and shine even brighter for those around us. Even when we don’t feel motivated to read, our Father can always teach us something. He just asks for a willing heart. Let Him show you that His Word is wonderful to read AND live (Psalm 119:129).
Set a time and strive for it.
You peeps who LOVEEE a good routine are fist-pumping right now. And you peeps who HATEEE routine are frowning. Hear me out. Routine is actually such a beautiful thing. One of my favorite authors explained it this way: “Routines in the Christian life are really rhythms.” We begin with learning the rhythm to a song. The more we listen to it and learn it, the more natural and enjoyable it becomes.
Zoom out for a second and think about your day. What does a ** typical ** day look like for you? Is there a time that works best for you to set aside 10…20…30 minutes to read, journal and chat with Jesus? Personally, mornings work best for me because it “sets the tone of my day” in a way. It starts my day with a huge coffee chat with Jesus and encourages me to think about what I’ve read throughout the day. Whatever works best for you, try sticking to it for a week and see what success God brings for you!
Set a time and strive for it. Even when you don’t feel like it. News flash: God works through us anyway. He sees our lack of motivation and complacency, yet He can work through it anyway. He can reveal truth to us anyway (Psalm 25:12).
Try switching it up / refreshing your time.
The other day, I asked my brother how he stays motivated to read the Word. This was his answer. At first, I was surprised. But the more I thought about it, the more I loved it.
Sometimes our Bible reading can grow “stale.” And not because of God’s Word because let me tell you — God’s Word is timeless, life-changing and powerful. It is the opposite of stale. But one powerful way to stay motivated is to perhaps switch up what you’re reading in the Bible or find a new Bible study to help you go through more of the Word. Who knows — a new study or flipping to a new book of the Bible may renew excitement and intrigue!
Always remember that the Bible, in it’s entirety, is powerful, life-giving and meant for you! Switch things up if needed, but never forget that the Lord is ready and able to help you understand every word in the Bible. He is able to bring light to something seemingly “boring” and blow your mind.
Set some notifications.
Ah technology. We live in a pretty stinkin’ cool world. Yeah, some may say we’re “overcorrected” and “overstimulated” with our phones, but I like to say that they’re pretty awesome if they’re used right.
I have a reminder set on my phone that says “BIBLE TIME?” To be honest, I look at my phone so much, so I always see this notification. Put encouraging notifications in your way to encourage you to stop, drop and read. Even something as simple as a sticky note on your nightstand or bathroom mirror can motivate you.
The challenging part is actually seeing it through, after reading the notification or sticky note. But we’ll talk about that in a second…
Find accountability.
News flash: I don’t know if there’s anyone that absolutely always feels motivated to read their Bible. There may be some, but the majority of us struggle with a lack of motivation from time to time. What always encourages me is to have accountability in my Bible reading.
What I mean by accountability is finding someone to be open with about your Bible time. Find someone who you feel comfortable sharing your victories and losses with. Ask them if they would pray for you, that you would desire to read and find the motivation throughout your day. Something that has helped me is having someone check in on me daily or weekly and ask: “Did you read your Bible today? Are you going to make some time? What did you learn from the Word today?” This adds a communal quality to Bible reading and also builds up the body of Christ!
Pray it up.
This may be one of the most powerful, if not MOST powerful tips anyone can give you. In all things, prayer is the most powerful thing we can do. It’s the most active and smart thing to do. It’s about communicating with our Father and sharing our desires, requests and struggles. It’s about confessing our sins and thanking Him constantly.
If you’re struggling to find motivation to read your Bible, pray about it. Talk to your Father about it. 1 John 5:14 reminds us that we as believers have this confidence: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. If we ask anything that honors Him, He hears us.
There is nothing God wants more than to spend time with you in His Word. He’s aching to see you sit down in the Word so He can open your eyes to the beauty inside. So pray, sister. Pray that God would give you the proper motivation to read. Not so that you can check something off a list or appear “holier.” No — but that your life would be changed and enriched during your encounters with your Savior.
