Tips on how to read the Bible

June 12, 2025

In the last 4 months I’ve made an effort to read the Bible every day. The reason why I started doing this, is because I realised the only time I heard or read the Bible was during Sunday sermons. I wanted a personal relationship with the word, and in order for that to happen it required me picking the Bible up in my own time. This blog is not for people who are regular readers and already feel confident reading the Bible, it’s for people who need some encouragement and tips on how to get started reading the Bible in a personal way.

Before I share my tips I want to highlight why we should be reading the Bible daily.

1. It is one of the main ways we hear the voice of God. Scripture is God breathed, every word is from God and is about God and how he wants us to live our lives.

2. It shows us the difference between right and wrong, so we can approach each day asking ourselves ‘how would Jesus respond in this moment?’. Reading the word helps us know how Jesus would handle situations we face today.

3. It encourages us during seasons of hopelessness and allows us to also share encouragement to others when they are going through hard seasons

4. It allows us to learn who God is, so when we pray to him we know his character. It allows us to see Jesus as a friend, because friends know one another and understand how each other work.

Here are my 5 tips on how to start reading the Bible:

1. Chose a Bible that suits your reading style

As much as I’d love to read the King James Version, it isn’t for me. I love to read my Tyndale Every Woman’s Bible. The words are big enough for me to read, each chapter shares history, insights, learning points and helps break down the jargon I don’t understand. My time in the Word changed when I started using this Bible, as it draws me in and makes me want to pick up the Bible and invest my time into learning more. There are so many options out there, so I’d encourage you to do your own research to find the perfect Bible for you.

2. Follow a daily plan

I like to use the Bible app as you can join daily plans and it prompts you, so you don’t forget. The daily plan I’m following at present is the four Gospels, Psalms and Proverbs, it will take me one year to finish. To follow this plan it only takes me around 15 minutes per day, so you don’t need to spend hours in the Word, even just a small amount of time can make a big difference. I’d encourage you to check out the Bible app for plans, some Bible’s do have plans you can follow.

3. Get friends involved

Let’s be honest, sometimes we can set all the goals we want, but without someone to keep you accountable all the goals go out the window. I watched a talk once by Pastor Steven Furtick, who is the founder and senior pastor at Elevation Church. He said that he started a whatsapp group with his son and his sons girlfriend, and every day they’d take it in turns to pick a verse or two and discuss their thoughts on it. This can help you dive deeper and hear different view points. Many churches have Bible study groups, why not try searching in your local area to see if there are any available.

4. Study specifically

I recently started reading Job, the reason why I started reading the book of Job is because it is all about suffering and how Job never turned his face from God during those horrible years of pain. I have experienced pain and suffering in recent years and I wanted scripture that would speak to me personally. I am finding Job to be comforting and challenging at the same time. As I mentioned earlier we learn to hear the voice of God through the word, and reading books that relate to your specific season of life could be one of the ways God guides you through that season.

5. Pray that God will help you stay committed

Sometimes the Bible is hard to read, it’s not always the most enticing story, especially when we’re used to TV today which is so good at sucking us in. However we should be praying that God helps us to stay committed and focused. The Bible is the greatest story ever told, but it wasn’t written in our time, so therefore the way it’s worded isn’t what we’re used to. So therefore we may need a little help, and the best place to receive that help is from God.

I heard someone say that prayer and reading the Bible often start as a discipline and as time passes it becomes something we desire. At the beginning it will likely take work and people or apps promoting you to pick up your Bible, but I hope and pray that as you continue to stay committed that it comes something you desire. I can say with 100% truth that waking up in the morning and reading my Bible is something I now desire. I couldn’t imagine a day passing and me not reading the Word. But, I didn’t always feel that way, it probably took 2 months for me to reach that place.

Giveaway

In July I am giving away a Tyndale Bible to one of my subscribers. If you’d like to take part in the giveaway, then please subscribe to my mailing list before the end of June. Information on how to subscribe can be found at the end of this blog.

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