I am currently teaching a series on the Spiritual Disciplines at the church I pastor. One of the topics I recently covered was the spiritual discipline of Bible Intake. Bible intake is about intentionally feeding God’s Word into our minds so that it can do its work in our hearts.
For God to use his Word in our lives, we must be engaged with it. The challenge is that Bible intake can be hard work. While it does (and always will) require discipline, there are many resources available to help make feeding God’s Word into our lives more accessible. Listed below are several recommendations (and resources) to help you feed God’s Word into your life.
1- READ CREATIVELY.
While Bible intake is about more than just reading the Bible, it certainly does include reading. There are few things you can do to help bring your Bible reading to life.
- Alternate translations from time to time. Nothing has done more to bring my Bible reading to life like alternating translations. I prefer literal word-for-word translations such as the English Standard Version (ESV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), or the New King James Version (NKJV). If you have only used one translation for years, chances are you are very accustomed to the wording and the flow of your particular translation. Alternating versions will keep you focused and engaged. I highly recommend doing this.
- Utilize a Bible reading plan like those on Bible.com. If you prefer reading from a phone or tablet, download the YouVersion Bible app or the ESV app. My favorite plan is the F260 reading plan. You can learn more about it HERE.
- Read from a chronological Bible. This will help you learn the chronological history of the Bible and how it all fits together.
2- SEEK TO GROW, NOT JUST KNOW.
There is a temptation to try to read as much as possible or to read simply for the sake of information. Both are bad ideas. I am not a fan of trying to read through the Bible in a year. In my experience, people who do this end up being more concerned with checking off their Bible reading box instead of trying to understand and apply what they are reading. It is far better to read 5-10 verses, understand what you are reading, and walk away with several application points you can put into practice that day. This kind of Bible reading will change your life.
3- BE WILLING TO STUDY.
There will be times that you will not understand what you are reading. That’s okay. Just be willing to do a little study. This is where a good study Bible will be a huge help for you. My favorite study Bible is the ESV Study Bible. The translation is readable and understandable, but it also has a ton of great notes that will answer most any question you might have. If you want to dive deeper than just a study Bible, there are several websites/apps that can help. In the past I have used BlueLetterBible, BibleHub, and Biblia.com. Try them out.
4- PUT EFFORT INTO MEMORIZATION.
Memorizing is hard, but there are some tools that will help. Both of these apps are very popular and will help you memorize God’s Word: the ScriptureTyper app and the Fighterverses app. Another idea is to get an accountability partner who will help you memorize Scripture. This provides the accountability that is so needed.
5- UTILIZE DEAD TIME.
We all have times during our day that are opportunities. Driving to or from work, mowing the yard, or walking the dog are all opportunities to feed God’s Word into our lives. How? By listening to God’s Word. There are a number of good apps available, but here are a couple of popular options (YouVersion Bible app and the ESV Bible app). Listening to God’s Word is a great way to feed God’s Word into your life on a daily basis.
6- READ BIBLE-BASED CONTENT AND LISTEN TO BIBLICAL PREACHING.
There are a ton of great blogs, podcasts, and websites that provide solid biblical content. You do have to be careful with this as there is also a lot of junk available. But reading Bible-focused blogs, listening to Scripture-saturated sermons, and working through podcasts on current events from a Christian world view are all ways to feed God’s Word into your life. You probably have blogs and pastors that you follow, but many people are not sure where to turn for commentary on current events. Here are a couple of options.
- The Briefing by Albert Mohler– A Summary of today’s events from a Christian world view.
- Signposts by Russell Moore
CLOSING THOUGHTS
We all need to feed God’s Word into our lives. For those of you who are bad at reading or who hate reading, the good news is that reading is not the only way to feed God’s Word into your life. With the resources listed above you can feed God’s Word into your life in a variety of ways. I guarantee you that when you start intentionally feeding God’s Word into your life, God will use it to change your life in amazing ways.
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