What Happens When You Read The Bible Everyday
Reading the Bible daily can have a profound impact on your life. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the many benefits of making Bible reading a daily habit.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Reading the Bible daily can bring you closer to God, renew your mind, reduce anxiety and stress, give you wisdom for life’s challenges, and transform you into the person God created you to be.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the effects of daily Bible reading. We’ll look at how it impacts your relationship with God, transforms your thinking, reduces stress and anxiety, gives wisdom and guidance for life, and helps you become more Christ-like.
We’ll also touch on some tips for making Bible reading a consistent habit.
Deepens Your Relationship with God
Provides spiritual nourishment
Reading the Bible daily provides spiritual nourishment for our souls, just as food nourishes our bodies (Matthew 4:4). Through reading Scripture, we get to know God on a deeper level and begin to understand His character and nature. The more we read, the more our relationship with Him grows.
As we spend time in God’s Word, our perspective changes to align more with His, and we become spiritually strengthened and matured. The Bible serves as an instruction manual for life, equipping us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Immersing ourselves daily in God’s truth keeps us rooted in Him.
Helps you hear God’s voice
One of the ways God speaks to us is through His written Word. As we make Bible reading a consistent habit, our spiritual ears become more attuned to God’s voice. We learn to recognize when He is prompting us through a verse or passage.
The Holy Spirit can give us fresh insight into a familiar text or highlight something we need to hear that day. Through the Bible, God reminds us of His promises, reveals His will for our lives, and guides us in the right direction.
A daily dose of Scripture helps tune our spirit to God’s frequency so we can receive from Him each day.
Allows God to reveal Himself to you
The Bible is God’s self-revelation to humanity. Through its pages, we discover who He is and how He interacts with people. When we open the Word daily, expecting to encounter God, He reveals aspects of His nature and character to us.
We come to understand Him better as our Father, Savior, Comforter, and Friend. We see demonstrations of His love, patience, power, justice, and sovereignty throughout Scripture. The more time we spend reading and meditating on the Bible, the more God unveils Himself to us.
We begin to know Him in deeper ways. Regular Scripture reading allows God to show us new dimensions of Himself each day as we seek Him.
Renews Your Mind and Transforms Your Thinking
Exposes you to God’s truth
Reading the Bible daily immerses you in the words and teachings of God. As you consistently expose your mind to scripture, God’s truth renews your thinking and transforms your mindset (Romans 12:2). The more time you spend reading the Bible, the more your way of thinking shifts to align with God’s perspective.
Getting into the daily habit of Bible reading helps ground your thoughts in biblical truths rather than the changing ideas of culture. You gain an anchor for testing messages you hear, replacing worldly thinking with higher heavenly wisdom.
Counters the messages of culture and society
The ideas and values of the world often conflict with God’s standards and design for life. From views on identity, sexuality, money, and relationships, popular culture promotes beliefs that may sound appealing but can lead to pain and dysfunction.
Reading scripture every day exposes the lies of the world and renews your mind with God’s design for human flourishing. As you immerse in the Bible, you gain clarity to reject beliefs and behaviors that go against God’s best for you.
Rather than absorbing whatever messages the world promotes, you build spiritual discernment to filter ideas through the lens of biblical truth (Hebrews 4:12). You recognize deception and rely on God’s principles over man’s.
Replaces lies with truth
Before knowing Christ, many of us believed lies about ourselves, God, and how life works. These false beliefs likely shaped how we saw the world and approached major areas of life.
Reading the Bible exposes the untruths we used to trust and fills our mind with light. God’s Word renews your self-image and confidence in your identity in Christ. You discover your true value and purpose.
Beyond personal beliefs, consuming scripture daily replaces cultural myths about achievement, sexuality, relationships and more with God’s perfect design. You adopt beliefs, values and convictions that align with the Creator.
| Replaced Lie | Biblical Truth |
|---|---|
| My worth depends on beauty or success | My worth comes from being made in God’s image |
| Following my heart will make me happy | Obeying God leads to lasting joy |
| I need romance to be fulfilled | My fulfillment comes from Christ alone |
As lies get filtered out through engaging scripture, you live every area of life according to the design of the Designer. Joy and peace increase as your mind syncs up with your Maker.
Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Reading the Bible on a daily basis can have profound effects on mental health and wellbeing. Studies have shown that engaging with Scripture helps lower symptoms of anxiety, worry, and distress in various ways.
Fills You with God’s Peace
The Bible contains countless verses filled with promises of hope, comfort, and reassurance from God. As you read His living Word, these passages instill His peace that “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). This supernatural calm and quiet confidence displace anxiety and fear.
In a 2013 Drexel University study, patients dealing with anxiety disorders spent at least 30 minutes a day reading Scripture. After 1 month, they showed marked improvements based on psychiatric evaluations. The time spent focused on the Bible’s uplifting message reduced the mental health symptoms.
Shifts Focus Away from Worries
Reading Scripture also helps sideline stressful thoughts. As you concentrate on the words on the page, you redirect your mind away from those anxious ruminations. This gives you a mental and emotional reprieve.
God’s truth reorients you from distressing situations to an eternal perspective. Focusing on Bible passages that describe God’s sovereignty, grace, and faithful plans for your life realigns your focus accordingly. This lifts the burden of worries from your shoulders.
Reminds You of God’s Sovereignty and Control
As mentioned previously, reading passages about God’s sovereignty and control combats anxiety symptoms. Remembering that He holds everything in His hands and works all things for good instills comfort and confidence.
Bible verses about provision, protection, purposes, and plans give further assurance that you can trust God no matter what hardships arise. Taking in these reminders day after day builds an unshakeable faith that steadies the mind amidst life’s storms.
Gives Wisdom and Guidance for Life
Reading the Bible daily provides principles and insight that can guide your choices and decisions in life (Proverbs 2:6). The wisdom and truths in Scripture serve as a lamp to your feet in navigating the ups and downs of life (Psalm 119:105).
As you regularly study God’s Word, it reshapes your worldview and enables you to make wise judgments that align with Biblical values.
Provides Principles and Insight for Life’s Decisions
The Bible offers timeless advice and wise counsel for questions about work, relationships, finances, and more. God’s principles for living, when applied, steer you towards choices that honor Christ and lead to blessing rather than harm.
For example, verses about being diligent and working heartily provide guidance for your daily work (Colossians 3:23). Passages about loving others, forgiveness, and unity in marriage give insight for building strong family relationships.
The Bible guides you to walk in wisdom towards outsiders and choose friends carefully (Colossians 4:5-6).
Shows Examples for Work, Family, Relationships
In addition to principles, the Bible contains many real-life examples that illustrate the application of Biblical values. Joseph’s integrity and diligence in his work under Pharaoh exemplify good stewardship and working as unto God (Genesis 39:2-6).
Ruth’s commitment and loyalty to Naomi demonstrate inspirational devotedness in family ties (Ruth 1:16-18). Jesus’ example of compassion towards outcasts like tax collectors reveals how we should embrace those neglected by society (Luke 19:1-10).
These examples encourage us to live out kingdom principles in practical ways.
Reveals God’s Will and Direction for Your Life
As you regularly study the Bible and renew your mindset with God’s truth (Romans 12:2), your desires and choices will align more with His will. You’ll gain discernment to recognize paths that lead to life rather than destruction through the lens of Scripture (Jeremiah 21:8).
The Holy Spirit will bring conviction and guidance as you read, helping you to walk in God’s unique calling and purpose for your life. For example, studying passages about using one’s gifts to serve others may reveal new ways for you to use your abilities for God’s glory.
Or verses about taking care of one’s body as the temple of the Holy Spirit could convict you to adopt healthier lifestyle habits.
Helps You Become More Christ-like
Reading the Bible daily has a transformative effect, helping remold followers into the image of Jesus Christ. As we regularly study God’s word, Scripture shapes our innermost desires, attitudes, behaviors, and empower us to live differently.
Conforms You to the Image of Jesus
The more time we spend seeing who Jesus is in the gospels, the more we become like Him (Romans 8:29). Exposure to Christ in Scripture gradually conforms us to reflect His character. As we get to know Jesus better, we grow to share His heart for people, reflect His servant-leadership, and radiate His love to others.
Changes Your Desires, Attitudes, Behaviors
God’s word has power to reshape our lives from the inside out. Regular Bible readers often notice their tastes and desires changing to align more with Jesus. Bad habits, addictions, judgmental attitudes, anger issues, and selfish tendencies begin to fall away as we renew our minds (Romans 12:2).
Scripture shifts our priorities and perspectives to match Christ’s.
For example, one study surveyed over 300,000 Bible app users and found 87% agreed interacting with Scripture helped them control their thoughts and attitudes. Over half said it changed how they treated others. God’s word transforms us!
Empowers You to Live Differently
As we soak in biblical truth, Scripture empowers followers to withstand temptation, battle strongholds, flee sexual sin, walk in freedom, choose joy, forgive quickly, and serve wholeheartedly. We can live radically different through the Spirit’s power when God’s word dwells richly inside us.
Jesus declared God’s word is truth (John 17:17). As we ingest that powerful truth daily, it takes root in our hearts and enables us to live free. Just as nourishing food strengthens our bodies, regularly feasting on Scripture gives us energy and vitality to follow Jesus despite surrounding darkness.
Conclusion
Making Bible reading a daily habit can significantly enrich your spiritual life. As you carve out quiet time each day to read God’s Word, you’ll gradually experience a deeper connection with God, renewed thinking, reduced anxiety, wisdom for life’s decisions, and transformation into Christ’s image.
Start today by setting aside a small chunk of time to read a chapter or two. As you make Bible reading a consistent practice, you’ll reap these incredible benefits and grow immensely in your faith.
