1.02.2011

Bible in 90 Days: My Personal 10 Tips

I could never say before with 100% certainty that I had read the entire Bible.  I was pretty sure I had.  At some point.  In bits and pieces.

I knew I had read through many of the books of the Bible.  But all of them?

One thing I know for sure.  I had never done it in order or any type of organized fashion.

Mrs. Pear then read through it front to back in 87 days.  She introduced the 90 day challenge to my own heart.


I began the challenge the beginning of Oct.  I can't think of a better way to now end my year.  I can know for sure, I have read through the Bible.  And I did it in 89 days!


Why do I share this?  

This in no way makes me better, more spiritual or more holy.  Instead, I share this to say that I am one in desperate need of my God.  I also share this to say... if I can do this then you can too!

Just this last week I learned that Shawntele and Michelle, two of my blogging friends, have committed to begin this 90 day journey with this new year.  Having just come to the end of my own 90 day journey, I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for them!

I was asked to share a few tips I learned in my own personal journey and thought maybe some others might like to give the challenge a try and would like to read these as well.



So, here they are...

My personal 10 tips to make it through

1.  Read in story form, not study form:  This was a new approach for me.  Do not stop to study, compare or linger on any given section.  Instead, underline, highlight, or take quick notes of what you want to come back to.  

2.  Make it your book of choice:  I quickly realized that I would not get much other reading done during this time.  I had to be okay with that.  When there was time for reading, the Bible was my book of choice.

3.  Be determined:  I'll be honest, the amount of the reading was difficult some days.  It is a lot!  However, I believed that God would honor the time I was spending in His Word.
"You will never waste time in God's Word" - Beth Moore
4.  Keep reading:  If you get behind, do not quit!  To stop for even a few days may leave you feeling discouraged and that there's no way to catch up.  Just read, read, read.
"This is one of those things where the victory is not to the fast, the flashy or the fancy.  This is one of those things where the victory is to those who are faithful and persevere!"  -- Mrs. Pear
5.  Make it your anytime priority: Use small snippets of your time.  I often used 5 minute chunks throughout my day to read a chapter or two.  Do not think it all has to be read in one setting.  (When I did read in one setting it would take an average of 45-60 minutes.)

6.  Get ahead:  If you can do it, read ahead!  I found there were days I was able to read more than the reading for that day, and was glad I did.  There were other days where life just happened and I couldn't get the full amount of reading in.  I was also shocked at how quickly my buffer from reading ahead disappeared.

7.  Don't predict the fast read:   Do not slow the reading in some areas assuming you will catch up and gain ground in a book to come.  I thought Leviticus and Numbers would be struggles for me.  I actually found them to be fairly quick reads.  My personal struggle to get through came in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekial. 

8.  Find Accountability:  This was key for me.  Not only did I commit to myself to do this, but I facilitated a small group of 9 other adults reading it with me.  Knowing we would be meeting weekly kept me on top of my reading.  Tell someone you are doing it.  Ask them to hold you accountable.  Ask them to cheer and encourage you along the way.

9.  Enjoy the process:  Remember this is God's story of extending His very self to us, His creation.  Look for Him!

10.  Pray:  Ask God to help you.  Ask God to reveal Himself to you.  Ask God to make you hungry for Him.  Thank God for inviting you to know Him. Pray, Pray, Pray

BONUS TIP:  Recognize true success:  Even if you do not keep the pace to get through it in the 90 days, keep pushing forward!  The process will keep you very conscious to be in God's Word much more than you would have been otherwise, or maybe ever have been.

Spending an abundance of focused and intentional time with God... now that's true success!

  

Have you ever read through the Bible?  Have you done the 90 day challenge?  What tips would you offer?  Are you thinking you might like to give it a try?  What is keeping you from it?

(I will answer questions related to this post here in the comment section so that everyone can benefit from the dialogue.)

21 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing these tips. I so want to do this challenge. Ive always wanted to read through the entire bible, but never committed to it. Just wondering,did you use a separate bible or the one you usually use to do this challenge and all the extra underlining?

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  2. Carey,

    I actually downloaded the Bible in 90 days to my Kindle and used that for the reading. However, there is a specific 90 days through the Bible that can be purchased.

    In our small group we had a mix. Some used their Kindle, some used the Bible specific to 90 days, and some used their own Bible.

    Here is a link on amazon for the specific 90 day Bible:

    http://www.amazon.com/Bible-90-Days-International-Version/dp/031093351X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_a

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  3. These are great tips. I'm going to write them down and post them by my desk. I especially like the one about breaking it upon over the day. That seems more my pace or really what the boys will allow. :)

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  4. Thanks. I ordered the bible and it will be here on Thursday. I signed up for the challenge too, but they are full. Im looking forward to doing this. Pray for me to stick to it and do it?

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  5. Carey,

    I would be honored to pray you through this challenge/journey. If you don't mind, would you please send me your e-mail address so we can be in touch personally.

    I am SO excited for you!

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  6. Thank you.
    crygibb @ yahoo dot com

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  7. I started today with momstools, thanks for the tips! Which reminds me, I better go read! :)

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  8. This is so inspiring! I would love to do this sometime, and your tips are very helpful. Thank you for sharing!

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  9. Thanks for the great tips, and your encouragement. I have completed Day 2 - only 88 to go...

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  10. I also started this on Monday, and so far so good. I really like your comment about reading the Bible as a story, and not a study. I find this is how I am reading it, like I would a novel and it actually makes the stories more interesting to me. I'm highlighting passages as I go to dig deeper into afte the 90 days. Thank you for your tips and prayers!

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  11. Anonymous11:15 AM

    I am reading the bible in 90 days through momstoolbox. I have found that reading it as a story verses a study is a great way to tackle it. I just finished day 4 and completed the book of genesis. What great stories there are. Thank you so much for your tips.

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  12. I too am doing the Bible in 90 Days with Mom's Tool Box for the 2nd time and loving it. Your tips are fantastic! Be blessed:)

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  13. I just started the 90 days challenge as well. Thanks so much for these tips! I agree about reading it in story form, and love the Beth Moore quote! :) Blessings to you!

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  14. You're so right with the "shocked how quickly the read ahead cushion can disappear"!! I started just 1 day early to give myself an extra day cushion, only to end up with the stomach flu yesterday and voila - goodbye cushion!! So soon :( Thanks for the great tips!

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  15. These are great tips! I have read the Bible in 90 Days before on my own and I am doing it this time with momstoolbox. I'm reading with the free Kindle for pc app. I also started a couple of days early (because I thought we started on the first but then when I realized it was actually the 3rd I figured a cushion wouldn't hurt!)

    Thanks for this post. I linked to it on my blog.

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  16. Thanks for your tips. I committed to do the Bible In 90 days that started Monday.

    Making it my book of choice is great advice. I'm reading it in story form and enjoying it. We think this world is wild, but the Bible shows the world has always been wild.

    Blessings too you.

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  17. Karen, I can't seem to find an e-mail for you and I can't post to your blog?

    How exciting that you are reading through for a 2nd time! I did my reading on my kindle and it worked great for me.

    Thanks for the link at your place!

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  18. Very inspiring! I am having a hard time keeping up God knew this is just what I needed today. Thank you!

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  19. veronica3:25 PM

    I heard a woman on the christian radio talk about reading the bible in 90 days, but didn't get all the information so I decided to search the web and c what I could come up with. I believe I will give it a try and after that invite others 2 join me.

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  20. Rev. Jason8:50 AM

    Thank you so much for sharing this. I am a pastor and am about to finish the Bible again (albeit at a much slower rate), and have wanted to do the 90 Day Bible Program (or challenge) for a while now. I am planning on taking this on at the beginning of the New Year, and I plan on encouraging others to do it with me. I want people to experience God's Word on a powerful, profound and amazing way. I have found in the past (especially this time through) that the Bible has become my book of choice and have left all other books for some time now, desiring only to read the Bible. It's truly amazing to read and I look forward to adding a new dimension and aspect toy reading; choosing to challenge myself in a new way as I learn from and experience God and His word in new ways. It's truly remarkable how He shows readers something new, new depth, new insight every time we open our Bibles to read them. Thank you so much for the tips and advice and the encouragement you have offered and given. God bless!
    Rev. Jason

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  21. Thanks for the tips! I got behind on my 'bible in a year' so I google and your post came up. I'm using your advice to catch up. The main thing I got is that I need to focus and persevere! Blessings on you my sister in Christ!

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