Starting Strong

Starting Strong

Okay guys, we are still in the getting started stage. But it’s getting close. What we do from now until February 1st is VITAL to our success on this journey. No joke. It’s almost game time and we need to be ready. We have a real enemy that does NOT want us to be reading God’s word everyday! So we must be prepared with the right tools to fight him off and stay strong in this.What do we need to start strong? How can we be prepared? Here’s the list. Here’s the battle plan:

1. Decide on a consistent TIME that you will be reading the bible daily.
2. Decide on a consistent PLACE where you will be reading the bible daily.
3. Pray. Ask God now and daily to open your eyes to the truth of His word. -To help you understand His word and to show Himself to you through what you read.
4. Have an ESV or NIV STUDY Bible.
5. Have Bible highlighters
6. Have a journal
7. Print out your bookmarks
8. Set up your place

I have a spot at my kitchen table where I sit at every morning around 5:45 a.m. I keep my things on the kitchen bench next to the table, and every morning I grab my stack (Bible, journal and highlighters) from the bench, put it on the table, ask God to open my eyes and ears and speak to me clearly, and then I open it up and read. As I read, I underline and highlight different things. I highlight verses that are good truths and really move me. I highlight words that are repeated. I highlight connections I see between words or phrases or concepts. I underline and circle meaningful words. I often write small prayers like “Yes, God, help me remember this always!” I write notes when I understand something new or see a connection somewhere. When I’m done with my reading, I spend some time praying. Sometimes I write my prayers in my journal. Sometimes I pray in my head as I sit in the same spot where I read. And sometimes, on rushed mornings, I pray in the shower. That is what my designated time and place looks like. Your’s might be completely different. Decide what you think would work best for you. Maybe evenings when the rest of your household is asleep. Maybe afternoon nap time. Maybe lunch break at work. Or in the car waiting for your kids at pickup. Maybe it’s your recliner or your bed or your closet. Wherever it is and whenever it is, decide now and make that your daily habit. If you stick to that consistent time in the beginning you will develop a habit, and it will get much easier for you to continue this in the rounds to come.

Book Intro’s

There are 66 different books that make up the Bible. They are written by different authors at different time periods for different reasons. It is really important to have some background knowledge on a book before we start to read it. Therefore, we’ll do a “Book Intro” before we dive into each book. This will include writing down some brief and basic information about the book. This is one of the reasons why having a study bible is so important and helpful. In a study bible this information is included in the first few pages of the book. So we’ll skim those pages and write down the main points we are looking for. You can decide how you want to jot this information down. Two ideas are: print out the Book Intro Form linked on this page and make enough copies of it for each book. You could have a folder and keep all of your book intros in that folder. Another idea is to write the information down in your journal. The process of writing it down is important, as it is another way for it to really sink in your head and memory and help you with new understandings and connections down the road. So I urge you not to skip this part! It will help your understanding of the Bible as a whole book and it really doesn’t take that long.

(Click on link for Book Intro)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F9WJXWaf4YEU-mlj1hJVQR0RLTOuYaL0FdsSg90frug/pub

In the next few days I’ll be posting some more articles to help us get ready. This will include: HOW do I read the Bible by myself? Important things to remember when reading the Bible, and some background information on the book as a whole. Stay tuned as we prepare strongly so we can start and finish strongly!

1 Corinthians 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.