8 Ways to Stay on Track with Your Bible Reading Plan

Hey Crowned Creative! I am too thrilled to begin a new year with a new bible reading plan! Last year I was read the Bible Recap and finished the entire Bible in a year! This was my second time finishing the Bible and I am so elated!

I have experienced this before: a new year, a new reading plan. I understand the preparation and excitement that accompanies the journey. I also understand the feeling of failure if the plan is not executed exactly the way it was envisioned. There is a strategy for staying motivated and encouraged through the process. Here are 8 ways to stay on top of your goal of completing your plan:

1. Stay focused on the goal. Often times you start a bible reading plan, read through it quickly and then just check off the task on your to-do list. That is not the purpose of the goal. You are supposed to be learning more about and drawing closer to God. Check that off the list instead!
2. Stay connected. God did many things in the bible in pairs! The message: don’t do it alone! Get with a partner, friends or online group  or others who are reading the same plan. Get together electronically or meet up to break bread; discuss what you are reading for additional encouragement or as a just check in.
3. Stay flexible. So you have read the King James Version for years… that doesn’t mean that you have to read the bible for understanding in the same way. Reading other versions or listening to an audio version is a great way to add variety and another level of understanding to your study.
4. Stay approved. The bible says to study to show yourself approved… the key is to study. You will experience days where you have plenty of time to read and you may even read ahead of the plan. However, there may also be days where you cannot fathom opening any book. If you miss a day (or two) be encouraged to keep up with God, not with a deadline.
5. Stay creative. Finding a unique way to track your progress. Bible journaling or illustrating in your bible is a creative way to study. Even if you cannot do this daily, don’t leave it out of your study time. 
6. Stay loaded with resources. You may become discouraged if you are reading and not understanding what you are reading. Pray before beginning and arm yourself with useful tools, like bible study devotionals and guides, podcasts, the internet and concordances.
7. Celebrate milestones. When my accountability partner, Joanna, and I got through six months of reading the Bible together, we went live on Instagram and celebrated! Leading up to this occasion, we celebrated privately every time we finished a book of the Bible or even a day on the Bible app. Celebrate the small wins which lead to large victories!
8. Stay pumped. The bible says to seek the Lord with all of your heart. Your heart should be pumping for God, but this does not mean that everyday will be a day without tribulation. Even on the days when you are not feeling your best, move forward with the reading plan and watch God answer the silent and spoken prayers of your heart!

Now that you know my strategy, what will you do differently or try this year to keep yourself focused and motivated? Comment below!

xo,

*Note: This blog post was originally published in 2018. It was revised, updated and republished in 2023. Since the time of this post, LaQuisha and Joanna finished reading the Bible together in one year.