7 Ways To {Really} Stick A Daily Bible Habit

7 Ways To {Really} Stick A Daily Bible Habit

February 27

~ Today’s Scripture Art and mini Bible study were designed to help you learn how to stick a daily Bible habit – for good. ~

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This is not going to be your typical “Tips for a Daily Bible Habit” post. I usually like practical tips, but frankly the tips aren’t working.

Did you know that consistent Bible study is a chronic issue among Christians?

Is it an issue for you?

After a little digging, I found out that even though Christians say the Bible is God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16), only a third of Protestant churchgoers read it every day.

Not even half.

So that makes me wonder: If you are in the ⅔ group, do you want to read God’s Word every day and just haven’t been able to make it happen yet?

Please say yes.

And keep reading. This post is for you.

Acts 17:11 Scripture Art — *Shop this ^ printable HERE.

We can’t just sit by and let our Bible habits flounder. It’s too important.

Think about it.

If you could have lunch with God Himself – the One who knows everything (1 John 3:20), would you pass up that opportunity to hear what He has to say?

Would you meet Him everyday if He asked you to?

Well, when you put it that way …

Why haven’t we been putting it that way? Why are we not taking advantage of THE Word of God?

I will venture to guess that we might not *get* the magnitude of what we have.

And even if we do get the magnitude, we might need to learn some new skills to actually make a new daily Bible habit stick.

I have learned that it’s not as easy as repeating it 21 times.

I did some digging on habits, and the science is fascinating.

It’s no surprise that God made us complicated beings.

I want to share with you some of the interesting things I found about habits. I am not an expert by any means, but I discovered that we can ALL improve our Bible habits by knowing where to place (and not place) our focus.

If you are interested in researching habits for yourself, the most practical and actionable book I read was Atomic Habits by James Clear. It is not a Christian book, but you can always do what I did, which was read it with Bible habits specifically in mind.

See the list of ALL my Book Reviews

James Clear says, “There are only effective habits. That is, effective at solving problems. All habits serve you in some way – even the bad ones – which is why you repeat them.”

One thing I know for sure, from personal experience, is that a daily Bible habit will serve you well – and in fact, change your life.

So let’s take a deeper look …

7 Ways To {Really} Stick A Daily Bible Habit

1} Focus On Who You Want to Become

Good habits can make rational sense, but if they conflict with your identity, you will not stick with it.

This one is #1 for a reason. Read that ^ again.

It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants to read the Bible every day.

It’s something very different to believe you are a friend of God, who happens to love spending time with Him everyday.

Jesus said …

John 15:15 (ESV): No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

And where does He make it known to us? In His Word!

The more time we spend in Scripture, the more we come to know and believe our new identity in Christ.

The ultimate motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.

2} Focus On Freedom

Some people think that building a Bible study habit is not a good idea because you’ll end up being legalistic and just go through the motions. They think they need variety and spontaneity to keep it genuine.

In reality, the opposite is true.

James Clear explains, “Habits do not restrict freedom. They create it. In fact, the people who don’t have their habits handled are often the ones with the least amount of freedom. If you’re always being forced to make decisions about simple tasks – when should I work out, where do I go to write, when do I pay the bills – then you have less time for freedom. Conversely, when you have your habits dialed in and the basics of life are handled and done, your mind is free to focus on new challenges.”

To put that quote into Bible habit terms … When your Bible habit is dialed in, your mind is free to focus on learning and listening and worshiping. Your mind won’t have to dart around figuring out what chapter to read or where you left your pen.

And guess what? God’s Word is freedom …

James 1:25 (CSB): But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works – this person will be blessed in what he does.

Looking intently into God’s Word (aka a daily Bible habit) brings freedom and blessing.

3} Focus On the Process Instead of the Goal

What does the Bible have to say about Bible habits?

More than you would think, actually. But let’s start with these three verses …

Acts 17:11 (NASB): Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

Joshua 1:8 (ESV): This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Psalm 1:2 (ESV): But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Do you see any benefits from being in God’s Word?

Noble-minded
Prosperous
Success
Delight

Pretty good goals, yes? Ok. Then what process did the verses say to take to get there?

Examine the Scriptures daily.

The process is the key to the goal. And that’s good news, because it’s easier to implement a specific process than a big ambiguous goal.

4} Focus On the Discipline Before the Desire

Let’s not forget what we already learned in this post: How To Enjoy The Bible.

We learned to “eat” the Words first.

Then they will become a joy and a delight.

Jeremiah 15:16 (ESV): Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.

The Word will bring rejoicing in my heart.

Psalm 19:8 (NLT): The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.

The studying comes first.

The desire to study – the enjoyment – comes second.

Focus on the discipline so the desire will develop. It sounds backwards, but I dare you to try it!

5} Focus On Clarity Instead of Motivation

When lack of motivation is a struggle, try being ultra-clear by giving your daily Bible habit some specifics – like time and space.

The best way to choose a time is to attach your new habit to another already-established habit. For example, you can read your Bible every morning right after you make coffee, or perhaps right before you eat lunch. Don’t let yourself eat until you read it! {grin}

Your cue should have the same frequency as your desired habit.

Also, establish a dedicated spot that you can use every day. Keep in mind that habits can be easier to change in a new environment. If the place you’ve been doing Bible study hasn’t been helping it stick, try going to a new place to create a new routine. But, make sure your new spot is within sight. Walking by an open Bible is a very effective trigger.

Proverbs 4:20-22 (ESV): My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

Being clear on both the time and the place will raise your rate of success since your effort will be easier. If it’s easier, you are more apt to follow through.

I read about a foundational principle in physics called the Law of Least Effort, which states that when deciding between two similar options, people will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.

James Clear compares trying to pump up motivation to trying to force water through a bent hose. You can do it, but it requires a lot of effort, so you may not stick with it for long. But if you make your habits simple and easy, it will be like removing the bend in the hose.

The reason behind making it easy is not to give in to our natural laziness, but to promote success in a habit that will payoff in the long run.

6} Focus On Tracking

Keeping track of your Bible habit is an important step in making your new daily habit stick. Habit tracking works because it simultaneously makes a behavior obvious, attractive, and satisfying.

A written habit tracker is simply a series of visual cues that signal forward movement, which motivates you to continue.

If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know that I keep track of my daily Bible habit by choosing one verse from my daily reading to write in my Verse Journal. No boring checklist for me! {grin}

Scripture Writing Journal — *This daily habit tracker works for me – I can’t bear to leave any section blank!*

7} Focus On Others

Many times we don’t tell anyone our goal because that way we won’t be embarrassed if we don’t make it. But let’s be honest, if you really want to make something stick, accountability is a powerful motivation.

Yep. Good ‘ol peer pressure. It works.

It works because we naturally care about the opinions of others.

So tell someone about the new daily Bible habit you are beginning – and ask them to keep you accountable.

If you need serious accountability and want to keep a habit log by writing a verse a day, you can join our Scripture Writing Accountability Support Group here.

It’s not going to be easy to make this new habit stick, so we have to pull out the big guns. Tell others to help you! And join you!

If you’re truly determined, you won’t keep it a secret.

We know how how valuable spending time with the Lord in His Word every single day will be, and we won’t pretend for a second that it won’t be hard work.

But it is do-able if we focus on the right things!

2 Timothy 3:14-15 (ESV): But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.