The 1-Month Bible Challenge - Why You Can and Should Do it!

Recently, I challenged myself to read the Bible in one month, and just finished after 27 days.  It's really been a powerful experience and I just felt led to share about it through this blog entry and to inspire others who may want to do the same, especially if you feel distant from God and you can't remember the last time you had an encounter with God through your devotional life, and especially the Scriptures.

INSPIRATION

This past summer, I've just been on a tear reading books on Christian ministry, theology, psychology, and any other book that would be useful for ministry.  I would say I've almost averaged reading a book a week!  It's been a blessing accumulating the many ideas, viewpoints people have towards the Kingdom, as well as life in general.  However, I began to get convicted when I realized that for all the hours I devoted to reading, I spent minimal time in the Word of God itself.  I began to realize that reading, for all of it's help slowly became a quiet idol in my life and I felt convicted by the Lord to let it go for a month and just read the Bible.

I was inspired in particular by a Pastor in Indonesia named Philip Mantofa, who God is using to do  some crazy things.  I read his autobiography a while back called "Warrior for Revival", and in his book he shared that as he traveled around to different villages, preaching and evangelizing, he would carry only 2 things: his Bible and toothbrush.  His Bible was actually carried in a Bible case where he would put his toothbrush, in addition to being his pillow when he slept at night.  Furthermore, it was common for him to read the Word of God MULTIPLE times throughout the year.  On that note itself I was pretty convicted as I realized I struggled to get through the entire Bible even once a year.  Pastor Philip also shared that there was a season in his life where he wanted to put aside the Bible to read other Christian books on ministry as his peers in ministry were doing.  Philip thought he was "missing out" on the latest wisdom and strategies for doing effective ministry if he were to just stick with the Word.  So, he made a deal with God where he would put the Bible into a locked drawer and  for one year he would read Christian books.  Long story short- he went back to get something in the locker, and found his Bible DRIPPING WET with OIL.  He was confused by this and checked if maybe his anointing oil somehow got caught up with his Bible.  Nope.  He dried the Bible, locked it again.  Checked back the next day- the Bible was again dripping wet with oil.  And then the fear of God came over him as God spoke to him saying that although others would read books, God instructed Philip that his anointing and power would flow as he read the Word.

Needless to say, his example and story always struck me- and I felt that in the current season, I too wanted to embark and consecrate myself to just reading the Word.  I even challenged myself to finish reading the Bible in 1 month.

THE EXPERIENCE

On September 1st, 2017, I started this "1 month Bible challenge".  On my first day I wanted to see how far I could read into the Bible in 1 hour.  Genesis 25.  I summarily concluded that it is impossible to read the Bible in one day, lol.  But what I noticed already- from reading the amount of Scripture that I had, that there was already a difference and my Spirit was quickened!  I ended up being able to finish the Bible in 27 days.  This included 5 days where I traveled to a different country for ministry, so I think it's definitely doable!

Here are some observations from this past month!

• You can hear God.  You just need to read more.  So many times we complain that we cannot hear God's voice and our devotionals are dead and a burden.  I've felt that way at times, especially when I read the typical "2-3 chapters a day"and it can be done in a very methodological, religious way.  Furthermore, it's difficult to hear the Lord from just reading a few chapters.  Although I certainly believe in seasons of intense Bible study, logically the fact remains that when you read so little you're only opening a small window for God to speak into your life.  However, when you are reading hour-long 25 chapter chunks, let me make a guarantee- there is NO WAY you can escape the voice of God.  Not with that big of a window for His Word to make landfall upon your heart! In fact, in my experience I can say that you will get so much of God in you that you will be short-circuiting!  I find that after I devote myself to reading the Word for at least an hour before my time of prayer, my notebook is filled with scriptures, and I have more than enough to engage with the Lord in a fruitful and lively manner.

• "The Word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart" - Romans 10:8.   When you devote yourself to reading the entirety of Scripture in a relatively short amount of time, you realize how "near" you feel to the Word of God.  When I listen to podcasts of other preachers and they exposit the passages, you get the feeling, "Oh yea, I just read that literally the other day".  It's an interesting and empowering feeling when you have access to the depths and riches of the WHOLE counsel of the Word of God and it's so fresh on your memory.  Especially if you've read from Genesis to Revelation in a few weeks.  Which leads me to my next point.  

• The Bible just makes more sense as a story.  Sometimes it's easy to fall into the trend of reading the Bible in a very discombobulated way where we don't even know where we're at in the whole narrative of scripture!  This is compounded by the reality that devotional times are sporadic, intermittent and not daily.  Imagine watching a movie but watching bits and pieces of that movie at a time, and not even watching the movie every day but just occasionally or worse, rarely.  I'm sure that with all the other stimuli we're bombarded with daily, when we return to that movie, we'd be lost in regards to the relevance of the particular scene we're on and where it fits in with the narrative of the movie.  By then, we'd probably want to give up watching the movie altogether.  I feel that it's very much the same way we approach reading the Word.  We read bits and pieces.  Random books.  Not understanding how things fit in.  No wonder that we find it "boring" or "frustrating"!  Perhaps we're not approaching the Word in the right way that we should!  When you devote yourself to the Word and read at length, big chunks at a time- the Bible just makes more sense.  The stories come alive in a richer and fuller way than just taking bits.  The Bible actually becomes more enjoyable to read. And after the hour of reading, I can guarantee that you'll want to read on.

• Increased intimacy with God and His heart.  The opening words of the book of John teach us that "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God".  When you spend extended time in the Word, you are actually spending time with Jesus.  It's hard to not feel intimate with the things of God when you've spent so much time washing your heart, mind, emotions, and soul in the Word.  

• More questions, curiosity about the Word!  I've been a believer for some time now, got my seminary degree at a well accredited seminary- and I must confess that there are still passages in the Word that boggle me!  In the past, through the throes of ritual reading, I'd overlook certain passages.  But doing this, I actually felt deeper motivation to try to truly understand every, single, word, and passage in the Bible.  I would look up maps and chart the journeys of the Israelites through the desert, the missionary journeys of Paul. (youtube has been a great resource where with a bit of discernment, you can come across some good stuff) I would refer to commentaries, to truly understand the Bible and it's been awesome and I can say that I've learned so much- and I say this as a seminary grad.  

• More anointing, authority and unction in ministry!  As I began to devour the Word, I couldn't help but for the Word to just "vomit" out of me during preaching and ministry.  I used to think that unless I wrote scripture down, it would go in one ear, out the other- but I haven't found that to be the case.  Depending on circumstance, I can only attribute it to Holy Spirit that He would bring to mind certain scriptures which would come forth in ad hoc preaching, counseling and other aspects of ministry.  It's no wonder that God tells Joshua in Joshua 1:8- "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful ".  God declares that much of Joshua's ministry success would hinge on whether he would not let the Word depart from his mouth, but meditate on it DAY and NIGHT.  I can also testify that God released much wisdom, knowledge into my spirit in regards to ministry leadership that I could not get from reading other books.  I've truly learned that the Bible is all sufficient for ministry as Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work".  

SOME TIPS & ENCOURAGEMENTS

Perhaps by now you're inspired to try the 1-month Bible Challenge yourself.  Here are some tips to help you down the road. 

• Read from a book!  I find it hard to believe that your eyes will not burn with eye-sore if we read from our phones, tablets.  I think for something as this, it makes more sense and it's more enjoyable to read from a physical Bible itself!  

• Prepare to detox from media for a month.  For the 1 month Bible challenge, I think it's doable if anyone devotes an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to read the Word.  That means- in the evening, we will need to put aside the Netflix, youtube shows, whatever form of entertainment we ordinarily escape to.  If you're anything like me, you simply cannot afford to have those things in your life and expect to have time to read the Word in 1 month!  That means that the Bible will need to be your Netflix.  Yes.  It may be tough initially, especially if we're hooked on a show- but I guarantee that after a week or so, we'll lose enough interest to want to be more tethered to His Word.

• This will help you be more disciplined.  If you want to finish the Word in one month, discipline is the way to do it!  You will have to take the time, depending on your schedule to wake up earlier to read the Word, or devote more time in the evening after work.  Or even read it during your commute in a regular disciplined way.

• Set goals.  Determine that within the next week, you will finish the first 5 books of the Bible (the Pentateuch- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) and so on and so on.  Afterwards, you'll make it through the next few books, and so on until you are knocking down books of the Word.  I've found that it helped to set goals as I trekked through the landscape of the Bible, not unlike climbing a mountain and making goals to make it to certain basecamps.    

• Getting through the Mosaic law, tabernacle, temple descriptions was probably the most difficult part.  There are about some 613 laws, and as you read through it, you will definitely get overwhelmed at how many laws there are.  You think you're done...and then there's more.  Makes you glad for Jesus (who fulfilled much of the dietary, hygienic requirements through His ultimate sacrifice) seriously!  The law truly brings only wrath (Romans) because it's so hard to fulfill and if you slip up you're punished.  But the Spirit gives life through Jesus.  Anyways,  power through the laws, measurements, interesting names, censuses, and you will come to a deeper fear and reverence for the Lord and Holiness.  As difficult as it was, God communicated to me so much through the law as I was going through it.  

• You can take the time to write down scriptures in your journal, and still finish the Bible in one month.  Let's face it.  There are portions of scripture that you just cannot rush through because they're so rich in revelation and in the beauty of Christ.  I felt that way about Psalms, Isaiah, the Gospels where I would read...then put down the Bible and jot some things down in my notebook, read...and then write, read and then write.  I think that's great and I want to encourage you that you will have the time and opportunity to do that and not just race through the passages.

• Use resources to help you understand the Word.  Realize that we live in a time of day, where we have so many wonderful resources at our finger tips online.  I've benefitted from the internet in this regard.  Seriously, there's really no excuses in trying to understand the Word.  Like with many things this day in age, because of the information revolution, you can be greatly knowledgeable about anything that you set your heart on.  One commentary that I use is the Enduring Word commentary.  David Gudzik is a great teacher and he compiles many perspectives in providing a strong commentary for the entire Bible.  I've found it to be a helpful companion as I journeyed through the Word.  

• FINISH STRONG.  By the time you come to the letters, you realize, "Oh my goodness, I'm about to finish the Bible".  Yet the finish line will seem so distant.  Some of the letters can be very hard to read and understand.  My encouragement to you if you've been able to make it that far, is to FINISH STRONG and keep moving one step forward.  You will cross the finish line!  

IN CONCLUSION

In conclusion, if you would devote a month to going to the Word not just for your daily bread, but for the delighting of our heart and that Christ would truly be your all in all (Romans 10:12) I can make the promise that it will change the way you see life.  It will cause us to soberly assess how much time we waste on things that have no eternal recourse, and it will bring us to the greatest freedom of all- realizing that Jesus is enough and He alone truly satisfies.

I am thankful for the Word of God and how powerful it is- moving forward, I actually hope to do this more this year with different translations of the Bible each time.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep to that commitment, but at the very least I'll realize it's not that big of a deal to read the entire Word, and I can certainly do more than just a few chapters if I devote more time to His Word.  The blessings completely outweigh the costs!