The first step to hearing from God is setting a time and place to meet with God on a daily basis. The second step to hear from God is having a daily plan for Bible reading.

We know that the Bible is the inspired Word of God because of the way that it came together (2 Peter 1:20-21), because it has withstood repeated attempts by kings and kingdoms to discredit or destroy it, and because of the way that it transforms the lives of its readers. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, “The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point . . .”

To get the most out of the Bible, we need to: 1) Hear the Bible regularly from gifted teachers (2 Timothy 1:13), 2) Read the Bible daily (1 Timothy 4:13), 3) Study the Bible deeply (1 Timothy 2:15, Acts 17:11), 4) Meditate on the truths found in God’s Word (1 Timothy 4:15, Psalm 1:1-3), and 5) Live out God’s Word in our lives (Matthew 7:24-27, John 8:31, James 1:22).

Jesus said that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Therefore, every day we need to digest and “dine” on God’s Word by reading it. My daily Bible reading plan is to follow the One Year Bible plan. Every day I read a selected portion from the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Psalms, and the Book of Proverbs. This One Year Bible Plan enables me to read through the entire Bible in one year in a reasonable fashion. You can either buy a One Year Bible, you can look up the plan on the internet, or you can get it from the Celebration Church website or bulletins.

Every day early in the morning I begin to read the selected passages for that day from the One Year Bible. Before I read, I pray and ask the Lord to speak to me from His Word, As I read, I’m looking for a verse or several verses to “leap out at me” and speak to me about a circumstance or situation that is going on in my life, in or in the life of someone else I know. Invariably I come across those verses that really encourage me, challenge me, strengthen me, and this lets me know that God is speaking to me for myself, my family, for our church, or for others.

Oftentimes I will write down or type out those verses, and meditate on them all day long, seeking to understand fully what the Lord is saying to me through His Word. Doing so helps me to remember the verses, and really begin to apply them to my life.

Sometimes people say to me, “I never hear from the Lord.” My response is, “Open your Bible and begin to read it consistently, and the Lord will speak to you in personal, poignant and powerful ways.” Just try reading the Bible on a daily basis in an organized way. You will be amazed at how often and powerfully the Lord will communicate His will and way for your life.

What plan do you utilize for daily Bible reading, and how has reading God’s Word daily impacted your life? I look forward to reading your responses.