Read thru the Bible in one year 2023
Read through the Bible in a Year
Follow this plan to read the entire Bible in a year
2023 Daily Walk Reading Schedule
Read through the Bible in 2023 with us!
Set Your Heart
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Colossians 3:1
IN WORD
Perspective is a funny thing. Everyone has one, but few of us are conscious of the specifics and limitations of our own. We notice how easily the perspectives of others are skewed, but we live from ours quite naturally. It shapes everything we think, say, and do.
If a perspective can be that influential in our lives, we certainly want the best one. We want right instead of wrong, broad instead of narrow, helpful instead of harmful. In other words, we want something beyond our finite, faulty point of view. We want to see from a much higher vantage point and aim for much higher goals. We want to live from a better, truer, higher, deeper realm.
We can. As citizens of the realm of God, we are called to invest our hearts fully in His Kingdom. Everything in us—emotions, thought, attitudes, perspectives, everything—is meant to thrive in the environment of heaven rather than falter in the environment of a broken world. We are to see all of life as though we are living above, with Jesus on the throne. Instead of seeing the worst in people, we see who they are (or can be) in Christ. Instead of seeing problems, we see solutions. Instead of lamenting losses, we leverage them for gain. We are seated with Christ on the throne (Ephesians 2:6). We might as well live as if it’s true.
IN DEED
Like all human beings, you have been well-trained to live from a thoroughly human point of view. The fact that Christ is in you by faith gives you the opportunity to rise to a new perspective. You don’t have to live from a place of futility, defeat, and lamentation; you can have God’s perspective. But only if you invest your heart in whatever is above, where Jesus is, in the realm of God. You can no longer afford to set your heart on pain and brokenness, or even on any goals less than eternal, beautiful, and good. An entirely new realm is offered to you. Live in it fully.
Taken from The One Year Heaven on Earth Devotional by Chris Tiegreen available here on the Walk Thru the Bible online store.
Stick with the Main Thing
SOLOMON’S HALF HEART (1 Kings 1 to 11)
There’s only one thing worse than never starting a project, and that is when we start well and then fade away as time goes on. Solomon was a great starter and a great finisher, at least to begin with. He started and completed two massive building projects—a temple in Jerusalem fit for God, and then a palace fit for a king. Ironically, the Bible tells us that Solomon took almost twice as long to build his palace compared to the time it took to build God’s temple. By the time the temple is completed, Solomon’s reign is half over, and his focus has diminished.
Other things – like 700 wives and 300 concubines – sidetrack and distract him. Consequently, the example he sets for his children sows the seeds for a kingdom that will ultimately split.
It wasn’t that Solomon didn’t have the ability; it was simply a case of not focusing on his primary call to do the main thing.
THE MAIN THING OFTEN CHANGES DURING OUR LIFETIME as our lives develop. In the kingdom of God, the main thing prepares you for the next one God has for you. The challenge is in moving from one thing to the next in God’s timing. What is your “main thing” now? Is it education? Family? Ministry? Is it time to prune away some “distractions”? Or is it time to take a step back and refocus in order to move on? We may be multi-talented, but doing what God wants us to do is the main thing!
Part of Walk Thru the Bible’s otLIVE live event.
SEVEN STEPS TO ESCAPE TEMPTATION
40 Days of Prayer
This prayer resource is one of many powerful tools in 40 Days of Prayer.
ENGLISH: Prayer resources
SEVEN STEPS TO ESCAPE TEMPTATION
The temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 (NLT)
It is not a sin to be tempted. The Bible says Jesus was tempted just like we are, but he never sinned. God will never get angry with you when you are tempted. He wants to show you a way out. Here are seven biblical steps that will help you escape temptation.
Step 1: Get into the Word.
When Jesus was tempted, his only defense was the Word of God. He said, “It is written… It is written… It is written.” You cannot say, “It is written,” if you don’t know what is written.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
PSALM 119:11 (NIV)
Step 2: Identify your vulnerabilities.
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
MATTHEW 26:41 (NIV)
Notice that Jesus said it’s not enough just to pray. You also have to watch. Be on your guard. Ask yourself these questions:
When am I most tempted?
What day of the week? What time of day?
Where am I most tempted?
At work? At a friend’s house? At the mall? At a sports bar? Perhaps it’s in the kitchen or in front of the computer. You need to be honest with yourself and admit your area of vulnerability.
Who is with me when I’m most tempted?
Am I most tempted when I’m alone? When I’m with friends who lead me in the wrong direction? When I’m with a crowd of strangers and I think nobody would know me?
How do I feel before I’m tempted?
What is the emotional trigger? Is it frustration, exhaustion, anger, stress? Is it boredom or restlessness? Is it loneliness or self-pity?”
Step 3: Plan what you’re not going to do.
Plan carefully what you do… Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don’t go one step off the right way.
PROVERBS 4:26-27 (GNT)
Plan in advance to stay away from people, places, or circumstances that cause you to be vulnerable to temptation. If you don’t want to get stung, stay away from the bees. Plan what you’re not going to do, and then stick to your plan.
Step 4: Guard your heart.
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.
JAMES 1:14 (NLT)
Temptation is an inside job. The Devil can’t make you do anything. He can try to lure you into temptation, but your actions come from your own decisions, and your decisions reflect the condition of your heart.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
PROVERBS 4:23 (NLT)
Step 5: Pray for deliverance.
The prayer of deliverance can be boiled down to just one word: Help! When your back is against the wall, when you’re in over your head, when it seems everything and everyone is conspiring for your downfall, pray the prayer of deliverance. Call out to God for help.
God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 (NLT)
Step 6: Refocus your attention.
Whatever gets your attention gets you. The battle for sin always starts in your mind. The only way to win that battle and escape temptation is to change your focus and think about something else.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
ROMANS 12:2 (NIV)
Step 7: Find a friend.
You need a spiritual partner to live a spiritual life. If you had a trusted friend to whom you could confess your temptations, you would have fewer sins to confess to God. If you want to have that kind of friend, you must be that kind of friend.
Two are better than one because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is all alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up.
ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10 (GNT/GW)
More resources are waiting for you in 40 Days of Prayer.
AFRIKAANS: Gebedshulpbronne
SEWE STAPPE OM VERSOEKING VRY TE SPRING
Geen versoeking wat meer is as wat ’n mens kan weerstaan, het julle oorval nie. God is getrou. Hy sal nie toelaat dat julle bo julle kragte versoek word nie; as die versoeking kom, sal Hy ook die uitkoms gee, sodat julle dit kan weerstaan.
1 KORINTIËRS 10:13″
Dit is nie ‘n sonde om versoek te word nie. Die Bybel sê dat Jesus versoek is, net soos ons ook, maar Hy het nooit gesondig nie. God sal nooit kwaad word vir ons wanneer ons versoek word nie. Hy wil vir ons ‘n uitweg wys. Hier is sewe Bybelse stappe wat jou sal help om versoeking vry te spring.
Stap 1: Ken en gebruik die Woord
Toe Jesus versoek is, was Sy enigste verdediging die Woord van God. Hy het gesê: “Daar staan geskrywe… Daar staan geskrywe… Daar staan geskrywe”. Jy kan nie sê,”Daar staan geskrywe,” as jy nie weet wat daar geskryf is nie.
Aan u beloftes hou ek vas, dit weerhou my van sonde teen U.
PSALM 119:11
Stap 2: Identifiseer jou swakhede
“Waak en bid, sodat julle nie in versoeking kom nie. Die gees is gewillig, maar die vlees is swak.”
MATTEUS 26:41
Let daarop dat Jesus gesê het dit is nie genoeg om net te bid nie. Jy moet ook waak. Wees op jou hoede. Vra jouself die volgende vrae:
Wanneer word ek die meeste versoek?
Watter dag van die week? Watter tyd van die dag?
Waar kom ek die meeste in die versoeking?
By die werk? By ‘n vriend se huis? By die winkelsentrum? By ‘n sportkroeg? Miskien is dit in die kombuis of voor die rekenaar. Jy moet eerlik wees met jouself en die aard van jou swakheid en kwesbaarheid erken.
Wie is by my wanneer ek die meeste versoek word?
Kom ek meesal in die versoeking wanneer ek alleen is? Of wanneer ek saam met vriende is wat my in die verkeerde rigting lei? As ek tussen ‘n menigte vreemdelinge is en ek dink niemand sal my ken nie?
Hoe voel ek voordat ek versoek word?
Wat is die emosionele sneller? Is dit frustrasie, uitputting, woede, stres? Is dit verveeldheid of rusteloosheid? Is dit eensaamheid of selfbejammering?
Stap 3: Beplan vooraf wat jy NIE gaan doen NIE
Baken jou koers af, dan sal jy seker wees van elke tree. Moenie links of regs wegdraai nie, weerhou jou van die verkeerde koers.
SPREUKE 4:26-27
Beplan vooraf om weg te bly van mense, plekke of omstandighede wat veroorsaak dat jy kwesbaar is vir versoeking. As jy nie gesteek wil word nie, bly weg van die bye. Beplan wat jy nie gaan doen nie, en hou dan by jou plan.
Stap 4: Bewaak jou hart
Maar ’n mens word verlei deur sy eie begeertes wat hom aanlok en saamsleep.
JAKOBUS 1:14
Verleiding is ‘n gewetensaak in jou binneste. Die Duiwel kan jou niks laat doen nie. Hy kan probeer om jou in versoeking te lei, maar jou reaksie en optrede kom uit jou eie besluite, en jou besluite weerspieël die toestand van jou hart.
Wees veral versigtig met wat in jou hart omgaan, want dit bepaal jou hele lewe.
SPREUKE 4:23
Stap 5: Bid vir verlossing
Die gebed van verlossing kom neer op net een woord: Help! Wanneer jou rug teen die muur is, as jy tot oor jou kop in die moeilikheid is, as dit lyk of alles en almal saamspan om jou ondergang te bewerkstellig, bid dan die Gebed van Verlossing. Roep na God om hulp.
Geen versoeking wat meer is as wat ’n mens kan weerstaan, het julle oorval nie. God is getrou. Hy sal nie toelaat dat julle bo julle kragte versoek word nie; as die versoeking kom, sal Hy ook die uitkoms gee, sodat julle dit kan weerstaan.
1 KORINTIËRS 10:13
Stap 6: Herfokus jou aandag
Wat ookal jou aandag trek, trek jou. Die stryd teen die sonde begin altyd in jou gedagtes. Die enigste manier om daardie stryd te wen en die versoeking te ontsnap, is om jou fokus te verander en oor iets anders te dink.
Julle moenie aan hierdie sondige wêreld gelyk word nie, maar laat God julle verander deur julle denke te vernuwe. Dan sal julle ook kan onderskei wat die wil van God is, wat vir Hom goed en aanneemlik en volmaak is.
ROMEINE 12:2
Stap 7: Kry ‘n vriend
Jy benodig ‘n geestelike maat om ‘n geestelike lewe te lei. As jy ‘n betroubare vriend gehad het aan wie jy jou versoekings kon bely, sou jy minder sondes hê om aan God te bely. As jy daardie soort vriend wil hê, moet jy ook daardie soort vriend wees.
Twee vaar beter as een. Hulle inspanning kom tot iets. As die een val, kan die ander hom ophelp. Maar as een val wat alleen is, is daar niemand om hom op te help nie.
PREDIKER 4:9-10
Verdere hulpbronne wag vir jou in 40 Dae van Gebed.
The Daily Bread Principle
The Daily Bread Principle
By Chris Tiegreen
“Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3).
More than a million people had been led straight into the desert. It was clearly a deliverance, but to what? There was no food. But God had a solution. He always does. Manna, a mysterious bread from heaven, would fall to them daily. They could gather only enough for one day, no more (except on the day before Sabbath). If they gathered more, it would rot. It could not be hoarded. They would just have to trust, at the end of each day, that the manna would come again on the next day. They would just have to believe God for tomorrow. “This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow My instructions,” God said (Exodus 16:4).
Saving up is not an option for us, either. Yes, we can buy a week’s worth of groceries at a time, but that’s not what Jesus is talking about. True bread, heavenly bread, is given on a day-by-day basis. We cannot pray or worship enough for the whole week on Sunday. The directions we got yesterday won’t apply today. We cannot tithe the first portion of our paychecks and think that our sacrifice is done for the month. The daily bread principle is unalterable. You can’t store up the things you need from God. You have to keep coming back for them, keep trusting Him for them, day after day after day.
“You will never need more than God can supply.”
– J. I. Packer
Why is this so? Because God insists—absolutely insists—that we have a relationship with Him. Relationships must be maintained. He knows well that if He gives us our supplies for a week or a month we will only seek Him once a week or once a month. The temptation is great to gather in all that we can today—physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. But the daily bread principle is always at work, in all areas. There is no loving trust when there’s a full storeroom.
Just as our loved ones are not content with one “I love you” for the year, God is not content with a periodic appearance before Him. Manna doesn’t work that way, and neither do relationships. Ask for daily bread in every area of life. And come back again tomorrow.
For a Deeper Walk, read Exodus 16:13-19 and Luke 11:1-10.
Are You Stuck in Your Bible Reading?
Are You Stuck in Your Bible Reading?
Getting stuck is easy. Getting unstuck is often painfully hard.
This is true in many areas of our human experience. We can get stuck on our weight loss journey, and it takes difficult and intentional decisions to get back on track again. We can get stuck in our careers, which might require a big, scary move to keep us pursuing our professional goals. We can get stuck on our financial goals—an unexpected expense happens, or it’s time for a vacation, or we get downsized—and then we have painful decisions to make.
Stuck-ness can happen in every aspect of life, from fitness to finances to faith. It is not hard to get stuck in our thinking, habits, and day-to-day-ness. It doesn’t take much effort or even awareness to get stuck.
Sometimes, we can get even stuck in our Bible reading.
Many of us kick off the new year with a renewed commitment to read through the Bible. We get through Genesis and Exodus (fascinating books, by the way!). And then, something happens. Busyness. Laziness. Loss of motivation. Or maybe we get to some of the more challenging books in the Old Testament, and before long, that daily Bible reading drifts into something sporadic or even non-existent. Sometimes schedules change, vacations happen, work projects get challenging, the kids are home from school for the summer. All of these things and more can disrupt our Bible reading habits.
Is that Bible reading app taunting you with notifications of days missed? Is that printed reading schedule catching your eye to remind you how long it’s been?
Regardless of why we are stuck or how long it’s been, we can get unstuck. Here are some simple strategies to help us get back into reading God’s Word.
Let go of guilt
If you are list-maker like I am, it doesn’t take long to spiral into feelings of guilt when we miss a few deadlines. That guilt keeps us stuck—stuck in our regrets, stuck in missed opportunities, stuck in shame.
If you are feeling guilty about falling behind in your Bible reading, please hear this: forgive yourself! While that nagging guilt may have created the spark of desire to reengage in reading the Bible, the devil wants to pile up that guilt to squelch your good intentions.
God still wants to meet you through His Word. While we may have set the Bible aside for a minute, it is still alive and ready to speak to you. Let go of guilt and jump back in.
Change things up
Recently, I was helping my oldest son get his truck out of the mud. That truck was really stuck—wheels spinning, mud flying, the works. We winched and we pulled with very little success. After some time, I realized that what we were doing simply wasn’t going to get the truck unstuck no matter how hard we tried. So, we shifted our strategy, and before long, he was back on the road.
The often-repeated adage attributed to Albert Einstein is right: insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get a different result. When we get stuck in our Bible reading, changing things up may create the momentum we need to get us moving again.
If you have been reading the Bible in the morning and your schedule now makes that more difficult, try adjusting your Bible reading to lunchtime or before bed. Instead of reading the Bible, try listening to the Bible on your commute or as you drive kids around to activities. If you’ve been reading it on your phone or tablet, try reading in a printed Bible.
There is not a perfect formula to reading the Bible. Changing our approach can help us see things with new eyes and experience the beauty of the Bible in surprising and unexpected ways.
Venture off the plan
Bible reading plans are extremely helpful. They can help keep us disciplined in our Bible reading and on pace to read through the Bible over a defined period of time.
Yet, if we fall behind, these plans can lead to getting very stuck in our Bible reading. It is easy to believe that we will never catch up without reading chapters upon chapters everyday, which seems impossible. We start on a downward spiral of stuck-ness and guilt.
If you’ve fallen off your Bible reading plan and feel like you can never catch up again, don’t give up. Instead, venture off the plan. Pick up your Bible and start reading in a completely new spot. Give yourself a week to read through the Gospel of John, or read the letter from James from beginning to end at one time, or commit to reading one chapter a day from Proverbs for a month.
Set the plan aside and just jump back in somewhere to reading your Bible. Remember, there is no perfect formula or only a single way to read the Bible. As someone who has some experience with getting stuck, I can tell you that just getting started can make all the difference!
Return to something familiar
Sometimes we get stuck in our Bible reading because our Bible reading plan or schedule has us reading in more difficult sections of the Bible. More than a few would-be Bible readers started the new year with every intention to read through the Bible but got lost in Leviticus. Their best-laid plans died off with the Israelites wandering in the wilderness.
There is tremendous value in reading the Bible from beginning to end to understand the grand storyline of God’s redemptive story. But if you are really struggling with the portion of Scripture that you’re reading, take a break and read something familiar, like a Psalm. Sure, it may take you a little longer to read Leviticus or make your way through Revelation, but it would be better to take a break and read something familiar than to get completely stuck—and give up—in your Bible reading.
Look for ways to get caught up on your reading schedule
If you have fallen behind on your reading schedule and want to get caught up, it is possible. You may have to get creative, but most of us can find simple ways to find reading time. In addition to your normal Bible reading habits, try listening to the Bible. Cut out a little bit of TV time or social media scrolling. Wake up 15 minutes early. Read your Bible while you eat lunch. Simple, intentional decisions like these will help you find time to read more of the Bible during the day and get caught up on your reading schedule.
Most read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year schedules require 15-20 minutes of Bible reading a day. So even if you are an entire month behind, if you can find an extra 15 minutes a day for only a few weeks you can easily get caught up and back on schedule. Getting stuck doesn’t mean that you can’t get back on track.
Go big rather than bite-sized
A lot of our Bible reading is in small, bite-sized bits. Many Bible readers tend to consume the Bible in small sections at a time, such as a chapter, a few verses, or maybe just a verse of the day.
One of the best things you can do to jumpstart a renewed passion for Bible reading is to read big sections of the Bible. Think about reading an entire book of the Bible at one time, or at least large sections of longer books. Reading big sections of the Bible, as opposed to small bits, helps us see the big story, catch themes that are woven throughout the Bible, understand the broader context, and position ourselves to let God’s Word to speak to us on its own terms.
Want to get unstuck in your Bible reading? Set aside one day a week to invest a longer period of time to go big in your Bible reading. Keep reading all week, but then on Saturday morning you can invest the time to read an entire book of the Bible at one sitting. It will change how you engage with the Bible and how the Bible speaks to you.
Let’s get unstuck
Regardless of why or how long you’ve been stuck in your Bible reading, I want you know there is hope. Don’t give up! Make the decision today to take an intentional step to get back into the Word. And while we may have left the Bible sitting unread, it will always welcome us back—because it is living and active. Its pages still contain the very words of God, who wants to speak life and love and hope and truth into your life.
Is it time to get unstuck? Then get your Bible and jump right in!
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by Michael Gunnin, Walk Thru the Bible’s Chief Growth Officer