How to Succeed at Reading Your Entire Bible (Even if You’ve Tried & Failed in the Past!)

***Article updated with new information and fresh links on 10/25/2019. Some affiliate links are used in this post. Thanks for helping to support this site!***

“I knew I never wanted to arrive in Heaven, knowing God had given me those words, and have to admit I had never read all of them.”-Monica Wilkinson

Have you ever started reading your Bible in January with gusto, then fallen off the bandwagon three weeks in? Me too! After starting and stopping since I was a young teen, I finally read my Bible all the way through for the first time in 2016.

I don’t share my Bible reading successes (after many failed attempts!) to brag, but to help you see that even if you’ve tried and failed many times, you can successfully read God’s entire Word, too!

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.'” Isaiah 52:7, ESV

How beautiful to know that our God reigns and to be able to read every wonderful Word that He had written for us! If you’re wishing that Bible reading felt simpler or more obtainable, then I think you’re going to feel encouraged by the resources and tips I’m about to share with you!

Resources To Help You Read Your Bible

1) FREE Bible Reading Record Keeper

I made a record keeper to use the first time I read the Bible all the way through in 2016. I was very Type B about it, and had no plan whatsoever other than knowing I wanted to read the entire Bible and that I wanted a way to keep track of what I’d already read.

This record keeper was perfect for me, because it let me jump around all over the place, then very quickly and easily record what I’d read, plus I was never behind, no matter what. I loved getting to read whatever book of the Bible struck my fancy at any given moment!

You can go here for a FREE download of the exact Bible Reading Record Keeper that I used.

2) FREE Bible Reading Calendar

My family used a Bible Reading Calendar as a guide in 2017 and it’s a great, simple plan for reading the Bible from Genesis through Revelation.

We got derailed a few times, so it took us 15 months to complete the 12-month plan, but having a guide and a goal to keep striving towards was incredibly helpful and motivating!

{Psst… want your own FREE current Bible Reading Calendar? 2020 calendars are currently available (as of 10/25/19)! Submit your request and mailing address to Davonne@DavonneParks.com. My church creates a new one every single year and I’ll be thrilled to send one your way, while supplies last!}

3) Chronological Bible

I read this Chronological Bible on my own personal reading time for 2018. I love that it’s a Week 1, Day 1 format instead of Jan. 1, Jan. 2, etc. because you can start any time in the year, and if you miss a day then it’s no big deal!

I really enjoyed reading the Bible in a new-to-me way, and seeing how the dates and events fit together chronologically without having to flip back and forth in my regular Bible. I can just open and go. Simple!

It took me nearly 16 months to finish this 1-year Bible and that’s okay! The idea is to continue making forward progress, even if progress is slower than the ambitious goals we set for ourselves 🙂

4) FREE Audio Bible

My family is currently participating in a 31-day New Testament reading challenge with our church (check out my Instastory Bible Highlights for the details on how you can complete that challenge anytime!).

To make the challenge really enjoyable, I’m listening to the entire New Testament with my kids using this audio Bible. I love it because there are seven different reading voices, plus sound effects and music that aren’t annoying in any way and enhance the listening experience, and it’s the NKJV verbatim, but it sounds like we’re just listening to a really nice true story.

If you have an Audible Membership, you can use a credit to get the audio Bible FREE, or you can purchase it at a steep discount. If you don’t have an Audible account, you can sign up for a free trial to get the audio Bible (and two other books!) completely FREE, then cancel your trial.

Five stars, two thumbs up, standing ovation. Highly, highly recommend. (Listen to the free sample underneath the photo if you need more convincing!) My only complaint is that since it is story-like, they only announce when the book changes, but not chapter transitions. This helps us get lost in the story, but would also make it difficult to go back and forth between this audio Bible and a physical Bible.

If you’d like to try listening to your Bible on audio some days but don’t want to listen to the entire Bible on audio, you should be able to find a FREE Bible app on your smartphone that will read out loud to you (I use this one), you can click the little speaker at BibleGateway.com, or you can request for your church librarian to purchase an audio Bible on CD for you to borrow.

5) FREE Digging Deeper Bible Study

This isn’t a Bible reading plan, but it is just what it sounds like – a FREE Bible study that encourages people, specifically women, to dig deeper into God’s Word. My teenage daughter goes through the study guides on her own and learns so much.

I want to honor this desire in her so I pay for the new physical book each year, but you can get the PDF version of every study completely free! Even though I haven’t gone through any of the study guides, I have listened to several Digging Deeper podcast episodes while folding my laundry, getting ready for the day, etc., and have really enjoyed them!

Grab the current study, or choose your favorite, and jump right in!

You can also join the private Facebook group to ask any questions as you’re going through the guide, be reminded of new podcast episodes, and connect with other women who are also going through the study.

What I Learned From My Own Bible Time

I do have to admit that I felt a little disappointed when I finished the last page of the Bible my first time through. I’d thought by the end of reading through the Bible, I’d be a Bible Reading Rock Star and would be so full of knowledge and perfect-ness that I would be a Super-Star Christian, too.

Well, knowing the gospel does change us, but that transformation takes time, and if we’re perfect then we have no need for growth or for the saving power of Christ.

“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV

“You might think sowing to the spirit instead of sowing to the flesh doesn’t really matter immediately, but it does make all the difference… There is growth that takes place, and it’s a constant growth, but it’s a gradual growth… You have to be patient. The very learning process will cause you to be stronger in the future.” – Mark Day in his sermon, “God Put Man in the Garden”

(The audio does cut out for just a moment a few times, but it’s worth the listen in spite of that. Very rich, encouraging content! Click here to hear the full lesson.)

Tips for Reading Your Bible

Our quiet time with the Lord is unique, because each one of us is unique, and the number of minutes we can spend in God’s Word will ebb and flow based on the season of life we’re in.

Some days we oversleep. Some days the kids wake up early or life needs us before we get our time with the Lord. When that happens, we don’t need to berate ourselves just because we missed a day (or more). Instead, we should be able to look forward to opening our Bibles and picking up right where we left off, guilt-free.

With that being said, here are a few specific tips to keep in mind so you can successfully read your entire Bible:

1) Keep going, even if you fall “behind”

I can’t even tell you how many times I failed my Bible-reading attempts and gave up because I fell “behind” a man-made reading plan and grew discouraged.

But if we’re reading God’s word and being still for a few minutes as many days as we can, then we’re choosing the better thing. When we allow ourselves to feel behind and discouraged, that’s when we stress about it and tend to give up.

Keep in mind that God didn’t set up a 12-month reading plan for the Bible, and while plans are good and can be helpful, we don’t necessarily need to lock ourselves into a set time-frame, either.

2) Allow your children to keep their hands busy

There is great value in sitting around a table and taking turns reading the Bible out loud. But, if you allow your children to quietly keep their hands busy while they listen to someone read to them, many of them can often retain the information better than if they were made to sit perfectly still.

Busy activities can include puzzles, sticker or coloring books, paint or drawing supplies, playdough, Legos, figurines or stuffed animals, and little craft kits or simple sewing projects. Just make sure the activities are something that works for them and you – if playdough or markers make you feel a little crazy, use something you can handle!

(Don’t forget that you can keep your hands busy too – load the dishwasher, do your own craft project, or drink a cup of tea while you listen!)

3) Keep it simple

There are so many studies, lessons, podcasts, books, and videos about the Bible that we can easily become overwhelmed or get distracted from focusing on the Bible itself without even realizing it. While those other guides are helpful, they should be used as a supplemental tool, not as the main attraction.

If you only have time for a study guide or the Bible, I highly recommend choosing the Bible, especially if you’ve never read it all the way through. After all, how will we know whether or not Bible studies are grounded in Truth if we aren’t sure for ourselves what the Bible says?

Remember that being still at Jesus’ feet for even just 5-10 minutes every day that you can counts, so if you can’t commit to a big complicated reading plan, that’s okay!

4) Embrace imperfection

Some days, people have bad attitudes. Sometimes we are exhausted. Occasionally, someone in my own house will even fall asleep during Bible time and have to catch up on their own later!

And, almost never, are there candles and perfection like I see on Social Media.

But if we can let go of this idea that Bible reading has to be a perfect experience every time, then we can really focus on the main thing – growing closer to God by developing a deeper knowledge of His Word.

If we’ve accepted the Gospel and continue moving forward, that’s good enough – imperfections and all

“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10 ESV

I’d love to hear: What helps you in your own Bible reading time?