I’m in a Bible reading slump.

[Curtis.Hilliker]

I definitely can relate to that different seasons feeling. Is Logos an app?

Sorry they are audio books of his classes, they’re good but they aren’t free.

 

[Cross Over the Lake]

Sorry they are audio books of his classes, they’re good but they aren’t free.

I’ll have to check it out man, thank you!

 

[crossnote]

Get yourself into a huge Forum debate, (or even better, many debates) that will get you digging into the Word. (That was tongue in cheek, but hey, it might work )

 

[Nancy Hale]

These are all really great ideas thank you!!

You're welcome. I've tried those all, and I regain momentum before long. I've tried other things, so many things... even tried to learn ancient Hebrew once, lol.

 

[Cross Over the Lake]

Get yourself into a huge Forum debate, (or even better, many debates) that will get you digging into the Word. (That was tongue in cheek, but hey, it might work )

Ohhhh nooo. I don’t get mixed up with that. I do good until people start getting into Masters Degree in theology. Lol

 

[GOD Shines Forth!]

i'm often depressed and find reading the bible difficult at such times so i listen to scripture songs. Sherri Youngward and the Sons of Korah sing out of scripture. Good music with true words to inspire, sooth and encourage.

I listened to the Psalm 91 song, it was great! Thank you.

 

[Mathetes66]

I use the Bible Gateway app on my phone to have the 'audio' Bible. So when I drive & travel, I listen to Scripture or if I am working on something, I listen as well. It is a great way to 'listen' through the Bible. Often listening to it later prompts me to look it up in the Bible and read some as the Spirit opens my mind to Scripture revelation.

Another way I do this is to use a Bible reading program that provides daily motivation to do it, as God is not my Provider of daily bread but also my daily spiritual bread. The manna in the wilderness came each day but the Sabbath day & a double portion needed to be gathered on the day before. EVERY DAY God supplies spiritual manna in His Word. The reason I don't receive it is because I willingly chose not to be in it. Seeking God is not dependent on my feeling the need to do so, it is dependent on my will to choose to do so, so that I may remain spiritually healthy, as well as physically healthy.

One can go through the Proverbs (31) in one month, reading one each day. Here I concentrate on seeing life from God's wonderful wisdom, picking out a verse to consider during the day to increase my knowledge & wisdom in learning how to walk daily from God's perspective. This gives me a 'variety' in my spiritual manna/meal each day.

I will also read 5 Psalms a day (30 between each one) and I can cover the Psalms in one month. Here my focus is on the 'heart' of God, to restore my dryness at times, to:

Psalm 42:1-8 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day & night, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

These things I remember & I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng & ead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy & thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him--for the help of His presence.

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime & His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.

Another thing I learned: I don't have to go by my feelings. I built the discipline & set aside that time exclusively for reading/listening to the Word. Despite how I feel, I choose to read or listen. Usually the Lord uses something to touch my heart & I thank Him. It's a matter of discipline (self-control is one of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit--Gal 5:22ff) and choosing to submit my will to the Lord's & DO it.

I also remember that it is not an option not to, as a confessing disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ; it is a matter of loving obedience. And like the 4th commandment, this too, has a promise to those who obey.

John 8:31,32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples & then you will know the truth & then the truth will make you free.”

Another thing that helps me is to realize that when I don't feel like reading the living Word of God (Heb 4:12,13), SOMEONE IS LYING TO ME. The devil will seek to keep me from my soul's need for daily spiritual bread!

Deut 8:2-20 “You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these 40 years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

3“He humbled you & let you be hungry, then fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you UNDERSTAND that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE LORD.

4“Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these 40 years. Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was DISCIPLINING you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways & to fear Him.

7“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains & springs, flowing forth in valleys & hills; a land of wheat & barley, of vines & fig trees & pomegranates, a land of olive oil & honey--

A land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron & out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten & are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments & His ordinances & His statutes which I am commanding you today. Otherwise, when you have eaten & are satisfied & have built good houses & lived in them & when your herds & your flocks multiply & your silver & gold multiply & all that you have multiplies--

14then your heart will become proud & you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. He led you through the great & terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents & scorpions & thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.

16In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you & that He might test you, TO DO GOOD FOR YOU IN THE END. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power & the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’

18But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is GIVING YOU POWER to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

19It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God & go after other gods & serve them & worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God.

This is a good indicator that I need to evaluate my life, especially my spiritual life. Has something else has captured my heart & has lured me away & has begun to choke out the Word? Seek the Lord to search it out. Have I become complacent in my wealth & lazy?

Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being.

Hope these things are helpful as they have been helpful to me. Be encouraged, my brother in Christ!

 

[royal priest]

I am concerned, partly why I asked advice on the matter. Guess I was looking for a little bit of direction. Places in the Bible that people might go when they are experiencing something similar to what I am.

Take up a good commentary. It may stimulate your interest as it draws out certain aspects of the Biblical text. A good devotional commentator is Matthew Henry.
Here's a beloved excerpt from his comments in Genesis 2:
"The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved."
There are many commentaries which are free and accessible online including Matthew Henry's.

 

[bèlla]

I would be more concerned if I ceased to pray and didn’t have a heart for worship.

~Bella

 

[Cross Over the Lake]

Take up a good commentary. It may stimulate your interest as it draws out certain aspects of the Biblical text. A good devotional commentator is Matthew Henry.
Here's a beloved excerpt from his comments in Genesis 2:
"The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved."
There are many commentaries which are free and accessible online including Matthew Henry's.

Thank you, I love the direct recommendations!

 

[Cross Over the Lake]

I would be more concerned if I ceased to pray and didn’t have a heart for worship.

~Bella

Oh I pray, my grandmother taught me to pray until the light burns my eyes when I open them.

 

[Cross Over the Lake]

I would be more concerned if I ceased to pray and didn’t have a heart for worship.

~Bella

Oh I pray, my grandmother taught me to pray until the light burns my eyes when I open them.

 

[Lady Donna Marie]

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[ReesePiece23]

Yeah I have a few apps that do that. I read Bible verses daily. Today’s was Hebrews 4:12. But I used to really dive into God’s work, do Bible journaling.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've got a study bible in a draw, that's just spilling over with notes, artefacts, page markers and all sorts of random paraphernalia. I'm actually too scared to open it and start reading in case something slips out of place and I can't remember where I put it (my mind was particularly busy during this time) - yeah, I'm kind of sentimental about this bible.

Apps and calendars are good, but there's ultimately no replacement for gritty hard work. I don't like to wait for 'messages' too often if I can help it. I don't want to be one of God's shareholders.

It's nice when He surprises me though, don't get me wrong.

 

[Peter J Barban]

I suggest trying to get to the root of the problem. Your previous motivation for reading the Bible is gone.

1. What was your previous motivation? (You might want to keep these answers to yourself, that's OK.)

2. What has changed in your life? (Sometimes it's a good change.)

3. What motivates you in your other non-work activities?

4. Can you apply what motivates you in other areas to the way you approach the Bible?

 

[Pavel Mosko]

I’ve been in a real slump. I know I need to get back into God’s word I’m struggling finding inspiration even after praying for it. I read the Bible of course in Church but a I can’t seem to find the motivation to pick it up while I’m at home. Anyone have similar problems and if so what have you done to get out of it? TIA

I like to listen to the Bible from Bible-gateway. IF you hit the speaker icon when you go to the link you will have the passage read to you and it will continue reading to you till you stop it or your internet is interrupted.

Anyway this is a great feature. I like to listen to the Bible when I do things like play computer games, clean up my computer room and do other kinds of activities where it is nice to have a radio or a TV on.

Anyway if you try doing this it is easy to listen to a larger part of the Bible than you ever would normally do. I also learned a special benefit, you often can notice many more things if you listen to the Bible in mass, covering book by book with this feature. You will begin to notice things that you never noticed before if you are simply looking specific passages up verse by verse etc. because you are seeing the holistic context of the books etc.

Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 1 - New International Version

 

[Mark Quayle]

I am concerned, partly why I asked advice on the matter. Guess I was looking for a little bit of direction. Places in the Bible that people might go when they are experiencing something similar to what I am.

I found an answer to my question, mainly, why is it that all these well-meaning people tell me how to live in obedience, but it just doesn't work with me --so how did Jesus do it? And on the way to finding that out, and my subsequent experiences, I came on a whole different point of view about God and the Bible. Much purer I think, and WAY more happy and satisfied.

 

[Paulus59]

I’ve been in a real slump. I know I need to get back into God’s word I’m struggling finding inspiration even after praying for it. I read the Bible of course in Church but a I can’t seem to find the motivation to pick it up while I’m at home. Anyone have similar problems and if so what have you done to get out of it? TIA

Yes, I suffer from depression which makes it difficult reading anything and absorbing God's word. You could be suffering from depression as well or be overworked which affects your brain functioning normally. Whatever the case you may need to step back and take a break from the demands of life, learn to relax and let yourself recover so you can reconnect with yourself on a mental and spiritual level. Give yourself plenty of quality time and quiet time with yourself.

I would also suggest you take vitamin B complex to help your brain and nervous system recover.

Hope this has encouraged you in some way. Sorry if I sound like some psychologist, I'm just concerned for you and want you to live life abundantly. Hope & pray everything goes well for you!

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[Michie]

Get yourself into a huge Forum debate, (or even better, many debates) that will get you digging into the Word. (That was tongue in cheek, but hey, it might work )

Boooo!

 

[Richard Mulcahy]

I’ve been in a real slump. I know I need to get back into God’s word I’m struggling finding inspiration even after praying for it. I read the Bible of course in Church but a I can’t seem to find the motivation to pick it up while I’m at home. Anyone have similar problems and if so what have you done to get out of it? TIA

Hello,

Have you visited the Praise and Worship music forum as well as the Music forum?

There is many great inspirational songs for you there.

Here's an example: Need you now by Plumb