How To Read the Bible in 90 Days
Have you ever wanted to read the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation all the way through?
I know it can sound like a daunting task, but having just completed the 90-day challenge myself, I can tell you that the experience of reading the entire Bible was so worthwhile.
Since I was a little girl, I went to church, learned Bible stories, and completed numerous Bible studies, but I realized that I had never read the entire Bible cover-to-cover for myself.
At first, I felt a little ashamed, admitting that I hadn’t read the entire book upon which I base my faith and life, but I know I’m not alone.
According to a recent study, 87% of American households own a Bible but only 11% have read it all the way through.
When I polled my own Instagram followers, 100% of my audience said they have not read the entire Bible, but 90% said they wanted to.
Listen, I get it – life is busy, and the Bible is a very big, complex book, but we can do better. It’s time we start discovering God’s word for ourselves rather than depending on someone else to spoon-feed His word to us.
If you’re ready to take on the “Bible in 90-Days Challenge”, I’m here to encourage, challenge, equip and support you.
[elementor-template id=”10463″]Who Is the \\”Bible in 90-Days Challenge\\” For?
I believe this plan is best suited for more mature believers. Because the first 69 days of this challenge are spent exclusively in the Old Testament, I think it’s best to have a solid understanding of the New Testament books in the Bible before reading it cover to cover.
If you’re new to the Christian faith, I’ll have some new resources and reading plans coming soon. Make sure you’re signed up on my email list so you can be the first to know when I come out with new stuff!
Why Read the Bible Cover To Cover in 90 Days?
This isn’t like other Bible studies. In fact, this isn’t a “study” at all; rather, it’s a reading plan designed to help you understand the big-picture narrative of God’s creation, the fall of humanity and God’s redemptive plan to restore humanity back to Him.
Because there are so many references to other scriptures and prophecies in both the Old and the New Testament, this plan will help you experience the stories in a deeper, more meaningful way. You’ll see the fulfillment of old prophesies, understand the context and connect the dots in ways that you wouldn’t be able to without the background knowledge of the scriptures it references.
What To Expect From the 90-Day Bible Reading Plan
I think it’s obvious that reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in just 90-days is a very big commitment. That means it will require intentional focus and dedication. Here’s what you can expect while reading the Bible in 90-days.
Quantity of reading passages
Most 90-day reading plans say it’s like reading 12 pages per day, but nowadays, Bibles come in all different sizes. It really just varies because some chapters are longer than others. For example, on day 1, you’ll read 16 chapters, but on day 26, you’ll read about 10.
If you sign up for our free “Read The Bible in 90 Days challenge”, you can get instant access to the guided reading plan so you can see just how many chapters per day are required.
[elementor-template id=”10463″]Time commitment
You’ll need about one solid hour per day to read the prescribed passages each day. Depending on your season of life, it can be challenging to carve out one hour each day for dedicated reading time. As long as you’re aware of the amount of time required, you can plan for it and easily build it into your schedule.
Fast-paced
There’s a lot of material to cover in a relatively short amount of time. There will be times when you feel like you aren’t comprehending all of the stories, but don’t worry – that’s normal. You’ll have to remind yourself time and time again that the point of reading at this pace is to get a big-picture overview of the entire Bible.
Expect to give yourself grace when you feel guilty for not getting it or that it’s going too fast. Also, be prepared to use a journal to jot down questions and notes for you to reference later.
Falling behind
You will have new passages to read 88 out of the 90 days. That means there are only two days built-in to help you catch up if you fall behind on your reading. Try not to let yourself get more than one or two days behind because if you do, it can feel overwhelming trying to catch up.
If life happens and you do fall behind, don’t worry or skip any chapters. Just pick up where you left off, and create a game plan to read a little extra each day until you can get caught back up.
Utilize an audio bible
I found that sometimes it was hard to pronounce the genealogies, or I just couldn’t focus on the words without getting distracted, so the audio Bible became my best friend during the 90-day challenge. There are a number of Bible study apps that offer an audio feature, but my favorite are Dwell, YouVersion or ReadScripture.
Don’t feel guilty for using an audio Bible to get through, but whenever possible, try to listen while you read the text rather than just listening only. The less distracted and more focused you are on God’s word, the more God will reveal himself to you.
What Women Are Saying About Their Experience
“One thing I learned from reading the Bible cover to cover is 90-days was that sometimes reading the Bible is just a discipline. It’s not always an amazing light bulb moment or touchy-feely experience, and that’s ok.”
– Becky San Juan
- “Every morning, I could not wait to read. It became part of my daily routine. When I was doing normal daily activities, a verse I read would come to mind and help me in my walk.” – Tiffany Snowden
- “In the Bible in 90-Days Challenge, I learned how to stay committed and manage my time to make this a priority. I did learn some things about stories that I recall hearing about in church! It was nice to be able to say, ‘I remember hearing this part!’” – Stephanie Villarreal
- “I was super encouraged by all of the hope we have. We are not doing all of this (Christian walk) for some made-up religion, even though the rest of the world may think we’re ridiculous. Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again and is alive in us through the Holy Spirit 🙌🏼” – Nicole DePauw
How to Actually Make It to Day 90
Taking on a new challenge always sounds exciting, but after about the first week or two, that new-found motivation is gone, and you’re faced with the same old habits and hang-ups that you’re used to. So do you want to know the secret to actually finishing what you start? I’ve got three tips that will help you make it to the end:
1. Commit
If you’re going to endure all 90 days, you need to first give your word to yourself and to God.
Take a minute to quiet your mind, be still and pray. You can say,
“Lord, I am giving you my word. I’m not hoping, wishing or wanting to read my Bible. I am committing that I will read your living word cover to cover in the next 90 days. Please give me the strength and endurance. Amen.”
2. Honor your commitment no matter what
Now that you’ve genuinely made the commitment to read the Bible in 90-days, you can expect that there will be days you don’t want to spend time in the Word.
You will come up with dozens of reasons why you can’t:
- I don’t have time…
- I don’t feel like it…
- I’m too tired…
- It feels like a boring history lesson…
- I’d rather watch TV…
- This isn’t relevant anymore…
- And on and on…
When you feel those excuses creeping in, you need to tell yourself:
“So what, who cares? I made a commitment to myself and most importantly to God. I am someone who honors my word no matter what.”
If you treat this reading plan like it’s a non-negotiable important meeting, you will succeed.
3. Create accountability structures
It’s easy to quit when you’re only quitting on yourself; that’s why it is crucial that you don’t do this alone! If you’ve quit, given up, or let life get in the way of other commitments, it’s wise to set up some accountability system or framework to will hold you to your word when you don’t want to.
Here are some ways to create accountability structures:
- Sign up for our free Bible in 90-Day Challenge below! You’ll get daily reading prompts, video overviews, and access to the Hello Sensible Community Facebook group so that you can join in on the conversation and be in a community of like-minded women who are all seeking Jesus.
- Time block or pre-plan time for daily reading in your calendar.
- Set up reminders, alerts, alarms or notifications.
- Invite a friend or two to do it with you and start a group text to discuss important themes from the day’s reading.
I highly recommend setting all of these up. It’s not a one-and-done sort of thing. You will be more successful by adding in a multi-dimensional support framework rather than just one of these elements!
Once you’ve committed and set up your accountability structures, all that’s left is to start reading! Pick a date and go, my friend!
If you’re ready to take on the “Bible in 90-Days Challenge”, sign up for your free guided reading plan here:
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