How often should Christians pray and read the Bible?
It is imperative for the growth
of every believer to spend time
praying and reading the Bible. God
provided all of the tools necessary
to live a Christian life and to
learn about Him; it is the
responsibility of the individual to
utilize those tools. Going to church
and listening to a sermon is a
wonderful addition to a life filled
with personal Bible study and prayer
time; it should never be the only
source for a believer's spiritual
growth.
Just as a person's body will die
without proper nourishment, so will
a spiritual life wither without the
nourishment that God provides by
reading the Bible and having quiet
times in prayer with, Him. You can
see examples of how Jesus lived this
truth by making prayer a priority in
His own life. See Mark 1:35; 6:46;
and Luke 5:16; 6:12; 22:41,42.
Many tools area available to help
you begin a path through the Bible.
Bible study aids are available in
Christian bookstores or online. You
may choose study-aids that are
either topical or based on
particular books of the Bible. You
can also purchase a one-year Bible,
which provides a plan for reading
Scripture each day so that you
complete the entire Bible in one
year.
But a good basic Bible is
what you need, preferably in the
King James, New King James or
American Standard version. A good
place to start is in the book of
Romans and the gospels (Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John).
You can begin a prayer life in
much the same way. A good idea is to
open your Bible study time with
prayer, asking God to reveal himself
to you through the Scriptures you
read that day. Then, when you are
finished reading, pray about what
you read, asking God to help you
apply it to your own life. You can
then spend some time, even just a
few minutes, praying for other
people in your life. Your prayer
time will eventually grow as you
become more intimate and personal
with the Lord.
"I tell you the truth, anyone who
has faith in me will do what I have
been doing. He will do even greater
things than these, because I am
going to the Father. And I will do
whatever you ask in my name, so that
the Son may bring glory to the
Father. You may ask me for anything
in my name, and I will do it" (John
14:12-14).
"But we will give ourselves
continually to prayer, and to the
ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).
"Be careful for nothing; but in
every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto
God" (Philippians 4:6).
Here is what the apostle Paul
wrote in Romans:
"I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of
God" (Romans 12:1-2).
What should a believer do in
order to not be: "conformed" to this
world? How does the believer
transform his or her mind? The Holy
Spirit does the renewing work. The
believers' part is to read God's
Word (the Bible) daily, meditating
on what the Bible says and how those
truths can be applied it to life and
praying faithfully.
"Praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for
all saints" (Ephesians 6:18).
The apostle Paul is trying to encourage believers to
always be thinking on Christ
throughout our waking hours, to have
a God-centered attitude in
everything we do giving thanks to
the Father.
