Don’t’s for catching up with the Bible in 90 Days

Reading the entire Bible in 90 days a big challenge. I know you can do it, though, if you are really committed to the challenge. You have to be determined. You have to plan. And you cannot let Satan trip you up.

Yesterday I shared a few Do’s for catching up with the Bible in 90 Days. If you haven’t read them yet, and you’re feeling a bit frustrated or need a few tips, please click over to see what I shared there.

Today I’ve got a few of the don’t’s for cacthing up with the Bible in 90 days.

I want you to succeed. I want you to read all of God’s Word. I want you to hear the messages He has for you. I want every sermon and Bible study you take to have more meaning. I want you to read the entire Bible. And I know you can do it.

If you are behind and need to catch up, here are a few things NOT to do:

Don’t skip ahead and assume you’ll go back and read what you missed.

Readers that do this don’t typically make their way back and read the entire Word. We are reading the entire Bible here. Also, by skipping around, you miss some of the story that is built upon in the scripture. If you are behind, do not skip ahead so you feel better. Just keep plowing forward in the reading. Once you do catch up, it will be SO worth it.

Don’t listen instead of read

Listening is not reading. Things happen when you read that do not happen when you listen. I know it sounds harsh, but listening is not reading. You signed up for a reading plan. You can, however, listen WHILE you read if that helps you to stay focused. But do not listen in place of reading. You’ll be cheating yourself.

Don’t read without a plan

If you are trying to catch up, set a plan for catching up.

How many pages behind are you? How many pages are in a day’s reading?  Come up with a realistic deadline to be caught up, divide to find the number of pages you need to read each day, and GO TO TOWN reading.

Time yourself to see how long a day’s reading takes. Figure out how many days you are behind and how much reading time you need to do to catch up.

Then plot those times on your calendar instead of expecting those windows of time to just appear and keep those appointments to read.

Don’t set yourself up for failure

When is a realistic time for you to read?

You might say you’ll just get up earlier to read beginning at 5:30 a.m.. Is that realistic for you? You might decide you’ll just read after the kids go to bed. Will you really get it done then or will you be pulled in by different distractions?

Decide when it really makes sense for you to read and then think of all the excuses to NOT read at that time. Think about which will win at those times: the excuses or the reading? Prepare yourself NOT to give in, but read, read, READ and listen to God. You can get back to all those distractions after November 20, when you will have read the ENTIRE Bible.

Don’t give up

If you think you should just give up, try to remember why you decided to start this in the first place. Then think about why you are quitting. Is it REALLY a good reason? Did you talk to God about it? Do you really think He wants you to stop reading His Word aggressively?

Don’t stop reading the Bible regularly

Okay, so you really, really, really want to quit. For whatever reason, you have decided that you don’t want to read the entire Bible in 90 days anymore. For some reason you feel you cannot do it. Something else is more important. (I know– that last one was tough love.)

Here’s the deal: If you really want to stop, then PLEASE do not stop  reading the Bible every day. Keep reading using our plan, but just cut your time back if you absolutely cannot catch up. Make a commitment to God and yourself to read 45 minutes or 30 minutes each day. Just KEEP READING the BIBLE EVERY DAY. And when you DO finish, please let me know. I’ll still be cheering for you if you keep me posted.

Like I said, you can do this if you want to do it. It is NOT easy. You will be challenged even more in the next 50 days as we wrap this baby up. But if you want to read the entire Bible in 90 Days, no matter how far back you are now, YOU CAN DO THIS. (I’ve seen readers start NOW and finish.)

So tell me… Who is going to go at this with passion? Who is going to get the reading done? Who is going to read the entire Bible in 90 days with us, finishing November 20? Sound off and let me know you’re still in on the challenge. I’ll pray for every commenter.