{"id":5312,"date":"2013-02-21T01:00:56","date_gmt":"2013-02-21T09:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/?p=5312"},"modified":"2013-02-21T05:06:39","modified_gmt":"2013-02-21T13:06:39","slug":"setting-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/21\/setting-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-5521\" title=\"BibleIsFood\" src=\"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/BibleIsFood-229x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"229\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/BibleIsFood-229x300.jpg 229w, https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/BibleIsFood.jpg 490w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 229px) 100vw, 229px\" \/>We <em>need <\/em>to be in God&#8217;s Word. His Word is <em>food<\/em>. His Word <em>nourishes<\/em> us.<\/p>\n<p>If we&#8217;re moms, we know all about the need to eat. Sometimes it feels like we spend almost <em>all <\/em>day planning meals, shopping for meals, cooking meals, serving meals, and cleaning up after meals. Our husbands and children need to eat. Without food, they would become weak and unhealthy, and eventually die.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Without nourishment from God&#8217;s Word, we will be spiritually weak and unhealthy.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Many of us really <em>want <\/em>to read the Bible but struggle with actually <em>doing<\/em> it. <\/strong>We know we should read it. We know God speaks to us through His Word. We commit and re-commit to reading our Bibles each day, and then we find ourselves not doing it again.<\/p>\n<p>If you struggle with making the time to spend in God&#8217;s Word, you may need to stop and evaluate. What is making it difficult?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Maybe you don\u2019t have a plan for how to go about reading your Bible. You haven\u2019t decided how or when or where you will read, so it just doesn\u2019t happen.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Maybe you have unrealistic expectations. You might set big goals and then give up when you can\u2019t accomplish them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Maybe you just don\u2019t understand what you&#8217;re reading, and as a result, you become frustrated or bored and quit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Maybe you don\u2019t know how to <em>study <\/em>the Bible, so your mind wanders to other things as you read.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you really <em>want <\/em>to read the Bible, but keep finding yourself not doing it, take some time to prayerfully consider what you can do to actually establish the habit.\u00a0<span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">Take out a pen and a sheet of paper and <\/span><strong style=\"font-size: 16px;\">answer the following questions<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">. (Pray for the Lord\u2019s guidance and wisdom, and ask for counsel and ideas from others.)<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Why<\/em> do I want or need to read the Bible? (What is my motivation? What is at stake? What is likely to happen if I don\u2019t?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>What is keeping me from reading the Bible? (Again, be specific!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>What will I do in order to read the Bible on a regular basis? (What can I do to overcome or remove the obstacles?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">If you need some ideas, especially on ways to deal with the challenges that are discouraging you from reading, go <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/Making-Time-to-Read-the-Bible.pdf\">here.<\/a><\/span> Add to your answers any appropriate ideas from this list.<\/p>\n<p>Then use your answers to these questions to help you write down a very <strong>specific plan of action<\/strong>. Keep goals <em>small<\/em> and <em>realistic<\/em>, but <em>specific<\/em> enough to be <em>measurable<\/em>. In other words, write down goals that will be <strong>easy for you tell whether you have accomplished them or not<\/strong>. Think about <em>what<\/em> you will read, <em>when<\/em> you will read, <em>where<\/em> you will read, and <em>how<\/em> you will read your Bible.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I will read the New Testament for at least 5 minutes on at least 5 days of the week, and text (<em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a friend&#8217;s name<\/span><\/em>) after I have finished each day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I will start reading through the Psalms, and I will leave the computer off each day until I have read for 15 minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I will purchase Carol Ruvolo\u2019s <em>Grace to Stand Firm, Grace to Grow: Light from 1 and 2 Peter,<\/em> and complete one chapter of the study every week, working on it for at least 15 minutes, 4 evenings a week after the children are in bed. I will also find out if (<em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a friend&#8217;s name<\/span><\/em>) would also like to do the study, and ask her to help hold me accountable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I will keep my Bible and other study materials in a basket next to the rocking chair, and read through the book of John while I nurse the baby at night.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I will download an audio version of the Old Testament onto my phone, and listen to it each morning as I get dressed and prepare for the day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I will read through all the Gospels by the end of the year, reading one half of a chapter every day at the lunch table with the children.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I will pray each time before I start to read, asking the Holy Spirit to help me understand what I read, and I will ask my pastor to recommend a good commentary that I can read along with my Bible reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>I will commit five minutes a day, five days a week in March, to complete the studies on Psalm 37 on this blog, and I will share what I am learning each day with my children at the lunch table. (A good, friendly place to start if you&#8217;re trying to establish a new habit of studying the Bible! We start on March 1!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Share your goal with someone else.<\/strong> That will help you commit to it. Pray for God&#8217;s help, and be ready to be blessed as God speaks to you through His Word!<\/p>\n<p><em>Join us starting Friday, March 1, for &#8220;31 Days in Psalm 37 for Busy Mamas&#8221;. \u00a0<strong>Five\u00a0minutes a day x 31 days = over 2-1\/2 hours\u00a0studying one chapter of the Bible! <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-left rtsocial-icon\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon \"> <div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-button\"><a title=\"Share: Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2013%2F02%2F21%2Fsetting-goals%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Establishing%20the%20Habit%20of%20Reading%20God%27s%20Word&via=@doorposts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2013%2F02%2F21%2Fsetting-goals%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/21\/setting-goals\/&media=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/rtsocial\/images\/default-pinterest.png&description=Establishing the Habit of Reading God's Word\" target= \"_blank\" title=\"Pin: Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/21\/setting-goals\/\" title=\"Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\"><\/a><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"rts_id\" class=\"rts_id\" value=\"5312\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"rts_media_nonce\" name=\"rts_media_nonce\" value=\"86f02584dc\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312\" \/><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We need to be in God&#8217;s Word. His Word is food. His Word nourishes us. If we&#8217;re moms, we know all about the need to eat. Sometimes it feels like we spend almost all day planning meals, shopping for meals, cooking meals, serving meals, and cleaning up after meals. Our husbands and children need to eat. Without food, they would become weak and unhealthy, and eventually die. Without nourishment from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"rtsocial-container rtsocial-container-align-left rtsocial-icon\"><div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon \"> <div class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-button\"><a title=\"Share: Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\" class=\"rtsocial-fb-icon-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2013%2F02%2F21%2Fsetting-goals%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-button\"><a title=\"Tweet: Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\" class=\"rtsocial-twitter-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Establishing%20the%20Habit%20of%20Reading%20God%27s%20Word&via=@doorposts&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.doorposts.com%2Fblog%2F2013%2F02%2F21%2Fsetting-goals%2F\" target= \"_blank\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon\"> <div class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-button\"><a class=\"rtsocial-pinterest-icon-link\" href= \"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/21\/setting-goals\/&media=https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/rtsocial\/images\/default-pinterest.png&description=Establishing the Habit of Reading God's Word\" target= \"_blank\" title=\"Pin: Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\"><\/a><\/div><\/div><a rel=\"nofollow\" class=\"perma-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/21\/setting-goals\/\" title=\"Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\"><\/a><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"rts_id\" class=\"rts_id\" value=\"5312\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" id=\"rts_media_nonce\" name=\"rts_media_nonce\" value=\"86f02584dc\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wp_http_referer\" value=\"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312\" \/><\/div><a role=\"link\" class=\"rtp-readmore\" title=\"Read more on Establishing the Habit of Reading God&#8217;s Word\" href=\"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2013\/02\/21\/setting-goals\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More \u2192<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5312"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5525,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5312\/revisions\/5525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}