WITHIN 90 DAYS EXPECT YOUR LIFE TO CHANGE FOREVER!
90-Day Challenge to Read the New Testament
There is so much said about the Bible - good, bad and indifferent. Even though the Bible is one of the most scrutinized books ever written, it still holds the number one historical record for any book sold and remains the number one best seller, year after year. How can that be?
Is it because it proclaims to be God’s Living Word and one of the ways He speaks to us directly and specifically? Is it the owner/operator’s manual for living life to its fullest? How can something written over 2000 years ago relate to my life today? These were some of my questions when I first approached taking on the 90-day challenge to reading the New Testament. That part of the Bible that was written about the life and times of Jesus when He walked the earth. You will read of His purpose for coming, His messages and teachings, and even His prophecies of things to come.
For something to become a habit, it typically requires focused repetition on a daily basis. Usually 21 to 28 days later, your desired outcome goes from your mind to your heart - from making yourself do it - to running to it. That’s exactly what happened to me the first time I did this challenge in the fall of 2019. Allow me to share a little more.
Personally, I always believed in God and had a great respect for Jesus and loved the Jesus stories. However, I’ve never really studied the Bible, certainly not on a daily basis. My Bible was more of a precious momentum that sat on my coffee table. So what led me to take this sudden interest in the Bible?
Looking back, I realize I didn’t have the wherewithal to know I was in the grips of depression. I was emotionally numb, isolating, not eating or sleeping for days at a time and yet, telling everyone I was just fine. Sure, I maintained my day-to-day responsibilities and commitments, but any kind of peace or joy for life was absent. I don’t know why I began to cry out to Jesus. Maybe it was because I felt so alone and vulnerable or maybe I returned to my roots. Or could it be that Jesus finally caught my attention in a profound way? I don’t really know or care why. What matters to me is that it led me to this challenge.
As I began reading, each day, I found a little more peace, a little bit of strength and a kind of calm. It was enough to keep me going and was drawing me into wanting more. I began to run to Jesus upon waking or when I couldn’t sleep or felt anxious. Little did I know that with a simple decision and some feeble follow through, this challenge would change my life forever!
Fast track to today… I’ve experienced what it is like to be in the Word on a daily basis and also when I let life’s distractions take me out of His Word. I may have read a particular verse several times but when I read it today, it’s like the first time I ever heard this perfect, practical application that is exactly relevant to whatever circumstance is going on in my life at the time.
It’s absolutely mind boggling to me and can’t really explain how all this works. I just take it on faith. I’ve encountered enough to know that I can have a very personal relation with God. That He is so faithful, always here for me and very, very patient as I stumble and fall, get back up, receive many undeserved blessings and find strength, grace and joy in His companionship.
This is the purest definition of freedom and living my life to its fullest. My only role is to trust God with my life. Listen for His direction in every situation. Stay humble in the world and help all the people God sends into my life, unconditionally. What a beautiful way to live!
If you have read through this, you may be wondering, “Can 10 to 15 minutes a day reading the Bible really change my life?” Absolutely, yes it can! Please don’t just take my word. Experience this for yourself!
Take the next step to learn more about this 90-day journey by clicking on the link below.