Some ideas for getting the Word of God into you!

• Focus on familiar scripture/individual verses. Highlight key verses: I was not keen when someone first suggested this to me, I didn’t want to mark my Bible. What changed my mind was when I was at a meeting and people were asked to share their favourite verses from Ephesians. The people who shared all had verses highlighted and I couldn’t find verses quick enough! I personally don’t have any system I just use a fine liner of any colour to underline a verse when it speaks to me. I’m so grateful I do this because there has been many times when my fatigue has been too bad for me to read and study the Bible. Instead I flick through a book and read the verses that I have highlighted. It has been a great encouragement. I know you can also get Bibles which are designed for you to draw and write as God speaks to you, this is not something I have tried but I know some people who it has really helped
• • Christian Colouring Books: There are lots on the market. I have Images of Grace by Jacqui Grace which has been fantastic; she also has books entitled Images of Joy and Images of Hope which I have heard great feedback on. I often simply flick though my colouring book to read lots of uplifting verses rather than actually colouring.
  • Get a Bible App and get it to send you a verse for the day: Again there are many apps, this is not something I do right now but do let me know if you have any favourites!
• If you can’t read the Bible then try listening to it. Online there are a number of sites to do this. I tend to use Bible Gateway as you can listen to lots of different Bible versions on there. Also when my fatigue has been quite a bit better I have used Nicky and Pippa Gumbel’s Bible in One Year. This is an amazing resource with commentaries explaining passages well and also linking together the readings from the Old and New Testament. Also you can listen to both the Bible passages and the commentary! With this I have kept in mind that the important thing is that I get scripture in me not that I keep up with the daily readings!
• Check out children’s resources! For several years I struggled to read the Bible myself and even found listening to it difficult as my concentration and fatigue were too bad. I realised that I was going to have to be creative to get God’s living word in me! My husband found an illustrated children’s Bible with short Bible stories (The Children’s Bible in 365 Stories). He decided to read me a story each evening and we worked our way through the whole book. I’m not ashamed to admit I really enjoyed it and found it so helpful as the language was simple, there were pictures and the stories were short. Children’s resources not just for children!!!

See my posts on A Bad day… Verses God Encouraged Me With and Repeat Words of Truth for some specific verses I turn to.