The Importance Of Being In God’s Word Daily

March 10, 2026

Written By: Clarice Hielema

I greatly value having close relationships with people of all ages. Yes, you can relate to people your own age, and you may have the same hobbies and interests, but there is much wisdom to be gleaned from the older generation, especially individuals who have walked with the Lord for decades. I have been able to learn skills in canning and gardening, get advice on marriage and mothering, gain perspective on life and spending your time wisely, and feel encouraged and inspired in my walk with Jesus, all from my more elderly friends. Now what does this all have to do with reading your Bible more, you may ask? Well, it was over a year ago that I was spending the day at the home of one of my dear older friends. We were chatting, wandering her incredible garden, and making a mess in the kitchen canning applesauce. And it was this day that she bestowed an invaluable piece of wisdom on me that has stuck with me since. She told me, very matter of factly, that I need to view reading God’s Word as more important and more vital to my day than eating breakfast. She told me how irreplaceable and indispensable being rooted in Scripture would be through every season of my life. She was urgent and blatant in passing this truth on to me because she has gained wisdom from a long life and knows what is worth giving top priority to. I remember being almost immediately convicted to start viewing my Bible in the correct way: as the literal Word of God at my finger tips. I mean, how amazing is it that God has given us His perfect, infallible Word to speak to every area of our lives and to give us knowledge and insight into ages long-passed, our present reality, and the future to come, as well as insight into the attributes and character of God and His plan for our lives?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

There is power in Scripture, but we often neglect it, or worse, we see spending time reading its pages as a chore. It was soon after I felt this conviction that I decided I desperately needed to make a change in my habits. My new goal became starting each day in the Word. I didn’t have this habit before, and I barely enjoyed reading as it was, but the difference was that I now understood its importance and how I had been inhibiting my relationship with the Lord through the neglect of His Word. It wasn’t a night and day difference for me. It was more like baby steps as I fumbled through the Old Testament, reread passages many times, sometimes felt as if I had to force myself to read, and longed to see fruit in my life. I often tell others that you shouldn't wait until you desire to read the Bible to begin. It’s okay to feel like you’re “forcing” yourself to sit down and study a passage. I know this may sound like you’re reading God’s Word out of a stubborn and insincere heart, but I believe that we’re bringing God glory by teaching ourselves this discipline in the recognition of its importance. I remember practicing self control as I reached for my Bible instead of my phone and focused my mind on the verses, one at a time. During the start of this new habit, I prayed that God would grant me a heart that yearned for His Word and the ability to comprehend what I was reading. Being in His Word is one of God’s desires for us as Christians, and He is faithful to answer those prayers aligned with His will. “And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 

It’s been over a year now since I decided to implement this habit into my life, and I now not only open my Bible each morning, but delight and look forward to doing so. I have read the Old Testament, which is something that used to intimidate me, as well as the New Testament. And I have begun memorizing Scripture using 3x5 notecards. My Bible has more wear and tear than it used to, and I enjoy filling its pages with notes and highlighting, which is something I used to feel like I could not do. But, it's not how my Bible looks that matters, it’s the immeasurable impact and influence that its content has had on my walk with the Lord. I want to share with you the undeniable benefit, as well as the urgency of being rooted in Scripture and building the habit of reading your Bible daily. As my good friend put it, “It’s more important than eating your breakfast.” So let’s dive in!

I came up with 6 reasons you should be in the Word daily, although there are endless reasons of course:

1) The Bible is the Word of God.

I know I stated this before, but it is truly amazing and incomprehensible that we have the Word of God bound up in pages, translated in our language, at our fingertips. When I have felt apathetic towards reading the Bible in the morning, I remind myself of the weight and magnitude of what I possess. There is nothing more worthy of our time and attention than God’s Word that has the power to speak to our lives, encourage us, convict us, and teach us.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

2) Reading the Bible furthers our sanctification process. 

I don’t know about you, but I have felt serious conviction from the Holy Spirit while reading the Bible or even from recollecting a verse during a trying time. We can better understand the weight of our depravity and how much we need Christ, when we read God’s Word and see the person of Jesus and the way He calls us to live. We need to be reminded of our need for a Savior, and reading the Bible is a definite way to do that. I can see how much I fall short of the glory of God, and just how sinful I am, when I read verses about not being idolatrous, loving my neighbor as myself, taming my tongue, not worrying about tomorrow, being a doer of the Word and not just a hearer, etc. I’ve heard it said that the Holy Spirit does the work of convicting us, but His primary tool is Scripture. If we are truly born-again believers, we should possess the desire to grow in the likeness of Jesus and to be renewed in our hearts and minds daily. Sanctification can be a painful process, but it is God’s desire for us to walk closer to Him and in line with His will and not our own. Reading the Bible is the foundation of our sanctification process. How can you live out God’s Word if you don’t know what it says or asks of you?

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

3) Scripture speaks to every area of our lives.

The Bible is relevant to every single person on Earth. I mean it not only tells us where we came from (with much more meaning, truth, and purpose than a “big bang” does), but it also reveals God’s plan of salvation and urges everyone to repent and follow Him. The gospel is for everybody, and it’s revealed and made clear throughout Scripture. The Bible is a book that applies to everyone, and for us as believers, it is especially relevant, applicable, and urgent for us to read.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Word of God teaches, encourages, convicts, and strengthens us. Our hearts and minds are renewed when we read Scripture. The Bible always has something to say in reference to what we’re going through or the season of life we’re in. It’s true that you can never become too familiar with the Word, because every time you open a passage, you will notice something you haven’t before, make new connections, be convicted in a new way, or be affected differently by a certain verse. The Word itself is never changing, but we change; we enter new seasons of life, we make new mistakes, we grow in certain areas, we hear new ideas, we go through valleys, and we mature. We always need to let the Bible speak to us first and foremost, and let our thoughts and opinions be made in light of what Scripture has to say. 

4) Recollecting Scripture is powerful in troublesome times.

After I began to read my Bible with greater consistency, I felt led to start memorizing some of the verses that encouraged or challenged me most. I often hear other Christians speaking to the power and benefit of being able to recollect Scripture at any given moment. I began memorizing snippets of passages using 3x5 notecards while I stood washing the dishes. This time works great for me because my mind isn’t fully focused and absorbed when I’m just handwashing dishes. This was a time that I found I could commit verses to memory and recite them over and over. Often, it takes me one dishwashing session to add a new verse to my reservoir. Now, this doesn’t mean I don’t forget the verse, or at least the chapter name and number, but at least it progresses a little bit further into my long term memory. I have noticed that certain verses will come to the forefront of my mind when I’m facing a certain trial or having an improper outlook towards something or someone. The first verse I ever memorized and probably still the most useful for me has been Philippians 4:6-7 which says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” There is a verse for whatever season or trial you are walking through in life. Being able to recollect Scripture can protect you from the enemy’s lies, correct a faulty thought, lead you to repentance, bring healing, console your troubled heart, encourage a friend, defend your faith, spur you on, and even bring great joy. I want to encourage you to pick a few of your favorite verses and work to commit them to memory. See how often these verses will come to your mind and propel forward in your walk with the Lord.

As Colossians 3:16 puts it, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”.

5) You can grow in your theology.

I think we can all agree that more often than not, reading the Bible brings up questions in our minds, confusion surrounding certain topics, or sometimes even uncertainty in our hearts. This shouldn’t discourage us though. This lack of understanding is an opportunity to seek answers through prayer, a Bible study, your pastor, a family member, books, etc. God ultimately is the One that opens our eyes and brings us clarity of the Scriptures, but He uses these different means to accomplish that. Overcoming doubts, learning the Truth, tying stories from Scripture together, and finding answers to our questions, all grow our faith immensely. I encourage you to not only reread a passage if you don’t understand it at first, but to write down any questions you may have and seek answers. Let your mind be blown as you connect dots in Scripture. Perhaps purchase a study Bible or listen to a deep dive sermon series. Truly seek to understand what it is that may be troubling or confusing you. God knows our hearts, and He will honor this desire of ours to discern and better grasp His Word.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever!” 2 Peter 3:18

6) Knowing God’s Word helps you share and defend your faith.

We previously talked about memorizing Scripture and being able to recollect verses according to our present circumstances. This also comes in great use when we are sharing our faith with strangers, neighbors, coworkers, family members, etc. When we have God’s Word implanted in our hearts and minds, we can be more confident to evangelize and share what we’ve discovered. I think the main deterrent to sharing my faith has been my self conceived fear of being found without answer to people’s questions and uncertainties. I’ve always been discouraged by my lack of knowledge and inability to explain difficult concepts. I know that God can and does speak through me even when I feel I lack the words, and a seed planted is a seed planted, but I do feel more confident when I can explain why I believe what I say I do. Reading God’s Word helps equip us to share our faith and lead people to Truth.

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2

Friend, I hope this has encouraged you to pick up your Bible, study its pages, make it a daily discipline, and reap the benefits of being rooted in God’s Word. Don’t let the thousands of pages intimidate you. You don’t have to read it all in one year or do any deep dive studies right away. Maybe start with one of the gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and read about Jesus’ life and teachings. Maybe start with Proverbs and learn about living a life guided by wisdom. Perhaps read one of Paul’s encouraging, but convicting letters to the early churches (Ephesians and Philippians are great). Or maybe start in the very beginning with Genesis at the foundation of the world. There is no right or wrong place to begin reading, but there is a right time, and that’s now. Remember what my dear friend told me:

Reading your Bible is more important than eating your breakfast!