Devotion

The goal of Stepping Up: Devotion is to see every member of the church reading their Bibles and spending time in prayer daily.

Encouragement & Support

Many of us find it hard to keep persevering at reading the Bible and praying. We’ve found this advice helpful for Bible reading, and this article is a wonderful encouragement in our prayers.

There’s no doubt that having a guide or a plan can be a wonderful support in getting us reading the Bible. Here are a couple of our favourites:
Robert Murray M’Cheyne
Bible Reading plan for Shirkers & Slackers
And here’s a collection of other plans

Some other suggestions:
Plan to read. The urgent is the enemy of the important, and there will always be things which feel more urgent that reading (or listening) to the Bible. Therefore make a plan. Decide when you’ll read, where you’ll read, and remove distractions. Be realistic, and don’t worry if you miss a day or two. Or three. But keep persevering. It takes about 66 days to really form a new habit, so keep at it!

Commit to a reading plan with someone else. That doesn’t mean you have to meet up and read the Bible together (although fantastic if you can!), but it does mean that you’ll each hold the other accountable, and spur each other on.

Structure your prayers. This might be as simple as TSP (Thanks, Sorry, Please); it might be as creative as a prayer diary; it might make use of technological aids (this is our favourite); it might pick up prayers written by others such as this, or this.

What next?

Theological Book Club, where we’re reading John Stott’s classic work The Cross of Christ using this reading programme. We’ll be using the study guide edition of the book which you can purchase here.

Reading 1-1 is the simple act of meeting regularly with a fellow Christian, reading a passage of the Bible, and thinking together about what it says and what it means. You’ll find some specialist resources here, and a couple of good books about it here and here, but the easiest way is just to do it. Why not ask someone at church if they’d like to read the Bible with you? Or, if you’d like some help, let the staff know and they’ll suggest some people who would love to read the Bible with you. It’s that simple!

Intercessory Prayers are prayers prayed on behalf or for another. We’re seeking men and women who want to spend time in prayer for the church, for the ministries that are going on, and for other churches in our new diocese. We will gather regularly for prayer, and will also send out prayer requests for specific ministry events and people. If you’re keen, please get in touch.