4 Tips for the Monthly Study Challenges

YAY! THE MONTHLY BIBLE CHALLENGES ARE COMING BACK! (Sign up here)

Each month I send out an email to the Inspired Influencer subscribers with a monthly bible study challenge. The challenges consist of 28-31 daily scriptures, or a book of the Bible, and a book recommendation for the month.

I started doing these month by month challenges with one of my friends in 2019 on different topics. It was a great way to renew my mind on areas, help me when I was struggling, to build up my faith, and to use as prayer points. I found that studying one topic or one book in the Bible for the entire month helped me to anchor myself, obtain better comprehension and really grasp insight and wisdom from the Word.

Sometimes we can get so much word that we lack depth that comes from rooting ourselves in one area, and therefore, taking time to study a subject for entire month (or longer) can help us find victory and get revelation we need to experience true transformation, and a heart and mindset change.

In February of 2020, I began to prayerfully seek God to create and issue these challenges through this website and on instagram as a way to build a community with others who were also desiring to dive deeper into the Bible, and who needed the encouragement and accountability. The feedback has been awesome and I have enjoyed the connection and dialogue that's come from it. Iron truly sharpens iron.

[Check out last years reading challenges on here.]

As I prepare to send out the first 2021 email newsletter with the monthly challenge, I thought I would give you a few tips and suggestions that can make your daily devotional and study time that much more beneficial. These suggestions are ones that I have done and still use often.

Here are a few tips for how to get the maximum benefit of the monthly challenges:

1. Write out the scripture of the day in long hand in your journal:

I find this a great way to process the Word and make it stick in your mind throughout the day. In the morning, I take 10-15 minutes to write out the scripture in my journal. I like to put DAY 1 in the top righthand corner. Then, I will take a moment to write 1 or 2 paragraphs on what the scripture is speaking to me, how I want to apply it that day, or any other AH-HA moments. Or, at night, just before bed I will reflect on that day and where I saw thosw God-moments. I love this approach because it causes me to marinate on the scripture a little more.

Shop the Inspired Influencer journal collection here!

2. Put the scriptures on flash cards.

This is a fun way to keep meditating on the Word. Get a pack of index cards and write out the verses. If you want to practice committing the verse to memory, write the scripture on the front and the full verse on the back. Over the month you can test you memorization like flash cards! What I also love about this is that it is a great for when you are standing in a line, waiting at an appointment, or have some down time to pull out your index cards and read. It's better than merely pulling out your phone and scrolling through mindlessly.

It's a great tool as well to use if you are struggling in a particular area in your mind. Some thought patterns are especially stubborn, so having the Word available makes it possible to "demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (1 Corinthians 10:5).

For example, if your mind tends to wander to the negative, when you notice your thoughts going in that direction and your mood sinking, you can pull out your Philippians 4:8 flash card that reminds you:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

3. Pray the Word.

Take the scripture of the day and make it your prayer point all day long. God responds when we pray His Word back to Him, and we build our faith by remembering His promises. Throughout the day, pray the scripture over your life, over your family, over your friends, over your haters, over whomever and whatever situation you face!

4. Sticky notes around the house.

Moment of transparency: There have been seasons when I was going through it and I needed the Word to be visible everywhere! I recall one time when I was battling a broken heart and a crushed spirit because of disappointment. In order to overcome, and how I clung to God when I wanted to quit was by posting scriptures around my house. I put them on my bathroom mirror. I had them written out on papers and posted to the back of my bedroom door. I had one right next to my front door that I would read when I went in and out of the house. This was how I fight my battles!

Let me know in the comments which method you plan to implement in your study time.

Sign up to the email list and join us for our monthly Bible challenges for 2021!

Until next time,