In the United States, there is a severe famine of the Word of God. Even though the United States has most of the Christian resources in the world, the majority of U.S. Christians are not doing well in terms of reading and taking in God’s Word. Lifeway research shows that Americans are fond of the Bible, but they don’t actually read it. Among Americans, 10% have never read the Bible and only 11% have read the entire Bible once. Sadly, more than half of Americans have read little or none of the Bible.

In the United States, there is a severe famine of the Word of God. Even though the United States has most of the Christian resources in the world, the majority of U.S. Christians are not doing well in terms of reading and taking in God’s Word.

Lifeway research shows that Americans are fond of the Bible, but they don’t actually read it. Among Americans, 10% have never read the Bible and only 11% have read the entire Bible once. Sadly, more than half of Americans have read little or none of the Bible.

Thanks to technological advancements, anyone can easily access the Bible on their phone, yet that doesn’t mean they actually access the Bible. People are not reading the Bible as they should. They don’t discipline themselves to read and meditate upon God’s Word.

These days, churches are going through a tough time due to the pandemic. Churches have experienced unprecedented challenges, including a decrease in attendance and an increase in polarization. Division happens regularly. But if the church were deeply rooted in God’s Word, things may have been different. The real issue is not the pandemic itself, but a lack of engagement with the Bible.

Younger generations are becoming more biblically illiterate because discipleship at home is significantly lacking.

All of these factors have contributed to the overall spiritual problem we see today, which underscores our need for God’s Word.

Sadly, more than half of Americans have read little or none of the Bible.

What if we embarked on a yearlong journey with an emphasis on prioritizing Bible reading, Scripture memory and prayer? That’s the purpose of the “365 Empowerment” project, which involves memorizing 365 Bible verses, reading the Bible five times in a year and spending one hour per day in prayer.

These goals can be achieved by memorizing one verse, reading 17 chapters of Scripture and praying for an hour each day. This exercise will take 2.4 hours per day, making “365 Empowerment” a spiritual discipline to spend 10% of each day with the Lord.

As you discipline yourself with this program, encourage family members, church members and coworkers to participate for their own spiritual discipline. This program can also be used in discipleship.

Share your experience weekly with church members to serve as accountability partners. This program is most beneficial, not as an individual experience, but as a communal growth experience through God’s Word.

A yearlong journey of in-depth spiritual discipline

Email [email protected] or call (800) 395-5102, ext. 5562 for more information.