Walking with God.

Bible Reading

“…they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”
Psalm 1:2-3

The Holy Spirit – through whom Scripture was written – helps us to understand the Bible, and hear God’s voice through it. When we open (or switch on!) our Bibles, it’s good to ask His help!

If you want your faith to grow and if you want to hear God’s voice, very simply: spend time in His Word. When we read the Bible, God speaks. It shows us His character and reveals more about Him to us. The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and is the highest authority we have about who God is and what He has done for us.
The Holy Spirit – through whom Scripture was written – helps us to understand the Bible, and hear God’s voice through it. When we open (or switch on!) our Bibles, it’s good to ask His help!

First Steps

Ask your friends which version of the Bible they find helpful (even audio, if you struggle with reading). For example, some translations are careful not to use long or technical words; some highlight the words of Jesus; some (study Bibles) have extra notes on each page to explain the meaning.
Try to find a time of day when you can have some quiet – for prayer (see here) and Bible together.
For beginners – first, simply read through one of the Gospels (the records of Jesus’ life: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) - Mark is the shortest! After this, read the other Gospels and then “Acts”. While all of the Bible is helpful, some of the “Old Testament” can be hard to understand for new believers.
Better to read a short amount and ask God to speak through it, than devour big chunks all in one go and get overloaded - a bit like eating!

Going Deeper

Whether this is your first time reading the Bible, or you've been reading your Bible for years, here are some resources we recommend:

"The Message: Solo" (Devotional)

Devotional Book by Katie Peckham & Eugene Peterson
"The Lion Handbook to the Bible"

Book by Pat Alexander & David Alexander
"Her Bible Audio UK"

A current project to have women across the UK recorded reading the NIV Bible. See here.
"Zondervan Bible Commentary"

Book by F.F. Bruce
"Complete NIV Audio Bible"

Audio - Read by David Suchet
"Bible App"

From YouVersion. This App contains different translations of the Bible as well as devotionals created by people across the globe.
"The Bible with Nicky & Pippa Gumbel"

Commentary available both in print and on YouVersion’s Bible App for free to take you through the whole of the Bible in a year.
"The Bible Project"

Fantastic videos and podcasts available from The Bible Project.