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In the Beginning Was the Word

You may have heard that words have power. In fact, in the book of John, chapter 1, Jesus is referred to as “the Word.” It says that the Word was with God and was God. Why did God choose to use this particular language to describe Himself? Perhaps one facet of it is because, like God, words can make, change, and renew life. I am living proof. 

Some four years ago, my life was in complete chaos. Feeling far from God, confused, and alone—I took the step to attend a women’s LifeGroup. One night at group, our leader began to talk about engaging with God’s Word. This wasn’t wholly unfamiliar to me. I used to be a Bible study junkie. I liked the Bible. But engaging with it? Letting it renew my mind? Reading my Bible had become a once-a-week box to check off. I honestly had no idea what engaging with it would even look like. This leader challenged each of us to read the Bible using the YouVersion Bible App every day for 30 days. In the beginning was the Word.

In those first 30 days, I found Bible Plans for literally anything and everything going on in my life and in my heart. In Hebrews 4, God’s Word is described as “living and active … like a two-edged sword that penetrates to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts.” At a time when I felt powerless to change, I began to take in God’s Word, and that created a powerful change in me from the inside out. 

What began to happen is what the Apostle Paul described in Romans 12:2. God transformed me into a new person by changing the way I thought so I could learn God’s will for me. That seemingly small decision to take the challenge to read the Bible for 30 days has been going strong for more than four years now. It is how I begin my day, and in certain seasons, how I end it, too. 

Maybe you’re like me and want to see real and powerful change in yourself and your life. I invite you to begin your own 30-Day reading challenge. It’s as easy as waking up every day and opening up the Bible App. Then do that the next day, and the day after that. 

—Crystal, Mastering Transformation Through Consistency with God’s Word

Pray: God, I want the truth of Romans 12:2 to take hold in my mind. Help me become consistent with letting You renew me. I’m sorry for all the times I’ve made excuses for why I couldn’t find time to be with You and to read Your Word. I choose to start fresh. Strengthen my desire to seek You, learn from You, memorize Your words, and allow You to transform my mind.