To wrap up our final topic of the year, I am honored to welcome friend and fellow writer, Crystal Storms, to kristinebrown.net today. Crystal writes about the benefits of reading the Bible every day. What better way to experience renewal than by reading God’s Word? Welcome, Crystal!

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 (NIV)

When my temperature rises and my nose runs, I grab a Vitamin C tablet to chase away the sniffles. I’ve been sick twice this fall. That’s not my normal. Was I too busy and getting rundown?

I looked at my schedule. I checked my to-do’s. I asked God what commitments I could let go.

There were tasks I could release and expectations I could surrender. But what surprised me the most was what God spoke to my heart that I needed to add.

Vitamin C wasn’t a quick fix to get healthy. It was something my body needed to stay healthy. So I added a daily dose of Vitamin C to give it what it required.

I used to do the same thing with God’s Word. When a problem arose or my life got out of hand, I reached for His Word for a solution to my woes.

But renewing my mind through Scripture doesn’t happen when I treat the Bible as a last resort. When my pattern of life doesn’t include daily readings, I often find myself at a loss for His peace.

I started with a Psalm and a Proverb each day. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, which makes it a perfect place to start. Then in 2009 I accepted the challenge to read The One Year Bible, and changes began within me. For the first time I had started the year reading God’s Word and was still reading in March … August … December … all the way to the end. And I didn’t want it to stop.

So I turned back to the beginning on January 1 and started over. I developed a love for God’s Word as I read His Word.

Then I read Secrets of the Secret Place and wanted something more. Bob Sorge’s Bible reading plan included reading Jesus’ words every single day—something the other plans missed.

But I feared using Bob’s method of counting pages and paper clipping passages would leave me with an unfinished Bible at the end of the year.

To succeed I needed to make the plan concrete. So I created the Close to His Heart Bible Reading Plan with daily reading from Genesis to Malachi, Psalms to Song of Solomon, the Gospels, and the Epistles.

This plan was my answer to Jesus’ invitation to learn from Him and find rest for your souls found in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (NIV).

Renewing our minds in God’s Word renews our perspective. His Word transforms us from the inside out. Becoming a balm to our broken places. Revealing lies we believe about ourselves. Enabling us to walk in the truth of Whose we are and who we are in Him.

Crystal Storms is an award-winning author, artist, and speaker. Her passion is to encourage weary-hearted women to find rest close to His heart as God’s beloved. She would love to connect with you at CrystalStorms.me where you can download the Close to His Heart Bible Reading Plan and find resources to encourage your heart.