Transformational Readings for Men

We live in time where we have easy access to almost anything.

One of the many apps on my phone that I really take advantage of is the YouVersion Bible App – it’s FREE by the way! There are many things included in the YouVersion Bible App: Verse of the Day, videos, and events. You can also set up prayer reminders, add friends to read with you, etc. There are many different bible translations that you can read as well.

Men, I know we all can agree that we can get pretty busy with our days. We might simply not have time to read a whole chapter of the bible each day. I will say, however, diving into God’s Word is very essential. I prefer to read Scripture in the morning to set the tone for the day. The Word of God is how we get fed spiritually and ultimately how we strengthen our relationship with God.

The Word of God is meant to be read daily.

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

The Word of God is essential to sustain us. So much so, that we can’t live off of only food. Another way to think about it would be like using a video game controller without charging it. If we don’t charge it, the controller will begin to die slowly. And even though this won’t cause us to die physically, it could slowly lead to spiritual death.

We need to be re-charged daily with the Word of God.

One of my favorite tools of the YouVersion Bible App are the Bible Plans. These Bible Plans take a deeper approach to the bible where you read devotionals and then scripture that ties into the daily devotionals. These Bible Plans range anywhere from 3 days up to a whole year. There are so many Bible Plans with different topics. And for those of us who have a tight schedule, they don’t take up much time to complete each day. Here are just a few of the ones that I have read that have been really transformational for my life.

The Heart of a Warrior: Basic Training (9 Days)

• “If we are going to be trained in how to fight in this battle, we must first clearly understand that the battle is all about Love.”
• This 9 day bible plan takes us deeper into how God expects us to loves others as He loved us; enough to send His ONE and ONLY son to die for our sins.

The Armor (5 Days)

• “The spiritual life is a battle, especially for those who are attempting to make disciples, and the man or woman of God must be prepared and armed and ready for attack.”
• This 5-day bible plan reminds us men that we are in a constant battle, not with anything of this world but with spiritual forces. We are reminded that God gives us His armor to put on for battle, and we must be prepared to fight the forces of evil every day.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

When It Hurts (10 days)

• “When we’re going through difficult times, feeling overwhelmed by things, or just having a bad day, we can often feel that we’re alone and that nobody understands what we’re going through. But God understands, and He’s promised to never leave us.”
• Men, don’t ever let yourself believe that you can’t express your emotions. I’ve heard that women find that attractive, so CRY! But in all reality, it’s okay to feel these emotions when we feel like we are at our worst. This bible plan really goes deep into how God knows how we feel, and He understands. It really pushes us to lean on God when everything seems to be falling apart.

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Fight Devotional for Men (11 days)

• “Author and Pastor Craig Groeschel helps men uncover who they really are — a powerful man with a warrior heart.”
• This plan goes into the life of Samson – a strong man with glaring weaknesses. Don’t just fight like a man. Fight like a man of God.
• I read this plan with my men’s group, and it truly was impactful to our lives.

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Crazy Faith (5 days)

• “Something in you believes the impossible. Something in you daydreams about a miracle. Something in you knows you were made to live a life of crazy faith.”
• This 5-day plan by Pastor Michael Todd really takes you on a journey and makes you look at your life from a new perspective of God’s plan for your life. We’ve only scratched the surface of what God has in store for us. Are you ready to take the leap of faith?

Crash The Chatterbox (7 days)

• “Those words you say to yourself in your heart. The ones that discourage and make you feel insecure. You don’t have to let them overwhelm you anymore.”
• This bible plan was probably one of my favorites because I was someone who would fight with my inner thoughts. This one really impacted me and helped me push through the negative thoughts, take them captive, and bring them to God. That is what we must do when we begin to believe lies that either we or the enemy tells us.

I encourage you, Man of God, that if you simply cannot make the time to read your bible, start off by doing bible plans on the YouVersion Bible App. They take up literally less than 10 minutes each day. I can guarantee that if you are intentional with it and you are expectant, God will truly transform your life. This could be the beginning of your journey to reading God’s Word on a daily basis. There are many forms of reading scripture: SOAP journals, books, bible studies, the BIBLE itself, the list goes on. If you don’t want to do it alone, invite a friend to tag along, or reach out to me and I will gladly join you on this journey!

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