Adopting the Best Habit in 2019

Could reading the Bible start a spiritual awakening and revival in the church? What would happen if every Assembly of God church member began to read the Bible from cover to cover, at least once every year? I believe that God is calling His people to begin reading the Bible, more than they are presently reading it. Whatever your current practice of reading scripture is, God is calling us to increase our personal goals. This could be the lifestyle habit that produces the greatest transformation in our life, our family, and our culture. We are living in perilous times, where there is an all-out assault against truth in America.  Deception, injustice and falsehood have been embraced and perpetuated in every area of our society. Isaiah the prophet said it this way, “For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us, and we know our iniquities; transgressing and denying the Lord, and turning away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving in and uttering from the heart lying words. Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; For truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter.  Yes, truth is lacking; and who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey….” (Isaiah 59:13-15a, NASB). Do these verses read like our nation today?  From the public school house to our house, from the houses of congress to the houses of justice, from the marketplace to the media and all platforms of social media, from the White House to God's house, there is an all-out war against truth. Isaiah described this generation when he said, “truth has stumbled in the street”. Can America survive this assault? America will only survive if true Christians revive! Christians cannot revive without a return to the Bible!  Every historical revival in American history was accompanied by strong pulpits and Biblically literate pews.

The sad reality is that a recent study conducted by the Center for Bible Engagement (CBE) revealed most American homes own a Bible, but few actually read them. The CBE also revealed that most Americans believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but that does not mean they actually read them.  A Gallup study revealed that only one out of four Americans completely agree that they can find direction for their lives by reading the Bible, and less than two out of five read the Bible at least once per week. The CBE also reported that Christians are struggling in their battle against sinful temptations. Studies show that about half of men attending church struggle with pornography. A significant minority of self-identified born-again Christians under the age of 35 has cohabited, and the divorce rates are just as high among born-again Christians as other groups. A very alarming statistic tells us that 8 out of 10 youth from evangelical homes walk away from their faith by age 23.[1] What should we do? 

The CBE report not only gives us the bad news, but also gives us hope in some statistics that can be life changing. They have called this good news The Power of 4 Effect. A key discovery from the CBE research is that the life of someone who engages scripture four or more times a week looks radically different from the life of someone who does not. In fact, the lives of Christians who do not engage the Bible most days of the week are statistically the same as the lives of non-believers.[2] You can follow this research by downloading the PDF here.

• 228% more likely to share faith with others
  
• 407% more likely to memorize scripture
  
• 59% less likely to view pornography
  
• 30% less likely to struggle with loneliness[3]