This article is a summary of the following episode: Why Christians Struggle to Read the Bible
Many Christians want to read the Bible. They believe they should. They even start strong for a week or two. Then the momentum fades, and the guilt starts to creep in.
That pattern is common, and it rarely comes from laziness. Most of the time, people struggle with Bible reading because they have been handed the wrong expectations, the wrong tools, and the wrong reasons.
This article is meant to put words to that struggle and to offer a path forward. A path shaped by years of pastoral ministry, years of conversations with believers around the world, and years of watching what happens when the Bible becomes a burden instead of a source of rest.
The Bible Feels Hard Because Many of Us Were Taught to Read It Wrong
A lot of Christians grew up hearing that the Bible is powerful and beneficial. Then they opened it and experienced something else.
Confusion. Condemnation. Frustration. A sense that the whole thing was a never-ending list of demands.
When the Bible feels like that, reading it becomes emotionally expensive. You can tell yourself it matters, yet your heart expects another round of shame. In that moment, distraction makes sense. Avoidance makes sense. Busyness becomes a convenient cover.
If you are thinking, I should want this more, you are not alone. Many people were trained to approach Scripture as a performance metric. Read more. Try harder. Do better. Then maybe life will finally straighten out.
That approach does not produce joyful reading. It produces fear, pride, or despair.
Practical Barriers Usually Reveal a Deeper Problem
People often say, “I am too busy.”
Sometimes that is true. Life can be hectic. Schedules can be brutal.
Yet for most people, the deeper issue is that Bible reading feels unhelpful. If opening the Bible leaves you confused or crushed, your brain will treat it like a chore. You will find time for what feels life-giving, and you will avoid what feels like punishment.
Many believers read Scripture for years, driven by guilt, shame, or fear. They hoped Bible reading would keep them from sinning. They hoped it would keep them out of trouble. They hoped it would earn a sense of safety.
That kind of pressure does not lead to love. It leads to burnout.
Emotional Barriers Can Make Scripture Feel Discouraging
The Bible can be hard to open when your heart is heavy.
Discouragement makes you want to numb out. Stress makes you want to escape. When you feel shot emotionally, reading feels like work.
Some believers also carry anger toward God or deep frustration with Him. That often comes after loss, betrayal, illness, or unanswered prayers. In those moments, people can feel like Scripture is full of words that do not match their lived experience.
Grief can make you avoid the Bible even when you know you need it.
If someone has handed you verses like weapons, that pain cuts deeper. You begin to associate the Bible with cold answers instead of real comfort. You learn how to play the church game outwardly while quietly feeling lost inwardly.
That is one reason many people stop reading. It is not because the Bible lacks comfort. It is because they do not know how to find it when they are hurting.
Misinformation and Misuse of Scripture Can Destroy Confidence
One of the enemy’s most effective strategies is misinformation.
Scripture can be quoted in a way that sounds faithful while steering people away from hope. Satan tried this with Jesus. He quoted Scripture and twisted its meaning.
That still happens. Passages get lifted out of context. Promises get assigned to people who were never meant to receive them in that way. Commands get weaponized. The Bible becomes a club.
When that happens, the book meant to strengthen faith can end up weakening faith.
It leaves believers thinking, “If this is what the Bible is, I cannot survive under it.”
The real issue is not Scripture. The real issue is mishandling Scripture.
Many Christians Do Not Know Where to Start
Plenty of people begin their reading plans in Genesis because it is the first book. Then they hit sections that feel confusing, strange, or overwhelming.
Genesis is rich and beautiful, and it also carries layers that many modern readers do not recognize. Genre, structure, and purpose matter. Moses wrote to a particular people in a particular moment. The story is not random. It is redemption-shaped.
That is why many believers need a basic map before they need a long reading plan.
They need to know what they are looking for. They need to know how the pieces connect. They need tools that help them find the thread of the story.
Tools Matter Because the Treasure Is Worth Digging For
A tool can be simple and still uncover something priceless.
A shovel is simple. A child can use it. Yet a shovel can unearth treasure.
Bible reading works in a similar way. You do not need a seminary degree to learn helpful tools. You need basic categories that guide your attention.
Context. Continuity. Covenants. Understanding the difference between law and gospel. How the New Testament teaches you to understand the Old Testament. How the whole story moves toward Christ.
Those tools help you know where to dig and what you are digging for.
Without tools, you can read for years and still feel lost.
With tools, you can read and actually see what God is doing.
Reading Alone Can Make the Struggle Worse
Modern Christianity often treats Bible reading as a private project.
That mindset leaves many believers isolated and defeated. It also ignores how communal Scripture has always been.
For most of church history, individual Christians did not own a personal Bible. The Word was heard, taught, discussed, sung, and shared in the life of the gathered church. That communal pattern shaped the way Christians learned to think, believe, and grow.
Even now, many people need a safe place to ask questions. They need fellow believers who can help them think through hard passages. They need pastors and elders who teach faithfully. They need friends who can talk through what they are reading.
The Word is meant to be a shared meal, not a solitary burden.
Habits Help, Yet Habits Cannot Heal a Wrong View of Scripture
Routine is valuable. Consistency is good. It helps to build habits.
Yet habits cannot fix a heart that associates the Bible with condemnation. A schedule will not overcome confusion. A checklist will not restore joy.
When someone sees the Bible as a place to meet Christ and to receive help, they start returning to it for the same reason they return to food. They need it. They want it. They are nourished by it.
That shift changes everything.
A Better Goal Than Finishing a Plan
Many Christians approach Bible reading hoping to earn God’s approval or to prove they are serious.
That mentality always leads back to pressure.
Scripture calls believers to walk by faith. It calls them to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of faith. It teaches that divine power supplies what we need for life and godliness.
That changes how you open the Bible.
You open it to see Christ. You open it to be strengthened. You open it to be comforted. You open it to be equipped to love others in a world filled with confusion.
The Bible is not a scoreboard. It is a living word that tears down strongholds and brings real hope.
A Pastoral Word to the Wounded
Some listeners have stopped going to church because of real abuse and real harm. That pain is not small.
Yet isolation is never the cure. The enemy loves to keep wounded people away from the place where God restores them through the Word rightly taught and rightly applied.
If you have been hurt, I am sorry. I mean that. I also pray God gives you strength to find a church that will handle Scripture with care, with patience, and with mercy.
You deserve better than what you received.
The Bible Is for the Weary
If you feel close to giving up, Scripture is for you.
It tells the truth about suffering. It tells the truth about hope beyond the grave. It tells the truth about mercy for sinners. It tells the truth about grace for the weak.
The Word of God is not meant to crush you. It is meant to lead you to rest, to wisdom, and to a steady confidence in Christ.
If you have struggled to read the Bible, you are not disqualified. You are not alone. You may simply need better tools, better guidance, and a better view of what the Bible is doing.
May God use His Word to restore your joy and strengthen your faith.
If you are interested in learning more about how to read the Bible as Jesus does, we encourage you to check out The Bible According to Jesus
