About Defenders Bible Reading Plan

Defenders Bible Reading Plan (DBRP) is intended to encourage as many people as possible to study the entire Bible together each year and to promote biblical fellowship and accountability.

DBRP was originally created as, “A Bible Reading Plan for Defenders of Freedom,” to support deployed military and their families, enabling them to remain in God’s word together while physically separated during challenging times.  Over the years, the reading plan proved valuable to church groups and other fellowship groups.

Why another one-year Bible reading plan?  Why not?  Technology has enabled more access to God’s word than any other time in human history; yet, most Christians have never read the entire Bible intently.  Biblical illiteracy is a major problem within the church body that cannot be solved through Sunday sermons and popular Christian literature alone.  Daily, prayerful Bible study is an essential discipline of a disciple.  A one-year Bible reading schedule will take you through the entire Bible, the complete revelation of God, in about as much time each day as it takes most people to watch a TV show, and the scheduled readings will guide you through all those essential verses that are often skipped over in popular devotional guides.

There are already many great one-year Bible reading plans available online, many supported by powerful web-based applications and resources.  What makes DBRP unique is its reading schedule, designed with the following attributes:

– Daily readings in the Old Testament, Proverbs, and the New Testament
– A Gospel Book read each quarter
– Psalms read each weekend
– About 15-30 minutes of reading each day

The DBRP schedule provides a complementary balance between the various biblical genres through the whole year.

Directions:

– Download the reading schedule from this site.
– Read annotated selections daily and check the block.
– Read the Proverb chapter that corresponds to the day of the month – for example, on the 2nd day of each month, read chapter 2 of Proverbs.
– Stay with the plan even when you miss days – you can use the weekends to catch up on the chapters you missed.
– Journal, and compare your thoughts with the “Daily Observations” provided on the blog.
– Share and discuss with others.

Tips:

– Pick a dedicated time each day for reading – best to put on your armor before you face the day’s battles (first thing in the morning).
– Find a dedicated place where you will do your readings – a private, quiet place.
– Find a family member or friend who will hold you accountable to keeping up with your readings.  Share your commitment with others, and encourage others to join in.
– Keep a journal or organized notes for reference as you read throughout the year/years.
– Use the weekends to do research and study on difficult passages you encounter during the weekdays.
– Consider a “tithe” of your time for Bible study, prayer, and meditation.

Extra Credit:

– Each week, the DBRP schedule includes a “one another” commandment from the Bible for you to meditate upon and practice.  Consider memorizing these 52 verses.
– “Cross” Fit Spiritual Workout of the Day (S-WOD):  Each day, you will be given a practical application challenge based upon the day’s readings.  See if you can complete them all to improve your spiritual fitness.

Our hope is that DBRP plan will help encourage and equip you, your loved ones, and many others to study the entire Bible this year and many years to come.