10 Lists That Propel You Forward, Part 3

Do you want to move forward with God at a rapid pace? If so, then using certain lists in your devotional time will help keep you on track. In my experience, both for myself and in mentoring others, I have found that these ten specific kinds of lists do, in fact, actually propel people forward like proverbial rocket ships.

Whether you’re a natural list-maker or not, these techniques are for you–because they are all based on the Word of God! Therefore, my beloved, this series about 10 Lists That Propel You Forward will help you, even if you’re not naturally an organized, list-making person!

If you’re new to this series, be sure to read Part 1 here for my backstory and the first two types of lists you may want to consider making. Also, you can read Part 2 here for lists 3-5.

Without further ado, let’s look at a few more of the ten lists that will propel you forward:

List 6: A list of which Bible chapters you read each day.

Early every morning, with very few exceptions, I wake up and go first into my spare room where I pray, and I sit down to be alone with the Lord. When I sit down, I open my journal and write the date.

Then, I typically record my gratitude and praise to the Lord; and then I usually begin reading the Word and praying. When I’m done, I write down which chapters (or sometimes passages) I read.

When I finish reading a whole book, I write down the book (e.g. Proverbs) and the date I finished it in a special list that I put in the front of my journal. (I like to save a few blank pages in the front of my journal for things like that.)

This record of my progress in studying the Word keeps me on a steady course from day to day. It helps me not want to miss a day, and it will help you build that same consistency, too.

Additionally, however, this list keeps me on track with my studying because I have visible evidence that I’m in reading through a particular book of the Bible. So, my record of progress inspires me to keep that progress going.

Keeping an ongoing record of which Bible chapters you read each day will help you in many ways.

Hiding God’s Word in our hearts is one of the two most important things you can do if you want to be close to the Lord (the two things being Bible study and prayer). Therefore, I strongly encourage you to keep a running record of which chapters you read. It doesn’t have to be fancy; just a simple notation will do. You don’t even have to put this information in a separate list; you can put the chapters under your heading in your journal for each day.

Either way, recording what you read will make a big difference in keeping you on track with your Bible study and reading.

List 7: A list of the dates on which you finish reading each book of the Bible.

I alluded to this briefly above, but let me go into further detail. Keeping a list of which books of the Bible you have read–and the dates you finished reading them–can also make a big difference not only in your walk with God, but in how full versus dry you feel each day.

Why? Because, if you look at your list and you see that you haven’t read any full books lately, you can then ask yourself if you are on track with studying at all. Have you gotten stuck, or have you lost your motivation? Or, are you just floundering, instead of communing with God purposefully?

I read the Bible in two ways, and I’d feel lost without both ways.

The two ways I read the Bible are:

• Sometimes I ask the Lord what passage He would like me to read that has to do with my particular problem that day. In other words, I ask Him, “Lord, I need some encouragement. Where should I read to hear from You about XYZ?” Then, wherever He leads me (even if it’s only a verse or two), I meditate on that passage and pray through it for a while.
• But also, I read straight through individual books of the Bible, usually several chapters a day. This way, I know that I am purposefully filling myself up on large amounts of material.

Sometimes, however, I notice that I feel low in my faith, or that I feel dry.

And when that happens, sometimes the Lord shows me things like:

• Maybe I have been studying the Psalms a lot, asking God for help or comforting my emotions. But, maybe I haven’t read anything recently that feeds, fuels, or inspires me in my specific spiritual gifts. There’s everything right about every book of the Bible, but we need a balanced diet of ALL the different kinds of spiritual food it contains.
• Or, maybe I have been reading tons of the New Testament, but I have forgotten to read the Major Prophets–and those books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) have always been SO encouraging to me.
• Or, maybe I’ve been filling up on the Pauline letters, but I haven’t been paying much attention to the words of Jesus. Yet, Jesus said in John 6:63 that the words that HE speaks are Spirit, and they are life. You can start feeling really dry without frequent infillings of the words of Jesus!

Friend, all of the books of the Bible are important.

You don’t have to read the books of the Bible in order, but you do need to read all of them. 🙂 And if, for example, you love the Psalms and tend to gravitate there, that’s awesome– except that you’re missing out:

• Missing out on the words of Jesus in the Gospels;
• Missing out on the words of prophecy in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the other major and minor prophets;
• Missing out on God’s heart for Israel (and for you) as recorded in the Torah and historical books of Kings and Chronicles;
• Missing out on everything about faith that the apostle Paul wrote down (taking dictation from God’s Holy Spirit) in Romans, Galatians, and the letters to the Corinthians;
• Missing out on the HOPE and encouragement contained in the Pauline letters (like Philippians, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and so on);
• Missing out on the revelation of the resurrected, reigning Christ as recorded in the last book of the Bible, which is appropriately named Revelation.

Beloved, ALL Scripture is important. In order to truly know God well, you have to know all of Scripture well so you can put the puzzle pieces together across all the books.

As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV).

So, how can you accomplish this? Simply keep a list in your journal or Bible of when you finish reading each different book of the Bible. Then, refer to the list periodically and notice if your “nutrition plan of the Word” needs any infusions. 🙂 You may notice, as I do, that you need to go get a generous helping of a book of the Bible that you aren’t used to reading, or which you perhaps have even never read before. 🙂

List 8: A list of seeds you’ve sown, so you can water each seed with your prayers.

“Sowing a seed” means giving something to the Lord, or to others in the name of the Lord. It’s usually a financial gift, but it could be anything–even a meal, an article of clothing, a smile, or a sacrificial act of service. And sowing a seed into good ground will always bring you a harvest.

(Read here to learn the Scriptures behind this process of “sowing a seed,” and how to name your seed and command it to bring forth the harvest that you want. Also, you can read here to learn whether or not you are sowing into good ground.)

In the natural realm, literal plant seeds require water, heat, and pressure to sprout and produce a plant–which, eventually, produces a harvest. Similarly, in the spiritual realm, the seeds you have sown (whether seeds of money, time, effort, love, helping someone, and so on) require water, heat, and pressure.

The “watering” comes from your continued prayers over all the seed you have sown. You exert the “heat” and “pressure” on each seed by:

• Fasting and praying over your seed;
• Taking action in faith toward what you want, to bring in your harvest; and
• Speaking the Word over your seeds, and over the outcome (harvest) you want to see happen in your life as a result of sowing each seed.

Well, how can you water and fertilize your seeds with your prayers, action, and words if you forget what seeds you have sown, or what you are sowing for? You can’t! Therefore, I recommend that you keep a list somewhere of all the seeds you have sown, and of what you sowed them for. Then, refer to this list and pray over your seeds as often as you can!

God never forgets a seed, and He will always bring you a harvest. Remember what God said in Genesis 8:22, after the Flood:

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22 NKJV).

Your seed will come up. But if you pray over it and “water” it with your prayers, it will come up even faster and bigger. Go ahead and start your list of the seeds you have sown today!

That takes us through Lists 1-8. In the next and final article in this series, we will discuss Lists 9-10!

But, in the meantime, I would love to know:

Friend, have any of these lists grabbed your heart? Do you want to be more purposeful in your seeking of God? If so, leave a comment below!