What will 20 minutes a day reading and studing the Bible do for me? Consider the following: 
No one wants to be a weakling in anything they do. No one gets out of bed in the morning saying to themselves “ Today I resolve to do the worst I can do, in all I lay my hand to”  In school, no one is content to “just get by” That is why the grading system is so important. You can measure your progress. It is human nature.  This is the way God created us. Some of you are old enough to remember Charles Atlas. One of the reasons for his success were that no one wants to be a 97 pound weakling.

Charles Atlas, was born Angelo Siciliano Oct 30, 1892, in Italy. He was the developer of a bodybuilding method and its associated exercise program, most well-known for a landmark advertising campaign featuring his name and likeness, which has been described as one of the most lasting and memorable ad campaigns of all time.  According to Atlas, he trained himself to develop his body from that of a "scrawny weakling", eventually becoming the most popular muscleman of his day. He took the name "Charles Atlas" after a friend told him he resembled the statue of Atlas on top of a hotel in Conney Island.  He started working out 20 minutes a day.

So then what can you expect from 20 minutes a day with the bible?

In the Bible, John wrote to a young man making this statement:

I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. (1. John. 2:14, New American Standard version)

They were strong in the word of God and no longer spiritual children. They had the word of God, in their heart and heads.

They had the “equipment” that enabled them to overcome the wicked one. They fed on the Word of God regularly and systematically. They grew in the faith. strong enough to not be continually defeated by sin and temptation

One possible way.

To grow spiritually requires studying the Word of God, and there is no easy way. There is no easy way to get good grades, sussess in bodybuilding or growing as a Christian.

The strong ones have developed the habit of studying the word of God.  It was available to them, but it was not handed to them on a silver platter.  They had to put in time and effort in order to grow. They have fed their mind on the word of God regularly, often and in a systematic way. Spiritual failure has in common the absence of the Word of God in their daily lives.

We all need assurance. Every young Christian needs assurance. We are in need of absolute assurance for salvation. We all need to be certain that we have become a child of God.

Salvation is a free gift from our loving Heavenly Father, our God. You can not earn it in any way. It seems too good to be true. This is a difficult feature of the Christian faith. It seems “right” to do something to earn your salvation.  Somehow, at first glance, it doesn’t make sense. When a person is led to Christ; then left on his own, it is “natural” that doubts creep in to his mind. Our mind is the battle ground for the soul.  Doubts about salvation tend to push everything else aside and out of our mind.

The only source of assurance is the Bible!

That being said, it will do him no good if he doesn’t read it for himself or have the tools to read it correctly. The promises and guarantees in the Bible have no value in the bible itself.  He needs to get them into his brain and mind, where the battle ground is. I suspect this is why God gave us the Bible.

Look at what the bible wrote to the young men again:

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

This is the one who came by water and blood - Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.  We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.  Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - hatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.


If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one that was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.  We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true - even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." (1. John. 5:1-21, New International version)


Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Listen to the words written here :

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may have eternal lives!


The Christian that has a definite assurance, he is a child of God. That God is his heavenly Father has the basis for a sound emotional life. The majority of those with fears, worries and other emotional foibles usually seek the assurance of salvation because they have been reacting to thoughts in their minds instead of reading their Bible and filling their minds with the words of God. In the first case, they were reacting to thoughts, in the second case, they were proactive, filling their minds with  words from God.  No man be assured of God when he  limits himself to the thoughts of  his mind.  The Bible teaches the concept  of God does not come by thinking. The wisdom of God'' comes from the Bible.   (1 Cor. 1:21). If you  would enjoy the assurance of your salvation  then begin to study the Word of God.