Category: NLT Resources

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23, NLT

Article from the Streetlights New Testament

A closed hand cannot receive a gift, no matter how great it is, how much the giver paid for it, or how powerfully the person receiving it might benefit. Therefore, closed hands and hearts can never receive God’s gift of eternal life and the eternal debt of sin paid.

So how will you respond to Romans 6:23?

If you sense you have a debt of sin that has never been paid and are convicted that your life needs an answer for the wrong you are a slave to, then come to Christ. Receive His gift of eternal life. He is merciful and generous, and He will not turn away anyone who humbly opens his or her heart to accept His life paid on behalf of their debt. He will free you from sin, death, and eternal condemnation. That is an incredible gift!

If you have received this gift, don’t forget what Christ has done. The gift still applies to us today, especially through the sin struggles we all face this side of heaven. God’s grace is sufficient for your past, present, and future. His gospel is the gift that keeps giving generously. You are no longer a slave to sin if you are in Christ!

Listen to Romans 6 from the Streetlights Bible

The Streetlights New Testament was created to cut through all the misconceptions about the Bible. To encourage you to listen to, read, and study it yourself with fresh ears and hearts. With a scan of a QR code readers can access the Streetlights audio New Testament and additional engaging content designed for youth. Learn more about Streetlights.

The Filament Bible Experience is a unique, engaging encounter with God’s Word. It pairs a beautiful print Bible with the Filament Bible app, giving you access to a depth of resources that simply cannot fit in a bound Bible. You do this by simply scanning the page number on the page you are reading to access study notes, profiles, devotionals, videos, interactive maps, music, and more that relate to the page you are reading.

You get a stunning Bible that is easy to read and carry, with nothing but the precious Word of God on its pages, and an amazing portal to a vast array of curated content. The content is divided into three sections: Study, Reflect, and See. We are going to share videos that will help you explore each of these sections. We also are including a video on how to get started so you can see how easy it is to start your Filament Bible Experience.

Explore the Study Section

Explore the Reflection Section

Explore the See Section

Learn How to Get Started

Have more questions? Want to learn more? We can help!

by Molly Jo Nyman

The challenges of 2020 brought about something amazing in the life of Levi Gonzales. When the pandemic, the turmoil of the election, and the uncertainty of life left him feeling anxious, depleted, and desperate for God, he decided he needed a total “reset.”

And he was willing to take what some might call radical steps to revive his heart, steady his soul, and renew his mind. He also knew the source of what he needed was found in God’s Word.

Levi said, “I used to read a lot of my Bible. It was pretty common for me to sit down and read an entire book of the Bible, but over the past three years there was a career change and a move, and I wasn’t reading as much. I was desperate for a reset;  for God’s word to realign my thinking. I needed to run away from the world, ignore the news, delete social media. I needed to get God’s perspective. So my initial plan was to read through the entire Bible in three months.”

Levi talked with his wife about his plan, and she was fully supportive, knowing that after Levi worked his full-time job as a software engineer, nights and weekends would be set aside for Bible reading. As it turned out, Levi most frequently settled into his wife’s comfortable chair, often reading 4-5 hours at a stretch.

His Bible of choice was the NLT Thinline Reference Filament Bible.

“I was in the Barnes and Noble in Salt Lake City and chose this Bible. When I was talking with my wife about getting back into Bible reading, she was looking into the NLT. I also have friends and family that read it and enjoy it. I liked the font size, and the Bible was easy to hold up,” Levi explained.

Three months seemed like a rigorous pace, but after acquiring his new Bible and starting to read, things did not go as planned…Levi read the entire Bible in 30 days!

He said, “I’ve read through the whole bible before but this time, at this speed, I was able to really see the ties and connections back and forth between books of the Bible that align historically and prophetically. And seeing the grand picture of Scripture… witnessing the story of redemption unfolding… it was what I needed to be reminded of the absolute and sovereign control of God.

“I feel like the NLT does a great job of explaining what it is trying to say. It is so easy to read. I don’t have to guess at what I’m reading, and I needed a translation that did all the heavy lifting for me.”

His method, his motivation, and his advice for Bible reading all go hand-in-hand.

“My advice is to soak up as much as God’s Word as you need. Consume as much nourishment as you need. Goals are not for goal’s sake, but for what you get out God’s Word,” Levi shared.

“My method was to not go about it like many who start in Genesis and try to read through. I tried that before and got burnt out in 2 Samuel. I feel like I need a little more Jesus at that point!” So Levi’s approach was to follow his interest.

“I just picked a book and read it all the way through, most of the time in one sitting. As I tackled each book I mixed Old and New Testament, usually not in any order and sometimes historically backwards. I read what piqued my interest at the time, because you put more effort in what you’re interested in.”

It was a method that not only led Levi to far exceed his initial plan, it also led him to achieve the results he needed.

“Who I am now, after doing it, is a much less stressed and anxious person.”

Learn more about the Filament Bible Collection

Brothers and sisters in Christ around the world are losing their livelihoods, families, homes, even their own lives because of their faith. It can be overwhelming to hear their stories. We might think, What can I do? When field leaders from The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) meet with persecuted Christians to bless and encourage them, they also inquire about unmet needs. Often, the first request of the persecuted is “Pray for us!” For many of them, the greatest gift they can receive is knowing they are being covered in prayer by their worldwide Christian family. That is something we can do, and The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible can help guide us.

Each day begins with a prayer prompt that was written by a VOM team member. The prayer prompts cover a wide range of needs facing persecuted Christians today. Those needs may include basic physical provisions like food, shelter, or medical help after being attacked because of their faith; Bibles for Christians in nations where owning one could mean incarceration or death; and even transportation for front-line workers advancing God’s Kingdom on some of the world’s most dangerous mission fields.

And then there are the intangible but equally critical spiritual needs: courage for Christians to share the gospel with family members even though they could be disowned for doing so, strength for Christians who are imprisoned for their faith and don’t know if they will see their loved ones again, and wisdom for front-line workers seeking ways to get Bibles to Christians who are surrounded by people who are opposed to the gospel.

Following each prayer prompt is a daily reading from the New Living Translation that includes a portion from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. In one year, you will read through the entire Bible while spending focused time praying for persecuted Christians around the world.

This Bible also includes six featured, full-color stories of people who boldly witness for Christ amid great danger. A fold-out map will help you visualize where our brothers and sisters are being persecuted for their faith and learn more about the locations where sharing the gospel is restricted or hostile.

Each month has a different prayer focus, such as front-line workers and praying for people in prison. A short description with more detail about the specific prayer theme for each month is also included in the Bible.

But it isn’t just about committing individual time to reading and prayer. It’s about coming together as the family of Christ to embrace those who are suffering. Would your church community dedicate a month or one Sunday a month to learning about and praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters? Could you carve out a time in each service to pray for a specific country, maybe even a specific situation? What a beautiful gift we can give to our persecuted brothers and sisters—to know we are consistently covering them in prayer. And what a gift to us that we can learn from their perseverance and commitment to sharing God’s Word no matter the cost.

Even though you may never travel to meet your persecuted Christian brothers and sisters in the jungles of Colombia, the Central Highlands of Vietnam, or the desert sands of Algeria, you can fellowship with them through prayer. As you study each daily Scripture reading, remember that the Bible was written by and for persecuted believers. Reading the Bible in this context should spur every believer on to follow Christ more faithfully, both individually and corporately.

When we pray for the persecuted and read their stories of courage, faithfulness, and obedience, we are united with them. As we allow their stories to inspire us to a deeper commitment to Christ and his Great Commission—no matter the cost and wherever God has placed us—the fellowship becomes mutual.

Will you join us in praying?

Learn more about The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible

Learn more about The Voice of the Martyrs

Story from the One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible

As Pastor Houmayoun led a prayer meeting at his home in Shiraz, Iran, secret police stormed in and arrested him, his wife, their seventeen-year-old son, and four other church leaders. After several days of interrogation, the Christians were moved to a prison and ordered to keep quiet about why they had been arrested; the guards didn’t want their Christian faith to spread among the 6,000 prisoners.

Refusing to be silenced by the guards’ warning, the believers took the opportunity to share the gospel with fellow inmates. But they had one problem: They had no Bibles.

Pastor Houmayoun and the other imprisoned Christians began writing down memorized Bible verses on any paper they could find. And later, they asked family members and friends to send them chapters of Scripture written in English as “letters” to be carried into the prison by a local imam who visited regularly.

The Christians inside the prison then translated the Scripture into Farsi.

After several months, they had complete handwritten copies of some books of the Bible. They continued to make additional copies as they read and shared the ones they already had. “Some of the copies went to other prisons,” Houmayoun recalled, “because sometimes when a prisoner was transferring to another prison he would take copies with him. They also would make copies, and like that, the New Testaments were spreading.”

While Bibles were highly restricted outside the prison, inside they were multiplying.

Learn more about the One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible

Learn more about out partners The Voice of the Martyrs 

“And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.” Luke 2: 6-7, NLT

Article from the Illustrated Study Bible

Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus is a study in contrasts. On the one side is the lowliness of the birth. A poor peasant couple makes their way to their ancestral home of Bethlehem to register for a census imposed on them by the oppressive Roman Empire. Their journey is a long and hard one from Galilee, and when they arrive they can find no place of lodging. They are consigned to a place reserved for animals. There is a sense of poverty, rejection and obscurity. At the birth of the child, announcements are sent not to great kings or to the rich and powerful, but to lowly shepherds watching their flocks in the field.

Yet beside this humble lowliness is a message of unspeakable power and grandeur. The child who is laid in a manger is the Messiah, the long-awaited descendant of King David. He will reign triumphant over the people of Israel and his kingdom will never end. He is the one spoken about by all the prophets. All of history has been pointing forward to its climax in him. An army of mighty angels comes from heaven to announce his birth.

These contrasts are a foretaste of things to come. In Jesus, the God of Israel and Lord of all the earth has come to visit and to save his people. The Divine One reaches down to meet them where they are. Throughout Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will show special concern for the lowly, the poor, the outcast, and sinners. These are the ones he has come to

save because they recognize their need for him. They receive the message of salvation with joy and rejoicing.

The contrast between lowliness and exaltation also relates to Jesus’ mission. Though wicked people reject him and put him to death, Jesus is vindicated at his resurrection.

n and exalted to the right hand of God, where he reigns as Lord and Messiah. From there he pours out the Spirit of God to guide and direct his church. Through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and exaltation Jesus provides

forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all those who respond in faith to him.

Learn more about the Illustrated Study Bible

“When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife.” Matthew 1:24, NLT

Profile from the Life Application Study Bible

The strength of what we believe is measured by how much we are willing to suffer for our beliefs. Joseph was a man with strong beliefs. He was prepared to do what was right, despite the pain he knew it would cause to someone he loved and to himself. But Joseph had another great quality:

He not only tried to do what was right but also tried to do it in the right way.

When Mary told Joseph about her pregnancy, Joseph knew the child was not his. His respect for Mary’s character and her sincere explanation, as well as her attitude toward the expected child, must have made it hard to think his bride had done something wrong. Still, someone else was the child’s father—and it was mind-boggling to accept that the “someone else” was God.

Joseph decided he had to break the engagement, but he was determined to do it in a way that would not cause Mary public shame. He intended to act with justice and love.

At this point, God sent a messenger to Joseph to confirm Mary’s story and open another way of obedience for Joseph—to take Mary as his wife. Joseph obeyed God, married Mary, and honored her virginity until after the baby was born. Joseph’s role as guardian of God’s Son and of Mary is clearly seen in his response to the dream in which the angel of the Lord instructed him to flee to Egypt. Joseph immediately obeyed, leading his family to Egypt in order to escape from Herod and later returning to settle in Nazareth instead of going back to Bethlehem.

We do not know how long Joseph lived his role as Jesus’ earthly father—he is last mentioned when Jesus was 12 years old. But Joseph taught his son the trade of carpentry, made sure he had good spiritual training in Nazareth, and took the whole family on the yearly trip to Jerusalem for the Passover, which Jesus continued to observe during his adult years.

Joseph knew Jesus was someone special from the moment he heard the angel’s words. His strong belief in that fact and his willingness to follow God’s leading empowered him to be Jesus’ chosen earthly father.

Learn more about the Life Application Study Bible

The amount of time it takes you to read through the Bible really isn’t what’s important. What really matters is that you are spending daily, consistent time in God’s Word. For some people, having a Bible with a reading plan can help them stay on track. Having a goal of reading through the Bible in a year might be the motivation they need to push through some of the more difficult passages (yes, like Leviticus). There are lots of good reasons to read through the Bible in a year, but the most important reasons are to gain a better understanding of who God is and of his relationship with us and to experience his full story of salvation. Like any great book, it’s important to read the beginning, middle, and end (yes, even Leviticus). You don’t want to miss out.

If you think a year-long Bible-reading plan Bible would be helpful, we have a few ideas for you:

The One Year Bible is the #1–selling reading-plan Bible. And there are a variety of different formats and plans so you can pick which one is best for you. The daily variety reading format has a passage from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs for you to read each day. If you want to go on a historical trek, the chronological versions are arranged into 365 daily readings that help you experience the Bible events in the order they actually occurred. Both varieties are also available with wide margins for journaling and coloring, and the daily variety format is available in multiple translations. See them

Looking to combine your Scripture reading with focused prayer time? The One Year Pray for Bibles include the New Living Translation Bible text in the daily reading format as well as prayer prompts focused on an urgent topic or need. This year we partnered with The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) on The One Year Pray for the Persecuted Bible. A unique prayer prompt is included with each daily Scripture reading, covering a wide range of needs facing persecuted Christians today. When we pray for the persecuted and read their stories of courage, faithfulness, and obedience, we enter into fellowship with them. Also available are The One Year Pray for Life Bible and The One Year Pray for America Bible. Learn more

The NLT Daily Reader’s Bible is a new and unique way to read through the Bible in a year. Instead of grouping daily readings by date, this Bible groups them by theme. Each reading includes three passages—a selection from the stories of the Bible (the Old Testament books of Genesis through Esther and the New Testament books of Matthew through Acts); another from the teachings of the Bible, including the prophetic books of the Old Testament (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel through Malachi) and the letters of the New Testament (Romans through Revelation); and a third from the wisdom of the Bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations). Since this is a reading Bible, there are no chapter and verse interruptions, and because there are no dates, you can read it at your most comfortable pace. See it

Many Bibles include reading plans to help you engage with God’s story. Some, like the Life Application Study Bible, have a 365-day reading plan checklist in the back. Filament Bibles give you access to a variety of Bible reading plans through the Filament Bible app. Here are a few more Bibles with some great reading plans:

The THRIVE Devotional Bible for Women is a full NLT Bible that includes 365 devotional readings. Devotionals are interspersed throughout the Bible and contain a key Scripture, a love letter from God, a reflection from beloved author Sheri Rose Shepherd, a treasure of truth, and a special prayer for the reader. Learn more

The Wayfinding Bible gives you lots of reading-plan options. With an innovative, full-color visual guide at the top of each reading, The Wayfinding Bible provides you with three paths through God’s Word. Following the Fly-Over Route, you’ll cover the most important events in the Bible in just 40 readings, giving you a fresh overview of how these events tell the story of God’s redemption. Following the Direct Route’s 200 readings, you’ll gain a better understanding of how God’s story develops through history. Following the Scenic Route, you’ll explore new territory while discovering a richness and depth in God’s Word that you haven’t seen before. All without the discouragement of getting bogged down in any single book. And there are even more reading plans. Ready to learn more?

Immerse: The Reading Bible splits the Bible into six volumes and is specially crafted for a distraction-free reading experience, helping you dive in and get immersed in Scripture. Chapter numbers, verse numbers, and all other modern additives have been removed. Each volume includes readings plans so you can read through an individual volume in 8 or 16 weeks. Created to be read in community, it’s a great way to read the Bible with others, like your church, Bible study, book club, and friends. Go deeper

The Daily Walk Bible offers a simple daily reading plan to see how the Bible fits together. Each day’s reading includes an overview to give you a bird’s-eye view of the day’s reading, several chapters from the Bible, an interesting fact from the day’s reading, and a short devotional to help you reflect on and apply a specific insight from the day’s reading. Every seventh day offers a pause on the journey as you are invited to Look Back over the readings from the previous week, Look Up to God, and Look Ahead to the reading to come. Learn more

The DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible is a beautiful wide-margin Bible that takes you deeper into God’s Word using twelve indisputable truths about who you are in Christ such as you are known, you are blessed, and you have a reason for hope that highlight God’s promises and devotion to his children. Devotionals and reflections connected to these truth are scattered throughout the Bible, and each truth has a unique logo to help you visually connect the dots. See it

How will you connect with God’s Word in 2022?

by Molly Jo Nyman

In our world of sound bites, scrolling, and skimming headlines, reading Scripture may seem like an idea destined to fail. And inviting people to read the entire Bible through in one year? Well, that seems even less likely to attract “followers.”

Yet right now, people around the world are committed to—and enjoying—regularly reading the Bible at a pace that takes them through the entirety of God’s Word in 365 days. Grace Fellowship of Kent, a church in the Seattle suburbs, serves as one example of how this goal can take root, grow, and bear great spiritual fruit in individuals, families, and communities.

According to church elder Kristopher Galvin, the idea started in late 2018. A man who had grown up in the church had moved away and then discovered The One Year Bible. He became an enthusiastic proponent for this reading program and had recommended it to his friends and family. When he moved back to Grace Fellowship of Kent years later, he pitched the idea to the elders.

The church website expresses well why the elders chose to elevate the goal:

God has provided such a great blessing in His Holy Word, the Bible. This unique and remarkable book describes and demonstrates His many immeasurable qualities and illuminates the only path to eternal life with Him, which is through His only Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. It gives meaning to history, context to our present life and hope for the future.

The Bible provides believers in Jesus with tools to live a life that is consistent with our faith and to share the good news of Jesus with others. The only way to realize those blessings is to read it, meditate upon it, and pray about it. These are some of the reasons that the folks at Grace Fellowship of Kent are reading through the whole Bible in one year.

It’s not a one-time “bucket list task” to complete the reading in a year. Better analogies would be eating and breathing—something to do every day. In our busy daily lives, it is so beneficial to have a daily schedule for exercising your mind and soul to “work out your salvation” (Philippians 2:12) and for “eating a healthy diet” (Deuteronomy 8:3). Like a precious letter from someone you are in love with, you will want to read it all, again and again.

Galvin shared, “We encourage people to follow The One Year Bible reading schedule, so we are all reading the same verses each week; usually about 20 minutes per day. This schedule includes daily selections from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, so readers don’t get bogged down in just one book.”

If you’ve ever attempted to read through the Bible and lost your steam somewhere in the seemingly endless genealogies, you’ll understand the advantage of doing it this way!

Galvin added that community is also a key success factor. “When people see other people enjoying and succeeding with it, they realize they can do it. And by using the same schedule, we’re all ‘on the same page’ each day, which facilitates discussions and prayers in our small groups and during our Sunday worship service.”

The Bible reading emphasis in the church started with offering free One Year Bibles in the New International Version to start the reading program on January 1, 2019. Later, a young man suggested adding the New Living Translation (his favorite). After the elders researched, reviewed, and approved that translation, the young man gladly donated a stack of New Living Translation One Year Bibles.

Galvin said, “We also saw that other interesting formats like The One Year Pray for America and Pray for Life Bibles and the larger-print slimline NIV edition struck a chord with people. So now we are actually giving away more of those.”

The church continues to regularly provide One Year Bibles for free. Anyone who attends is encouraged to take one—or more—to give to friends as they invite them to join the Bible reading program. So far, the church has distributed a total number of copies equal to over 200% of its regular Sunday attendance!

Could you start a Bible reading program in your sphere of influence? With people everywhere hungry for Truth and with the power of prayer, you could be the next trendsetter who elevates the Word of God and its ability to create more faithful followers.

Learn more about One Year Bibles 

Interesting Fact: About one-third of the church body at Grace Fellowship of Kent has one or more Chinese speakers in the family. Their sermons are translated into Mandarin.

We love being able to partner with incredible ministries like WayFM to help get God’s Word into the hands and hearts of people wanting to better understand who God is and his purpose for their lives. Through our WayFM partnership thousands of our HelpFinder Bibles have been sent out to help people go deeper into Scripture and easily find answers to some life’s toughest questions.

We hope you are as encouraged by Pastor Chad’s words as we are.

by Pastor Chad, Director of Ministries at WayFM

An incredible ministry that we have at WayFM Radio is our Free Bible Ministry, which exists because of our partnership with Tyndale. One of the encouraging elements of this ministry is that we ask people why they need a Bible. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, but almost every week I am amazed by the varying reasons.

Here are a few reasons from last month:

“My husband, our two children, and I are starting over from scratch after getting out of my family’s toxic home, and I’m not able to get anything from the house, including my Bible. I know I can get a Bible on my phone, but that comes with distractions and I want to give all my attention to God.” Mariah, Panama City, FL

“Mom sent me to my first church camp this summer. Camp Fuego in Louisiana. It was amazing. I came home on fire for Christ. Unfortunately, my Bible has 9 missing books at the back of it. Not sure how it got damaged. Mom says the Word is like food for my soul. Can you send me some ‘food’? My soul is hungry. I am 14 years old.” Billy, Sherman, TX

“I want to start my own spiritual walk with God. As a person raised by Wiccans, I never felt their beliefs reflected who I was, and buying a Bible by myself is a difficult thing to do, including going to church.” Tara, Shelby, MI

“I was homeless and addicted to heroin. I listen to your station and it gives me hope and I have become closer to the Lord! I would like to learn more, but money is really rough right now.” Amy, Louisville, KY

“It’s been too long since I’ve read or studied God’s Word. WayFM has inspired a tugging in my heart to grow closer to God and to learn more about Jesus.” James, Anna, TX

Each month, we gather a group of supporters, listeners, and staff to prepare the Bibles to mail out. Before each Bible mailing, we read many of the stories from the current list and pray that the power of God’s Word will impact the recipients in great ways.

Let us remember the words of Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

The HelpFinder Bible includes an extensive topical index that addresses life’s questions, needs, and concerns. It enables you to quickly and easily find the help you need in God’s Word. Read an expert from the HelpFinder Bible.