Developing a strong devotional life
I’m convinced that our relationship with Jesus is only as good as our devotional life. In fact, I’ve never known anyone who was strong in their faith who didn’t have a disciplined devotional life. For me, it starts first thing in the morning. A cup of coffee is needed to get my frazzled brain cells working. I start with the YouVersion study. I’m currently doing a one-year study through the Old Testament with an online group of people, mostly from our church. Let me know if you are interested in joining us—there’s always room for one more. After I’m finished with the online study, I spend time in prayer. I have a prayer guide that I wrote for myself to keep me focused and to help me remember what and who to pray for. Sometimes I start with the Lord’s Prayer to kick things off, especially if I’m having trouble launching my prayers.
I highly recommend creating your own prayer guide. I have The Prayer of Examen by St. Ignatius of Loyola. I don’t use it every day, but it helps me go a little deeper with God when I have extra time. I also have The Prayer of Serenity. It’s short and sweet, but it helps me keep my priorities straight. If you do a Google search, you can find both The Prayer of Examen and The Prayer of Serenity. My prayer guide is organized to help me pray for my family, my friends, our church leaders, and all the people who are a part of our church. I also pray for our personal finances and for the various missionaries and ministries we support globally and locally. I have a special category of people listed who currently do not have a relationship with Jesus. I can’t tell you how exciting it is when someone on that list comes to Jesus and I have the privilege of taking their name off my list.
If you feel like your devotional life is stale or not inspiring, feel free to shake things up a little. Don’t get stuck in a routine that’s boring. Here are some ideas…
Change your location. Instead of sitting on the couch in your living room, go to your backyard or another room or space in the house. You might be surprised at how changing your location can reenergize your devotional life.
Change the devotional material. If you’re getting bored with Leviticus or Ezekiel, try another book of the Bible.
Take a prayer walk. I’ve been doing prayer walks for several decades now. There is something special about walking and talking to the Lord in places like the beach, the mountains, parks, or the bay—or whatever kind of environment inspires you. Not only will your prayers feel different, but you’ll also be able to get those 10,000 steps in.
Listen to an inspiring podcast. There’s no shortage of great teachers and preachers who will challenge you and encourage your faith.
Read one of the Christian classics. There are so many great Christian books to be read or listened to. If you want to play in the deep end of the pool, try C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or Timothy Keller, to name just a few. For lighter reading, try Max Lucado, Craig Groeschel, or Charles Swindoll.
Mark up your Bible. I love it when I see someone with a Bible that’s all marked up with highlighters and pens. I inherited an old NIV Study Bible from a man who used to go to our church. He passed away several years ago, and his family gave me his Bible. I’ve used that Bible many times. The marked-up passages with little remarks next to them told me a lot about my friend. So, he actually was paying attention all those times I thought he wasn’t!
Try journaling. My journaling has been, at best, inconsistent, but when I do journal it helps me see where my head and heart are with God. Sometimes I go back and read my old journals to see if I’m making progress in my relationship with Jesus. The journal takes me down memory lane and gives me clarity about where I’ve been and where I currently am.
That’s all I have for now. If you’ve never had an established devotional life, there’s no better time to start than now.
Stay close to Jesus,
Steve