At Words of Hope, we care a lot about daily devotional time. We believe that time spent reading the Bible and praying every day builds each Christian’s relationship with Jesus Christ. Whether you are a new Christian or a life-long believer, God uses this time to build you up. When you don’t take time for God every day, it is easy for your relationship to weaken.
We want to encourage you to build up the habit of a daily devotional time. Maybe you have had a devotional habit in the past, or maybe it’s something new. Getting started well can make all the difference in continuing past the first day. Here are five of our favorite ways to start (and stick with) a daily devotional time.
1. Pick a good time for you
Are you a morning person? Can you get up 15 minutes earlier? Are you a night owl? Can you stay up for 15 more minutes? Do you have a lunch break with a little quiet time?
Be thoughtful and realistic about a time when you have a few moments to yourself with fewer distractions.
2. Find a place
Where do you feel comfortable? Where can you be alone for a few minutes? Maybe it’s in the bathroom, or your bedroom. Maybe it’s at your dining table, or your desk at work. I know someone who read and prayed for a few minutes in the car before she left for work. Consider a place where you have a little privacy, and a little time.
When you’ve found a place, put your Bible and other devotional materials there. If you plan to read on your phone or computer, make sure you have your materials ready.
3. Set aside distractions
At your devotional time, put away your phone (or if you do devotions on your phone, set it to “do not disturb”). Close your bedroom door. Ignore the laundry or the dishes. They will still be there when you are done! Commit the next 15 minutes to this appointment with Jesus.
4. Keep a record
Keeping a record of your devotional time can be as easy or in-depth as you’d like. Start with your prayer needs. Reviewing this record later can be so encouraging!
If you want to do more, write down what you read and something that stood out from your reading. Just writing down these reflections can encourage deeper reflection, and help you remember what you read.
5. Choose a good guide
You don’t need a guide for devotional time, but having a guide can help you start and stick with a devotional habit. A guide means that you don’t have to figure it all out yourself.
There are many good devotional guides available, but at Words of Hope, we believe that a good guide will encourage you to read the Bible by giving you a passage to read every day. It will help you understand what you are reading, and encourage prayer and reflection.
The Words of Hope daily devotional does all of those things, and we make it available to you as a print book, an email, on our app, and as a podcast. So however you want to study the Bible, we’ve got something that will work for you.
Are you ready to take the first step? Set a time to read tomorrow. Find a place. Set aside distractions. Get the materials ready to keep a record. And choose that good guide to encourage you.
