One Step at a Time

Devotions are a unique experience for everyone; We all move at different paces, not everyone does their devotions in the same way, and what works for some people may not work for others.

Hey GEM girls! I'm sure we've all heard others talking about personal devotions. It's an essential part of our Christian experience. But sometimes it's hard.

For a long time, I knew I needed to have my personal devotional time, but it wasn't an actual priority. Of course, I knew it was a good thing to do and was also something I should be doing, but I didn't put much effort into it. Instead, I procrastinated. "I'll do it soon," "I'll start next week," "I don't have time," etc. I used any excuse I could find.

Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to become closer to God and love Him more, I needed to actually spend time with him. How could I get to know God better if I didn't even spend time with Him? How could I say that I love God and yet not put any effort into our relationship?

I started very simply. When I woke up in the morning, I would pray a simple prayer thanking God for giving me another day of life and asking Him to guide me as I read His Word. Then, I would open my Bible to one of my favorite books. I would find a passage, read it, and write a paragraph in my journal about what I read. After, I would say a prayer to end, and proceeded with the rest of my morning tasks.

If you haven't done devotions before, how could you start? One thing that's important is setting a specific time. It's best to do your devotions in the morning when you first wake up. Your mind is refreshed, the hustle and bustle of life has most likely not begun yet, and you'll have a good start to your day. You may have to wake up a little earlier to make time. My devotional time includes prayer, journaling, & reading my Bible or an excerpt from a devotional. Try to find a routine that you're comfortable with.

Sometimes it's easy to just go through the motions. From time to time, I find myself just reading the words and not taking anything from it. I started keeping a journal specifically for my devotional time. It helps me to remember my devotional study so I can actually find ways to apply what I learned to my life. I write my prayer request in it too, so later on, when the prayer is answered, I can look back on those pages and see how God is working in my life.

You might feel as if you need to have an extensive, long, and intricate devotional time to have a great connection with God. All this is not really worth anything if you're not getting anything from it. Start simply and find the little lessons in God's Word. Spend time talking to God as a friend. Your small efforts will never go unnoticed by God.

"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." -Romans 15:4

Do you have any other suggestions on how we can have a better devotion life? Looking forward to seeing your comments! 😊

Blessings!