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Steps for starting & continuing “Daily Devotions” (Quiet Time with God)
1. Pick a REGULAR Time and Place to be ALONE with God. (1st thing in morning often works.)
2. PRAY for God to speak to you, comfort you, lead you, build your faith, etc. during this day's devotions.
3. Start with a PSALM or PROVERB (or both). Meditate on it, don't just read it.
[To MEDITATE on Scripture, read it slowly - a verse or phrase at a time, pausing frequently to think about what you're reading, to pray about what God wants to say about it, and to look up a cross reference or a Bible margin note corresponding to that verse or phrase. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to other portions of Scripture. At times your whole devotion period might be spent on just these first two steps.]
4. At this point choose one of the following types of options.
a. Going through a book of the Bible: Read (preferably meditate on) one or just a half of a chapter a day. By picking a book of the Bible to go through, you avoid wasting time each day deciding what you're going to do for devotions this time.
b. Use of a daily devotional resource: Read, think, and meditate on the day's selection. Typically, pick a book that has a meditation for each day which is about the length that matches the time you have set aside. Also, pick one that has a suggested Bible passage to read that its meditation is based on - and read that Bible passage first. Some also have a short prayer with each day's meditation.
c. Using a Christian Book: Pick a book about a Christian topic you're interested in. Read a chapter or a set number of pages each day.
d. Use a one or two year plan to read through the entire Bible: Still take time to meditate on what you read.
e. Use Pastor’s Bible reading plan for Key Chapters of the Bible: (Just email Pastor Pete.)
5. Close your period of devotions with various kinds of PRAYER to God. Start with a prayer for God to show you how what you've read that day can be applied to your life. Then also include other prayers. Two methods you might consider are:
a. Use the A.C.T.S. acronym: A= Adoration; praise God for who He is or things He's done. C= Confession; admit your weaknesses or sins to the Lord. T= Thanksgiving; offer specific prayers of thanksgiving for what God has done for you or your family or friends recently. S= Supplication; Make your requests to God for your needs and the needs of others.
b. Use a PRAYER LIST: Have a prayer list of things and people you want to regularly pray for. If the list gets long, you may want to break it up into separate lists for each day of the week, and one list for daily prayers.
This is just to give you some suggested ideas. Tailor your devotion "method" to suit your need for spiritual nurture, the time you have, and what seems to speak to you most. The most IMPORTANT aspect of Bible reading and prayer is to DO IT DAILY! I have found that even just 5 minutes on a daily basis is more beneficial than 2 hours once a week, to keep you focused on the Lord. But, don’t get discouraged. If you set out to do it daily, and you miss, just pick it right back up the next day – just DON’T GIVE UP TRYING!
Also, you could try a modified daily plan; 4-5 days/ week.
God WILL bless your efforts to spend time with Him!
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