If you're like me, then reading the Bible can be hard. Honestly? Most of the time I just don't feel like reading it. Unless I'm on some form of "spiritual high" where everything seems great and I feel extremely close to God, taking time for devotions can feel like more of a habit, chore, or obligation. This is not how it's supposed to feel when we hang out with our best friend who has done so much for us. But maybe that's because it HAS just become a habit. When you take time to spend with God do you find yourself doing the exact same thing everyday? That's usually what I do. But maybe it's not supposed to be quite so routine...
Below are some ideas to maybe shake up your devotion times a bit. Unless otherwise stated, they are options, not things you "have" to do. They also don't have to be done in any particular order but in case you would like a little bit of order, I tried to put them in one.
1. Find Time. This may seem like a "duh" statement, but many of us get really busy or get caught up in doing what we want to do. So when does your day slow down or when can you take a moment to get alone with God-even if this means cutting out TV or taking a 15 minute nap instead of a 30 minute nap? Is right after you wake up the best before you dive into the day? The afternoon during a lunch break at work? The evening time before you go to bed? You don't have to have a set hour (although if this helps you then go for it), but do try to find a particular time that works best.
2. Pray. This is one of those "unless otherwise stated" actions. It's a must and I highly recommend you start off with it. Praying can really get us into the right mindset and bring us more into the presence of God. It doesn't have to be long, and you don't even have to bring your needs before Him at this point. If anything, just ask Him to speak to you through the Word. If you're not feeling particulary "devotional" at this point, tell Him. He already knows how we feel so we might as well admit it and ask for Him to help us with it. Talk to Him like He's your friend-He is.
3. Set the Mood. This may sound weird but I think that it can be helpful. Oftentimes we're stressed out or in a "on the go" type of mood and it can be hard to just relax and slow down long enough to gasp out a prayer before we're onto the next activity lol. So what helps you to relax and/or puts you in a more God-focused state? Listening to a song about God's greatness, lighting a candle, reading a quote, or even stretching may help with this. Just make sure that you don't allow it to distract you and your focus doesn't become centered on the activity, song, etc. rather than on God. Also, if your mind does start to wander, consciously pull it back and ask for God to help clear your head.
4. Read Scripture. Again, this may be another "duh," comment but it's also another "unless otherwise stated" one. Praying is great, but we also need to get into God's Word too. A lot of times I feel like I have to read a lot, but this isn't the case. In fact, reading too much can actually be overwhelming and cause us to not get much out of what we read. So choose what's best for you, maybe around 5-10 verses, and really focus on what it's saying. Dig into what it's trying to tell you; don't just read it to get it done, which I know from experience is easy to do.
5. Journal. This can aid in better remembering what you read and causing you to go deeper into it. Write down what stood out to you, what caused you to think, questions you have, anything. Often times I also pray by writing it down. This can be a closing prayer time where you praise God, ask Him questions, lay your requests before Him, etc.
6. Don't Leave God. This is essential and unfortunately, one that many of us tend to do the opposite of (or at least I do). I have my devotion and then I sort of just go about my day not really thinking about what I learned or seeking His presence throughout the day. He wants to be confided in, spoken to, and thought about. It doesn't have to be some big, life-changing event; it can simply be a quick thank-you for the beauty of the day or something good that happened, or asking His opinion on something, etc.
7. Other ideas. Some more ideas on ways to shake up your routine a bit are to find a different spot to have your devotion (make sure it's one where you won't get easily distracted), take a walk and pray or meditate on Scripture/God, look up certain verses to read on an issue you are struggling with, choose one of the verses you read in your devo time to memorize, use a commentary to see what others have to say about the passage/verse, use a different translation or more than one at the same time. Overall, be creative. Write a song or poem, play a song on an instrument, make a collage of your favorite verses. There are probably more ways than what I mentioned to share time with God, you just have to find them.
8. Don't Give Up. Lastly, there will be days when you just don't feel like spending time with God, but do it anyway. Your attitude may change once you get into your time with Him, but make sure you try to surrender this reluctance to Him. Also, you won't always feel inspired or touched by what you read, but don't worry. It happens to us all and you just have to keep trying. :)
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