My Bible & Daily Devotionals - How To:

Daily Devotional

I recently had a sweet conversation with my older brother Larry, and we were talking about how our cups feel a little empty lately. It wasn’t until I started trying to encourage him to lean into the Lord that I sort of talked myself into getting back into my daily dose of Jesus.
So this one’s for you Larry.

I try my best to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour a day in my bible, but I’m sure many of you understand that it’s not always as easy as it sounds.

With kids, sleepless nights, chores, exercise, to much work and a lack of me time, I usually choose SLEEP over my 30 minutes with Jesus…

On top of that, how do you know where to start? How do you know what you need to hear. How do you know what Jesus wants to speak to you?
I’m going to help you with that in this post today. 🙂

Where do I start?

I used to always struggle with knowing just where to begin with my one-on-one time with Jesus, almost to the point of just not doing it? Because getting started is the hardest part.

The best part about this Bible, is it also guides you with getting started and staying with it. It has several devotional reading plans, and actual studies written by 122 different writers. So this bible will carry you through and guide you into a healthy habit.

How to read your Bible:

Though written by human writers, every word in the bible is breathed out by God. So we read the bible to learn from Him how to flourish in our everyday lives and to get to know Him on a deeper level.
God reveals himself to us through His word and through the person Jesus Christ. Diving into our bible’s each day teaches us how to become more and more like Jesus on a daily basis.

*Make sure you set yourself up for a perfect devotionals each day by choosing a consistent time of day, finding a quiet place, setting aside any and all distractions and gather a pen and paper if you like to write during your devotionals.

Pray
The first thing I always do before I choose what I plan to devote my hour to is pray. Pray for what the Lord would like you to focus on during this time. Prayerfully choose a devotional from the back of your bible, devotional book, or for God to show you. Pray for the Lord to reveal himself to you through his word.
Read
Next, I read: A verse, a chapter, an entire book from the bible… whatever it was I needed to read. Read quietly or read aloud. And go at your own pace.
Reflect
Next, I reflect: Consider who it was written to, who wrote it, when it was written; What was the authors main purpose in writing it? Underline all the passages that stood out to you and write down any questions you have.
Respond
And last, respond: How does this apply to your life? Or how can you apply it to your life? Contemplate a course of action you could take. Write your thoughts about the passage in your journal. And of course Pray. Invite the Lord to show you how he wants you to respond to his word.

When we spend time in God’s word, our time is never wasted. Isaiah 55:11
He is faithful to draw near to us whenever we draw near to Him. James 4:8.
It’s a promise.

My bible:

My bible is a Dayspring (in)courage Daily Devotional Bible. < linked & not sponsored! I just LOVE this bible.
I have it in Green Cloth, but it comes in different colors and materials. They are all beautifu!

Here are some details about this wonderful Bible.

covers 312 devotions by 122 (in)courage community writers
10 distinct thematic reading plans
66 book introductions connecting each book of the Bible to the whole biblical narrative
stories of courage from 50 women of the Bible
Denise J. Hughes – editor
Cloth over board cover
Journaling space
Topical index
Two-column text
Theme verses
Specialized presentation page
Text is a custom font; size equivalent around a 10

They also have journals, cards, gifts, Bible covers and so much more. I love everything they sell.

What I love most about this Bible:

As seen in the picture above, there are several reading plans to help guide you in the right direction to grow where you need it or wherever God wants you to grow. They are tailored toward specific themes like Leadership, Grace, Hope and many more. It has a weekly schedule that guides you to the page and verse(s) to read that day, and then has a written devotional to go with it.

It’s helps me so much in staying engaged during my devotional, and even seeing a perspective of the scripture I may have overlooked the first time.